On the Combustion of Wood II: The Influence of Internal Convection on the Transient Pyrolysis of Cellulose

Abstract

In this paper the topic of investigation is the extent of internal convection caused by the flow of pyrolysis gases in a decomposing α-cellulosic body. The argument is proposed and applied to data obtained on cellulose cylinders as well as all the available burning rate data of the literature. The primary conclusion of this work is that, all too frequently, in transient pyrolysis of cellulosic bodies, the energy flux by the internal convection can rival that by the inward conduction.