Turbulent Combustion

Abstract

The book Turbulent Combustion by Norbert Peters is a concise monograph on single-phase gaseous low Mach number turbulent combustion. It is compiled from the author's review papers on this topic plus some additional material. Norbert Peters characterizes turbulent combustion both by the way fuel and air are mixed and by the ratio of turbulent and chemical time scales. This approach leads naturally to detailed models, which are based on results of turbulence modelling and asymptotic flame theory. In both areas Norbert Peters has contributed significantly over the last two decades. The book has four sections. In chapter 1 he discusses briefly the state of the art of combustion models as they are used by different authors. Important turbulent and chemical scales are introduced, which are then used to introduce and explain the different combustion models. He distinguishes between premixed and non-premixed combustion and also between infinitely fast and finite rate chemistry. The current turbulent combustion models are described in order of their complexity and physical accuracy. He explains Eddy BreakUp and Eddy Dissipation Models, the fundamentals of the PDF transport equation, and the laminar flamelet concept applied to non-premixed and premixed turbulent combustion. Then, the Conditional Moment Closure, the Linear Eddy Model, and combustion models used in Large Eddy Simulations are described very briefly. Chapter 2 is devoted to premixed turbulent combustion. After introducing some characteristic dimensionless numbers Peters uses the level set approach and the flamelet concept to formulate a combustion model valid in the thin zone and corrugated reaction zone regimes. He shows parallels between this more fundamental model and standard models like the Bray-Moss-Libby model. He also presents models for the turbulent burning velocity, the Flame Surface Area Ratio, and discusses the effects of gas expansion. Very helpful for the reader's understanding is the presentation of three worked examples of a slot burner, a propagating spherical flame and an oscillating counter flow. Peters' model for premixed turbulent combustion is based on the equations for the mean and the variance of the $G$-equation, some closure relations as well as the flamelet equation for premixed combustion. A numerical example is used to discuss its accuracy. Non-premixed turbulent combustion is the subject matter of chapter 3. Peters uses the mixture fraction variable and asymptotic flame theory to explain the regimes of non-premixed turbulent combustion. Two worked examples of a counterflow diffusion flame and the one-dimensional unsteady laminar mixing layer help the reader to understand the theory. After discussing turbulent jet diffusion flames and introducing the flamelet equation he develops steady and unsteady flamelet models for non-premixed turbulent combustion. In particular, the Eulerian Particle Flamelet Model and the RIF (Representative Interactive Flamelet) Model are discussed. These models have been used to predict pollutant formation in a gas turbine and a direct injection Diesel engine, respectively. Finally, partially premixed combustion is discussed in chapter 4. Lifted turbulent diffusion flames are reviewed and the prediction of the lift-off height is identified as a key problem. This leads directly to the introduction of the concept of a triple flame. Different models for partially premixed combustion are then presented and the numerical simulation and the scaling of lift-off heights in turbulent jet flames are studied. There is no doubt that this book is well written and is an important contribution to combustion literature. Peters uses asymptotic theory and scale separation to develop combustion models from first principles. Also, the book contains a comprehensive review of the current literature on turbulent combustion. It is clearly a `must have' for experienced combustion modellers and experimentalists. The book has not been written for non-experts and beginners; these readers would probably have liked more worked examples and exercises, a list of symbols, some material on the mathematical techniques of asymptotic analysis, and a more detailed discussion of the standard combustion models that are often used in the literature. Also, the numerical aspects of turbulent combustion modelling are not discussed in the book. Nevertheless, the book will be a useful source for advanced courses on combustion. Markus Kraft