Towards plasma-assisted ignition-stabilized combustion

October 20, 2023

Ravi Patel defended his PhD thesis at the Department of Applied Physics and Science Education on October 18th.

Currently, the combustion of fossil fuels is the primary method for the generation of energy for propulsion, electricity, and heating. This looks set to remain the case for the foreseeable future, which is unfortunate as the combustion of fossil fuels leads to the emission of harmful and greenhouse gases such as nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, soot, and others. As a result, there is a significant need for a higher combustion efficiency and a combustion approach with minimal harmful emissions. For his PhD thesis, Ravi Patel, explored a so-called plasma-assisted ignition-stabilized approach towards combustion.

Our need to combust fossil fuels is afflicting our planet in numerous ways. For instance, their combustion leads to the emission of harmful and greenhouse gases such as NOx, CO2, soot, and others, which all contribute to global warming and environmental degradation.

In today's era of technological innovation and energy demands, achieving a higher combustion efficiency is no longer the only important criterion. An equally relevant criterion is the operation of combustion with minimal harmful emissions. This dual focus is essential to mitigate the environmental impact of fossil fuel combustion.

Plasma-assisted

For his PhD research, Ravi Patel worked on a new way to combust fossil fuels known as Plasma-Assisted Ignition-Stabilized Combustion (PAISC), which has the potential to address some of the major challenges associated with combustion by providing a wider operating range in lean conditions.

It is well-known that many of the negative impacts of combustion can be mitigated by operating in lean conditions (characterized by a surplus of air). However, igniting and stabilizing flames in this cleaner regime present significant challenges.

This is precisely why Patel’s strategy has the potential to revolutionize various applications, offering cleaner combustors for supersonic aviation, enabling the development of reusable vehicles for space access, and enhancing the efficiency of gas turbines in power plants, amongst others.

Title of PhD thesis: Towards plasma-assisted ignition-stabilized combustion. Supervisors: Sander Nijdam and Nico Dam.