PhD: Porous Burner CFD for NH3/H2 Combustion & NOx

IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN); France; Sur place; EUR 23 436 - 29 016; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) recherche un doctorant pour étudier des flammes NH3/H2 dans des brûleurs poreux à l’aide de simulations DNS et de CFD avancées.

Ce travail nécessite un master en informatique, mécanique des fluides ou énergétique, des compétences en Python et C++, et une bonne maîtrise de l’anglais. Collaboration avec le CEA et publication attendue.

Qualifications

• Master universitaire ou équivalent en informatique, mécaniques des fluides ou energetique.
• Compétences en programmation (Python, C++) et analyse numérique.
• Bonne maîtrise de l’anglais.

Responsabilités

• Réaliser des simulations CFD avancées (DNS) sur des brûleurs poreux.
• Développer et optimiser des modèles NH3/H2 et la combustion.
• Collaborer avec le CEA et rédiger des publications scientifiques.

Connaissances

Python

C++

Numerical analysis

Formation

Master universitaire ou équivalent en informatique, mécanique des fluides et/ou energetique

Outils

CONVERGE

Description du poste

Organisation/Company IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) Research Field Engineering » Mechanical engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 30 Sep 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 2 Nov 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

With increasingly stringent climate change regulations, developing low-emission, carbon-free burners has become crucial for industry and a technical challenge for researchers. Ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen (H2) are the main carbon-free fuels under consideration. H2 burns easily but is hard to store and transport, while NH3 has low flame speeds but is supported by an existing infrastructure. A promising approach is partial ammonia cracking at the burner site, creating NH3/H2 mixtures with improved combustion properties. However, these mixtures emit significant amounts of NOx unless operated at very low fuel/air equivalence ratios (FAER), which are challenging to control in turbulent burners.

An alternative investigated in this PhD is the use of porous burner technology. The recirculation of heat within the porous material can stabilize flames at low FAER, potentially reducing NOx emissions. Developing porous burners requires understanding complex physics such as heat conduction, radiative transfer, flame stabilization, and surface chemistry, which are difficult to capture experimentally due to the small scales and opacity of the matrix. Consequently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is the best approach for improving these burners.

This PhD aims to investigate NH3/H2 flames in porous burners using direct numerical simulations (DNS) to understand NOx formation mechanisms. The research, in collaboration with CEA, will utilize the CFD code CONVERGE, employing adaptive mesh refinement for better resolution in key areas like heat transfer and flame chemistry. Reduced NH3/H2 mechanisms will be used for combustion chemistry, conjugate heat transfer (CHT) and radiative heat transfer (RHT) will be included. The study will focus on a reference experimental setup, exploring key parameters such as FAER, inlet mass flow, and porous topology. Surface chemistry's role in NOx emissions will also be explored. This research is expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Keywords: Porous burner, 3D CFD, hydrogen and ammonia combustion modelling, heat transfer, radiative transfer

University Master degree (or equivalent) involving Computer science, Fluid mechanics and/or energetics

Specific Requirements

Programming skills (Python, C++), numerical analysis

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Additional Information

IFP Energies nouvelles is a French public-sector research, innovation and training center. Its mission is to develop efficient, economical, clean and sustainable technologies in the fields of energy, transport and the environment. For more information, see our WEB site .

IFPEN offers a stimulating research environment, with access to first in class laboratory infrastructures and computing facilities. IFPEN offers competitive salary and benefits packages. All PhD students have access to dedicated seminars and training sessions.