| Project Detail |
Understanding aluminium-steam combustion for green energy
Aluminium is emerging as a zero-carbon, high-energy fuel alternative to fossil fuels. Traditionally used in solid fuel rocket engines, it is now being explored for pressurised combustion in steam to produce two high-value products, high-temperature heat and hydrogen. However, understanding the complex dynamics of stationary aluminium-steam combustion remains limited. The ERC-funded A-STEAM project will unravel the complex phenomena governing pressurised aluminium-steam combustion by investigating the full range of scales from single micrometer-sized particles to turbulent flames with millions of particles. A-STEAM will combine high-fidelity simulations, advanced modelling, and tailored experiments. Ultimately, it seeks to advance the understanding of aluminium-steam combustion and provide guidance for a new zero-carbon technology in the metal fuel research community.
Metal fuels are emerging as a zero-carbon, high-energy density replacement for fossil fuels due to their availability and recyclability using renewable energy. Aluminum (Al) powder has been investigated mostly in air/O2 as an additive in solid rocket engines. Recently, Al continuous pressurized combustion in steam has attracted considerable interest for on-demand co-production of high-temperature heat and H2. Combustion in pressurized steam lowers flame temperatures and minimizes emissions of undesirable and hard-to-collect Al2O3 nanoparticles. Quantitative understanding of the dynamics of multi-phase and multi-scale Al-steam flames, driven by microscopic transport processes, phase changes, as well as homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reactions at the particle level, is largely lacking. A-STEAM will unravel the fundamental properties of pressurized Al-steam flames for the entire scientific chain, from single particles to turbulent flames with millions of particles, through a well-orchestrated combination of high-fidelity simulations, advanced modeling, and tailored experiments. We will combine and develop our unique computational capabilities in fully resolved direct numerical simulations (FR-DNS) at the particle level, novel particle-in-cell (PIC) models considering particle-attached/particle-detached flames and Al2O3 nanoparticle formation, carrier-phase DNS (CP-DNS), and large eddy simulations (LES) of turbulent confined flames. The unique combination of numerical studies and tailored experiments will lead to a substantial breakthrough in knowledge by quantifying physicochemical processes in Al-steam combustion, bridging the gap between single particles and turbulent flames. Our numerical-experimental database of reference Al-steam flames, together with science-based best practice guidelines for future Al burners, will also empower the broader metal fuel research community and guide future system design and implementation of this carbon-free technology. |
