Dynamics, Instabilities, and Turbulence in Unsteady Combustion
A special issue of Fire (ISSN 2571-6255).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 26
Special Issue Editor
Interests: vortical flows; aerodynamics; combustion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Combustion remains one of the most complex chemical–physical processes in modern science and engineering, governing natural fires and applications of energy conversion, propulsion, and power generation. Moreover, real-world combustion rarely occurs under steady conditions. Unsteady phenomena—characterized by fluctuations in flow, temperature, pressure, and chemical composition—play a decisive role in determining combustion efficiency, stability, and emissions. Understanding the intricate dynamics, instabilities, and turbulence that emerge in unsteady combustion is crucial for advancing both fundamental science and applied technologies. Such knowledge not only deepens our grasp of turbulent reacting flows but also underpins progress toward safer, cleaner, and more efficient energy utilization.
This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews that advance the understanding of the physical and chemical mechanisms governing unsteady combustion. It seeks to bridge theoretical, experimental, and computational studies to address how dynamic interactions between hydrodynamic instabilities, turbulence, and thermoacoustics shape combustion behavior. In line with the interdisciplinary scope of Fire, this Special Issue is dedicated to promoting cross-disciplinary dialogue among combustion scientists, physicists, engineers, and applied mathematicians, fostering the integration of flow and flame dynamics, thermophysics, and reaction kinetics for improved combustion performance and control.
Original research articles, technical communications, and review papers are all welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, flame–flow interactions in unsteady conditions; thermoacoustic and hydrodynamic instabilities; turbulence–chemistry coupling; transient flame propagation and extinction; numerical simulations of unsteady combustion; experiments and diagnostics of flame dynamics; data-driven approaches, reduced-order modeling, and AI for turbulent combustion; and theoretical methods of instability analysis and their applications to propulsion, power generation, and industrial burners. Contributions that explore novel methods for stabilizing unsteady flames or mitigating combustion-driven oscillations are especially encouraged.
Dr. Xi Xia
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fire is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- unsteady combustion
- flame dynamics
- turbulence
- combustion instability
- combustion diagnostics
- numerical simulations
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