Project description
Boosting the stability of hydrogen-powered turbines for clean energy
Hydrogen-fuelled gas turbines hold great potential for achieving carbon-free power generation. However, their widespread adoption is hindered by thermoacoustic instabilities, which arise from interactions between combustion and acoustic waves. Hydrogen combustion is particularly susceptible to high-frequency thermoacoustic instabilities that can threaten the safe and reliable operation of future turbines. The ERC-funded ECHO project will investigate the mechanisms behind these extreme oscillations and develop advanced methods to predict and control them. The project will employ novel experimental facilities, including configurations representative of modern turbine systems such as can-annular combustors, to study flame-flow-acoustic interactions. Adjoint-based methods and data-driven models will be used to improve understanding, prediction and mitigation of unstable combustion dynamics.
Objective
For achieving net-zero carbon emissions in power generation, there exists an urgent need to enable carbon-free energy generation through the development of hydrogen-fuelled gas turbines (GTs). Hydrogen, with its high reactivity and clean combustion, presents unique challenges, including thermoacoustic instabilities that can compromise GT performance, safety, and efficiency. The project ECHO (Extreme Thermoacoustic Events in Hydrogen Combustion) aims to uncover the mechanisms driving these instabilities, particularly high-frequency oscillations, and to develop innovative prediction and control strategies.
ECHO is structured into three work packages (WPs). WP1 explores high-frequency thermoacoustic instabilities using adjoint-based methods and advanced experimental techniques. WP2 focuses on can-annular combustor configurations, a prevalent design in modern GTs, proposing to assemble a novel experimental setup dedicated to the investigation of (thermo)acoustic coupling and modal interactions. WP3 introduces data-driven, physics-constrained methods to model nonlinear flame dynamics in the time domain, overcoming limitations of traditional frequency-domain approaches.
The project combines cutting-edge theoretical, experimental, and computational approaches to address these challenges, and leverages the PI's expertise in nonlinear dynamics, advanced modelling methods, hydrogen combustion and data-based modelling. By providing new insights into high-frequency and nonlinear modal coupling, ECHO will accelerate the transition to carbon-free energy systems by enabling stable operation of hydrogen-fuelled GTs. The findings will advance both academic understanding and industrial application, supporting a sustainable energy future.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
10623 Berlin
Germany
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