| The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of gravity and radiation heat transfer on candle flame combustion. This has been accomplished by numerical simulation of the two-dimensional axisymmetric flow around a simplified candle. In this model, the candle wick is assumed to be a solid coated with liquid fuel connected to an inert cylinder resembles the body of the candle.; A finite volume method is used to solve the steady mass, momentum Navier-Stokes, species, and energy equations, and the radiative transfer equation. The gas phase combustion process is modeled by a single-step, second-order, finite rate Arrhenius reaction. The discrete ordinates method is used to solve the radiative heat transfer with mean absorption coefficients. Flame radiation is only from CO2 and H2 O, the products of combustion.; Computed results show that the flame length varies with the gravity level in a non-monotonic manner. Flame length increases from 0-ge to 3-ge and then decreases before blown-off. A slight reduction in the reaction zone thickness is observed with increasing gravity but the stand-off distance is significantly reduced as gravity level is increased. |
