How do fuel and oxygen mix in a turbulent diffusion flame?

In a turbulent diffusion flame, fuel and oxygen are not mixed prior to entering the burning zone. Instead, the mixing of these gases is driven by turbulent diffusion.1

While laminar diffusion flames exhibit a regular distribution of combustible material and oxygen across their cross-sections, the mixing process in turbulent gas flows is significantly more complex. In these systems, convective transport—which includes turbulent and eddy motions—plays a primary role in the intermixing of gases, such as those found in industrial furnaces. Because the structure and features of these flames are governed largely by this gas intermixing, the theoretical study of turbulent diffusion flames relies more heavily on physics and thermodynamics than on the specific chemical reactions occurring within the flame.12