Hydrogen is emerging as a viable carbon-free alternative to conventional hydrocarbons for power generation, heating and propulsion, and can provide long-term storage of renewable energy to address seasonal variation. Hydrogen is a special fuel; it has a high energy density, it is highly diffusive, and burns hotter and faster than typical hydrocarbons. Moreover, while it is carbon-free (and so does not produce CO2 emissions), burning hydrogen in air can still result in NOx emissions due to the inherent nitrogen exposed to high flame temperatures. A potential approach to control the high temperatures and speeds is to burn in a lean premixed mode. However, lean premixed hydrogen can be thermodiffusively unstable, due to the high diffusivity of the fuel. Consequently, there can be significant variation of local flame speed over the surface as well as an increase in flame surface area, unlike in more conventional fuels, both of which are challenging for turbulent-flame models. The thermodiffusive instability is strongly dependent on the reactant conditions (pressure, temperature and equivalence ratio), as well as the turbulent conditions. This study aims to use Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) with detailed chemistry to advance fundamental understanding of thermodiffusively-unstable turbulent lean premixed hydrogen flames, and to develop turbulent-flame models that can be used to design the next generation of carbon-free combustors for clean power generation, heating and propulsion.
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Application enquires: Dr Andy Aspden, [Email Address Removed], https://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/staff/profile/andrewaspden.html
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