BURN is a joint research group of Université Libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel created in January 2015 by Francesco Contino and Alessandro Parente.
The group investigates the efficient conversion of fuels energy through combustion flexibility and optimization.
BURN's objective is to contribute to the development of flexible, energy-efficient and non-polluting energy conversion technologies, to fit a continuously changing energy scenario demanding for environmental friendly, secure and cost-effective solutions.
Solving the system of equations describing the oxidation of fuels becomes prohibitive when several tens of species are included. We are developing different technique to accommodate detailed kinetic mechanisms in CFD simulations.
The novel combustion technologies include advanced burners (MILD combustion), new mode for internal combustion engines (low temperature combustion), and alternative micro gas turbine cycles (micro humid air turbine).
In simulations of various combustion systems, the interaction between the turbulence and the chemistry plays a major role in the quality of the predictions.
Environmentally sustainable transportation is among the most important challenges that we have to face in the near future if we want to solve our energy dependence and CO2 emission issues.
Air quality is becoming more and more a concern in cities and around industrial regions. The formation and transport of pollutant is of primary importance and is inherently connected to the combustion processes.
The inclusion of an advanced and reliable uncertainty quantification in numerical simulations allows more robust results.
