2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Science Department of Chemistry Graduate major in Energy Science and Informatics
Advanced course of combustion physics
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Energy Science and Informatics
- Instructor(s)
- Hidenori Kosaka / Mamoru Tanahashi / Sayaka Suzuki
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- ESI.K450
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
In this course, firstly the basic physics of combustion is lectured from the viewpoint of thermal dynamics and chemistry. Secondly, the mechanisms and characteristics in a variety of combustion processes, such as premixed flame and non-premixed flame, are presented．Thirdly, modeling of turbulent combustion and measurement techniques for combustion phenomena are studied.
Combustion phenomena is a basic physics of thermal-energy conversion system and is also related to a lot of engineering challenging fields such as chemical plants, waste treatments and fire accidents. Students will comprehensively understand fundamental mechanisms of combustion phenomena from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and chemistry, and learn computational and experimental methodologies for investigations of combustion systems.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Explain basic classification and characteristics of combustion phenomena in practical combustors.
2) Choose combustion model in numerical simulations to the porpose of investigations
3) Explain physical properties monitored or investigated for combustion system design and control, and measurement methods of the physical properties.
Keywords
Reaction, Fuel, Engine, Energy, Environment
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The course is taught in lecture style. Exercise problems will be assigned after the third and sixth classes. Required learning should be completed outside of the classroom for preparation and review purposes.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Overview of fuels and combustion systems | Understand conventional and next-generation fuels, characteristics of combustion systems |
| Class 2 | Thermodynamics of combustion (equilibrium, adiabatic flame temperature) | Understand chemical equilibrium, entropy, equivalence ratio, calculation of enthalpy |
| Class 3 | Chemical kinetics of combustion (elementary reactions and kinetic mechanism), ignition and quenching | Understand attitude of elementary reaction, activated state, rate of reactions, conservation of energy in reaction, reaction paths |
| Class 4 | Laminar and turbulent premixed combustion | Understand of theories of thermal and mass diffusion, laminar burning velocity and laminar flame thickness, characteristic length and velocity scales of turbulence and flame, premixed combustion phenomena in practical combustors |
| Class 5 | Laminar and turbulent diffusion combustion | Understand basic mechanisms of gaseous, liquid and solid diffusion combustion, and combustion phenomena in practical combustors |
| Class 6 | Turbulent combustion modeling | Understand attitude of physical and mathematical models of turbulent combustion |
| Class 7 | Measurement technologies for combustion phenomena | Understand physical properties for combustion system design and control, and those measurement technologies |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Materials will be provided if they are required.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Reference books: Chung K. Law, "Combustion Physics", Cambridge University Press (2010)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Students' knowledge of basic physics of combustion, and applications will be assessed.
Final exams 70%, exercise problems 30%.
Related courses
- Advanced course of turbulent flow and control
- Advanced Thermal Fluid Measurement
- Advanced course of radiation transfer
- Leading edge energy technology
- Advanced course of multiscale thermal-fluid sciences
Prerequisites
Students are expected to have successfully completed Thermodynamics (Mechanical Engineering) (MEC.E201.R), Heat Transfer (MEC.E311.A), Energy Conversion (MEC.E331.E), Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics (MEC.F201.R), Practical Fluid Mechanics (MEC.F211.A), Advanced Fluid Mechanics (MEC.F331.E), Partial Differential Equations (MEC.B213.A), Vector Analysis (MEC.B214.A), or have equivalent knowledge.