Research Projects

Origin of the proposal stems from the Principal Investigator (PI) /mentor work last two years on hydrogen combustor with end product of up to 25 MW gas turbine engine for power applications. As an advisor to National Design and Research Forum (NDRF) , PI reached out to (Hindusthan Aeronautics ltd. (HAL) Corporate, Bangalore indicating that hydrogen combustor will be developed and retrofitted in HAL engine. The response was that it is a good initiative and at their request detailed project report was submitted. Any product development as per (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) charter undergoes Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 through 9 before finding a place in a giant aerospace program. HAL suggested that we develop the combustor to TRL 5 level and come back so that they can try to pursue in production. Hydrogen combustor is known for unstable combustion and It is felt necessary to embark on a research program on active control of instability to avoid developmental problems and deliver research output. This will take us to TRL 3. . Annamalai University, Chidambaram has formed a competent multidisciplinary team under the auspices of PM Professorship/Mentor Chair by Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) .The team comprises of PI, faculty from Mining, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Departments and B Tech students, M Tech students and Ph. D scholars. Preliminary configuration of the gas turbine combustor is arrived at based on experience parameters. It is of eighteen burner configurations and one burner of two/three configurations of burner will be studied as this plays a vital role in hydrogen combustion instability analysis. Tasking for five years includes the following: • 0 D, 1 D, 2D CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics ) analysis for flow filed computation and heat transfer calculations taking into account Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) which generally takes about 130 C temperature gradient. •MATLAB Thermo-Acoustic Code Development- Finalize MATLAB code for growth rate, limit-cycle prediction, and sensitivity. •Simulink Implementation - Build block-based Simulink version with real-time scopes and parameter tuning. • Transparent Chamber Configuration - Design quartz-window combustor section for PLIF. • High-Temperature Coating Application- Apply and test C-263 TBC using plasma spray- plasma spray facility is available at Annamalai University • Instrumentation & Testing (Phases 1–4) o Phase 1: Cold-flow instrumentation check. Phase 2: Low-power hydrogen combustion tests. Phase 3: Full-load experimental runs. Phase 4: Full operating range validation. • Hydrogen required produced in house through bio mass through other program sponsored by Neyveli Lignite Corporation. Annamalai University Mining department has already mastered hydrogen production handling and safety. • Closure Report and Submission: Compile simulation and experimental findings. Submit final technical report with stability maps and PLIF data.