Collection of ENEA technology and expertise
AGATUR and COMET: Infrastructures for Combustion Testing Focused on Gas Turbine Fuel-Flexibility
Application sectors
Problem to solve
ENEA's activities on combustion are aimed at the decarbonisation of the industrial and power generation sectors, as well as propulsion in the aerospace sector. In the context of decarbonisation, the fuel flexibility of gas turbines – their ability to operate stably from 100% natural gas to 100% hydrogen, with varying H2 content – is a key focus area. Activities include the development of models, the use of numerical simulations, laser diagnostics, and experimental testing. Innovative technologies are being developed up to prototype and real-scale applications, with a focus on monitoring and advanced thermodynamic cycles. In the aerospace sector, chemical propulsion, based on combustion, remains the most widely used technology for access to space. Studies involve simulations of LOX/HC combustion systems for reusable launch vehicles and supersonic combustion (SCRAMJET) systems for hypersonic and supersonic aircraft designed for atmospheric and trans-atmospheric travel.
Description
The high TRL research and testing activities are mainly conducted on the AGATUR Facility, equipped with a TURBEC T100 microgasturbine supported by subsystems for: 1. implementation of emulated EGR cycles, 2. HENG (Hydrogen Enriched Natural Gas) fuelled with hydrogen from gas storage, 3. HENG fuelled with hydrogen from liquid storage (currently being implemented), 4. control platform for testing experimental sequences. The infrastructure has also the COMET Laboratory, that is equipped with: various types of burners, a test facility (including pressure testing up to 10 bar), laser spectroscopy (even with femto-second systems) and velocimetry, and other sensors (microphones, thermocouples, ODC). Besides, also the Computational Infrastructure is highlighted: modelling capabilities, numerical simulations, advanced HPC programming (HeaRT, the in-house code developed for LES and DNS simulations), analysis; commercial codes.
Innovative aspects and advantages
- AGATUR Facility: the simultaneous implementation of all the subsystems listed above has no commercial counterpart in research infrastructure
- COMET Laboratory: femtosecond laser
- Computational Infrastructure: HeaRT code and CRESCO HPC platform
Admissible applications
- Development and testing of control strategies and technologies (e.g., EGR) for gas turbine plants
- Development and testing of fuel-flexible and environmentally low-impact combustion strategies (hydrogen, ammonia, natural gas and their mixtures; oxy-combustion with supercritical CO2; diffusive, premixed, MILD, micro-mixing combustion)
- Development and testing of online combustion monitoring strategies (optical and acoustic monitoring for the prediction of thermo-acoustic instability precursors, and the definition of indices for industrial applications)
- Development of advanced thermodynamic cycles for turbomachinery (supercritical CO2; low-temperature storage)
- Development of propulsion applications in the aerospace sector (space launchers LOX/LHC; supersonic combustion for SCRAMJETs)
Research group involved
Revision date
04-05-2026
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