Article
Article
Smoke
Article By:
Bukowski, Richard W. U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.629200
A dispersion of small, solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in a gaseous medium, usually produced by a combustion process. Smoke particles start as groups of carbon atoms or small fragments of the burning material which grow in size by coagulation and condensation as they are carried from the combustion zone by the buoyancy of the hot gases. These particles are usually found to have diameters in the range 0.01–5.0 micrometers. The solid particles tend to be somewhat irregular in shape and are often seen as clusters or long chains of dark material. Smokes from flaming combustion consist mainly of solid particles. See also: Combustion
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