Impact of N 2∗ Quenching Process Modeling on Large-Eddy Simulation of Plasma-Assisted Combustion
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed (NRP) discharges are an energy-efficient and promising technique to stabilize lean premixed flames. High-performance computing is an attractive and complementary approach to experiments to understand the effects of NRP discharges on the flame stability limit. The high computational cost of the complex plasma kinetics has led to the development of the phenomenological model of Castela et al. which aims to capture the main thermal and chemical effects induced by the discharges. Although it has been successfully applied and validated in many cases of flame ignition and stabilization by NRP discharges, limitations exist, such as the possible significance of the dissociation of species other than O 2. Recently, Blanchard et al. proposed a new phenomenological model based on physics-based analytical closures of the plasma chemical rates. This article aims to assess the impact of Blanchard’s model on numerical predictions in a 3-D configuration, the Mini-PAC bluff-body burner, by validating and comparing it against experimental data and Castela’s model. Simulations are performed by combining the low-CPU cost plasma discharge model with an analytical reduced combustion mechanism. Both discharge models are comparable and agree with the measurements in the steady-state pulsing and flame-growing regimes. Some differences can be observed in transient regimes. Nevertheless, Blanchard’s model is more detailed than Castela’s, while having a similar CPU cost.
Language: English
Subfield: Computational Mechanics
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Award: Plasma assisted combustion
OpenAlex ID: W7136074024