Experiments were performed to analyse premixed flames propagating
freely in wide tubes, first to give a better description of the
two regimes of propagation already observed, then to relate their
characteristic length scales to the cut-off wavelength used in
numerical modelling of premixed flames dynamics.
Slanted flames propagate at a speed 50% larger than quasi-symmetric
flames, three to four times the normal flame speed. This can
be relevant for determining the flame flashback conditions.
The variations of flame speed at the leading bump precede the
variations in the flame surface, indicating that the local condition
at the flame tip is the critical phenomenon that controls the flame
propagation. This is confirmed by the correlation between the local
radius of curvature and the flame speed, slower flames having a
larger radius of curvature.
The dynamics of the flame resembles the one described by the
Michelson–Sivashinsky equation: slanted flames with a small
radius of curvature have a restricted range of fluctuations, reflecting
the stabilizing effect of curvature; the minimal radius of curvature
is of the order of the most unstable wavelength K⁄ 2 kc and
the most probable radius of curvature can be compared to the limiting
value K1 calculated with non-linear theories. The wrinkled
flame speed is also comparable to the results of Michelson–Sivashinsky
and of direct numerical simulations in wide tubes by considering
that the increase of flame speed in a tube is the double of
that calculated in a 2D channel.
Finally, we may add some remarks on the competition between
quasi-symmetric and slanted flames. It was stated that the quasisteady
parabolic fronts were metastable in the case of flames propagating
upwards [34], numerical simulations showing that the parabolic
tip slowly approaches one of the walls. The direct numerical
simulations in wide tubes (D > 3.4 kc) confirm this hypothesis by
ending with a slanted flame [22,35], while MS simulations produce
flames of various shapes depending on the distribution of new poles
created by noisy perturbations. All these simulations look similar to
the experiments where the quasi-symmetric flames display many
bumps competing for the leadership, while slanted flames have a
smooth bump with cusped cells travelling on its skirt.