Ignition dynamics of hydrogen flames in non-swirled burner

This project focuses on investigating the fundamental aspects of hydrogen turbulent combustion.

The overall objective of the proposed research work is to evaluate and enhance the stability and operability of gas turbine combustion systems when facing challenges associated with hydrogen-enriched fuel mixtures. The investigation will concentrate on examining the effects of the flame leading point behaviour on the ignition induced flashback of a hydrogen fired laboratory-scale burner.

The ultimate goal is to provide insight and improve the understanding of the violent ignition dynamics of such combustion systems and to identify strategies to enhance their performance and reliability, particularly in the context of using hydrogen as a fuel source. In this regard, high-fidelity Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are an essential tool to shed light on several specific features not accessible experimentally.

The aim of this study is to avoid the complexities of turbulent combustion modelling by relying on an LES approach with a fully resolved flame front. The simulation results will be validated again large amount of experimental data available through our partner at NTNU. The work is divided in three main work packages starting from the steady state simulation of the non-reacting and the reaction flow in the first and the second work package, respectively. Two different mixtures including pure methane and pure hydrogen at fixed bulk flow velocity and constant laminar burning velocity are considered. This is followed by a complete simulation of the ignition sequence for both fuels.