Combustion in Inert and Reacting Porous Media
When a reaction front is stabilized within the matrix of a porous medium, the characteristics of the flame are quite different from those of a free flame. In the past 20 years, Dr. Ellzey has studied combustion in both inert and reacting porous media through computations and experiments. She has studied filtration combustion, smoldering combustion, and porous burners. She has extensive international experience and has worked at the Laboratoire de Combustion et de Detonique in Poitiers France where she helped develop an incinerator for used tires. In addition, she has worked with Cranfield University in England to develop a low emissions combustor for gas turbines. Her research currently focuses on the using additive manufacturing to fabricate innovative combustors.

Biomass combustion
Although the combustion field has focused most of its recent efforts on high end applications such as jet engines, internal combustion engines, and industrial burners, 2.7 billion people still use biomass in traditional cook stoves each day. Collectively these emissions from these stoves contribute significantly to poor health, particularly of women, and to local, regional, and global environmental degradation. In contrast to conventional fossil fuels, the underlying science of biomass combustion is not well understood or characterized. Dr. Ellzey is focusing on the fundamental understanding of biomass combustion such that the knowledge can be used to improve technology and establish policy.