Theoretical Analysis of the Effects of Cigarette Design Parameters on the Smoldering Rates, Heat Flux, and Total Heat Released During Smoldering of a Cigarette

Abstract

A mathematical model developed by Muramatsu, Umemura, and Okada (1979) was modified and improved by changing the relative amounts of radiative and conductive heat transfer to study the effects of moisture content in the cigarette, cigarette packing density, and cigarette circumference on the smoldering rates, heat flux, and total heat released during natural smolder of a cigarette. A mathematically predicted temperature profile was fitted to the corresponding experimental values with a nonlinear least-square fitting routine to obtain a smoldering rate and the relative amounts of radiative and conductive heat transfer. Then, based on the relative contribution of heat transfer modes, the heat flux and the total heat released were calculated with the fitted smoldering rate as a function of cigarette design parameters. Results show that the circumference of the cigarette is the major physical factor affecting mass burn rate (MBR), while the packing density of the cigarette strongly affects the linear burn rate (LBR), heat flux, and total heat released.