Modeling methods applied in the field of turbulent combustion were investigated via Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) and theoretical analysis with an emphasis on subgrid-scale modeling to be applied in Large Eddy Simulations (LES). The DNS results supported the conditional moment closure approximation, refuted the common modeling of differential diffusion effects, raised a suggestion for valid modeling of differential diffusion, resolved outstanding theoretical issues regarding mixing layers, and demonstrated the need for including flamelet/flamelet interactions in the modeling of extinction/reignition events. The DNS methodology was reconfirmed by comparison to the classical laboratory results of Comte-Bellot and Corrsin. A new subgrid-scale model (Large Eddy Laminar Flamelet; LELFM, a quasi-steady model) was established and applied to the prediction of laboratory results in a simulated mixing layer with nitric oxide/ozone reaction. The results support the modeling. New results were derived and confirmed via DNS regarding the subgrid-scale modeling of the filtered mixture fraction, its second moment and dissipation rate.

Modeling methods applied in the field of turbulent combustion were investigated via Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) and theoretical analysis with an emphasis on subgrid-scale modeling to be applied in Large Eddy Simulations (LES). The DNS results supported the conditional moment closure approximation, refuted the common modeling of differential diffusion effects, raised a suggestion for valid modeling of differential diffusion, resolved outstanding theoretical issues regarding mixing layers, and demonstrated the need for including flamelet/flamelet interactions in the modeling of extinction/reignition events. The DNS methodology was reconfirmed by comparison to the classical laboratory results of Comte-Bellot and Corrsin. A new subgrid-scale model (Large Eddy Laminar Flamelet; LELFM, a quasi-steady model) was established and applied to the prediction of laboratory results in a simulated mixing layer with nitric oxide/ozone reaction. The results support the modeling. New results were derived and confirmed via DNS regarding the subgrid-scale modeling of the filtered mixture fraction, its second moment and dissipation rate.

Turbulent combustion sits at the interface of two important nonlinear, multiscale phenomena: chemistry and turbulence. Its study is extremely timely in view of the need to develop new combustion technologies in order to address challenges associated with climate change, energy source uncertainty, and air pollution. Despite the fact that modeling of turbulent combustion is a subject that has been researched for a number of years, its complexity implies that key issues are still eluding, and a theoretical description that is accurate enough to make turbulent combustion models rigorous and quantitative for industrial use is still lacking. In this book, prominent experts review most of the available approaches in modeling turbulent combustion, with particular focus on the exploding increase in computational resources that has allowed the simulation of increasingly detailed phenomena. The relevant algorithms are presented, the theoretical methods are explained, and various application examples are given. The book is intended for a relatively broad audience, including seasoned researchers and graduate students in engineering, applied mathematics and computational science, engine designers and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) practitioners, scientists at funding agencies, and anyone wishing to understand the state-of-the-art and the future directions of this scientifically challenging and practically important field.

This book presents a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art models for turbulent combustion, with special emphasis on the theory, development and applications of combustion models in practical combustion systems. It simplifies the complex multi-scale and nonlinear interaction between chemistry and turbulence to allow a broader audience to understand the modeling and numerical simulations of turbulent combustion, which remains at the forefront of research due to its industrial relevance. Further, the book provides a holistic view by covering a diverse range of basic and advanced topics—from the fundamentals of turbulence–chemistry interactions, role of high-performance computing in combustion simulations, and optimization and reduction techniques for chemical kinetics, to state-of-the-art modeling strategies for turbulent premixed and nonpremixed combustion and their applications in engineering contexts.

The combustion of fossil fuels remains a key technology for the foreseeable future. It is therefore important that we understand the mechanisms of combustion and, in particular, the role of turbulence within this process. Combustion always takes place within a turbulent flow field for two reasons: turbulence increases the mixing process and enhances combustion, but at the same time combustion releases heat which generates flow instability through buoyancy, thus enhancing the transition to turbulence. The four chapters of this book present a thorough introduction to the field of turbulent combustion. After an overview of modeling approaches, the three remaining chapters consider the three distinct cases of premixed, non-premixed, and partially premixed combustion, respectively. This book will be of value to researchers and students of engineering and applied mathematics by demonstrating the current theories of turbulent combustion within a unified presentation of the field.