New insights about how to understand and ultimately control the chemistry of ignition behavior and pollutant formation have been discovered in research led by Sandia National Laboratories. The discovery eventually will lead to cleaner, more efficient internal combustion engines.
“Our findings will allow the design of new fuels and improved combustion strategies,” said Nils Hansen, Sandia researcher and lead author of the research. “Making combustion cleaner and more efficient will have a huge impact, reducing energy use around the globe.”
The work, which focuses on the chemical science of low-pressure flame measurements, is featured in the Proceedings of the Combustion Institute and was selected as a distinguished paper in Reaction Kinetics for the 37th International Symposium on Combustion. Authors include Hansen, Xiaoyu He, former Sandia intern Rachel Griggs and former Sandia postdoctoral appointee Kai Moshammer, who is now at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Germany. The research was funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
Read more at DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Image: Sandia National Laboratories researcher Nils Hansen, shown here assembling equipment in the Combustion Research Facility, says new insights on how to control the chemistry of ignition behavior and pollutant formation will lead to the design of new fuels and improved combustion strategies. (Credit: Dino Vournas)