Fully understanding soot formation in flames is critical to the development of practical combustion devices, which typically operate at high pressures, and fire suppression systems in space. Flames display significant changes under microgravity and high-pressure conditions as compared to normal-gravity flames at atmospheric pressure, but the exact causes of these changes are not well-characterized. As such, the effects of gravity and pressure on the stability characteristics and sooting behavior of laminar coflow diffusion flames were investigated. To study these effects, a new highly-scalable combustion modelling tool was developed specifically for use on large multi-processor computer architectures. The tool is capable of capturing complex processes such as detailed chemistry, molecular transport, radiation, and soot formation/destruction in laminar diffusion flames. The proposed algorithm represents the current state of the art in combustion modelling, making use of a second-order accurate finite-volume scheme and a parallel adaptive mesh refinement algorithm on body-fitted, multi-block meshes. An acetylene-based, semi-empirical model was used to predict the nucleation, growth, and oxidation of soot particles. Reasonable agreement with experimental measurements for different fuels and pressures was obtained for predictions of flame height, temperature and soot volume fraction. Overall, the algorithm displayed excellent strong scaling performance by achieving a parallel efficiency of 70% on 384 processors. The effects of pressure and gravity were studied for flames of two different fuels: ethylene-air flames between pressures of 0.5–5 atm and methane-air flames between 1–60 atm. Based on the numerical predictions, zero-gravity flames had lower temperatures, broader soot-containing zones, and higher soot concentrations than normal-gravity flames at the same pressure. Buoyant forces caused the normal-gravity flames to narrow with increasing pressure while the increased soot concentrations and radiation at high pressures lengthened the zero-gravity flames. Low-pressure flames at both gravity levels exhibited a similar power-law dependence of the maximum carbon conversion on pressure which weakened as pressure was increased. This dependence decayed at a faster rate in zero gravity when pressure was increased beyond 1–10 atm.

Laminar axisymmetric syngas-air, syngas-methane mixture-air and biogas-air diffusion fames were studied over the pressure range of 5 to 20 atm to investigate the effect of pressure and dilution on soot formation. Spectral soot emission (SSE) optical diagnostic technique was used to measure the soot volume fraction and soot temperature in these flames. The fuel matrix consisted of three syngas fuels, two syngas-methane mixtures and two biogas fuels. In general, soot formation in syngas-methane mixtures and biogas diffusion flames showed strong pressure dependence at lower pressures but this dependence got weaker at elevated pressures. No soot was detected by SSE diagnostic technique in syngas-air flames at all pressures. The suppressive effect of carbon dioxide on soot formation prevailed at all pressures in syngas-methane mixtures and biogas flames.

Laminar axisymmetric syngas-air, syngas-methane mixture-air and biogas-air diffusion fames were studied over the pressure range of 5 to 20 atm to investigate the effect of pressure and dilution on soot formation. Spectral soot emission (SSE) optical diagnostic technique was used to measure the soot volume fraction and soot temperature in these flames. The fuel matrix consisted of three syngas fuels, two syngas-methane mixtures and two biogas fuels. In general, soot formation in syngas-methane mixtures and biogas diffusion flames showed strong pressure dependence at lower pressures but this dependence got weaker at elevated pressures. No soot was detected by SSE diagnostic technique in syngas-air flames at all pressures. The suppressive effect of carbon dioxide on soot formation prevailed at all pressures in syngas-methane mixtures and biogas flames.

Soot prediction in realistic systems is one of the most challenging problems in theoretical and applied combustion. Soot formation as a chemical process is very complicated and not fully understood up to the moment. The major difficulty stems from the chemical complexity of the soot formation processes as well as its strong coupling with the other thermochemical and fluid processes that occur simultaneously. Soot is a major byproduct of incomplete combustion, having a strong impact on the environment, as well as the combustion efficiency. Therefore, it needs to be predicted in realistic configurations in an accurate and yet computationally efficient way. In the current study, a new soot formation subgrid model is developed and reported here. The new model is designed to be used within the context of the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) framework, combined with Linear Eddy Mixing (LEM) as a subgrid combustion model. The final model can be applied equally to premixed and non-premixed flames over any required geometry and flow conditions in the free, the transition, and the continuum regimes. The soot dynamics is predicted using a Method of Moments approach with Lagrangian Interpolative Closure (MOMIC) for the fractional moments. Since, no prior knowledge of the particles distribution is required, the model is generally applicable. The effect of radiation is introduced as an optically thin model. As a validation the model is first applied to a non-premixed non-sooting flame, then a set of canonically premixed flames. Finally, the model is validated against a non-premixed jet sooting flame. Good results are predicted with reasonable accuracy.

The first goal of this thesis is to develop and validate a modeling tool into which fundamental combustion chemistry and aerosol dynamics theory are implemented for investigating soot formation/oxidation in multi-dimensional laminar coflow diffusion flames taking into account soot polydispersity and fractal-like aggregate structure. The second goal is to use the tool to study soot aggregate formation/oxidation in experimentally studied laminar coflow diffusion flames to advance the understanding of soot aggregate formation/oxidation mechanism. The first part of the thesis deals with the large CPU time problem when detailed models are coupled together. Using the domain decomposition method, a high performance parallel flame code is successfully developed. An advanced sectional aerosol dynamics model which can model fractal-like aggregate structure is successfully implemented into the parallel flame code. The performance of the parallel code is demonstrated through its application to the modeling of soot formation/oxidation in a laminar coflow CH4/air diffusion flame. The parallel efficiency reaches as high as 83%. The second part of the thesis numerically explores soot aggregate formation in a laminar coflow C2H4/air diffusion flame using detailed PAH-based combustion chemistry and a PAH-based soot formation/oxidation model. Compared to the measured data, flame temperature, axial velocity, C2H2 and OH concentrations, soot volume fraction, the average diameter and the number density of primary particles are reasonably well predicted. However, it is very challenging to predict effectively the average degree of particle aggregation. To do so, particle-particle and fluid-particle interactions that may cause non-unitary soot coagulation efficiency need to be considered. The original coagulation model is enhanced in this thesis to accommodate soot coagulation efficiency. Different types of soot coagulation efficiency are numerically investigated. It is found that a simple adjustment of soot coagulation efficiency from 100% to 20% provides good predictions on soot aggregate structure as well as flame properties. In the third part of the thesis, the effects of oxidation-driven soot aggregate fragmentation on aggregate structure and soot oxidation rate are studied. Three fragmentation models with different fragmentation patterns are developed and implemented into the sectional aerosol dynamics model. The implementation of oxidation-driven aggregate fragmentation significantly improves the prediction of soot aggregate structure in the soot oxidation region.

The first goal of this thesis is to develop and validate a modeling tool into which fundamental combustion chemistry and aerosol dynamics theory are implemented for investigating soot formation/oxidation in multi-dimensional laminar coflow diffusion flames taking into account soot polydispersity and fractal-like aggregate structure. The second goal is to use the tool to study soot aggregate formation/oxidation in experimentally studied laminar coflow diffusion flames to advance the understanding of soot aggregate formation/oxidation mechanism. The first part of the thesis deals with the large CPU time problem when detailed models are coupled together. Using the domain decomposition method, a high performance parallel flame code is successfully developed. An advanced sectional aerosol dynamics model which can model fractal-like aggregate structure is successfully implemented into the parallel flame code. The performance of the parallel code is demonstrated through its application to the modeling of soot formation/oxidation in a laminar coflow CH4/air diffusion flame. The parallel efficiency reaches as high as 83%. The second part of the thesis numerically explores soot aggregate formation in a laminar coflow C2H4/air diffusion flame using detailed PAH-based combustion chemistry and a PAH-based soot formation/oxidation model. Compared to the measured data, flame temperature, axial velocity, C2H2 and OH concentrations, soot volume fraction, the average diameter and the number density of primary particles are reasonably well predicted. However, it is very challenging to predict effectively the average degree of particle aggregation. To do so, particle-particle and fluid-particle interactions that may cause non-unitary soot coagulation efficiency need to be considered. The original coagulation model is enhanced in this thesis to accommodate soot coagulation efficiency. Different types of soot coagulation efficiency are numerically investigated. It is found that a simple adjustment of soot coagulation efficiency from 100% to 20% provides good predictions on soot aggregate structure as well as flame properties. In the third part of the thesis, the effects of oxidation-driven soot aggregate fragmentation on aggregate structure and soot oxidation rate are studied. Three fragmentation models with different fragmentation patterns are developed and implemented into the sectional aerosol dynamics model. The implementation of oxidation-driven aggregate fragmentation significantly improves the prediction of soot aggregate structure in the soot oxidation region.

Fully understanding soot formation in flames is critical to the development of practical combustion devices, which typically operate at high pressures, and fire suppression systems in space. Flames display significant changes under microgravity and high-pressure conditions as compared to normal-gravity flames at atmospheric pressure, but the exact causes of these changes are not well-characterized. As such, the effects of gravity and pressure on the stability characteristics and sooting behavior of laminar coflow diffusion flames were investigated. To study these effects, a new highly-scalable combustion modelling tool was developed specifically for use on large multi-processor computer architectures. The tool is capable of capturing complex processes such as detailed chemistry, molecular transport, radiation, and soot formation/destruction in laminar diffusion flames. The proposed algorithm represents the current state of the art in combustion modelling, making use of a second-order accurate finite-volume scheme and a parallel adaptive mesh refinement algorithm on body-fitted, multi-block meshes. An acetylene-based, semi-empirical model was used to predict the nucleation, growth, and oxidation of soot particles. Reasonable agreement with experimental measurements for different fuels and pressures was obtained for predictions of flame height, temperature and soot volume fraction. Overall, the algorithm displayed excellent strong scaling performance by achieving a parallel efficiency of 70% on 384 processors. The effects of pressure and gravity were studied for flames of two different fuels: ethylene-air flames between pressures of 0.5–5 atm and methane-air flames between 1–60 atm. Based on the numerical predictions, zero-gravity flames had lower temperatures, broader soot-containing zones, and higher soot concentrations than normal-gravity flames at the same pressure. Buoyant forces caused the normal-gravity flames to narrow with increasing pressure while the increased soot concentrations and radiation at high pressures lengthened the zero-gravity flames. Low-pressure flames at both gravity levels exhibited a similar power-law dependence of the maximum carbon conversion on pressure which weakened as pressure was increased. This dependence decayed at a faster rate in zero gravity when pressure was increased beyond 1–10 atm.

Les explosions de mélanges de gaz inflammables/solides combustibles ne sont pas bien comprises en raison de la complexité des transferts thermiques, des mécanismes de cinétiques et des interactions entre la turbulence /combustion. L'objectif principal de ce travail est d'étudier la sévérité des explosions des nanoparticules de carbone noir/méthane afin de comprendre l'influence de l'insertion des nanoparticules sur les explosions de gaz. Des tests ont été effectués sur ces mélanges dans un tube de propagation de la flamme et dans une sphère d'explosion standard de 20 L. L'influence de la turbulence initiale et de la taille de particule élémentaire du noir de carbone a également été étudiée. Il semble que l'insertion de nanoparticules de noir de carbone augmente d'environ 10% la sévérité de l’explosion pour les mélanges pauvres en méthane. Par conséquent, il semble que les nanoparticules ont un impact sur la sévérité de l'explosion même pour les systèmes à basse turbulence, contrairement aux systèmes impliquant des poudres de taille micrométrique qui nécessitent une dispersion à des niveaux élevés de turbulence. L'augmentation de la vitesse maximale de montée en pression est plus élevée pour des poudres avec un petit diamètre de particule, notamment en raison des phénomènes de fragmentation. En outre, un modèle numérique de propagation de front de flamme associé à un mélange gaz/noir de carbone a été développé pour examiner l'influence du noir de carbone sur la propagation de la flamme. Les résultats du modèle numérique suggèrent que la contribution de la chaleur radiative favorise l'accélération de la flamme. Ces résultats sont en accord avec les résultats expérimentaux de sévérité de l'explosion pour certains mélanges hybrides / Flammable gas/solid hybrid mixture explosions are not well understood because of the interaction of the thermal transfer process, the combustion kinetics mechanisms and the interactions between turbulence and combustion. The main objective on this work is to study the explosion severity and flame burning velocities of carbon black nanoparticles/methane to better understand the influence of added nanopowders in gas explosions. Tests have been performed in a flame propagation tube and in the standard 20 L explosion sphere. The influence of carbon black particles on the explosions severity and in the front flame propagation has been appreciated by comparing the results obtained for pure gas mixtures. It appeared that the carbon black nanoparticles insertion increases around 10% the explosion severity for lean methane mixtures. Therefore, it seems that nanoparticles has an impact on the severity of the explosion even for quiescent systems, contrary to systems involving micro-sized powders that requires a dispersion at high turbulence levels. The increment on the maximum rate of pressure rise is higher for powders with lower elementary particle diameter, which is notably due to the fragmentation phenomena. A flame propagation numerical model associated to a gas/carbon black mixture has been developed to examine the influence of carbon blacks on the flame propagation. The results of the numerical model suggest that the radiative heat contribution promotes the flame acceleration. This result is consistent with the experimental increase on the explosion severity for some hybrid mixtures

Pour concevoir des foyers aéronautiques plus fiables et moins polluants, les industriels ont de plus en plus recours à des simulations numériques s’appuyant sur de nombreux modèles physiques. Si l’on s’intéresse en particulier aux problématiques des charges thermiques pariétales et des émissions polluantes, la modélisation des phénomènes couplés de combustion, de formation des suies et de transfert radiatif est nécessaire. Ainsi, cette thèse a pour objectif de développer une méthodologie permettant de simuler ces phénomènes couplés de manière instationnaire, dans un foyer représentatif des systèmes industriels. Un modèle de formation des suies simple et robuste, à caractère empirique, a d’abord été mis au point sur une configuration de flamme 1D laminaire prémélangée. Ce modèle a été choisi car, étant compatible avec des mécanismes réactionnels globaux, il est bien adapté aux simulations instationnaires en géométrie complexe. Dans un deuxième temps, il a été appliqué à la simulation instationnaire de l’écoulement turbulent réactif diphasique dans un foyer doté d’un prototype d’injecteur industriel. Les niveaux de température obtenus ainsi que la topologie du champ de fraction volumique de suies ont été comparés aux résultats expérimentaux. Les écarts constatés ont été analysés et des corrections ont été proposées. Enfin, une stratégie de couplage entre l’approche LES (Large Eddy Simulation) et un outil de simulation des transferts radiatifs basé sur la méthode de Monte Carlo a été mise au point et éprouvée sur le foyer étudié. L’écoulement apparaît peu affecté par le rayonnement, mais en revanche, les transferts radiatifs ont un impact relativement important sur les flux reçus par les parois / Numerical simulations, involving numerous physical models, are more and more employed to design more reliable and less pollutant industrial combustors. In particular, focusing on wall thermal load and pollutant emission issues, coupled phenomena such as combustion, soot formation and radiative transfer have to be modelled. Thus, the aim of this PhD thesis is to develop a methodology to simulate these coupled phenomena in an unsteady way, in an industrial-like combustion chamber. A simple and robust empirical soot formation model has been developed and applied in a first step to a 1D laminar premixed flame configuration. This model was chosen because it is well adapted to unsteady simulations in complex geometries, as it is compatible with global reaction mechanisms. In a second step it was applied to the unsteady simulation of the two-phase turbulent reactive flow in a combustor equipped with an industrial injector prototype. Predicted temperature levels and topology of the soot volume fraction field were compared to experimental results. Some discrepancies were observed: they were analysed and corrections were proposed. Finally, a coupling strategy between the LES (Large Eddy Simulation) approach and a radiative transfer simulation tool based on the Monte Carlo method was developed and tested on the same combustor. It appears that radiative transfer does not greatly modify the flow, but has a relatively important effect on wall heat fluxes.

La réduction des émissions polluantes des foyers aéronautiques est un enjeu majeur pour les motoristes. Afin de les accompagner dans cette tâche, il est nécessaire de développer des outils de simulation numérique permettant de prédire avec précision les émissions d'espèces chimiques en sortie du foyer. Pour cela, une description détaillée des réactions chimiques est nécessaire. Celle-ci est néanmoins incompatible avec la simulation des foyers industriels, compte tenu des puissances de calcul actuelles. C'est pourquoi il est nécessaire de recourir à des méthodes de réduction de la chimie qui préservent la capacité de prédire la concentration des polluants. La démarche consistant à tabuler la chimie nous a semblé appropriée pour aborder ces problèmes et son développement a fait l'objet de cette thèse. Un premier travail a été effectué afin de sélectionner dans la littérature les modèles permettant de traiter des écoulements réactifs turbulents diphasiques avec une approche de chimie tabulée. Par rapport à l’existant, des améliorations ont été apportées à la génération des tables chimiques, afin de prendre en compte l'effet du temps de résidence des gaz brûlés dans le foyer sur la formation des oxydes d'azote. Le couplage de la méthode avec un modèle de formation des suies a également été réalisé. La chimie tabulée permet d’avoir accès à la concentration des précurseurs de suie et des espèces oxydantes, quantités sur lesquelles s’appuie le modèle de formation des suies. Le modèle de chimie tabulée développé dans le cadre de cette thèse a été appliqué à la simulation d'une configuration représentative des foyers aéronautiques. Les concentrations d'oxydes d'azote, de particules de suie, mais aussi de monoxyde de carbone et d'hydrocarbures imbrûlés prédites par les calculs ont été comparées aux résultats expérimentaux. Un bon accord avec l'expérience est observé concernant la topologie du champ de suie et l'allure des profils de concentration de polluants en sortie. Néanmoins, les niveaux de concentration obtenus par les simulations diffèrent des résultats expérimentaux. Cela est imputable notamment à une erreur de prédiction du champ de température qui n'est pas due à l'approche de chimie-tabulée puisque une erreur similaire a été observée avec un autre modèle de combustion. / The reduction of pollutant emissions of aeronautical combustion chambers is a major issue for engine manufacturers. In order to support them in this task, it is necessary to develop numerical simulation tools able to predict accurately chemical species emissions at the chamber outlet. To achieve this, a detailed description of the chemical reactions is necessary. Nevertheless, considering the current computer capabilities, this description is not presently affordable. This is why the use of chemistry reduction methods preserving the capability to predict pollutants species is necessary. The method of tabulated chemistry is a good candidate to tackle these problems and therefore is used as the basis of model developments achieved in the framework of this PhD thesis. A preliminary work has been made to select in the literature tabulated chemistry methods applying to turbulent reactive two-phase flows. The technique to create the chemical tables has been improved in order to take into account the effect of the residence time of the burnt gases on nitrogen oxides formation. The coupling of the method with a soot model has also been achieved. The tabulated chemistry gives access to the concentration of soot precursors and oxidizers, quantities which are required by the model used for the soot prediction. The developed tabulated chemistry model has been applied to the simulation of a configuration representative of aeronautical combustors. The concentration of nitrogen oxides, soot particles, carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons predicted by the numerical simulations have been compared to experimental results. The topology of the soot volume fraction field and the shape of pollutant concentrations profiles at the outlet agree quite well with the experiments. Nevertheless, concentration levels obtained from the simulations differ from the experimental results. This can be imputed to the error in the prediction of the temperature field that is independent of the combustion model, since a similar error was observed with another combustion model.