Stochastic particle methods for the simulation of soot particles in combustion processes
Stringent regulations on particulate emissions from engines have made it necessary to control the particle formation and oxidation during combustion processes. This requires a detailed quantitative model for soot. There is experimental evidence that soot particles form mainly from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) creating small spherical particles which grow through coagulation, surface reactions, and condensation of PAHs to form aggregates, which in turn consist of primary particles. Of course these particles can be oxidized and their combustion products enter the gas phase. If one wants to model the formation and oxidation of soot in flames one faces two major challenges. The first one is to create a reliable model of the gas-phase chemical reactions. In this area considerable progress has been made, but there are still a number of open questions. The second challenge is to model the dynamics of the soot particles itself, which is described by a population balance equation. Traditionally the population has been treated in terms of the moments of the soot particle size density function (PSDF).
- This paper draws from preprint 30: Modelling of particulate processes
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