Ignition in a vertical wall in contact with a combustible gas: catalytic reactions in one surface of the plate

Abstract

The steady-state ignition of a catalytic vertical plate immersed in a combustible gas is analysed using asymptotic and numerical techniques. The analysis is restricted to the case where the catalytic activity is assumed to be on one lateral surface of the plate, causing an asymmetrical heat transfer distribution. The influence of the transversal and the longitudinal heat conduction effects through the plate are clarified, showing well defined ignition and extinction conditions (an S-shaped curve) for high activation energy. The catalytic ignition is easier to achieve as the value of the non-dimensional longitudinal thermal conductance of the plate increases in the thermally thin wall regime, while the converse is true for the thermally thick wall regime.