The propagation speed of a premixed laminar flame or a weak deflagration wa
ve is not uniquely determined in the hyperbolic theory of reactive gas flow
. in this paper, we take a hyperbolic system of conservation laws as a gove
rning system of equations for reacting gases and propose an algorithm to de
termine a wave propagation speed uniquely. The wave speed and states around
a flame are computed through solving a Riemann problem near a flame in the
phase space. The Riemann problem can be solved by combining the informatio
n from the internal wave structure, which is ignored in the hyperbolic appr
oximation, and characteristic information. Therefore, the wave speed comes
to depend on the internal variables such as viscosity and diffusion. This m
ethod can be used to track a premixed laminar flame when combined with any
front tracking method. Some computational results are also presented. (C) 2
001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.