▪ Abstract Relationships between small and large scales of motion in turbulent flows are of much interest in large-eddy simulation of turbulence, in which small scales are not explicitly resolved and must be modeled. This paper reviews models that are based on scale-invariance properties of high-Reynolds-number turbulence in the inertial range. The review starts with the Smagorinsky model, but the focus is on dynamic and similarity subgrid models and on evaluating how well these models reproduce the true impact of the small scales on large-scale physics and how they perform in numerical simulations. Various criteria to evaluate the model performance are discussed, including the so-called a posteriori and a priori studies based on direct numerical simulation and experimental data. Issues are addressed mainly in the context of canonical, incompressible flows, but extensions to scalar-transport, compressible, and reacting flows are also mentioned. Other recent modeling approaches are briefly introduced.

Scale-Invariance and Turbulence Models for Large-Eddy Simulation

The micromachining technology that emerged in the late 1980s can provide micron-sized sensors and actuators. These micro transducers are able to be integrated with signal conditioning and processing circuitry to form micro-electromechanical-systems (MEMS) that can perform real-time distributed control. This capability opens up a new territory for flow control research. On the other hand, surface effects dominate the fluid flowing through these miniature mechanical devices because of the large surface-to-volume ratio in micron-scale configurations. We need to reexamine the surface forces in the momentum equation. Owing to their smallness, gas flows experience large Knudsen numbers, and therefore boundary conditions need to be modified. Besides being an enabling technology, MEMS also provide many challenges for fundamental flow-science research.

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Micro-electro-mechanical-systems (mems) and fluid flows

A new approach to chemistry modelling for large-eddy simulation of turbulent reacting flows is developed. Instead of solving transport equations for all of the numerous species in a typical chemical mechanism and modelling the unclosed chemical source terms, the present study adopts an indirect mapping approach, whereby all of the detailed chemical processes are mapped to a reduced system of tracking scalars. Here, only two such scalars are considered: a mixture fraction variable, which tracks the mixing of fuel and oxidizer, and a progress variable, which tracks the global extent of reaction of the local mixture. The mapping functions, which describe all of the detailed chemical processes with respect to the tracking variables, are determined by solving quasi-steady diffusion-reaction equations with complex chemical kinetics and multicomponent mass diffusion. The performance of the new model is compared to fast-chemistry and steady-flamelet models for predicting velocity, species concentration, and temperature fields in a methane-fuelled coaxial jet combustor for which experimental data are available. The progress-variable approach is able to capture the unsteady, lifted flame dynamics observed in the experiment, and to obtain good agreement with the experimental data, while the fast-chemistry and steady-flamelet models both predict an attached flame.

Progress-variable approach for large-eddy simulation of non-premixed turbulent combustion

Turbulent combustion modeling

Dynamics and stability of lean-premixed swirl-stabilized combustion

Heat release effects on laminar flame propagation in partially premixed flows are studied. Data for analysis are obtained from direct numerical simulations of a laminar mixing layer with a uniformly approaching velocity field. The structure that evolves under such conditions is a triple flame, which consists of two premixed wings and a trailing diffusion flame. Heat release increases the flame speed over that of the corresponding planar premixed flame. In agreement with previous analytical work, reductions in the mixture fraction gradient also increase the flame speed. The effects of heat release and mixture fraction gradients on flame speed are not independent, however; heat release modifies the effective mixture fraction gradient in front of the flame. For very small mixture fraction gradients, scaling laws that determine the flame speed in terms of the density change are presented.

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Effects of heat release on triple flames

Large-eddy simulation of a lifted methane jet flame in a vitiated coflow

Three-dimensional boundary conditions for direct and large-eddy simulation of compressible viscous flows

▪ Abstract Non-premixed turbulent combustion processes control most practical applications of combustion. Studying these mechanisms has been the objective of numerous theoretical and experimental works in the last century. In the past 10 years, direct numerical simulation (DNS) has emerged as a new methodology. It has become an essential tool to understand and model turbulent combustion. DNS numerically solves the set of equations describing turbulent flames by resolving all chemical and flow scales. Because formulated assumptions can be tested accurately, the resulting data provide unique information to build turbulent combustion models. This review first discusses the fundamental properties of laminar diffusion flames. It then presents various DNS results to illustrate the different problems that can be studied using this tool. These problems include validity of the modeling hypothesis, topology of flame surfaces, and ignition and extinction mechanisms. The review also discusses the different analysis t...

Luc Vervisch

Papers

Turbulent combustion modeling

Effects of heat release on triple flames

Large-eddy simulation of a lifted methane jet flame in a vitiated coflow

Three-dimensional boundary conditions for direct and large-eddy simulation of compressible viscous flows

Direct numerical simulation of non-premixed turbulent flames