A priori direct numerical simulation assessment of algebraic flame surface density models for turbulent premixed flames in the context of large eddy simulation

Flame surface density (FSD) based reaction rate closure is one of the most important approaches in turbulent premixed flame modeling. The algebraic models for FSD based on power laws often require information about the fractal dimension D and the inner cut-off scale eta(i). In the present study, two three-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) databases for freely propagating statistically planar turbulent prernixed flames are analyzed among which the flame in one case belongs to the corrugated flamelet (CF) regime, whereas the other falls well within the thin reaction zone (TRZ) regime. It is found that D for the flame in the TRZ regime is greater than the value obtained for the flame in the CF regime. For the flame within the TRZ regime, the fractal dimension is found to be 7/3, which is the same as D for a material surface in a turbulent environment. For the flame in the CF regime, eta(i) is found to scale with the Gibson scale, whereas eta(i) is found to scale with the Kolmogorov length scale for the flame in the TRZ regime. Based on these observations a new algebraic model for FSD is proposed, where D and eta(i) are expressed as functions of Karlovitz number. The performances of the new and existing algebraic models for FSD are compared with the corresponding values obtained from DNS databases. 0 2008 American Institute of Physics.