Research and development needs in combustion modeling

This article provides a perspective on future research and development needs of aerospace propulsion from the vantage point of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL). Particular applications that inform this perspective include solid and liquid rocket propulsion for booster applications, scramjet propulsion for hypersonic flight and rotating detonation engines for both air and space applications. The R&D needs are expressed in two categories—the first represents foundational research needs informed by specific application challenges, while the second catalogs foundational research needs informed broadly by digital engineering paradigms for future development. The former category concerns traditional research in combustion and energy sciences, while the latter category embraces emerging computational and mathematical research topics. Future progress will be depend upon advancements in both sets of topic areas. • Perspective on future research & development needs in aerospace propulsion. • Applications include liquid propulsion, solid rockets, & spacecraft propulsion. • Chemical kinetics for hydrocarbons, synthetic fuels, solid fuels, green propellants. • Turbulent combustion physics understanding and multi scale model development. • Techniques in model reduction, data assimilation, & uncertainty quantification.