Suresh Menon
Professor Menon joined Flow Industries, Kent, Washington, as a research scientist, and in 1988, became a senior scientist and program manager for the computational fluid dynamics group in Quest Integrated, Inc. (formerly called Flow Research, Inc.). At Quest, Menon led research teams in various research projects such as the active control of combustion instability in ramjet engines, supersonic mixing studies, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft fluid dynamics, and hypersonic reentry problems. In 1992, he joined Georgia Institute of Technology as an associate professor and became a professor in 1997. He is currently the Hightower Professor of Engineering in Georgia Tech. Professor Menon is a world renowned expert in large-eddy simulation of turbulent reacting and non-reacting flows and has developed unique simulation capabilities to study pollutant formation, ozone depletion in high-altitude aircraft jet plumes and combustion in gas turbine and ramjet engines. He has been (and is currently) a principal investigator for a wide range of research projects funded by NASA, Department of Energy, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Office of Naval Research, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. His work has been (and is also) supported by many industries including General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Solar Turbines, Boeing, Safran (France), Hyundai (S. Korea), JAXA (Japan), IHI (Japan) and Rocketdyne-Aerojet. He has published and/or presented over 395 papers. Professor Menon is a Fellow of AAAS, Associate Fellow of AIAA, and a member of the American Physical Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Combustion Institute and the Sigma Xi. He is a peer reviewer for numerous archival journals, NASA, NSF, DoD and DOE research proposals.
Professor Menon's teaching interests encompass core aerospace engineering subjects at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including fluid dynamics, combustion, turbulence, and computational methods. His instruction emphasizes fundamental principles and their application to complex propulsion problems, fostering analytical and numerical skills in students. He integrates research insights to enhance learning and actively engages graduate and undergraduate students in research-related coursework.
Professor Menon's research focuses on turbulence modeling, combustion, computational fluid dynamics, and reduced order modeling. His work aims to improve the understanding of turbulent flows and their interaction with propulsion devices, employing advanced numerical simulations and theoretical approaches. This research supports the development of predictive tools for flow and combustion behavior and in aerospace applications, involving multidisciplinary studies that incorporate physics-based modeling and high-performance computing.
Experimental and computational fluid mechanics, including:
- Direct and large-eddy simulations (LES) of turbulent combustion
- Subgrid modeling for two-phase turbulent reacting flows
- Two-level simulations and wake studies in highly turbulent flows
- LES and reduced basis modeling of combustion instability in liquid-fueled rocket engines
- Shock-to-detonation transition (DDT) in condensed phase energetic materials
- Multi-phase blast modeling with reactive metal particles
- Agent defeat simulations of dense clouds of nano particles or aerosols
- Experimental and computational studies of supersonic combustion
Lab/Collaborations:
- Computational Combustion Laboratory (CCL)
- Ben T. Zinn Combustion Laboratory
Disciplines:
- Propulsion & Combustion
- Aerodynamics & Fluid Mechanics
AE Multidisciplinary Research Areas:
- Large-Scale Computations, Data, and Analytics
- Sustainable Transportation and Energy Systems
B.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1976, Indian Institute of Technology; M.S., Aeronautical Engineering, 1978, Indian Institute of Technology; Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, 1984, University of Maryland;
- Panchal, A. Bryngelson, S., and Menon, S. “A Seven-Equation Diffused interface method for resolved Multiphase Flows,” Journal of Computational Physics, Vol. 475, pp. 111870, 2023
- Salvadori, M. and Panchal, A. and Menon, S. “Simulation of Wave Mode Switching in a Rotating Detonation Engine with Gaseous and Liquid Fuel,” Aerospace Science and Technology, vol. 47,109008, 2024.
- Fries, D, Ranjan, D. and Menon, S., “Molecular Weight and Specific heat ratio effect on Convective Mach number, Entrainment, and mixing in Jets in Supersonic Crossflow,” Physics of Fluids, 37, 125111,2025.
- Panchal, A. and Menon, S. “Numerical Characterization of Post-detonation Re-shock Driven MIxing in Explosions,” Physical Review Fluids, vol.10, 074502, 2025.
- Karpe, S. and Menon, S., “Modeling uncertainties in primary zone soot predictions for a rich-quench lean-burn combustion system,” Proceeding of the Combustion Institute, Vol 42, 105805, 2025