Combustion Waves and Fronts in Flows Flames, Shocks, Detonations, Ablation Fronts and Explosion of Stars

Combustion is a fascinating phenomenon coupling complex chemistry to transport mechanisms and nonlinear fluid dynamics. This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive presentation of the nonlinear dynamics of combustion waves and other non-equilibrium energetic systems. The major advances in this field have resulted from analytical studies of simplified models performed in close relation with carefully controlled laboratory experiments. The key to understanding the complex phenomena is a systematic reduction of the complexity of the basic equations. Focusing on this fundamental approach, the book is split into three parts. Part I provides physical insights for physics-oriented readers, Part II presents detailed technical analysis using perturbation methods for theoreticians, and Part III recalls the necessary background knowledge in physics, chemistry and fluid dynamics. This structure makes the content accessible to newcomers to the physics of unstable fronts in flows, whilst also offering advanced material for scientists who wish to improve their knowledge.

Preface; Introduction; Part I. Physical Insights: 1. General considerations; 2. Laminar premixed flames; 3. Turbulent premixed flames; 4. Gaseous shocks and detonations; 5. Chemical kinetics of combustion; 6. Laser-driven ablation front in ICF; 7. Explosion of massive stars; Part II. Detailed Analytical Studies: 8. Planar flames; 9. Flame kernels and flame balls; 10. Wrinkled flames; 11. Ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability; 12. Shock waves and detonations; Part III. Complements: 13. Statistical physics; 14. Chemistry; 15. Flows; References; Index.

Paul Clavin is Professor Emeritus at Aix-Marseille Université and an honorary member of the Institut Universitaire de France, where he was Chair of Mécanique Physique from 1993 to 2004. In 1995, he founded the renowned research institute, the Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Équilibre (IRPHE). He has received major awards from the Société Française de Physique (Plumey, 1988), the French Academy of Sciences (Grand Prix, 1995) and the Combustion Institute (Zeldovich Gold Medal, San Francisco, 2014).
Geoff Searby is retired Director of Research at the Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Équilibre (IRPHE). He is a renowned specialist of the physics of thermo-acoustic instabilities in combustion chambers and rocket motors, and his experiments have made major contributions to the understanding of the dynamics of flame fronts. In 2004, he obtained a major award from the French Academy of Sciences.