A combined experimental/numerical program for modelling turbulent premixed combustion

Combustion is currently the primary process for energy generation and meeting the global energy demand. Its role will remain significant in the foreseeable future and will even gain more attention as alternative fuels such as green hydrogen are becoming more cost-competitive.

Premixed combustion is widely present in many energy-producing technologies such as gas turbines and reciprocating engines. In this mode of combustion, fuel and air are mixed before combustion, allowing for better combustion and pollutant control, particularly when a large volume of air is mixed with the fuel.

To achieve cleaner combustion, more accurate models are required to simulate energy technologies and therefore inform the designers. However, premixed combustion presents many challenges for modelling, particularly when alternative fuels such as hydrogen is used.

Depending on the operating condition of a certain device, different regimes of flame/turbulence interaction are present, requiring different sets of modelling assumptions that are not rigorous in some parts.

This work will develop more accurate models that can be used to design cleaner and more efficient combustion systems.

Project goals

The goals of this project are to:

Characterize flame/turbulence interaction regimes using a novel experimental setup and high fidelity simulations.

Supervision team

• The University of Melbourne: Dr Mohsen Talei 

*Click on the researcher's name above to learn more about their publication and grant successes.

• The University of Toronto: Prof Omer L Gulder

Who we are looking for

We are seeking a PhD candidate with the following skills:

• Demonstrated experience in the field of energy systems
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated time and project management skills
• Demonstrated ability to write research reports or other publications to a publishable standard (even if not published to date)
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrated organisational skills, time management and ability to work to priorities.
• Demonstrated problem solving abilities
• The ability to work independently and as a member of a team

Further details

The PhD candidate will benefit from the combined expertise of the project supervisors, and the embedding into two research environments.

Dr Mohsen Talei at the University of Melbourne will contribute their expertise in computational combustion. Prof Omer L Gulder at the University of Toronto will contribute expertise in experimental combustion and combustion theory.

This PhD project will be based at the University of Toronto with a minimum 12-month stay at the University of Melbourne.

The candidate will be enrolled in the PhD program at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, and in the PhD program at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Melbourne.

To apply for this joint PhD opportunity, and to view the entry requirements, visit How to apply.