David Lignell
I am a graduate student of Professor Philip Smith and am working on direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent sooting flames. I am currently doing my research at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California, working with Dr. Jackie Chen.
I graduated from the University of Utah in 2001 with a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering and went to work for Reaction Engineering International (REI) for two years before returning to graduate school.
I am primarily interested in simulation and modeling of turbulent reacting flows. DNS resolves all continuum scales of flow and chemistry and can be used to provide both fundamental insight into physical processes, as well as high quality data for model validation and development. I am applying DNS to non-premixed ethylene flames to study soot formation and growth. Soot emission is a health hazard, reduces combustion efficiency, and strongly influences flame radiation, so having a good understanding of its formation and growth processes is important.
