DTLreactingFoam: An efficient CFD tool for laminar reacting flow simulations using detailed chemistry and transport with time-correlated thermophysical properties

The official OpenFOAM distributions are currently not well-suited for accurate simulations of laminar reacting flows, primarily due to the restrictive Sutherland transport model and the oversimplified unity Lewis number assumption. These limitations can be addressed by employing a detailed transport model (DTM) grounded in kinetic gas theory. However, this approach significantly increases computational cost. To resolve this trade-off, we present a newly developed framework, DTLreactingFoam, designed for simulating laminar flames with integrated detailed transport and chemical kinetics while maintaining computational efficiency. The first level of cost reduction is achieved by incorporating a polynomial-fit transport model (FTM). Further acceleration is provided by a time-correlated thermophysical property evaluation (coTHERM) method, which dynamically updates properties at each time step or iteration by exploiting their temporal correlations. The framework is validated through a series of canonical laminar flame simulations. The results show excellent agreement with experimental measurements and benchmark software, confirming the accurate implementation of both the DTM and FTM. Moreover, validation results demonstrate that coupling the coTHERM method with either the DTM or FTM enables high-fidelity laminar flame simulations with substantially reduced computational cost. Notably, using the coTHERM method in conjunction with the FTM achieves up to a 77% reduction in computational time compared to the direct use of the DTM, without compromising accuracy.