Mixed convective burning of a horizontal flat plate

Chemically-reacting laminar boundary-layer flow over a horizontal fuel slab is studied, in the limit of flamesheet combustion, for the entire range of mixed convection with the buoyancy force either aiding or opposing the development of the boundary layer. Rigorous solution as well as approximate solution assuming local similarity are obtained for the Shvab-Zel'dovich variables, velocity profiles, surface shear and temperature gradients, flame-front standoff distances, and excess pyrolyzates. Comparison of these results show that, while the approximate solution provides good agreement for the mass burning rate and the flame location, the velocity profiles deviate significantly from the rigorous solution in the regime of intense mixed convection. Complete solutions are also obtained for opposing flows to the point of separation for mixed-convective burning over both horizontal and vertical fuel surfaces.