Ignition: A Century of Research and an Assessment of Our Current Status

Ignition has been systematically, scientifically studied for about a century now. But the development of knowledge in this area has been uneven, and while an advanced understanding has been reached in some areas, knowledge is scant in others. A review of the literature of the field indicates that the following are some of the notable areas where engineering calculation methods are poor or lacking: hot-surface ignition of liquids; ignition of liquid sprays or aerosols; ignition of solids from hot bodies (hot solids or liquids); ignition of solids by small flames; glowing ignition of solids, especially of lignocellulosic materials; almost all aspects of the ignition of dust clouds; and electrical fires. It is also noted that, despite a century's research, there have been very few theories developed in the ignition field that have engineering utility. The vast majority of theoretical development efforts have produced unwieldy computational models that would require a plethora of generally unavailable input d...