KULeuven: LowCarb Research Group

General expertise of the research group

The LowCarb Research Group specializes in the decarbonization of transportation and power generation through the use of electrification and low- and zero-carbon alternative fuels. The group utilizes a variety of experimental and numerical methodologies to characterize the combustion of alternative fuels, and to evaluate the energy efficiency of novel powertrains and propulsion systems. There is significant experience within the group concerning hydrogen engine systems in particular, and more general expertise in the direct injection of gaseous fuels.

Specific hydrogen- related expertise & research topics

• Use of hydrogen for heat and power
• Advanced direct injection strategies for hydrogen in reciprocating engines
• Abnormal combustion limit of hydrogen, hydrogen/natural gas blends
• Flexible oxy-fuel combustors with hydrogen-enrichment
• Combustion of zero carbon fuel blends (ammonia/hydrogen), in-situ cracking of ammonia for hydrogen-enhanced ammonia combustion
• Storage of intermittent, renewable energy using ‘green’ hydrogen injected into the natural gas network

Available equipment/tools

• 300 kW ABB DC dynamometer
• Engine test bed with suite of instrumentation (i.e. in-cylinder pressure transducers, etc. • CO2 analyser with 0-100% volume range for oxy-fuel combustion testing
• High-speed tomographic particle image velocimetry (PIV) system
• Phase doppler anemometry (PDA) instrument for measurements of velocity and particle size
• Flexible 20 kW burner apparatus (premixed-swirl or diffusion flame modes)
• High-speed image-intensifier, Nikkor UV lens and visualization hardware
• Array of mass flow controllers to mix gases for air/partial oxy-fuel/full oxy-fuel combustion
• Electron impact ionization mass spectrometer for H2 detection
• In-house LabVIEW-based combustion analysis software and commercial GT-Power software for combustion and powertrain simulation
• Vehicle powertrain and drive cycle simulation software via Argonne National Labs Autonomie

International collaborations

• University of Melbourne Thermodynamics Laboratory
• Engine Combustion Network (ECN)

Participating in FL/B/EU funded projects with H2 related research

• BeHyFE (Belgian Hydrogen Fundamental Expertise) – targeting projects for PhD students involving all aspects of the hydrogen value chain (hydrogen production, storage/logistics and end-use), FOD ETF, knowledge institutions and universities throughout Belgium (12 total partners)
• ICO2CH (Integrated CO2 Capture and Hydrogen Production) – novel reactor producing green hydrogen connected to oxy-fuel reciprocating engine valorising CO2 /O2 byproducts, VLAIO Moonshot, VITO/IMEC/VUB/KU Leuven
• Highly efficient and robust zero-carbon emission engines using directly-injected, spark-ignited hydrogen – conducting innovative engine experiments with directly-injected hydrogen, the capability to inject multiple times per cycle and direct measurements of wall heat flux, KU Leuven Internal Funds C3 project, KUL/VIVES Kortrijk/Eneria

Main relevant publications

1. Joel Mortimer, Farzad Poursadegh, Michael Brear, Stephen Yoannidis, Joshua Lacey, Yi Yang, Extending the knock limits of hydrogen DI ICE using water injection, Fuel, 2022. Table of contents
2. M.R. Yosri, J.Z. Ho, M. Meulemans, M. Talei, R.L. Gordon, M.J. Brear, D. Cosby, J.S. Lacey, Large-eddy simulation of methane direct injection using the full injector geometry, Fuel, Volume 290, 2021.
3. Zhewen Lu, Junqiu Jiang, Yi Yang, Joshua Lacey, Michael J. Brear, Hydrogen oxidation near the second explosion limit in a flow reactor, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2020.
4. Mortimer, J, Yoannidis, S, Poursadegh, F, Lu, Z, Brear, M, Yang, Y, Etherington, D, Heijkoop, M, & Lacey, J. “An Experimental and Numerical Study of a Hydrogen Fueled, Directly Injected, Heavy Duty Engine at Knock-Limited Conditions.” Proceedings of the ASME 2020 Internal Combustion Engine Division Fall Technical Conference. ASME 2020 Internal Combustion Engine Division Fall Technical Conference. Virtual, Online. November 4–6, 2020. V001T01A002. ASME.