Starting Grants

Coordinator: Dr.-Ing. Arne Scholtissek
Project: Protocol for data-driven Manifold generation, validation, and utilization in high-fidelity combustion simulations (ProtoMan)
Funding period: 01/2026 – 12/2030
Description
 ProtoMan develops data-driven simulation models that map complex combustion processes more efficiently. This enables CO₂-neutral fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia to be utilised more quickly in energy systems, aviation and industry.

Advanced Grants

Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Christian Hasse
Project: Aluminum STEAM combustion for clean energy (A-STEAM)
Funding Period: 10/2024 – 09/2029
Description: A-STEAM is researching complex aluminium vapour combustion as a promising zero-emission technology. Simulations and experiments are being used to lay the foundations for climate-neutral energy from metal fuels.

Synergy Grants

Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Andreas Dreizler
Project: Hydrogen under pressure (HYROPE)
Funding period: 09/2024 – 08/2030
Description: HYROPE is researching the combustion of hydrogen-based zero-emission fuels in gas turbines. High-pressure experiments and simulations are being used to lay the foundations for flexible, climate-neutral turbines with potential for energy and aviation.
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Andreas Dreizler
Funding period: 01/2023–12/2025
Website: https://www.for-2687.de
Summary: Research Group 2687 aims to gain a better understanding of the cause-and-effect chains that lead to cyclical fluctuations and instabilities in highly optimized ignition engines through basic research and systematic analyses. In the first funding period, conventional gasoline engines were investigated. In the current funding period, hydrogen is considered exclusively as a fuel. The very different physical properties of hydrogen require significant advances in the methods and models successfully developed in the first funding period.
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Dreizler
Funding period: 2023 – 2027
Webseite: Website DFG
Summary: The purpose of this project is to connect the disciplines of combustion science and advanced manufacturing for enabling a fuel flexible, clean, efficient, and safe thermochemical energy conversion of hydrogen-based fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia, and their blends with methane or natural gas. The advancement of hydrogen-containing fuel technologies requires the increase of thermal efficiencies and reduction of pollutant emissions, while considering stability, fuel flexibility, and safety. These goals will be achieved within this project by a combination of simulation-based design with innovative manufacturing processes, such as additive manufacturing, which allows for a large degree of freedom in design and the choice of materials.
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Christian Bischof
Funding period: 01/2021–12/2025
Website: https://www.nhr4ces.de/
Summary NHR4CES (National High Performance Computing Center for Computational Engineering Science) is part of the National High Performance Computing (NHR) association. The goal of the NHR is to provide scientists at German universities with the computing capacity they need for their research and to strengthen their ability to use this resource efficiently.
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Andreas Dreizler
Funding period: 01/2023–12/2025
Website: https://www.bmwk.de/MAFO/projekte/03SX585-CliNeR-Eco/projekt-detail.html
Summary: The aim of the research project is to develop retrofit concepts for various existing marine engine types that are suitable for retrofitting entire fleets of ships at a manageable economic and technical cost. The focus is on the marine fuel e-methanol, which is injected into the engine via an intake manifold. Experiments and simulations are closely coordinated in order to build up a comprehensive database that is suitable for checking and validating the simulation models as well as for modelling.
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hasse
Funding period: 11/2022–10/2025
Website: https://www.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de/utc-combustor-turbine/research_utc/wotan
Summary: The German government's National Hydrogen Strategy is aimed at the widespread use of green hydrogen (H2), which will also play a key role in aviation in the future. The aim of this project is to develop the basic principles required for a knowledge-based design of an aircraft gas turbine combustion chamber fuelled with H2. The focus is on experimental investigations and accurate, simulation-based prediction of mixing and combustion properties. The aim is to develop a predictive and validated model for analysing influencing parameters. The WotAn project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as part of the aviation research programme.
Spokesperson: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hasse
Funding period: 04/2021 – 03/2025
Website: https://www.tu-darmstadt.de/clean-circles
Summary: The scientific focus of Clean Circles is an innovative energy cycle as a core building block of the energy transition. Electrical energy from renewable sources is chemically stored in iron with a high energy density and therefore made storable and transportable. With iron as a carbon-free energy carrier, the spatial separation between production and consumption of renewable energies can be overcome.
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Andreas Dreizler
Funding period: 07/2021–06/2025
Website: http://www.oxyflame.de
Summary: Within the CRC/Transregio 129 “Oxyflame” scientists from RWTH Aachen, Ruhr-Universität Bochum and TU Darmstadt are developing chemical and physical models for the fundamental description of reaction kinetics, multiphase flows and heat transfer in oxyfuel combustion processes. These models are based on extensive data sets and the findings of experimental investigations.
Coordinators: Prof. Dr. Anke Weidenkaff, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Melz
Funding period: 04/2021–12/2024
Website: https://www.leistungszentrum-wasserstoff-hessen.de
Summary: The aim of the GreenMat4H2 – GreenMaterials for Hydrogen – performance center is to develop “green” material solutions for the hydrogen economy and to ensure the reliability of hydrogen-loaded systems.To this end, the performance center brings together the expertise from science and industry in the Rhine-Main region and beyond
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Jan Philipp Hofmann
Funding period: 04/2021–03/2025
Website: https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de/leitprojekte/h2giga
Summary: Four research groups at TU Darmstadt are involved in the H2Giga PrometH2eus project. As part of the overarching lead project H2Giga, they are working on bringing novel and more efficient electrolysers for hydrogen production using renewable energy into series production. PrometH2eus combines basic and applied research. In the synthesis, evaluation and optimization of new materials, not only are important fundamental insights gained, but technical feasibility is also directly
Side Spokesperson: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hasse
Funding period: 08/2022–07/2025
Website: https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de/cfd4h2
Summary: The German government's National Hydrogen Strategy is aimed at the widespread use of green hydrogen (H2), which can make a significant contribution to CO2-free solutions for road transport and off-highway applications. In addition to the fuel cell, a combustion engine powered by 100% H2 is another highly interesting option that can be realised in the short term. The scientific objective is to develop an understanding and models for H2 direct injection and mixture formation as well as for lean turbulent H2 combustion. The technical goal is to transfer the scientific results to engine applications with a focus on special applications such as off-highway applications, so that a significant contribution can be made to avoiding greenhouse gases as well as to decarbonisation.