On the location of flame edge in Shadowgraph pictures of spherical flames: a theoretical and experimental study

In this paper, a theoretical model based on geometrical optics has been developed to analyze the light intensity pattern of Shadowgraph pictures of spherical flames. The theoretical results have been compared with experimental measurement of light intensity profiles across the flame front using commercially available image processing software. These results are in good agreement. The theory predicts that the sudden change of light intensity from dark to bright does not coincide with the flame edge unless the flame thickness is negligible. Experimental results agree very well with the theoretical predictions.