The consortium
The HESTIA Consortium gathers the combustion departments of six major European aero engine manufacturers and 18 research partners building on long-term established collaboration with the industry partners and providing the necessary expertise and experience to carry out the experimental and modelling activities.
The participation of the Canadian National Research Council to HESTIA will allow European organisations to reinforce international collaboration by exchanging results with their Canadian counterparts who have a worldwide reputation in research and in particular aeronautics. The National Research Council of Canada, as well as UK participants (Rolls Royce PLC, University of Cambridge, Loughborough University ) are Associated Partners.
Our partners
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Engine manufacturer
Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets. Its core purpose is to contribute to a safer, more sustainable world, where air transport is more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Safran has a global presence, with 83 000 employees and sales of 19.0 billion euros in 2022, and holds, alone or in partnership, world or regional leadership positions in its core markets. Safran undertakes research and development programs to maintain the environmental priorities of its R&T and innovation roadmap.
At Safran Tech, team HESTIA comprises Stephan Zurbach (Head of Combustion at Safran Tech and coordinator of the project), Nicholas Treleaven (research engineer and coordinator), Stefano Puggelli (Research Engineer and Lead for Task 3.2 ) and Renaud Mercier (Head of the Multiphysics Flow Simulations Methods Team).
Safran's technical contribution to the project is the validation of high-fidelity numerical methodologies and the integration of ground-breaking hydrogen injection methods for future aircraft engines as well as building a roadmap towards the entry into service of the first commercial hydrogen engines.
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Engine manufacturer
Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land. Its products and service packages enable customers to connect people, societies, cultures and economies together; they meet the growing need for power generation across multiple industries; and enable governments to equip their armed forces with the power required to protect their citizens. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers. The company is committed to making products compatible with net zero carbon emissions to meet customer demand for more sustainable solutions.
Within HESTIA, Rolls-Royce UK and Germany will work in mastering key phenomena of H2/air combustion and application of scientific knowledge to develop fuel injection/combustor technologies. Rolls-Royce leads in Germany the task of designing incremental technologies on injector and combustor for H2 aero engines. Some of these H2 injection system concepts will be subject to operability tests. In the UK, it will focus on the design and low TRL testing of breakthrough fuel injector technologies, in particular H2 multi-point injection concepts. With the conclusions from these activities, Rolls-Royce will contribute to the evaluation of H2 injector and combustor concepts, and the elaboration of road maps for their maturation.
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Engine manufacturer
Avio Aero - a GE Aerospace company - operates in the design, manufacture and maintenance of civil and military aeronautics sub-sytems and systems. With more than 5800 employees , Avio Aero has the ability to be present throughout all stages of the product lifecycle, from design to aftermarket services passing through production. Avio Aero is specialized in distinctive technologies, includes additive manufacturing, for the production & services of aeroengine mechanical transmission, turbines, combustors and propulsion system for both fixed wing and rotorcraft application.
Through ongoing investments in R&D, and with a consolidated network with major universities and research centers, Avio Aero's challenge is to develop new technologies and application to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
In HESTIA, Avio Aero and partners involved will design a swirler fueled by 100% hydrogen with the aim of avoiding flashback and autoignition phenomena as well as promoting the reduction of NOx emissions. After an initial conceptual phase, the swirler will be optimized to allow printing by additive manufacturing technology, leveraging excellence matured by AvioAero in this field. Once printed, the swirler will be tested at low pressure in a single cup configuration to create a robust database for analyses and further exploitations.
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Engine manufacturer
GEDE is an affiliated entity to AVIO that develops future aerospace propulsion solutions.
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Engine manufacturer
MTU Aero Engines AG is Germany's leading engine manufacturer. The company is a technological leader in low-pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, turbine center frames as well as manufacturing processes and repair techniques. In the commercial original equipment manufacturing (OEM) business, the company plays a key role in the development, manufacturing and marketing of high-tech components together with international partners. Some 30% of today’s active aircraft in service worldwide have MTU components on board.
Within HESTIA, MTU is developing future expertise in combustion engine design and performance as well as in-house simulation methods and tools specific to its products.
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Research institution
The EM2C laboratory, a unit of the French Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and CentraleSupélec, combines high-level academic research with applied science in partnership with the most important companies and research centres in the transport and energy fields.
With increasing computational resources comes increasing simulation capabilities, however, high fidelity combustion simulations remain very computationally expensive, therefore models capable of accurately predicting complex combustion phenomena at smaller, unresolved scales are needed to reduce simulation sizes and thus alleviate the immense computational effort otherwise required. Modelling multi-regime turbulent combustion is challenging from both a chemistry and turbulent flame interaction perspective, which is why recent work has been dedicated to the development of a low-cost multi-regime model capable of incorporating detailed chemistry effects whilst correctly preserving flame structures. In HESTIA, these low-cost modelling techniques for turbulent combustion will be important for the rapid design/validation of propulsive technologies.
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Research institution
CENTRALESUPELEC is an affiliated entity to CNRS and a laboratory specialising in advanced laser diagnostics for combustion.
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Research institution
The Laboratoire de Mécanique, Modélisation & Procédés Propres (M2P2) provides expertise in ProLB aero-acoustics and thermo-acoustics Lattice-Boltzmann modelling.
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Research institution
CERFACS (Centre Européen de Recherche et de Formation Avancée en Calcul Scientifique) is a private research organization developing advanced methods for the numerical simulation and the algorithmic solution of large scientific and technological problems of interest for research as well as industry. This requires access to the most powerful computers presently available. CERFACS is supported by seven shareholders (EADS, Météo-France, EDF, CNES, SAFRAN, ONERA and TOTAL).
The Centre hosts several scientific teams covering various topics (climatology, electromagnetism, parallel algorithms…) among which the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) team is the largest. The main fields of application of the CFD team are turbulent unsteady flows and reacting flows. It has an internationally recognized expertise in combustion and simulation of aeronautical gas turbines and is the only non-American group performing CFD in the DOE INCITE program. The team has developed software to compute combustion in industrial combustion chambers, used today by numerous research groups in Europe and by industry, and was the first in the world to perform unsteady simulations of full annular combustion chambers, to study ignition and combustion instabilities.
Within HESTIA, CERFACS’s expertise lies in the use of high-performance codes which are necessary to characterize the behavior of hydrogen systems during combustion instabilities.
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Research institution
Within HESTIA, Institut Pprime provides expertise in H2 combustion in space and missiles transferred to aero engine propulsion systems and associated modelling.
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Research institution
CORIA - INSA Rouen Normandie is a joint research laboratory organized between Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Université de Rouen, and INSA Rouen Normandie. INSA is a French “Grande Ecole” that is part of the INSA engineering-school network, with a total of 8,500 students of all fields of engineering. Its primary mission is to provide excellence in scientific research and development, and to maintain strong links with industry. CORIA-CNRS is a Mechanical Engineering Laboratory fully devoted to the study of reactive flows. The aeronautical combustion group of CORIA involved in HESTIA has cumulated a strong expertise in the analysis of turbulent reacting flows, using both advanced optical diagnostics, CFD tools (DNS, LES, and RANS) and development of transparent high-pressure high-temperature combustion chambers. Various laser diagnostics are available, including PIV, PLIF, Rayleigh scattering, spontaneous Raman scattering, Schlieren, Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, Laser-Induced Incandescence and high-speed laser diagnostics (PIV, Planar laser-induced fluorescence and fs/ps CARS, chemiluminescence, Schlieren…).
In the framework of the HESTIA project, INSA-Rouen/CORIA/UMR6614 is involved in the development of ramp injectors for H2/air combustion by laser diagnostics within the work package dedicated to breakthrough technologies. The main objective of this task is the innovative design of H2 fuel injection systems operating within realistic conditions in terms of mass flow rates and pressures. The design of H2 ramp injectors, operating in lean conditions to reduce NO production and ensuring rapid fuel/air mixing and flame anchoring at the burner outlet, will be studied for a variety of fuel/air injection architectures. This work will be jointly performed using LES numerical simulations under non-reactive and reactive conditions, and detailed experiments on a combustion chamber operating at 3-4 bar max and by means of various advanced laser diagnostics enabling quantitative measurements of velocity, flame structure and NO concentration. At the end of this task, the performances of these injectors will be compared in order to define the axes of improvement of the architectures of future H2 fuel injectors.
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Research institution
The Institute Simulation of Reactive Thermo-Fluid Systems of the Technische Universität Darmstadt develops and validates new numerical models to advance the understanding of key phenomena in hydrogen combustion. Its expertise in flamelet/progress variable modeling provides a robust knowledge base for analyses at different Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
Website
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Research institution
The Combustion Department of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Propulsion Technology investigates the complex phenomena characterizing the flow-field in jet engine and gas turbine combustors. In its laboratories, experimental studies are conducted for a deeper understanding of the turbulent flow-field, chemical reactions, heat transfer and their interactions in a combustion chamber under realistic operative conditions. All test facilities are built to allow optical access for a detailed investigation of the combustion processes.
Within HESTIA, critical operability aspects such as ignition and blow-off behaviors will be investigated. A combustion rig with optical access is used to run ignition tests with various injector concepts. Laser-optical measurement techniques will be used for non-intrusive measurements of the velocity field and mixing scalars in the immediate vicinity of a sparking source to record the flame kernel growth. The obtained data will provide valuable insight about present operability limits and give further guidance and design rules for expanding the ignition window for an overall robust operational envelope.
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Research institution
The Università degli Studi di Firenze is an important and influential centre for research and higher education in Italy, with 1 800 lecturers and internal research staff, 1 600 technical and administrative staff, and over 1 600 research assistants and doctoral students.
The Department of Industrial Engineering is one of the largest departments at UNIFI, conducting all the academic and research activities in the field of Mechanical and Energy Engineering. The Heat Transfer and Combustion Group (HTC-Group) is a research unit part of the Department of Industrial Engineering, led by Prof. Bruno Facchini and Prof. Antonio Andreini with six postdoctoral researchers and 12-15 PhD students. Research activities in the field of turbomachinery heat transfer and combustion are carried out by experimental and numerical investigations.
In the HESTIA project, the team will be involved in experimental and numerical investigations focusing on the interaction between hydrogen flame and combustor liner cooling, on the high-fidelity CFD modelling of the ignition process and on the investigation of self-excited thermoacoustics instabilities.
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Research institution
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is a leading university in Germany. Since 1868, TUM has received 18 Nobel Prizes and constantly performed at the vanguard of university rankings. With a focus on entrepreneurial courage and sensitivity to social and political issues, besides research and teaching it is home to 66 start-ups, 50,000 students, and over 600 professors.
Within TUM’s School of Engineering and Design, the Assistant Professorship of Sustainable Future Mobility (SFM) is led by Prof. Agnes Jocher. SFM conducts numerical and experimental research in the areas of combustion and emission characteristics of conventional and alternative fuels, hydrogen combustion chamber designs for aeroengine gas turbines as well as hydrogen safety considerations. Currently, SFM comprises 13 members of academic staff (11 Ph.D. students, 2 Postdocs) and access to world leading experimental test facilities.
In the HESTIA project, SFM is going to investigate an advanced hydrogen injection design regarding various operating characteristics, such as pollutant emissions, combustion stability, and thermal load limits.
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Research institution
The University of Hanover participates with the Institute for Technical Combustion (ITV) within HESTIA. The ITV is a research facility for sustainable fuel combustion, working on a broad spectrum of combustion techniques and fuels. It is involved in several national and international projects for sustainable combustion engines, and sustainable combustion for aviation or usage in power plants. With the use of laser diagnostics, numerical combustion modelling and thermodynamical analysis the ITV focusses mostly on basic research topics.
Within HESTIA, University of Hanover is working on the design and characterization of a novel hydrogen injector to investigate different levels of mixedness for hydrogen combustion. The investigation is based on different optical measurement techniques.
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Research institution
Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse - IMFT is a joint institution of Centre national de la recherche scientifique, INP Toulouse and Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III developing research into the physical and chemical phenomena present in fluid flows.
Its role in HESTIA is to unravel the interactions taking place between unsteady turbulent flows and hydrogen flames, more specifically how flow disturbances alter the flame dynamics.
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Research institution
Politechnika Częstochowska (CUT) is the largest state university in the region founded in the 40s of last century. Its scientific and educational activities have made it an inherent part of the history and tradition of Poland, the Czestochowa region and the city itself. In nationwide rankings of the state institutions of higher education, CTU IS among the top universities in Poland. It has educated 90 000 highly qualified specialists in technical and economic sciences. The achievements of Czestochowa University of Technology in the field of scientific research, modern industrial technologies, innovative patents and educational activities are confirmed by high positions in rankings conducted by independent institutions: the Accreditation Committee for Technical Universities accredited and awarded the Computer Science degree programme with the European EUR-ACE® Label Certificate; at the International Invention and Design EXPO KIDE 2020, CTU scientists received 17 medals for inventions submitted for the competition; students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science research club have been successful in international Mars rovers competitions for years, taking top positions.
Within HESTIA, CUT is providing expertise in CFD and numerical methods and is notably leading several tasks related to flame dynamics, Rich-Quench-Lean conditions and flow oscillations. The research encompasses the modelling of pure hydrogen flames in the Hylon burner investigated experimentally by the partners.
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Engine manufacturer
Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land. Its products and service packages enable customers to connect people, societies, cultures and economies together; they meet the growing need for power generation across multiple industries; and enable governments to equip their armed forces with the power required to protect their citizens. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers. The company is committed to making products compatible with net zero carbon emissions to meet customer demand for more sustainable solutions.
Within HESTIA, Rolls-Royce UK and Germany will work in mastering key phenomena of H2/air combustion and application of scientific knowledge to develop fuel injection/combustor technologies. Rolls-Royce leads in Germany the task of designing incremental technologies on injector and combustor for H2 aero engines. Some of these H2 injection system concepts will be subject to operability tests. In the UK, it will focus on the design and low TRL testing of breakthrough fuel injector technologies, in particular H2 multi-point injection concepts. With the conclusions from these activities, Rolls-Royce will contribute to the evaluation of H2 injector and combustor concepts, and the elaboration of road maps for their maturation.
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Research institution
The University of Cambridge is one of the world's oldest universities and leading academic centres, and a self-governed community of scholars. The Department of Engineering is one of the few truly integrated engineering departments in the world. It is also the largest department in the University of Cambridge.
The role of the University of Cambridge in HESTIA is to perform fundamental investigations of injection concepts for hydrogen combustors. It is achieving this by conducting a detailed experimental study of a canonical combustor configuration and using these results in high-fidelity numerical simulations to develop deeper physical insights into hydrogen combustion.
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Research institution
The National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology (NCCAT) at Loughborough University acts as the UK’s primary hub for research and development of future low-emission aero gas turbine combustion technologies. Beyond aerospace applications, NCCAT will provide wider exploitation potential in the automotive and energy sectors, as well as areas such as power generation, marine propulsion, and thermal management applications.
Within the HESTIA research project, Loughborough University will deliver low-TRL testing of H2 multi-point injection concepts in close collaboration with Rolls-Royce. A new test rig will be designed and manufactured to enable experimental investigation of injector concepts at atmospheric and elevated pressures, which are representative of gas turbine operation. This testing will focus on measuring small-scale flames with advanced diagnostics, enabling detailed characterisation of the flame. Initial testing will be performed at atmospheric conditions, with elevated pressure test campaigns to follow. The data generated during these test campaigns will provide fundamental understanding of H2/air combustion phenomena, help establish design rules for H2 injector concepts and provide validation data to help advance the state of the art in computer modelling of hydrogen flames. This approach will explore the possibility of developing hydrogen combustion technology for engine applications faster and more economically using reduced complexity test facilities.
The consortium
