Rolf D. Reitz, Ph.D.
Wisconsin Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Lecture Title: Improved Physical Models for Advancing Engine CFD
Abstract: Internal-combustion engines are central for heavy-duty transport and power generation. There is currently interest in running on diverse, low-carbon fuels, and new engines must be developed rapidly. Heavy-duty engine designers are also interested in the use of dual fuels. Physics-rich solvers, executed on today’s parallel hardware, allow improvements over state-of-the- art engineering models while providing the reliable, high-fidelity data required by emerging machine-learning tools. These advances chart a path toward future AI-accelerated simulations for carbon-neutral engine development that can be grounded in first-principles physics.
Use of new low cetane fuels, including hydrogen or ammonia for compression ignition highlight the need for improved understanding in the move toward near-zero-carbon propulsion. Due to the characteristics of these new fuels, often a dual-fuel flame-propagation framework is required. A methodology has been developed that employs chemical eigenvalues and auto- ignition chemistry to detect auto-igniting flame fronts for use with the G-Equation. To improve modeling efficiency, a 1-D parallel sparse flame solver has been developed. In addition, a compressible reactive boundary-layer model has been formulated that has provided new insights on near-wall flames and quenching, plus the associated heat transfer. Applied to in-cylinder flows, these models have been demonstrated to improve wall heat transfer predictions with large bulk flow velocities and with jet impingement configurations. We also preview automated, body-fitted, geometry-agnostic meshing and workflow orchestration that maintains high fidelity in critical regions of the cylinder, such as near spark or glow plugs to accelerate engine design.
Biography: Dr. Reitz is Wisconsin Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is former director of the Engine Research Center and former director of the ERC's Engine Research Consortium. His research includes the development of advanced fuel injection and combustion strategies, as well as computer modeling methodologies for internal combustion engines. In 1999 he co-founded the International Journal of Engine Research (IJER) and served as Editor (Americas). He has also served on the Editorial Board of the Atomization and Sprays journal and the Journal of Combustion. Professor Reitz has more than 600 peered reviewed publications and many patents.
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