ARCCA facilities supporting work to unlock the power of ammonia
29 September 2020
A research team led by Dr Agustin Valera-Medina from the School of Engineering, have been awarded large-scale funding following research into the generation of electricity from Ammonia, supported by the use of ARCCA’s supercomputing services.
One crucial method to decarbonise energy systems is the replacement of fossil-based fuels by other sources that decrease the emission of greenhouse gases (CO2, NOx, etc.). Since combustion technologies are employed in the production of ~90% of our total energy worldwide, it is necessary to develop combustion systems capable of using these alternative sources in an efficient way whilst ensuring stable processes for their implementation in industrial systems.
The outcome of advanced numerical modelling conducted initially using the Raven cluster and more recently on the Hawk supercomputer, has enabled the study of highly hydrogenated blends for the resolution of fluid and combustion features that enable stable processes whilst ensuring the minimisation of pollutants.
This study features in the ongoing programme of work at Cardiff’s Thermofluids Laboratory in identifying complex phenomena for the conception of new methods to utilise zero-carbon fuels for a sustainable future. Driven by Dr Agustin Valera-Medina, the development of novel ideas is followed by experimental or numerical assessments, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed technique. In order to reduce development time, numerical modelling is largely employed amongst undergraduates, MSc, PhD and research programs. The results have led to two final year projects, four MSc dissertations, six PhD thesis, two large funded projects (EPSRC and H2020 funding) and publication of more than ten papers in high impact (3*) journals. More than 13 researchers have been trained on the use of advanced modelling software (ANSYS and STAR-CCM+) working on advanced fuels.