Glowing ignition of wood: the onset of surface combustion

A theoretical model for wood pyrolysis including char surface oxidation is presented. The main objective is to expose the physical mechanisms governing glowing ignition. By “glowing ignition,” we mean the onset of surface combustion. The char surface oxidation, which can lead to glowing ignition, is considered at the surface boundary condition. Two regimes of char surface oxidation, namely, kinetic and diffusion-controlled, are distinguished. Depending on the char surface oxidation resistances, the char surface oxidation as either kinetic- or diffusion-controlled can be identified. A criterion for glowing ignition is developed based on a surface energy balance. A numerical result shows that according to the present glowing ignition criteria, an inflection point of the surface temperature history can indicate glowing ignition. Generally, a good agreement between theoretical and experimental results at glowing ignition is obtained.