Affiliations: Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College of
Science, Technology and Medicine, London SW7 2BX , UK
Abstract: We examine the role of visualisation in the context of LES
simulations of premixed turbulent combustion. The physical processes involved
in premixed turbulent combustion are extremely complex, and the modelling of
both the turbulence (via LES) and the combustion (via flame-wrinkling models)
is difficult. Appropriate visualisation is required to understand the behaviour
of the models, and ultimately to understand better the flow processes which are
important in many industrial applications. We examine visualisations of two
specific cases; simple flame kernel growth in a box of turbulence, and
combustion behind a backward-facing step. A number of visualisation techniques
are used to produce results that are similar to experimentally determined
Schlieren and Mie photography for the flame kernel. In addition, isosurfaces of
the reaction regress variable coloured by the laminar flame speed and sub-grid
wrinkling are also plotted in an attempt to gain deeper insight into the
physics of turbulent combustion in the context of these particular cases.
Finally we discuss the role of the WWW in the continuing development of
scientific visualisation techniques.
Keywords: large eddy simulation, combustion, Schlieren, computer simulation