Numerical Simulation of Reactive Flow

Book excerpt: Reactive flows encompass a broad range of physical phenomena, interacting over many different time and space scales. Such flows occur in combustion, chemical lasers, the earth's oceans and atmosphere, and stars and interstellar space. Despite the obvious physical differences in these flows, there is a striking similarity in the forms of their descriptive equations. Thus, the considerations and procedures for constructing numerical models of these systems are also similar, and these similarities can be exploited. Moreover, using the latest technology, what were once difficult and expensive computations can now be done on desktop computers. This book takes account of the explosive growth in computer technology and the greatly increased capacity for solving complex reactive flow problems that have occurred since the first edition of Numerical Simulation of Reactive Flow was published in 1987. It presents algorithms useful for reactive flow simulations, describes trade-offs involved in their use, and gives guidance for building and using models of complex reactive flows.