Workshop ASPACC 2025

Prof. Hai Wang

Stanford University

Talk topic: Challenges and Opportunities in Submicrosecond Combustion Kinetics

Abstract: Submicrosecond high-temperature reaction kinetics are relevant to phenomena ranging from detonation to reentry problems, with applications in detonation safety, detonation-based energy conversion, and hypersonics. The detonation front typically spans the timescale of microseconds and involves non-equilibrium thermodynamics (e.g., vibrational relaxation) and molecular ballistic energy transfer. This talk will focus on the chemistry of the detonation front, including the role of chemistry in the detonation cellular structure, the effect of vibrational relaxation on hydrogen-oxygen detonation cell size, Zeldovich supercollisions, and the applicability of current combustion chemistry understanding in detonation simulations. It is suggested that combustion kinetics under the extreme conditions of detonation remain poorly characterized. The challenges and opportunities leading to an improved understanding of combustion chemistry for detonation simulations are discussed.

Short Biography: Hai Wang is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. Prior to his appointment at Stanford, he was the Northrop Chair in Engineering and Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at USC. He received his Ph.D. in Fuel Science from Penn State in 1992. He was a Professional Research Staff at Princeton University from 1994 to 1996 before starting his faculty career at the University of Delaware. He is best known for his work on the mechanisms of PAH and carbon formation in reacting flows and development of chemical kinetic models for fuel pyrolysis and combustion. He has made contributions in the application of ab initio quantum chemistry and reaction rate theory in chemical kinetics. He developed stochastic methods for detailed modeling and uncertainty quantification. He contributed to the transport theories of nanoparticles and large molecules, atmospheric heterogeneous chemistry, and nanomaterials synthesis and its applications in solar cells and lithium-ion batteries. He was the recipient of the AIAA Propellant and Combustion Award in 2018, and the Humboldt Research Award in 2019. He is a Fellow of US ASME and an inaugural Fellow the Combustion Institute. He served as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Progress in Energy and Combustion Science from 2014 to 2024. He is currently the President of the Combustion Institute, an international, non-profit, educational and scientific society.

Prof. Wenming Yang

National University of Singapore

Talk topic: Development of the next generation ammonia marine engine with high efficiency and near zero GHG emissions

Abstract: Ammonia has been deemed as one of the most promising alternative fuels for marine transportation due to its inherit advantages of carbon free and renewable, however, ammonia’s wide application is still facing some bottleneck problems such as high unburnt ammonia, low thermal efficiency, high N₂O and NO_x emissions etc. To address these issues, we have proposed a revolutionary concept termed as In-cylinder reforming gas recirculation (IRGR) which is able to simultaneously improve the efficiency and significantly reduce the major emissions such as unburnt ammonia, N₂O and NO_x emissions, thereby breaking through all the major challenges faced by ammonia marine engine. The technology has the potential to remarkably change the landscape of marine transportation and realize net-zero GHG emissions.

Short Biography: Dr Wenming Yang is currently the Dean’s Chair Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at National University of Singapore. He is also the editor-in-chief of Energy Engineering and Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbine and Power, Alexandria Engineering Journal etc. His research interests include: Sustainable marine transportation, fuel design and its application in internal combustion engines etc. He has authored more than 400 papers in peer-reviewed reputable journals (such as Nature Communication, Applied Energy etc) and international conferences, of which, more than 340 papers are SCI index. His papers have been cited by more than 19200 times with a H-index of 73. He has won a series of awards including the Dean’s Chair professor, 4 times of scientific progress award (2^nd prize) by the Ministry of Education of China and the Society of Mechanical Engineering of China. He is also a regular reviewer for a lot of peer-reviewed reputable journals such as Nature, Nature Energy, Joule, Nano Energy, Progress in Energy and Combustion Sciences etc.

Prof. JAI-ICK YOH

Seoul National University

Talk topic: From Batteries to Metalized Energetics: Voltage-Driven Combustion and Thermal Runaway Phenomena

Abstract: This study explores voltage-driven combustion in metalized solid propellants and lithium-ion batteries, highlighting their potential for controlled thrust generation and thermal runaway. By varying voltage, ignition and reaction rates of metalized propellants can be efficiently controlled, enabling targeted thrust output. Similarly, lithium-ion batteries are engineered to undergo thermal runaway, storing electrical energy while also serving as a chemical energy source for propulsion. The paper delves into the chemical kinetics of these systems, while the agglomeration process of metal oxides during combustion is also investigated, which significantly influences reaction rates. Numerical modeling of metalized combustion is conducted to predict and optimize thrust performance in the voltage-driven combustion system.

Short Biography: Dr. Jai-ICK Yoh is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Seoul National University, where he has been teaching since 2005. He is currently the President of the Korean Society of Combustion, a role he assumed in January 2024. Prior to his academic position in Korea, he was a Staff Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 2002 to 2005. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2001 and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley in 1992.

Prof. Kaoru Maruta

Tohoku University

Talk topic: Knocking DNS as a gateway: redefining the scope of fundamental flame research

Abstract: Through 2D DNS of knocking in a constant-volume chamber, we captured the detailed evolution of the reaction front up to the onset of knocking. Returning to the governing equations, we unraveled the relationship between 1D flame propagation and 0D ignition, leading to the discovery of the explosive transition of deflagration—a regime where the flame solution ceases to exist under extremely high-temperature conditions. This finding directly connects to knocking and illuminates flame regimes previously unexplored in fundamental flame research. Conducted within a major SI engine project in Japan, this study bridges numerical simulations and theoretical analysis. The explosive transition of deflagration offers new insights into combustion phenomena beyond conventional frameworks.

Short Biography: Kaoru Maruta is Professor, Director of the Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Japan. His research interests include flame fundamentals, sustainable fuels and their kinetics and energy conversion in the areas of micro-scale combustion, near-limit microgravity combustion, hyper lean burn SI engine technology and fire safety for refrigerants.
He is a founding fellow of the Combustion Institute. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Combustion Institute and the Institute for Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems and president of the Japanese Section of the Combustion Institute.

Prof. Assaad Masri

The University of Sydney

Talk topic: On the Use of Uncertainty Quantification and the Sectional Method to Simulate Soot Formation

Abstract: Uncertainty quantification is employed with sensitivity analysis to assess the ability of the discrete sectional approach to predict soot initiation and development in laminar flames of ethylene. The uncertainties of particle size distributions are obtained from an ensemble of kinetics samples and compared with measurements. While soot volume fractions are reproduced well, the particle size distributions remain challenging and require improvements in the soot kinetics model with respect to the number of primary particles.

Short Biography: Professor Assaad Masri, University of Sydney has received his PhD and BE Honours with the University Medal from the University of Sydney. He is currently a Professor in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney and Chairman of the Australia and New Zealand section of the Combustion Institute. Between 2011 and 2016, he has held a prestigious Australian Professorial Fellowship awarded by The Australian Research Council. Masri has published over 220 journal papers and won many awards including the prestigious Silver Medal of Combustion Institute and the Jurgen Warnatz Gold Medal of the Combustion Institute. He was elected Fellow of the Combustion Institute in 2017 and has served as Program Co-Chair for the 36th Symposium in Seoul, 2016. Professor Masri’s research lies in the broad area of efficient energy conversion with a focus on green fuels. He has led pioneering research in the turbulent combustion of gaseous fuels, dilute and dense spray flames, and atomization processes. His innovations in the design of burners that embody specific research issues such as turbulence-chemistry or droplet-turbulence interactions has advanced knowledge in these fields and continues to serve industry in the development of future combustors of green fuels.

Prof. Philippe Dagaut

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Talk topic: On the formation of highly oxygenated and highly unsaturated products in cool flames

Abstract: We oxidized limonene and three isomers of methylcyclohexene with O2-N2 mixtures in a jet-stirred reactor at 1-10 bar, in the cool flame regime, and fuel-lean conditions. Samples of the reacting mixtures were collected, dissolved in acetonitrile, and analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry (Orbitrap with 3 ionization sources: HESI, APCI, and APPI). A huge set of oxidation products, including highly oxygenated chemicals, aromatic and polyunsaturated products was obtained.

Short Biography: P. Dagaut has completed his Ph.D. in 1986. He his Research Director at CNRS (Orleans, France). He is past-President of the Combustion Institute (2020-2024). He has been Editor of Combustion and Flame and of the Proceedings of the Combustion Institute. His research topics include chemical kinetics of combustion, pollutants formation and remediation, biofuels, SAF, and commercial fuels combustion. He is co-author of more than 350 peer reviewed papers with a h-index of 77 (Scopus).

Prof. Song Cheng

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Talk topic: Combustion Kinetics: From Fundamentals to Applications

Abstract:The past decades have witnessed a dramatic increase in the power density of combustion-powered energy systems such as advanced light- to heavy-duty engines, jet and rocket engines. With high power density, the thermodynamic environment experienced by the working fluid can easily exceed its critical point, entering trans- and super-critical regimes where real fluid effects on thermochemistry, transport properties and reaction kinetics become prominent. However, these effects have been either completely overlooked or inadequately described in the past. This talk will showcase a novel and robust framework, derived based on physical representations of the intermolecular interactions at atom levels, for representing real-fluid effects during reacting processes at extreme conditions, and demonstrate the superiority of the proposed framework in replicating the thermodynamic, chemical kinetic and transport properties of trans- and super-critical fluids. These are further implemented to solve real-fluid governing equations for 0-D pyrolysis, oxidation and autoignition processes and 1-D laminar flames with quantitative comparisons established against high-pressure fundamental experiments. The challenges and opportunities for supercritical combustion are also discussed.

Short Biography: Prof Song Cheng is now an Assistant Professor in Thermo-fluids and Combustion at The Departmental of Mechanical Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Prof Cheng received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Melbourne. He was appointed a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of California, Berkeley from 2017 to 2018, and worked at the Energy Systems Division of Argonne National Laboratory from 2019 to 2021. Since joining PolyU, Prof Cheng has won many awards and secured fundings from The Research Grant Council of HKSAR, The Chief Executive’s Policy Unit of HKSAR, The Environmental Protection Department of HKSAR, The Natural Science Foundation of China, The Natural Science foundation of Guangdong, etc. Currently, Prof Cheng leads the Ultra-High-Pressure Combustion Laboratory and the Laser-Diagnosing Advanced Propulsion Laboratory at PolyU, with research interests toward comprehending the fundamental physics and chemistries involved in extreme and carbon-free energy utilization.

Prof. Hisashi Nakamura

Tohoku University

Talk topic: Chemical kinetics and laminar flame studies of ammonia and their contributions to the development of practical systems

Abstract: Ammonia is now recognized as an important chemical for storing and transporting renewable energy. In recent years, ammonia combustion for energy utilization has attracted attention in order to compensate for fluctuations in electricity produced from renewable energy sources and to achieve the decarbonization of large-scale transportation and high-temperature heating processes that are difficult to electrify. This presentation introduces background, our recent studies on chemical kinetics and laminar flames of ammonia using a micro flow reactor with a controlled temperature profile and counterflow flame burner, and their contributions to the development of practical systems. The presentation also introduces generation method of small ammonia reaction models using genetic algorithms.

Short Biography: Hisashi Nakamura received his PhD degree in Engineering from Tohoku University in 2006. He became an Assistant Professor of Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University in 2007 and was promoted to an Associate Professor in 2015. He was a visiting researcher at Combustion Chemistry Centre, University of Galway (National University of Ireland, Galway at that time) for one year from Sep. 2011, and has been a visiting scholar at Turbomachinery Laboratory, Texas A&M University for several weeks each year from 2022 to 2024. His research interest includes combustion in the areas of laminar flames and chemical kinetics for hydrocarbons, low-carbon fuels, battery electrolytes, refrigerants, and fire retardants. He received the title of Distinguished Researcher of Tohoku University in 2020.

Prof. Aamir Farooq

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Talk topic: ML-enhanced laser-based sensing of combustion species and VOCs

Abstract: Sensors based on laser absorption spectroscopy have gained widespread use in both research and practical applications due to their simple architecture, ease of implementation, and suitability for field deployment. However, challenges such as spectral interference, noise, and unknown reference spectra often limit their performance. Machine learning-based techniques provide powerful solutions to these challenges, enabling the use of simpler optical systems while improving measurement accuracy. This talk will highlight recent ML-enabled mid-IR sensing advancements at KAUST, including the measurement of aromatic molecules, such as BTEX, using cavity-enhanced absorption and deep neural networks. Spectral augmentation strategies are employed to mitigate unknown interference in real-world applications, while autoencoder-based denoising techniques enable multi-species shock tube chemical kinetics studies using a single laser. Additionally, blind source separation methods are leveraged to extract species concentrations and reference spectra solely from composite spectral measurements. These innovations demonstrate how the integration of machine learning with laser spectroscopy enhances the accuracy, robustness, and applicability of optical sensing in complex environments.

Short Biography: Dr. Farooq received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2010 and subsequently joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He is the principal investigator of the Farooq’s group for Advanced Sensing Technology and Energy Research (FASTER). His research interests include sustainable fuels, chemical kinetics, precision spectroscopy, and laser-based sensors. He has authored over 200 refereed journal articles and has delivered invited talks at several international conferences. At KAUST, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award, recognizing him as the best instructor over two-year period. In 2019, Dr. Farooq was honored with the prestigious Hiroshi Tsuji Early Career Research Award by Elsevier and the Combustion Institute. In 2020, he received the Research Excellence award by the Combustion Institute. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2022 and a fellow of the Combustion Institute in 2024. Recently, he became the inaugural director of the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship (TIE) program at KAUST.

Prof. Zhiwu Wang

Northwestern Polytechnical University

Talk topic: Deflagration to Detonation Transition Promoted by Transverse Jet

Abstract: Pulse detonation engine (PDE) has many advantages compared to conventional propulsion systems. However, the low resistance, short distance, and rapid initiation of the detonation wave still restrict the application of PDE. The transverse jet initiation technology can achieve better initiation performance with less total pressure loss. To reveal the mechanism of deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) promoted by transverse jet, the flame acceleration of H2/Air under transverse jet was investigated. In addition, to grasp the key control factors affecting the initiation performance of the transverse jet, the influence of the arrangement, position parameters, and injection pressure of the jet, as well as the initial pressure, temperature, and equivalence ratio of the pre-filled mixture on the DDT process were systematically studied.

Short Biography: Dr. Zhiwu Wang is a professor and Ph.D. supervisor at Northwestern Polytechnical University, served as the vice dean of School of Power and Energy. His research focuses on “combustion and detonation propulsion”. He has published more than 100 papers in top journals such as Applied Thermal and Engineering, Aerospace Science and Technology, Energy, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, and so on. He has also been granted 16 patents and has published 1 monograph funded by the National Publishing Funding. In addition, he has won two Second Prize for Progress in Science and Technology, First Prize for Outstanding Contribution to “China Heart in Aviation Power” and other honors and awards.