Thermoacoustic Instability tools for future energy and propulsion

Hydrogen is a carbon-free fuel which can be generated as a by-product of renewables. It has been identified by the UK's Aerospace Technology Institute as the fuel for achieving carbon-free aero-propulsion, with the same true for energy generation. Its properties are exceptional in almost every measure, from its very low density to its fast flame speed, making its combustion behaviour very different to that of hydro-carbon fuels.

Thermoacoustic instability is caused by a two-way coupling between acoustic waves and flame unsteadiness, and its resulting large amplitude oscillations can cause catastrophic damage. Hydrogen combustors show significantly increased propensity to thermoacoustic instability. Designing it out is a key enabling technology for hydrogen systems.

This PhD project will be jointly supervised by Professor Aimee Morgans and Dr Salvador Navarro-Martinez in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Imperial College London. It aims to:

- Develop and validate hydrogen-capable simulation tools for hydrogen combustion for aerospace and energy, exploiting machine-learning for modelling at fine scales.
- Develop predictive capability of thermoacoustic instability in hydrogen combustors, by combining acoustic modelling with reacting flow simulations.
- Investigate acoustic damping optimisation methods for mitigating thermoacoustic instability in hydrogen combustors.