A probability density function approach to modeling turbulence-radiation interactions in nonluminous flames

The interactions between turbulence and radiation, although acknowledged and qualitatively understood over the last several decades, are extremely difficult to model. Traditional Eulerian turbulence models are incapable of addressing the 'closure problem' for any realistic reactive flow situation, on account of the large number of unknown turbulent moments. A novel approach, based on the velocity-composition joint probability density function (PDF) method, has been used to attain closure. The ability of this method to accurately determine any one-point scalar correlation makes it a suitable candidate for modeling turbulence-radiation interactions (TRI). Results presented for a bluff-body-stabilized methane-air diffusion flame demonstrate the importance of turbulence-radiation interactions in flame calculations. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.