Cecile Devaud

Cecile Devaud is a Professor in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. She is also a member of Waterloo Engineering’s Fire Research Group and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy.

Her research group focuses on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for turbulent reacting flows. They are interested in developing and implementing new mathematical models for problems related to turbulent mixing, flame stabilization and emissions. Applications are diverse; ranging from aero and automotive engines to fire scenario analysis. More recently, some research activities have been devoted to numerical simulations of two-phase flows and compartment fires related to the nuclear industry.

Professor Devaud has special interest in using simulation to understand the relationship between turbulence and fire, specifically how turbulence can reduce or intensify fire, how fire can increase turbulence, and how these processes contribute to the growth or extinction of fires. She also studies the more subtle dangers of fire, such as toxic gases like carbon monoxide and particulates like soot. The implications of her research are practical and result in greater safety for firefighters and those they rescue.

Professor Devaud holds a US patent along with Waterloo professors – Amir Khajepour, A. Fazeli and A. Nasser for “Air hybrid engine with a plurality of air tanks".

• Computational fluid dynamics
• Turbulent combustion modelling
• Lifted flames
• Auto-ignition
• Buoyant plumes
• Fire Safety Engineering
• Automotive
• Biomechanics and Biotechnology

• 1999, Doctorate, Turbulent Combustion, University of Cambridge
• 1995, Master's, Thermal Power-Gas Turbine Technology, University of Cranfield
• 1995, Bachelor's, Mechanical Engineering ( propulsion systems), INSA Rouen

• ME 362 - Fluid Mechanics 2
  • Taught in 2019, 2020, 2022
• ME 566 - Computational Fluid Dynamics for Engineering Design
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022
• ME 664 - Turbulent Flow
  • Taught in 2019, 2021, 2023

• W. Kendal Bushe, Cecile Devaud, Josette Bellan, A priori evaluation of the Double-conditioned Conditional Source-term Estimation model for high-pressure heptane turbulent combustion using DNS data obtained with one-step chemistry, Combustion and Flame, 217, 2020, 131 - 151
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• Cecile Devaud, W. Kendal Bushe, and Josette R. Bellan, Turbulent high-pressure reaction-rate modeling using the Double-conditioned Conditional Source-term Estimation method, AIAA Scitech 2020 Forum, 2020
  Link
• Dovizio, D and Debbagh, A and Devaud, CB, RANS Simulations of a Series of Turbulent V-Shaped Flames using Conditional Source-term Estimation, Flow, Turbulence and Combustion, 96(4), 2016, 891 - 919
• Lee, Seunghi and Devaud, Cecile, Application of Conditional Source-term Estimation to two turbulent non-premixed methanol flames, Combustion Theory and Modelling, 2016, 1 - 33
• Labahn, JW and Devaud, CB, Large eddy simulations (LES) including conditional source-term estimation (CSE) applied to two Delft-Jet-in-Hot-Coflow (DJHC) flames, Combustion and Flame, 164, 2016, 68 - 84
• Labahn, JW and Dovizio, D and Devaud, CB, Numerical simulation of the delft-jet-in-hot-coflow (DJHC) flame using conditional source-term estimation, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 35(3), 2015, 3547 - 3555
• Ashrafizadeh, A and Devaud, CB and Aydemir, NU, A Jacobian-free Newton--Krylov method for thermalhydraulics simulations, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 77(10), 2015, 590 - 615

• Currently considering applications from graduate students. A completed online application is required for admission; start the application process now.
• Has Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor (ADDS) status