Proceedings of the Carbon-Free Fuel Combustion Workshop

Overview

Carbon-free fuel combustion is important because it drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide, which is a primary contributor to climate change, helping to mitigate the negative impacts of global warming on the environment and human health by eliminating carbon emissions from fuel burning. Carbon-free fuels like ammonia and hydrogen can be used in various ‘hard-to-electrify’ sectors including transportation, power generation, and industrial processes. This workshop focused on the challenges for carbon-free fuel combustion, providing a platform for researchers and practitioners from industry, academia and government to discuss the latest advancements, technical challenges, and future directions for the combustion of sustainable carbon-free fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia.

The CFFC Workshop took place March 16, 2025, at The Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts prior to the 14th United States National Combustion Meeting.

The workshop was by invitation only with about 45 participants, including speakers. 
The objective of the current workshop was to review the state of the art regarding the combustion of carbon-free fuels in practical applications, to identify technical challenges, and to propose new efforts to overcome these challenges. The workshop addressed both practical applications and fundamental science. This one-day workshop featured nine invited presentations by experts from both academia and industry, panel sessions involving experts from academia, industry and government, as well as open discussions. A summary of the discussions and presentation materials will be made available to participants after the workshop.

Organizing Committee

Paul Papas Clinton Bedick, Jacqueline Chen, Harri Kytömaa, Francesco Di Sabatino

Key Highlights

• Presentations by leading experts in the field
• Interactive panel discussions on science relevant to applications and future direction for industry
• Networking opportunities with peers

Presentations

Paul Papas, RTRC: Welcome to the CFFC Workshop

Keith McManus, GE: Challenges of Gas Turbine Combustion with Zero-Carbon Fuels

Sibendu Som, ANL: Enabling Fuel-Flexible Propulsion and Power Generation Devices by Leveraging Leadership Computing and High-Fidelity Experiments

Lance Smith, RTRC: Opportunities in Aviation & Aeroderivative Gas Turbines using Carbon-Free Fuels

Panel Session I – Future Direction of Industry (Panel Moderator: Harri Kytömaa, Exponent)

Priyank Saxena, Solar Turbines: Advancements in Low Carbon Fuels

Toshiro Fujimori, IHI: Ammonia Power Generation Technology Development and Challenges in Combustion Technology

Panel Session II – Science Relevant to Applications (Panel Moderators: Jacqueline Chen, SNL/Francesco Di Sabatino, SwRI)

Mike Burke, Columbia University: Toward Predictive Kinetics for Carbon-Free Fuel Combustion and Emissions

Martin Rieth, SNL: Direct Numerical Simulation of Hydrogen and Ammonia Combustion

Olivier Mathieu, TAMU: Spectroscopic Diagnostics for Assessing and Improving Ammonia Combustion Chemistry Models

Rob Barlow, BCR: Model Validation Targets for H2 and NH3/H2 Blends: TNF Workshop Activities