Design and optimisation of hydrogen-fuelled industrial burners
Project scope
- This project will:
- Investigate the effect of different flame stabilisation mechanisms (swirl, bluff-body, piloted, co-flow, attached-flame, lifted-flame) on hydrogen flame stability in non-premixed combustion.
- Evaluate the reliability of various LES modelling approaches for predicting hydrogen combustion behaviour under industrial burner conditions.
- Optimise burner geometry and flow conditions to support safe and efficient industrial-scale hydrogen operation.
- Performed on campus - workload to be agreed with Supervisor
- Suitable for School of Engineering research-based courses, such as: ENGN3712, ENGN4200, ENGN4350, ENGN4712, ENGN4718, ENGN8601, and ENGN8602.
- Suitable for both domestic and international students.
Project description
Hydrogen is emerging as a key energy carrier for decarbonising high-temperature industrial processes such as steelmaking, glass manufacturing, and power generation. Existing industrial burner technologies, predominantly designed for hydrocarbon fuels like natural gas, exhibit altered combustion behaviour when operated with hydrogen due to its distinct properties: higher flame speed, lower ignition energy, wider flammability limits, and increased risk of flashback.
Standard flame-stabilisation mechanisms — such as swirl, bluff-body, piloted, and co-flow configurations — are widely implemented in industry. However, comprehensive design optimisation for hydrogen combustion at full-scale industrial conditions remains limited, particularly in non-premixed systems where fuel and oxidiser mix directly at the flame front.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), especially Large Eddy Simulation (LES), offers advanced capability to analyse turbulent flame dynamics, anchoring mechanisms, and pollutant formation. Systematic CFD assessment of stabilisation strategies for hydrogen is essential to develop reliable industrial burner design guidelines.
Deliverables
- CFD simulations assessing hydrogen flame stability under different stabilisation mechanisms
- Recommendations for burner design and operational guidelines
- Technical report summarising findings and design recommendations
- Potential contribution to a peer-reviewed publication
- Presentation of results
Information for applicants
Students will use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), particularly Large Eddy Simulation (LES), to study flame stabilisation mechanisms, burner geometry, and flow conditions to ensure safe, efficient, and low-emission hydrogen combustion.
Essential skills and background
- Strong understanding of engineering thermodynamics
- Familiarity with computational modelling (e.g., ANSYS-FLUENT)
- Interest in hydrogen technologies and industrial decarbonisation
Desirable requirements
- Prior experience with combustion CFD or LES
- Knowledge of industrial burner design and flame stabilisation methods
- Programming or scripting skills for simulation post-processing
- Strong analytical and report-writing skills
- Interest in experimental validation of CFD results
Student takeaways
- Hydrogen combustion and flame dynamics
- Industrial burner design principles
- Advanced CFD simulation techniques, including LES
- Optimisation of complex thermal-fluid systems
- Contributing to low-emission industrial solutions
How to apply
If you are interested, please email a brief Expression of interest, along with a copy of your CV (resume) and academic transcript to the project supervisor.