Article supplied by LEAP Australia
Simulation plays a critical role in the hydrogen industry by enabling the modelling and analysis of the complex systems involved in hydrogen production, storage, and distribution. Advanced computational tools allow stakeholders to predict the performance of various technologies, optimise processes and identify potential problems before implementation. This predictive capability not only accelerates the development of efficient hydrogen solutions but also reduces costs and enhances safety. This ultimately helps drive Australia’s energy transition towards a sustainable hydrogen economy.
Hydrogen combustion
Hydrogen has huge potential as a replacement for fossil fuels in the decarbonisation of many industrial processes. However, hydrogen’s physical and chemical properties pose unique challenges. Designing combustion chambers and burners that can handle the low density and high diffusivity of hydrogen is challenging, requiring modifications to traditional combustion systems to achieve stable and complete combustion. Managing the distinct properties of hydrogen, including its low ignition energy, wide flammability range and high flame speed is an enduring challenge. And so, accurate simulation is key to unlocking the potential of hydrogen combustion.
Simulation helps engineers assess hydrogen combustion behaviour, predict performance across operating conditions, and optimise designs for higher efficiency and lower NOx:
- Flame Flashback – Preventing flame flashback requires insight into onset conditions for pure and blended hydrogen fuels. Burner designs must be optimised and evaluated to avoid flashback. Ansys supports detailed turbulence modelling and large reaction mechanisms to accurately capture hydrogen combustion characteristics and flashback scenarios, informing safer combustor operation.
- Ammonia Combustion – Using ammonia as a hydrogen carrier can ease transport challenges. Some hydrogen can be reconverted before burning an NH₃/H₂ mixture. Ansys is developing and validating models to support this pathway.
Customer Case Study: FCT Combustion – Advanced Pyro Processing Solutions
FCT Combustion (FCT) is an Australian company headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia, with more than 40 years’ experience delivering advanced combustion and pyro-processing solutions for high-temperature industries; including, cement and lime, alumina/aluminium, mining and minerals processing.
FCT operates globally. Supported by a strong local Australian team spanning engineering, research and development, and modelling/simulation, FCT delivers an integrated offering – from burners, calciners, fuel systems and burner management systems (BMS) through to engineering services and process optimisation.
Within the hydrogen value chain, FCT primarily supports the industrial end-use (demand side), enabling customers to transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen and hydrogen blends in difficult thermal processes. This includes the development and adaptation of burners for rotary kilns and calciners, and required systems and services for safe and reliable operation, such as fuel integration, controls and safety through burner management systems (BMS), commissioning support, and ongoing technical services.
Beyond direct industry projects, FCT also contributes to Australia’s innovation ecosystem through collaborative initiatives such as the Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC). This work involves collaborating with research partners to develop, test and validate low-carbon combustion technologies and related components to help bridge the gap between applied research and real industrial operating requirements.
In parallel, FCT has been involved in industrial-scale demonstration projects in Australia focused on converting calcination systems from natural gas to hydrogen. FCT’s scope of practice includes addressing feasibility through detailed engineering, as well as the supply of burner systems (burners, valve trains and BMS) with a focus on maintaining production, product quality, safe fuel changeover, modernised controls and stable operation. Where applicable, FCT’s scope of practice also considers process elements such as oxygen injection and gas/steam recycle conditions.
Hydrogen and other low-carbon fuels introduce a key challenge for heavy industry: De-risking technical and operational performance while maintaining safety, emissions compliance, and reliable heat delivery.
Fuel switching can materially change flame behaviour and thermal profiles, affecting flame stability/anchoring, temperature distribution, refractory exposure, NOx formation, and overall operating windows.
Supported by LEAP Australia, FCT uses Ansys modelling and simulation as an end-to-end decision tool. It supports early concept screening and operating strategy development. It then moves into detailed CFD and thermo-fluid modelling to assess mixing, aerodynamics and heat transfer. This helps engineers understand how systems interact with real kiln and calciner geometries. The process also extends into system engineering. It supports requirements for ignition, flame supervision, safety interlocks and BMS, forming part of a robust implementation plan.
“Across our combustion and pyro-processing work, we’ve delivered benefits from dozens of CFD and simulation projects, using modelling to de-risk key decisions and reduce development time by predicting performance before on-site trials. Specifically on hydrogen, our HILT CRC CFD program investigating a switch from natural gas to hydrogen in an iron ore pelletising kiln combustion chamber produced highly valuable results,” said Renata Favalli, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Specialist, FCT Combustion.
“The modelling indicated that, in certain operating scenarios, it may be feasible to transition to hydrogen without NOx becoming a limiting issue, helping guide burner and operating strategy development with much higher confidence before any physical trials.”
“More broadly, on development and retrofit programs, simulation delivers measurable outcomes by reducing design iterations and the need for multiple physical prototypes, and by compressing engineering cycles by weeks, as it helps converge on the final configuration (mixing, aerodynamics, thermal profile and process integration) prior to prototyping and commissioning.”
This approach is central to Australia’s collaborative research and development ecosystem, including programs such as HILT CRC and its research partners. It combines simulation with controlled testing to validate solutions before industrial deployment. This reduces the need for multiple iterations and physical prototypes. It also shortens time to market and improves confidence during retrofit and commissioning.
“At FCT, we take pride in being at the forefront of Australian Engineering. With core focus on decarbonising several industries, and with introducing diversified fuel options that include significantly unprecedented percentages of hydrogen, we are now able to confidently align with our Australian and global customers’ objective of overcoming today’s growing fuel availability challenges, while reducing their carbon footprint,” said Omar Khattab, Chief Executive Officer at FCT Combustion Asia, Pacific and the Middle East.
For more information about hydrogen firing solutions, visit FCT’s hydrogen webpage.
Hydrogen fuel cells
Fuel cell design poses a unique set of challenges: They must be compact, lightweight, low temperature and highly efficient, while remaining durablility and reliablity.
Ansys simulation can help predict fuel cell performance and thermal behaviour and includes built-in fuel cell modules to model high temperature for solid oxide fuel cells and low temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells. This includes inputs and physics for cooling channels, flow channels, current collectors, porous electrodes, microporous layer, catalyst and membrane.
Full-stack models can be solved quickly using Ansys’ highly scalable CFD solution.
For more information or to arrange to speak to a hydrogen industry expert at LEAP Australia, click here.
