GALCIT Colloquium

Current combustion technologies for aviation gas-turbines, stationary power generation, and internal combustion engines are relatively mature, and only incremental improvements in performance and combustion efficiency can be expected. However, new combustion concepts are needed to comply with new regulations on exhaust emissions, combustor stability, and to enable the utilization of emerging and alternative fuels. One such promising combustion concept is matrix-stabilized combustion in porous media. In these burners combustion is facilitated within the voids of a porous heat-conducting matrix, thereby achieving superadiabatic combustion, significant reductions in pollutant emissions, and extended power modulation.
In this seminar, we will examine scientific aspects of porous media combustion that comprise the numerical modeling, the development of advanced diagnostics techniques, and experimental testing. Of particular interest is the experimental characterization of the internal flame structure inside the porous matrix. For this, X-ray computed tomography diagnostics is developed to obtain three-dimensional temperature fields within the porous matrix structure. The utility of these temperature measurements in assessing the accuracy of low-order models is discussed, and the need for durability tests in conjunction with high-resolution micro-XCT diagnostics for characterizing the long-time performance and thermo-structural stability of porous matrix burners is examined.