Congratulations to Aerospace Professors Mirko Gamba and Venkat Raman on receiving a Department of Energy grant to continue their studies on pressure gain combustion for advanced turbine-based power generation systems.
The US Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy (OFE) has named the University of Michigan as one of the recipients of a $5.4 million program to facilitate University research into high performance fossil fuel combustion turbines.
Professor Venkat Raman and Associate Professor Mirko Gamba are the faculty leading the research at the University of Michigan, which will include further investigation on the operation and performance of rotating detonation combustors (RDCs). RDCs are novel combustor technologies based on the principle of pressure gain obtainable through a detonation-based combustion process. The study will address the fundamental question on how to operate and achieve performance gain on RDCs operated with realistic fuels. A high performing combustor will help DOE reach the target of improving the thermal efficiency of combined cycle gas turbine systems used for power generation to more than 65%. In turn, this will help reduce fuel consumption and mitigate emissions associated with fossil fuels.
Professor Raman’s research focuses on developing computational models for turbulent reacting flows, with applications to stationary power generation, as in the RDE; scramjet aircraft engines; and material synthesis.
Professor Gamba’s research focuses on fundamental research in a diverse range of advanced and sustainable concepts for high speed propulsion and energy conversion systems.
Congratulations to both Professors as they continue their important work.
