Experimental studies were conducted to investigate the behaviors of non-spread diffusion flames of liquid fuel-soaked porous beds. The effects of the properties of the porous bed and the fuel on combustion behaviors, including flame temperature profiles, combustion duration time, fuel consumption and the amount of fuel residue in the porous beds, were studied in the experiments. Additionally, a heat transfer model was used to predict the amount of fuel consumption in the porous beds. Consistency between the predicted and experimental results confirmed that heat conduction is the controlling mechanism in the combustion behavior of liquid fuel-soaked porous beds. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.