The significant advance in scientific computing has led to
tremendous progress in combustion research. We are pursuing
computational combustion along two directions. The first is to
simulate the structure and response of simple flames with detailed
chemistry involving many simultaneously occurring reactions
characterized by various time scales and multitudes of species.
Through such well-controlled simulations the dominant kinetics in
the diffusive medium of a flame can be identified. The second focus
is on the simulation of the dynamics of flame surfaces in complex
flow fields such as turbulent flows, with the ultimate aim of being
able to describe the turbulent flame structure including the
occurrence of local and global extinction.