A consistent MMC-LES approach for turbulent premixed flames

A multiple mapping conditioning (MMC) approach is coupled with large eddy simulations (LES) for the prediction of the flame propagation, the flame structure and finite rate chemistry effects including NO formation in turbulent premixed flames. The mixing term in MMC relies on a reference field that characterizes the chemical composition within the flame and it is typically taken to be the reaction progress variable. In LES, this reference field needs to be artificially thickened to be resolved on the LES grid. A novel MMC mixing time scale model that had been developed with the aid of direct numerical simulation (DNS), has been adapted to account for the thickening of the reference field. Equally, the particle selection mechanism for particle mixing has been modified to ensure localness of mixing in composition space and to preserve the prediction of a realistic (thin) flame thickness by the stochastic particles. A set of freely propagating turbulent premixed flames with varying equivalence ratios is used to test the performance of the MMC model. Results of MMC-LES are compared with reference DNS that include full chemistry. Additional simulations were carried out where MMC is coupled with quasi -DNS where the flow field is fully resolved but the reaction progress variable field is thickened and its source term is closed with a flamelet approach. This allows to isolate the different modelling assumptions invoked in MMC-LES. Deviations from the exact solution can then be associated with the MMC approach and with thickening of the reference field separately and they are small. The MMC-LES predictions of the turbulent premixed flame propagation speed and flame structure are very good and finite rate chemistry effects can be captured well which is demonstrated by good agreement of predicted NO with DNS data.