Flame speed

The flame speed is the measured rate of expansion of the flame front in a combustion reaction. Whereas flame speed is generally used for a fuel, a related term is explosive velocity, which is the same relationship measured for an explosive. Combustion engineers differentiate between the laminar and turbulent flame speeds. Flame speed is typically measured in m/s, cm/s, etc.

In engines

In an internal combustion engine, the flame speed of a fuel is a property which determines its ability to undergo controlled combustion without detonation. Flame speed is used along with adiabatic flame temperature to help determine the engine's efficiency. According to one source,

"...high flame-speed combustion processes, which closely approximate constant-volume processes, should result in high efficiencies."

See also

• Chemical kinetics
• Deflagration#Flame_physics
• Burn rate (chemistry)
• Wobbe index
• Octane rating

References