Turbulent Combustion: Theory and Modern Modeling Fundamentals

Understanding turbulent combustion is essential for designing efficient propulsion systems, clean energy generation, and advanced industrial burners. This text-only course provides a clear, step-by-step introduction to how turbulence interacts with chemical reactions, helping you bridge the gap between fluid dynamics and combustion science. You will develop a solid foundation in the governing equations, flame structures, and computational models used to simulate these complex reacting flows. By completing this course, you will be able to analyze turbulent reacting flows, select appropriate modeling frameworks for different combustion regimes, and apply modern numerical concepts to practical engineering problems. What you'll learn: - Understand the foundational thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and transport equations of combustion - Analyze the structure of laminar premixed and non-premixed flames as a basis for turbulent systems - Characterize turbulence using statistical tools, energy cascade concepts, and length scales - Evaluate turbulent combustion regimes using the Borghi-Peters diagram and Damköhler numbers - Apply modern modeling approaches including Flamelet models, Probability Density Function (PDF) methods, and Eddy Dissipation concepts - Explore modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) integration using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) for reacting flows The course begins with essential terminology, governing equations, and fundamental chemical kinetics before guiding you through laminar flame theory. From there, you will explore turbulence physics and learn how to implement, interpret, and validate modern numerical models for both premixed and non-premixed turbulent flames. This course is designed for engineering students, researchers, and practicing thermal engineers who want to understand the theory behind combustion simulations. No prior background in turbulent combustion is required, though a basic understanding of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics is recommended. Start reading today to master the complex physics of turbulent reacting flows.