Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Direct numerical simulation study of statistically stationary propagation of a reaction wave in homogeneous
Rixin Yu1, Andrei N Lipatnikov2
1Division of Fluid Mechanics, Department of Energy Sciences, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden.
Abstract:
A three-dimensional (3D) direct numerical simulation (DNS) study of the propagation of a reaction wave in forced, constant-density, statistically stationary, homogeneous, isotropic turbulence is performed by solving Navier-Stokes and reaction-diffusion equations at various (from 0.5 to 10) ratios of the rms turbulent velocity U^{'} to the laminar wave speed, various (from 2.1 to 12.5) ratios of an integral length scale of the turbulence to the laminar wave thickness, and two Zeldovich numbers Ze=6.0 and 17.1. Accordingly, the Damköhler and Karlovitz numbers are varied from 0.2 to 25.1 and from 0.4 to 36.2, respectively. Contrary to an earlier DNS study of self-propagation of an infinitely thin front in statistically the same turbulence, the bending of dependencies of the mean wave speed on U^{'} is simulated in the case of a nonzero thickness of the local reaction wave. The bending effect is argued to be controlled by inefficiency of the smallest scale turbulent eddies in wrinkling the reaction-zone surface, because such small-scale wrinkles are rapidly smoothed out by molecular transport within the local reaction wave.
Related Concept Videos
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Propagation of Waves
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...
Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
Velocity and Acceleration of a Wave
The velocity of the particles can be obtained by taking the partial derivative of the position equation with respect to time....
Typical Model Studies
Propagation Speed of Electromagnetic Waves

