TTW 16480 Making plasma-assisted combustion efficient

For obvious reasons, there is a continuous strive to improve the efficiency and to limit the emissions of combustion processes. One very promising way to achieve this is by plasma-assisted combustion. A plasma can produce active species which enable leaner burning of flames (lower fuel-to-air ratios) or use low-carbon fuels like hydrogen or renewably produced methane. However, up till now plasma-assisted combustion is quite poorly understood and therefore not applied in realistic boiler configurations. In this project we want to combine the strengths of four complementing groups to fill this large gap in our knowledge and thereby apply plasma assisted combustion to realistic applications. We will use advanced plasma diagnostics and numerical models to unravel all details of this process. Most research will be based on a novel in-house-developed plasma-assisted burner geometry which is ideal for research purposes, but we will also develop configurations suitable for real-life applications.