The Advanced Combustion Diagnosis Laboratory, installed in the Mechanical and Naval Engineering building of the Polytechnic School (Poli) at USP, is already in operation. The space is part of the Fapesp Shell Research Center for Gas Innovation (RCGI) facilities. It is a multi-user piece of equipment that will work along the lines of the EMU program of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), and that can be shared by researchers from other research institutions, public or private.
“It is a state-of-the-art laboratory for combustion diagnosis using optical techniques, a unique piece of equipment in Brazil, at a university level, with this configuration and these safety standards. The idea is that this structure will be available to those interested in studying combustion processes, not only from the USP community, but from other universities in the State of São Paulo and beyond”, says Professor Guenther Carlos Krieger Filho, coordinator of the laboratory .
He points out that it is one of the most advanced structures in Latin America for combustion diagnosis using laser techniques. “Our main objectives are, using laser techniques, to characterize reactive flows and provide experimental measurements to validate numerical simulations. We are able, for example, to characterize automotive injectors, industrial burners, to investigate the stability of combustion processes, among others. And also to develop more efficient combustion systems, which emit less pollutants. This, of course, on a laboratory scale.”
The site is supplied with various types of gas: methane, LPG, hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The gas cylinders are isolated outside the laboratory, in masonry structures protected by grids. From each of them comes a duct that conducts the gas to the room where the experiments take place. “Later, if we want, we can also have lines of liquid fuels, such as ethanol and gasoline”, adds Krieger.
In the room, in addition to burners, there are different types of lasers to measure variables such as droplet diameter and velocity, fuel flow velocity and formation of OH radicals.
“The equipment will be operated by postdoctoral, master’s and doctoral students, with the participation of undergraduate students as well. At the moment, our team, linked to one of the projects, project number two of the RCGI, is preparing standard safety protocols for the start-up of the laboratory, which has an automated safety and control system, including four sensors, three for to detect fuel mixture leaks and one to control oxygen levels,” says Krieger.
According to the professor, the laboratory will be able to provide support for three other RCGI projects: number one (Development of an Advanced Natural Gas Burner Using the Oxy-flame Concept); project three (Advanced Combustion Systems for Gas and Diesel Mixtures for Internal Combustion Engines that Minimize Methane Emissions) and project 11 (Development of an Advanced Natural Gas Burner Using the Flameless Combustion Concept).
Researchers interested in using the laboratory should contact Romi or Lúcia, at the RCGI secretariat, by phone (11) 3091-5646.
RCGI
The RCGI Fapesp-Shell Research Center for Gas Innovation conducts world-class research to develop innovative products and processes, and studies that enable the sustainable expansion of gas use in Brazil. Currently, the RCGI gathers around 150 researchers who develop 29 research projects in three programs: Engineering, Physics/Chemistry and Energy and Economy Policies. Recently, a new program focused on carbon capture and storage was approved. Headquartered at the Polytechnic School of USP, in the city of São Paulo, the RCGI is financed with resources from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the company Shell.
From the Academic Communication Agency