UMons: Thermal Engineering and Combustion Unit (TRMI)

General expertise of the research group

TRMI is the laboratory that brings together all research and teaching activities of the UMONS around heat transfer, and combustion. By specializing our research activities on energy in buildings and industry, as well as its sustainable production, we contribute to tackling the engineering challenges of today and tomorrow: Towards sustainable energy for all! More specifically, the expertise of the research group can be found in the modelling, designing, and experimental testing of novel small-scale, highly-flexible and efficient, carbon-clean solutions towards sustainable cogeneration in decentralized applications, with a particular focus on micro gas turbines.

Specific hydrogen- related expertise & research topics

• Hydrogen combustion in (micro) gas turbine combustors: numerical expertise and limited experimental expertise for hydrogen combustion in industrial micro gas turbine combustors, including flame studies, the impact of dilution, design of 100% hydrogen combustors, etc.
• Impact of hydrogen utilization as fuel on (micro) gas turbine cycle performance: both numerical and experimental expertise on the performance assessment

Available equipment/tools:

• 3 micro gas turbines (3 kW, 20 kWand100kW) which are partially H2 capable (up to 23% for the 3 kW, at least 10% for the 100kW unit and to be determined for the 20 kW). Research activities currently include the design of H2 combustors for each of these turbines
• 30kW flameless furnace
• Fuel mixing station with a thermal capacity of up to 50kW
• Validated cycle models of the micro gas turbines and large scale turbines
• Numerical tool for assessing flame stability when switching to hydrogen and stabilizing through water injection or EGR dilutions.

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

• BEST project (ETF SPF Economie)
• BE-HyFE project (ETF SPF Economie)
• Hydrogenate (FRNSproject, partner ULB)

Main relevant publications

1. full list available on: https://staff.umons.ac.be/ward.depaepe/pubsfr.html
2. Rigaud,J., De Paepe, W., & Laget, H. (07 October 2022). Thermodynamic Assessment of the Conversion of a Typical CCGT Power Plant to a Fully E-Fuel Fired Unit. “Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 144” (12), 121012 (11. doi:10.1115/1.4055713
3. Mendoza morales ,M.J., Verhaeghe, A., Bricteux, L., Blondeau, J., & De paepe, W. (28 September 2023). Is Blue Hydrogen a Better Alternative Than Post-Combustion Carbon Capture for Combined Cycle Gas Turbines? A Thermodynamic Point of View. “Proceedings of ASMETurbo Expo 2023: Turbomachinery Technical Conference and Exposition, 2”. doi:10.1115/gt2023-101986
4. Ferrarotti, M., De Paepe, W., & Parente, A. (21 August 2021). Reactive structures and NOx emissions of methane/hydrogen mixtures in flameless combustion. “International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 46” (68), 34018-34045.
5. Pappa,A., Bricteux, L., Bénard, P., & De Paepe, W. (26 February 2021). Can water dilution avoid flashback on a hydrogen enriched micro Gas Turbine combustion?- a Large Eddy Simulations study. “Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 143” (4), 041008.
6. Devriese, C., Bastiaans, R., & De Paepe, W. (30 September 2020). Opportunities, Advances and Challenges of Hydrogen micro Gas Turbines. “Evolutions in Mechanical Engineering, 3” (2)