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Physics

Flames that don't flicker could make engines more efficient

Producing flickerless flames usually requires artificially low pressure or gravity. Researchers have now come up with a method that works in standard conditions and could help make engines more efficient

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

25 January 2023

Flickering flames

Flickering flames

Shutterstock/banjongseal956

Flames that don’t flicker could make stoves and engines more efficient. Creating such flames has previously required using artificially low gravity or pressure. Now, researchers have manged to do it in real-world conditions by pairing flames together.

Devices ranging from stoves and furnaces to aircraft and spacecraft engines use flames arranged close to each other. Flames consist of warm particles of air that can influence each other when close together, so putting one flame next to another can cause both to flicker. When flames flicker, devices using …

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