NSF Workshop on Research Frontiers for Combustion in the Hydrogen Economy, 2006

About

Workshop Concept

The announcement by President George W. Bush of a commitment to hydrogen technologies, working towards a “Hydrogen Economy” in which hydrogen replaces hydrocarbons in many transportation and power applications, has spurred a great deal of interest in a range of topics related to hydrogen including: high density H2 storage, synthesis of hydrogen f rom water as well as hydrocarbons, and fuel cells. Research projects that have achieved most attention from federal agencies (e.g. DOE) have not typically covered areas of research in which combustion is involved. However, there is a significant body of evidence that suggests that combustion processes will play a critical role in the Hydrogen Economy, as well as in the transition from the current hydrocarbon-based economy to the new era in which hydrogen plays a central role.

The proposed workshop will provide a forum for identification of key challenges and opportunities for combustion in the hydrogen economy. Workshop activities will be centered around five general topics: 1) Fundamental gas-phase H2/air combustion issues, 2) Hydrogen in IC engines, 3) Hydrogen in Gas Turbines, 4) Synthesis of Hydrogen via Combustion Methods, and 5) Heterogeneous Combustion (Catalytic Combustion and Hydrogen-releasing Combustion Systems). In each area, speakers will review their research, touch upon its relevance to future hydrogen fuel applications, and highlight the critical research issues that need future attention. Group discussions after the talks will address combustion research needs as related to the hydrogen economy.

Workshop Goals

The goals of the workshop are as follows:

• to review and assess the state of current hydrogen combustion research programs in the U.S.
• to identify, within each sub-area of hydrogen combustion research, the essential science and engineering issues that remain unknown or incompletely resolved.
• to identify opportunities within the potential technologies of the hydrogen economy where further combustion research is needed.
• to communicate these critical needs to the science and engineering community.

Workshop Framework

The workshop will combine invited talks, breakouts, and report-outs. Workshop participants will be able to listen to talks in all sub-areas, and then will participate in breakout sessions of their choice. Breakout participants will be asked to work together to produce session recommendations that meet the Workshop goals.

Output of the Workshop

The deliverables of the workshop will be a meeting summary and a final report that provides an overview of the opportunities, challenges, and recommendations from each session and recommends a set of research, experimentation and infrastructure challenges which can serve to address these problems. The report will be made available publicly via the web and will also be printed in hardcopy for use by NSF and key individuals.