Mathematical justification of a nonlinear integro-differential equation for the propagation of spherical flames

This paper is devoted to the justification of an asymptotic model for quasisteady three-dimensional spherical flames proposed by G. Joulin 17]. The paper 17] derives, by means of a three-scale matched asymptotics, starting from the classical thermo-diffusive model with high activation energies, an integro-differential equation for the flame radius. In the derivation, it is essential for the Lewis Number – i.e. the ratio between thermal and molecular diffusion – to be strictly less than unity. If is the inverse of the – reduced – activation energy, the idea underlying the construction of 17] is that (i) the time scale of the radius motion is ^-2, and that (ii) at each time step, the solution is -close to a steady solution.In this paper, we give a rigorous proof of the validity of this model under the restriction that the Lewis number is close to 1 – independently of the order of magnitude of the activation energy. The method used comprises three steps: (i) a linear stability analysis near a steady – or quasi-steady – solution, which justifies the fact that the relevant time scale is ^-2; (ii) the rigorous construction of an approximate solution; (iii) a nonlinear stability argument. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) Primary 80A25, Secondary 35K57, 47G20