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Incombustion, adiffusion flame is aflame in which theoxidizer andfuel are separated before burning. Contrary to its name, a diffusion flame involves bothdiffusion and convection processes. The name diffusion flame was first suggested by S.P. Burke and T.E.W. Schumann in 1928,[1] to differentiate frompremixed flame where fuel and oxidizer are premixed prior to burning. The diffusion flame is also referred to asnonpremixed flame. The burning rate is however still limited by the rate of diffusion.[2] Diffusion flames tend to burn slower and to produce more soot thanpremixed flames because there may not be sufficient oxidizer for the reaction to go to completion, although there are some exceptions to the rule. The soot typically produced in a diffusion flame becomesincandescent from the heat of the flame and lends the flame its readily identifiable orange-yellow color. Diffusion flames tend to have a less-localized flame front than premixed flames.[citation needed]
The contexts for diffusion may vary somewhat. For instance, acandle uses the heat of the flame itself tovaporize itswax fuel and the oxidizer (oxygen) diffuses into the flame from the surrounding air, while agaslight flame (or the safety flame of aBunsen burner) uses fuel already in the form of a vapor.
Diffusion flames are often studied incounter flow (also called opposed jet) burners.[citation needed][3] Their interest is due to possible application in the flamelet model for turbulent combustion. Furthermore they provide a convenient way to examine strained flames and flames with holes. These are also known under the name of "edge flames", characterized by a local extinction on their axis because of the high strain rates in the vicinity of the stagnation point.
Diffusion flames have an entirely different appearance in amicrogravity environment. There is noconvection to carry the hot combustion products away from the fuel source, which results in a spherical flame front, such as in the candle seen here. This is a rare example of a diffusion flame which does not produce much soot and does not therefore have a typical yellow flame.
