Development of advanced materials for porous burner reactors

Summary

The project will involve; materials development, laboratory scale batch preparation and testing (both in the porous burner, and using advanced analytical techniques), managing the production of test batches, and then the testing of these in an operating porous burner.

Supervisor(s)

Professor Andrew Harris

Research Location

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Program Type

N/A

Synopsis

The next major challenge to be overcome before the implementation of porous burner reactors is to develop suitable high temperature materials to act as combustion sites within the porous burner chamber. Suitable media will need to maintain a low pressure drop profile, have prolonged resistance to high temperatures (and temperature swings), and be able to accommodate some form of combustion catalyst. At present 60% alumina saddles are used, although in future it should be possible to design a bed material with an optimal pore structure for combustion stability, which incorporates a combustion catalyst, and possess all the usual temperature and pressure properties. Ceramic foams, beads, and nano-porous solids have been proposed.

Keywords

greenhouse gas mitigation technologies; greenhouse gas; porous burner; computational fluid dynamic modelling; sustainability

Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is: 355

Other opportunities with Professor Andrew Harris

• In situ functionalisation of carbon nanotubes
• Synthesis of single walled nanotubes in fluidised beds
• Spiral CNT synthesis in fluidised beds
• Nanotube purification
• Development of tailored catalysts for CNT synthesis
• Process intensification of fluidised bed reactors
• Biological factories for nanoparticle synthesis
• Assessing the feasibility of phytomining in Australia
• Hydrogen production from biomass and waste fuels
• Development of porous burner reactors
• Designing tailored nanomaterials for CO2 capture
• Novel, nanoporous silicon carbide nanomaterials
• Biologically templated nanomaterials
• Mimicking the Stenocara beetle hydrophilic/hydrophobic surfaces
• Fuels and chemicals from biomass