Kirchen, Patrick

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Research Interests

• Thermochemical energy conversion
• Combustion
• Internal combustion engines
• Ion transport membranes

Current Research Projects

• Internal Combustion Engines: The vast majority of land and water based vehicles are powered by hydrocarbon fuelled internal combustion engines. Because of their widespread application, the environmental impact of engines through the emission of toxic gases and consumption of finite natural resources must be minimized. To this end, research efforts are focused on understanding the impacts of engine operating parameters such as fuel type, injection strategies, and charge preparation on the fundamental combustion and emission formation processes. An engine testing facility is under development to optically characterize these processes using various optical and thermo-optical techniques. The impact of transient engine operation (i.e. dynamic load and speed conditions) is also being considered, with a focus on developing experimental and analytical tools for this purpose.
• Ion Transport Membrane (ITM) Reactors: ITM reactors present a technology with the potential to significantly reduce the capital and operating costs associated with gas separation (e.g. O­₂ from air). When combined with reactive processes, such as oxy-fuel combustion or partial oxidation of methane, higher conversion rates and product selectivities are possible than with conventional co-feed reactors.  My research interests lie in furthering the understanding of the coupling between fuel conversion and gas separation using both numerical and experimental investigations, and applying this knowledge to the development of novel reactor concepts.