Research

Multiphase flows

Modeling liquid and solid fuels from injection to phase-change and combustion in high-speed propulsion systems is a challenging task due to the large jump in material properties, equation of state, and its multi-scale nature. We have developed a fully compressible dense-to-dilute multiphase modeling technique for direct and large-eddy simulations of this entire process. This employs a novel hybrid Eulerian Eulerian (EE) Eulerian Lagrangian (EL) method for modeling unresolved droplets and particles from a highly dense regime to a dilute limit. Another part uses a compressible diffused interface method (DIM) for resolving primary breakup and near-interface phase change. Both are formulated in a Baer-Nunziato seven-equation framework for end-to-end consistency.

  1. Panchal, A., Bryngelson, S. H. and Menon, S., “A Generalized Seven‑Equation Diffused Interface Method for Resolved Multiphase Flows”, 475, 111870, Journal of Computational Physics, 2023.
  2. Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “A hybrid Eulerian‑Eulerian/Eulerian‑Lagrangian method for dense‑to‑dilute dispersed phase flows”, Journal of Computational Physics, 439, 110339, 2021.
  3. Lee, S., Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “Effects of dense inert particle loading in shocked energetic materials”, Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, e202100330, 2022.
  4. Panchal, A., and Menon, S., “Modeling the Effect of Metal Particles on Solid Fuel Burning in a Ramjet Combustor”, in AIAA SciTech 2024 Forum, AIAA-2024-1413, 2024.
  5. Panchal, A., Radhakrishnan, A., Bryngelson, S. and Menon, S., “A numerical comparison of 5‑, 6‑, and 7‑equation Baer‑Nunziato‑based diffuse interface methods”. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 63, 2022.
  6. Panchal, A., Ranjan, R. and Menon, S., “Subgrid‑scale Modeling for Large Eddy Simulations of Dense‑to‑Dilute Multiphase Reacting Flows”, in 2018 AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, AIAA‑2018‑4733, 2018.
  7. Panchal, A., Ranjan, R. and Menon, S., “Subgrid mixing and evaporation modeling in Large Eddy Simulation of two ‑phase reacting flows”, in 10th US National Combustion Meeting, 1C20, 2017.

Gas turbine combustion

The use of multiphase and reactive large eddy simulations (LES) as predictive tools and for a deeper understanding of gas turbine combustion has increased significantly over the last decade. Still they face many challenges, and some examples of this are spray injection, subgrid modeling, the choice of reaction kinetics, grid & boundary conditions, and most of all validation against data for realistic configurations. We have successfully used LES for two different realistic gas turbine combustor designs. Past work was under the national jet fuel combustion program (NJFCP) where we demonstrated a trend accurate fuel-sensitive lean blowout (LBO) and focused on understanding the dynamical process. The current work is for another combustor with a focus on identifying direct and indirect noise sources.

Large eddy simulation for fuel-sensitive lean blowout prediction under the NJFCP program.

  1. Anand, M., Lovett, J.A., Moder, J.A., Wey, T., Ihme, M., Esclapez, L., Ma, P.C., Menon, S., Panchal, A., Hasti, V.R. and Gore, J.P., “CFD Modeling of Lean Blowout and Ignition Fuel Sensitivity. Fuel Effects on Operability of Aircraft Gas Turbine Combustors” in “Fuel Effects on Operability of Aircraft Gas Turbine Combustors”, Editors: Colcket, M. and Heyne, J., 365‑418, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2021.
  2. Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “Large Eddy Simulation of Fuel Sensitivity in a Realistic Spray Combustor I. Near Blowout Analysis”, Combustion and Flame, pp.112612, 2022.
  3. Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “Large Eddy Simulation of Fuel Sensitivity in a Realistic Spray Combustor II. Lean Blowout Analysis”, Combustion and Flame, pp.112611, 2022.
  4. Panchal, A., and Menon, S., “Large eddy simulation of combustion noise in a realistic gas turbine combustor”, in AIAA SciTech 2023 Forum, AIAA‑2023‑1349, 2023.
  5. Panchal, A., Ranjan, R. and Menon, S., “Effect of chemistry modeling on flame stabilization of a swirl spray combustor”, in 2018 AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference AIAA‑2018‑4684, 2018.
  6. Milan, P.J., Ranjan, R., Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “Flame dynamics sensitivity to turbulent combustion models in a swirl spray combustor”. In 53rd AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference, AIAA‑2017‑5079, 2017.
  7. Ranjan, R., Panchal, A., Hannebique, G. and Menon, S., “Towards numerical prediction of jet fuels sensitivity of flame dynamics in a swirl spray combustion system”, in 52nd AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference AIAA‑2016‑4895, 2016.

Rotating detonation engines

With the advent of rotating detonation engines (RDE) as a viable high-efficiency alternative to existing propulsion systems, there are many unanswered questions related to its operability limits, liquid fuel applicability, and underlying (and often stochastic) physics. Our focus has primarily been in modeling 3D liquid-fueled RDEs and understanding the effect of liquid fuel injection, dispersion, vaporization on detonation wave propensity and number of waves.

Multiphase simulation of a 3D rotating detonation engine with both Hydrogen and kerosene as fuels

Simulation of Wave Mode Switching in a Rotating Detonation Engine with Gaseous and Liquid Fuel

  1. Salvadori, M., Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “Simulation of Wave Mode Switching in a Rotating Detonation Engine with Gaseous and Liquid Fuel”, Aerospace Science and Technology, submitted, 2024.
  2. Salvadori, M., Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “Numerical study of spray combustion effects on detonation propagation”, AIAA Journal 61.12, pp. 5347-5364, 2023.
  3. Salvadori M., Panchal, A. and Menon, S., “Influence of liquid droplets combustion on the propagation of a detonation wave”, Proceedings of Combustion Institute 39.3, pp. 3063-3072, 2023.
  4. Dyson, D., Vasu, S., Arakelyan, A., Berube, N., Briggs, S., Ramirez, J., Ninnemann, E.M., Thurmond, K., Kim, G., Green, W.H. and Udaykumar, H.S., Panchal A. and Menon, S., “Detonation Wave‑Induced Breakup and Combustion of RP‑2 Fuel Droplets”, in AIAA SciTech 2022 Forum, AIAA‑2022‑1453, 2022.
  5. Salvadori, M., Panchal, A., Ranjan, D. and Menon, S., “Numerical Study of Detonation Propagation in H2‑air with Kerosene Droplets”, in AIAA SciTech 2022 Forum, AIAA‑2022‑0394, 2022.

Fast LES for realistic applications

Considering practical applicability of large eddy simulations (LES), one of the primary challenges is its computational cost and affordability. This is necessary for their continued applicability in the design process. Given this, we have focused on improving various chemistry reduction techniques as flamelet or manifold reduction, subgrid modeling in the past. Our current focus is using recent machine learning advancements to speed up reactive LES of realistic devices with minimal compromise in accuracy.

  1. Ranjan, R., Panchal, A., Karpe, S. and Menon, S, “Machine Learning Strategy for Subgrid Modeling of Turbulent Combustion using Linear Eddy Mixing based Tabulation” in “Lecture notes in Energy 44: Machine Learning and its Application to Reacting Flows”, Editors: Swaminathan, N. and Parente, A., 175‑208, Springer, 2023.
  2. Panchal, A., Ranjan, R. and Menon, S., “A comparison of finite‑rate kinetics and flamelet‑generated manifold using a multiscale modeling framework for turbulent premixed combustion”, Combustion Science and Technology, 191(5‑6), pp.921‑955, 2019.