Friday, January 19, 2007
Time TBA
Professor
Charles K. Westbrook
Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory
ÒChemical
Kinetics of Hydrocarbon Ignition
The
Origin of Engine Knock, Diesel Ignition,
HCCI
Combustion, Explosions and Soot ProductionÓ
Abstract:
Chemical kinetic modeling
provides a unique analytical tool to study an enormous variety of practical
combustion systems. In the past,
we reported how a small number of individual chemical reactions are responsible
for the important features of spark-ignition, diesel and HCCI engine
combustion. Another small number
of chemical reactions lead to explosions, detonations, flame ignition, flame
inhibition, and pulse combustion.
This seminar will discuss
how it is possible to build on this previous understanding of ignition kinetics
in diesel engines and show how soot production is a very natural and seemingly
inevitable result of this ignition.
At the same time, improved understanding of the details of soot
production also leads to simple strategies that can reduce or eliminate soot
production in flames and diesel engines.