The Science of Combustion
The phenomenon of "things burning," or combustion, has been all around us since ancient times. It is even said that one of the reasons humans came to live differently from other creatures is that they learned not only to not fear fire but also to use it. Fire was also the object of various beliefs. I believe it also held a special significance, used for tasks like protecting public sanitation by incinerating waste and preventing the spread of infectious diseases by burning contaminated items.
Then came the Industrial Revolution. It was discovered that thermal energy could provide hundreds or thousands of times the power of a human, leading to the active burning of coal and other materials to obtain it. We then came to understand the fundamental equations that describe combustion, which can be considered the starting point for the science of how things burn. Aided by factors such as the rapid advancement of high-performance computers, we are now becoming able to solve the fundamental equations of combustion, allowing us to understand the phenomenon to a certain degree and contribute to its practical applications.
In recent years, it seems that the diversification of energy sources has been advancing. While many future forecasts predict an increase in the use of renewable energy, they also project that obtaining heat and electricity by burning fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, and biofuels will continue to play an important role. On the other hand, combustion also presents many challenges, such as the emission of nitrogen oxides and the increase of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. Therefore, I hope that the "science of how things burn" will advance further, that these problems will be overcome, and that combustion will be utilized more appropriately.
The figure shows a flame from a spherical methane hydrate, recently photographed in our laboratory. Although this was taken for research purposes, I wonder if I am the only one who feels something when looking at a flame, separate from any academic considerations. Despite being involved in the "science of how things burn" and deepening my understanding of flames, I still do not know where that feeling comes from within us.
Caption: Spherical Methane Hydrate Flame