ESTiMatE aims to study the formation of pollutants and soot in aeronautical combustors at conditions of relevance to engine operation.

ESTiMatE is addressing the problem of emissions in lean burn conditions, in particular for aero-engines, and is focused on the generation of accurate and reliable predictive methods for pollutant formation with a focus on soot. The model developments are driven by the need to achieve more accurate predictions of soot mass fractions and particle size distributions in Very High by Pass Ratio (VHPR) engines.

The project will contribute to the characterisation and prediction of the combustion process and subsequent emissions by using advanced numerical simulations validated with reference experiments.

In particular, the main aspects driving ESTiMatE activities are the following:

1. Multidisciplinary approach based on the study of kinetics, experiments and CFD to develop a reliable soot model that can provide good predictions for pollutants emissions in the aeronautical sector.                                                                                                                                                                                                              
2. Developing computational frameworks to include advanced soot models integrated into high-fidelity simulations.                                                                                                                                                                 
3. Contributing to the characterisation and prediction of fuel atomisation, mixing, combustion and subsequent emissions to increase the predictivity and reliability of soot predictions in the aeronautical sector.

Understanding combustion processes can lead to less soot formation. Watch ESTiMatE partners talk about how the project is making a difference in the reduction of soot.