Simulating hydrogen combustion for cleaner engines with argon
Alessandro Ballatore defended his PhD thesis at the Department of Mechanical Engineering on May 14th.
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time, and one of the most severe threats our planet faces nowadays. As the world moves toward cleaner energy, hydrogen is emerging as a key player in reducing carbon emissions. It burns without producing carbon dioxide, but when used with air, it still creates harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) due to reactions with nitrogen. A promising new approach is the Argon Power Cycle (APC)鈥攁n innovative engine that runs on hydrogen and circulates argon in a closed loop. It eliminates NOx emissions and boosts efficiency. The PhD research of Alessandro Ballatore focuses on building accurate simulations to understand and optimize how hydrogen behaves and burns in such engines.
The core idea of the Argon Power Cycle is simple but powerful: replace air with argon, a noble gas that does not chemically react during combustion. Since argon contains no nitrogen, it prevents the formation of NOx pollutants. Moreover, argon鈥檚 unique thermodynamic properties enhance the efficiency of the engine. The APC operates in a closed-loop system, continuously recycling argon, which makes it not just cleaner, but also more energy-efficient. In his PhD research Ballatore aims at creating, step-by-step, an accurate and practical way to model how such an engine works, focusing on high-pressure direct injection - a method similar to how diesel engines operate.
Modeling the future of hydrogen engines
To help bring this concept from theory to application, the researcher focused on accurately modeling how pure hydrogen spreads in an argon-filled environment without burning. These results are compared with existing research to ensure accuracy. Building on this, he created a new method to predict how hydrogen burns under engine-relevant conditions, forming the basis for more realistic and reliable combustion simulations. Initial simulations are performed without combustion to verify the accuracy of hydrogen dispersion models. The results are validated against real-world experimental data, proving that the model can be used for future research. Finally, this advanced simulation technique is used to study hydrogen combustion in the Argon Power Cycle, providing valuable insights and an important first step toward optimizing hydrogen-powered engines for zero-emission energy solutions.
A path toward zero-emission power
The outcome is a robust simulation framework that not only deepens our understanding of hydrogen combustion in argon environments but also provides a practical tool for future engine design. Importantly, this research represents a vital first step toward optimizing hydrogen-powered engines for truly zero-emission energy solutions.
By offering new insights into high-pressure hydrogen injections and combustion dynamics, this work contributes to the development of sustainable propulsion technologies that can help combat climate change and drive the transition to a cleaner future.
Title of PhD thesis: Large-eddy simulation of high-pressure hydrogen injections for the argon power cycle using tabulated chemistry. Supervisors: Prof. Jeroen van Oijen, and Dr. Bart Somers.