Thermal Explosion with Variable Thermal Conductivity: Criticality and Its Disappearance

Thermal stability of reacting masses, whose thermal conductivityis a function of temperature, is investigated. Some generalresults relating to criticality and its disappearance are presented.A particular study is made of the disappearance of criticalityfor the slab geometry with infinite Biot number (Frank-Kamenetskiiconditions) for both linear and exponential forms for the temperaturedependence of conductivity.