Research

Our research themes

Bridging fundamental combustion science and real-world energy applications through predictive simulation — from the smallest reaction-zone structures to full-scale systems.

01

Hydrogen & Alternative Fuels

The energy transition demands predictive models for fuels that behave very differently from conventional hydrocarbons. We develop computational models for hydrogen, hydrogen–ammonia blends, biomass, and reactive metal fuels — addressing challenges such as flame instabilities and subgrid-scale combustion dynamics. These models are crucial for optimizing energy conversion processes and for addressing safety concerns, particularly in hydrogen storage systems.

  • ▸ Flamelet-based manifold methods for novel fuels
  • ▸ Flame instabilities in premixed combustion
  • ▸ Fuel blends under gas turbine conditions
  • ▸ Hydrogen storage safety
Direct numerical simulation of a turbulent hydrogen jet flame
Courtesy of D. Kaddar
Simulation of iron particle combustion — thermochemical conversion of solid fuels
Courtesy of P. Steffens

02

Thermochemical Conversion of Solid Fuels

Solid fuels — biomass and, increasingly, reactive metals such as iron and aluminum — offer exciting pathways for carbon-free energy storage and conversion. We advance modeling approaches for reactive multiphase flows, capturing turbulence–chemistry interactions, radiative heat transfer, and solid fuel kinetics to design efficient, low-emission practical applications.

  • ▸ Metal fuel combustion as carbon-free energy storage
  • ▸ High-fidelity simulation of pulverized solid fuels
  • ▸ Turbulence–chemistry interaction, radiation, kinetics
  • ▸ Validation against unique experimental datasets at McGill

03

Combustion Modeling & High-Performance Computing

We understand the physics of combustion through Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) and distill this knowledge into advanced models — flamelet-based manifolds and subgrid-scale closures for Large-Eddy Simulations (LES). Coupled with GPU-based exascale computing, this allows us to investigate complex practical applications, from aero engines to industrial furnaces and chemical reactors.

  • ▸ DNS of practically relevant configurations
  • ▸ Subgrid-scale combustion models for LES
  • ▸ GPU programming and high-order spectral element methods
  • ▸ NekRS / NekCRF, PeleLMeX, OpenFOAM, Cantera
See our software stack →
1D Flamelet Flamelet Database CFD oxidizer + fuel burnt unburnt sₗ Zₗ   Zₛₜ Zₗₗ 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 Z (-) Yₚᵥ (-) Full thermochemical state Ψ = [T, Y₁, Y₂, …, Yₙₛ] Reduced-order model Ψ = [Z, Yₚᵥ] Solve control variables Z and Yₚᵥ tabulation coupling
Flamelet-based combustion modeling workflow

From fundamental science to real-world impact

Our work is characterized by a close connection between fundamental and application-oriented research. Models are validated against experimental data — from lab-scale setups to real devices — in collaboration with experimentalists and industrial partners, and matured to technology readiness levels suitable for industry.

Pillar 1

Model development

Manifold methods and subgrid-scale models for predictive LES.

Pillar 2

Real-world applications

Validation with experimental partners; transfer to industrial configurations.

Pillar 3

HPC innovation

Scalable algorithms for rapidly evolving GPU architectures.

Supported by

[ Funding partners — to be added ]