The GREEN ENGINE LAB supports research activities on lean combustion instability and the development of new technologies as plasma actuators for control of flame instability. The main activities are:

  • Characterization of flame instability near lean blowout in partially premixed and non premixed liquid fueled combustor;
  • Flame stability monitoring and characterization through high speed VIS, UV-VIS and NIR flame digital imaging and in particular OH*, CH* and CO2* chemiluminescence;
  • Flame stability monitoring by statistical and spectral analysis of flame parameters;
  • Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Hotwire measurements and Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) measurements.

The lab is equipped with a 300 kW liquid-fueled swirling combustor. The burner can be operated with either non-premixed or partially premixed mode fuel injection, and it permits adjustable settings, allowing the study of a wide range of flame types. Air may be preheated up to 700 K with an electrical heater. In the present activity air was heated at 500K. The combustion chamber can be pressured up to 3.5 bara.