A computational approach for the study of electromagnetic interactions in reacting flows
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Author(s)
Kritikos, Efstratios M
Cant, Stewart
Giusti, Andrea
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A computational fluid dynamics methodology for the simulation of electromagnetic interactions in compressible reacting flows has been formulated. The developed code, named Electromagnetic Integrator (EMI), is based on the SENGA Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) software. Static electric and magnetic fields are solved using Gauss’s laws of Maxwell’s equations. Electromagnetic wave propagation is solved by discretizing Ampere’s and Faraday’s equations using the explicit Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method. The equations for the electromagnetic fields are fully coupled with the Navier-Stokes equations, such that interactions between the electromagnetic fields and the fluid are included in the formulation. The interaction terms include the Lorentz, polarization, and magnetization forces. These forces determine volume forces that affect the transport of momentum, the diffusion velocity in the transport of species, and the energy conservation equation. In addition, the medium’s properties affect the propagation of the electromagnetic waves via electrical permittivity and conductivity, charge density, and magnetic permeability. The solution of electromagnetic fields is verified against analytical and numerical solutions. The implementation of the coupling between electrostatic fields and conservation equations for species, energy, and momentum is verified by a comparison with numerical solutions of laminar reacting flows obtained with an established code. The key capabilities of the proposed formulation are investigated by means of a range of laminar methane-air computations under electrostatic, magnetostatic, and high-frequency electromagnetic fields. The validity of the electrostatic formulation in the presence of currents arising from the movement of charged species is also assessed. Results demonstrate that EMI-SENGA can capture the fundamental effects of electromagnetic fields on reacting flows as well as the dynamics of charged species and their effect on flame shape and reactivity. The formulation proposed in this work provides a comprehensive framework for modeling multiphysics interactions in reacting flows, which is of interest to emerging areas of research and development that exploit electromagnetic fields to manipulate species diffusion and reactivity.
Date Issued
2026-12-01
Date Acceptance
2026-07-01
Citation
Computer Physics Communications, 2026, 329
ISSN
0010-4655
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
Computer Physics Communications
Volume
329
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Publication Status
Published
Article Number
110316
Date Publish Online
2026-07-24