Mitchell Smooke

Mitchell Smooke
Strathcona Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science & Applied Physics
Room / Office: Becton 205
Office Address:
15 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 208284
New Haven, CT 06520
Phone: (203) 432-4344
Fax: (203) 432-6775
Email: mitchell.smooke@yale.edu
Degrees:
  • M.B.A, University of California at Berkeley
  • Ph.D., Harvard University
  • M.S., Harvard University
  • B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Interests:

Smooke's primary research interests lie in the areas of computational combustion, chemical vapor deposition, and the numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations.
 
Current research projects involve computational studies of NOx and soot formation in flames, the modeling of multidimensional premixed and nonpremixed flames on parallel supercomputers, flamelet models for turbulent reacting flows, and microgravity combustion.
 

Selected Awards & Honors:

  • AIAA Propellant & Combustion Award (2015)
  • The Combustion Institute Zeldovich Gold Medal (2012)
  • DoD SERDP WSP Project of the Year Award (2011)
  • Elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (2006)
  • Oppenheim Prize, Institute for the Dynamics of Explosions and Reacting Systems (2004)
  • The Combustion Institute Silver Medal (1994)
  • Fellow, SIAM (2010)
  • Fellow, AIAA (2008)
  • Fellow, Institute of Physics (1998)
  • Yale Graduate School Mentor Award, (2008)
  • Yale College Dylan Hixon Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Natural Sciences (2006)
  • Yale Science and Engineering Alumni Award for the Advancement of Basic and Applied Research (2005)
  • Yale Engineering Sheffield Teaching Award (2004)
  • Yale University/John F. Enders Research Grant (1990)
  • Technical Achievement Award, Sandia National Laboratories (1982)
  • Commencement Marshall Award (highest GPA), Physics Department, RPI, (1973)

Selected Publications:

     For a full list, visit Prof. Smooke's Google Scholar profile.

 

  • M. D. Smooke, C. S. McEnally, L. D. Pfefferle, R. J. Hall and M. B. Colket, “Computational and Experimental Study of Soot Formation in a Coflow, Laminar Diffusion Flame,” Comb. and Flame, 117 (1999). 
  • M. D. Smooke, R. A. Yetter, T. Parr and D. Hanson-Parr, “Modeling Two-Dimensional Coflow AP Diffusion Flames,” Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 28 (2000). 
  • S. V. Naik, N. M. Laurendeau, J. A. Cooke, and M. D. Smooke, “Effect of Radiation on Nitric Oxide Concentrations Under Sooting Oxy-Fuel Conditions,” Comb. and Flame, 134, 425-431 (2003). 
  • M. D. Smooke, C. S. McEnally, J. Fielding, M. B. Long, L. D. Pfefferle, R. J. Hall and M. B. Colket, “Investigation of the Transition from Lightly Sooting towards Heavily Sooting Coflow Ethylene Diffusion Flames,” Comb.Theory and Modelling, 8 (2004). 
  • J. A. Cooke, M. D. Smooke, M. Bellucci, A. Gomez, A. Violi, T. Faravelli and E. Ranzi, “Computational and Experimental Study of a JP-8 Counterflow Diffusion Flame,” Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 30 (2005). 
  • M. D. Smooke, M. B. Long, M. B. Colket and R. J. Hall, “Soot Formation in Laminar Coflow Ethylene Diffusion Flames,” Comb. and Flame, 143 (2005). 
  • M. Noskov, M. Benzi and M. D. Smooke, “An Implicit Compact Scheme Solver for Two-Dimensional Multicomponent Flows,” Comp. and Fluids, 36 (2006). 
  • G. Amantini, B. A. V. Bennett, J. H. Frank, A. Gomez and M. D. Smooke, “Comprehensive Study of Extinction, Re-ignition, and the Evolution of an Annular Edge Flame in a Counterflow Flame Perturbed by Vortices,” Comb. and Flame, 150 (2007). 
  • B. C. Connelly, M. B. Long, M. D. Smooke, R. J. Hall and M. B. Colket, “Computational and Experimental Investigation of the Interaction of Soot and NO in Coflow Diffusion Flames,” Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 32 (2009). 
  • S. B. Dworkin, J. A. Cooke, B. A. V. Bennett, B. C. Connelly, M. B. Long, M. D. Smooke, R. J. Hall and M. B. Colket, “Distributed-Memory Parallel Computation of a Forced, Time-Dependent, Sooting, Ethylene/Air Coflow Diffusion Flame,” Comb. Theory and Modelling, 13 (2009).
  • R. B. Dobbins and M. D. Smooke, "A Fully Implicit Compact Finite Difference Method for the Numerical Solution of Unsteady Laminar Flames," Flow, Turb. and Comb., 85, (2010). 
  • L Tosatto, B. A. V. Bennett and M. D. Smooke, "Parallelization Strategies for an Implicit Newton-based Reactive Flow Solver," Comb. Theory and Modelling, 15, (2011). 
  • L. Tosatto, T. Lu, B. A. V. Bennett and M. D. Smooke, "A Flux-Based Directed Relation Graph Method for the Adaptive On-the-Fly Reduction of Chemical Mechanisms," Comb. and Flame, 158, (2011). 
  • L. Tosatto, F. Mella, M. B. Long, and M. D. Smooke, "A Study of JP-8 Scoflow Flame Structure by Combined Use of Laser Diagnostics and Numerical Simulation," Comb. and Flame, 159, (2012). 
  • M. D. Smooke, "The Computation of Laminar Flames," Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 34, (2013).
  • R.R. Dobbins, R.J. Hall, S. Cao, B.A.V. Bennett, M. B. Colket and M.D. Smooke, “Ra- diative Emission and Reabsorption in Laminar, Ethylene-Fueled Diffusion Flames Using the Discrete Ordinates Method,” Comb. Sci. Tech, 187:1-2, (2014).
  • S. Cao, B. A. V. Bennett, and M. D. Smooke, “MC-Smooth: A Mass Conserving, Smooth Vorticity-Velocity Formulation for Multidimensional Flows,” Comb. Theory and Modelling, 19, (2015).
  • D. Giassi, S. Cao, B.A.V. Bennett, D.P. Stocker, F. Takahashi, M.D. Smooke, and M.B. Long, “Analysis of CH* Cand flame Heat Release Rate in Laminar Coflow Diffusion Flames under Microgravity and Normal Gravity,” Comb. and Flame, 167, (2016).

Academic & Employment History

  • Strathcona Professor of Mechanical Engineering (1995-Present)
  • Professor of Mechanical Engineering (1993-1995)
  • Associate Professor with Tenure (1990-1993)
  • Associate Professor on Term (1986-1990)
  • Assistant Professor (1984-1986)
  • Staff Scientist, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA (1978-1984)

Scientific & Professional Societies

  • The Combustion Institute
  • Institute of Physics (IOP)
  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
  • Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Recent Institutional Service

  • Acting Dean of Engineering, Yale University (Fall, 2000)
  • Chairman, Mechanical Engineering, Yale University (1994-2000, 2006-2012)
  • Director of Undergraduate Studies, Mechanical Engineering (1985-1994, 2000-2006)
  • Director of Graduate Studies, Yale Engineering (2002-2003)
  • Faculty Review Committee (2013-2015)
  • Yale University Tenure Committee for the Physical Sciences and Engineering (2000-2002, 2005-2006)
  • Yale University Silliman Lectureship Committee (2015-Present)
  • Yale University HPC Operations and Planning Committee (2012-2014)
  • Yale University HPC Focus Group (2010-2012)
  • Yale University ITS Advisory Committee (2011-2013)
  • Yale University ITS Research Technologies Committee (2012-2013)
  • Yale University Science Council (Member 2004-2005, 2008-Present, Chair 2005-2008)
  • Yale University Budget Committee, (1998-2000, 2005-2007)
  • Yale University Physical and Biological Sciences Degree Committee (2002-2006)
  • Yale University Junior Faculty Fellowship Committee for the Physical Sciences and Engineering (2001-2007)
  • Yale University Committee for the Economic Status of the Faculty (1992-1994, Chair 1996-1998)
  • Yale University Scholar Awards Committee (2005-2009)
  • Yale University Institute for Nanoscience and Quantum Engineering Ad Hoc Committee (2005-Present)
  • Yale University Committee on Cooperative Research (1996-2000)

Recent Professional Service

  • Chair, National Academies Committee on Cyberinfrastructure for Combustion, (2009-2011)
  • Coeditor-In-Chief, Combustion Theory and Modeling (1996-Present)
  • Editor, Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics (2001-2005)
  • Program Co-Chair, 32nd International Combustion Symposium (2008)
  • Member of the Board of Directors, The Combustion Institute, (2006-2016)
  • Executive Committee, Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute (2005-2007)
  • Chair, Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute (2003-2005)
  • Vice-Chair, Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute (2001-2003)
  • Program Chair, Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute (1996-1997)
  • Paper Chair, Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute (1994-1995)
  • Colloquium Co-Chair, 23rd, 26th and 27th International Combustion Symposium, (1990, 1996, 1998)
  • Member of the Engineering Advisory Board, Fairfield University (2005-2015)
  • Member of the External Advisory Board, Department of Mechanical Engineering, U. of Connecticut (2006-Present)
  • Department of Energy Workshop on Clean and Efficient Transportation Fuels for the 21st Century (2006)
  • Department of Energy Workshop on Multiscale Modeling (2005)
  • Propellant and Combustion Technical Program Chair, ASM AIAA, Reno, (2005)
  • Propellant and Combustion Technical Committee, AIAA, (2001-Present)
  • Co-Organizer, 16th International Conference on Numerical Combustion, SIAM (2017)
  • Co-Organizer, 14th International Conference on Numerical Combustion, SIAM (2013)
  • Co-Organizer, 12th International Conference on Numerical Combustion, SIAM (2008)
  • Co-Organizer, 10th International Conference on Numerical Combustion, SIAM (2004)
  • Co-Organizer, 8th International Conference on Numerical Combustion, SIAM (2000)
  • Co-Organizer, 6th International Conference on Numerical Combustion, SIAM (1996)
  • Co-Organizer, 4th International Conference on Numerical Combustion, SIAM (1991)
  • University of Utah ASCI Review Committee (2001)

Recent Invited Lectures at National & International Meetings

(Over 50 lectures at National and International Meetings have been presented since 1980. A selection of recent lectures is listed below.)
  • “Computational and Experimental Study of Laminar Flames,” Plenary Lecture, Joint Meeting of the Dutch and Belgian Sections of the Combustion Institute, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 
    September 1999.
  • “Computational and Experimental Study of Energetic Materials,” Keynote Address, CSE Symposium, University of Illinois, April 2000.
  • “Modeling Energetic Materials,” Plenary Lecture, Gordon Research Conference, The Tilton School, Tilton, New Hampshire, July 2000.
  • “On the Transition from Nonsooting to Sooting Ethylene Diffusion Flames,” Distinguished Mechanical Engineering Seminar, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 2003.
  • “Soot Formation in Laminar Flames,” Plenary Lecture, Computational Heat Transfer Meeting, CHT-04, M. S. Midnatsol, Norway 2004.
  • “Soot Formation in Ethylene-Air Diffusion Flames,” Leaders in Mechanical Engineering Lecture Series, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, April 2005.
  • “Computational and Experimental Study of Laminar Diffusion Flames,” Plenary Lecture, Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia, 2007.
  • “Computational and Experimental Study of Soot Formation in Coflow Laminar Diffusion Flames,” Plenary Lecture, COMBURA Meeting of the Dutch Combustion Section, Utrecht, Holland, October 2008.
  • "The Computation of Laminar Flames," Plenary Lecture, 34th International Combustion Symposium, Warsaw, Poland, July 2012.
 

Contributed Lectures & Invited Seminars

Since 1980, over 250 lectures and invited seminars have been presented at various technical meetings, academic institutions, government and industrial laboratories.
 

Research Support

Professor Smooke has been a PI or Co-PI on over 36 research grants totaling more than $15M of which over $9M has been used to fund his research.
 

Citation Data (as of 12/05/2016)

Google Scholar (includes Combustion Institute Papers before 1996) 
Total Citations: 15114, h-factor = 54 

Web of Science (N.B. does not include Combustion Institute Papers before 1996) 
Total Citations: 3331; h-factor = 34