Combustion Physics

This graduate-level text incorporates these advances in a comprehensive treatment of the fundamental principles of combustion physics. The presentation emphasises analytical proficiency and physical insight, with the former achieved through complete, though abbreviated, derivations at different levels of rigor, and the latter through physical interpretations of analytical solutions, experimental observations, and computational simulations. Exercises are mostly derivative in nature in order to further strengthen the student's mastery of the theory. Implications of the fundamental knowledge gained herein on practical phenomena are discussed whenever appropriate. These distinguishing features provide a solid foundation for an academic program in combustion science and engineering.

Introduction; 1. Chemical thermodynamics; 2. Chemical kinetics; 3. Oxidation mechanisms of fuels; 4. Transport phenomena; 5. Conservation equations; 6. Laminar nonpremixed flames; 7. Laminar premixed flames; 8. Limit phenomena; 9. Asymptotic structure of flames; 10. Aerodynamics of laminar flames; 11. Combustion in turbulent flows; 12. Combustion in boundary layer flows; 13. Combustion in two-phase flows; 14. Combustion in supersonic flows; References.

A 2006 graduate text on the fundamentals of chemically reacting flows for students of applied physics, aerospace, mechanical, and chemical engineering. Its distinguishing feature is the rigorous, yet approachable, presentation. It provides a solid foundation for a graduate program in combustion and a starting point for research on new projects.

Chung K. Law is the Robert H. Goddard Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. His research interests are in combustion, propulsion, heat and mass transfer, energy, and the environment. He has published more than 300 journal articles in these areas. For his research accomplishments he received the Curtis W. McGraw Research Award of the ASEE in 1984; a Silver Medal and the Alfred C. Egerton Gold Medal of the Combustion Institute in 1990 and 2006, respectively; the Propellants and Combustion Award in 1994; the Energy Systems Award in 1999; the Pendray Aerospace Literature Award of the AIAA in 2004; the Heat Transfer Memorial Award in Science of the ASME in 1997; and a number of best paper awards. Professor Chung is an original member of the Highly Cited Researchers database of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). He is a Fellow of the AIAA, the ASME, and the APS; a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering; and former President of the Combustion Institute (2000–4).