Additive Manufacturing of Liquid Fuel Injection Concepts

In cooperation with the Institute for Machine Tools at the University of Stuttgart, funded through the InnovationCampus Future Mobility (ICM) under a Bottom-Up grant, we are evaluating the feasibility of innovative injection concepts for liquid CO₂-neutral fuels (e.g., Ammonia, SAF) that can be manufactured using additive manufacturing (PBF/LB-M).

Our research focus lies specifically on Airblast Designs. The functionality of fuel injection is achieved through stochastically distributed defects in the component, i.e. media-permeable structures. As a result, targeted geometry optimisation using CAD is not possible. Instead, the PBF/LB-M process parameters such as laser energy, scan speed, scan orientation and hatch distance must be correlated with the optimisation targets, namely droplet size and liquid loading uniformity, creating a nonlinear and complex parameter space.

Our goal is to develop a holistic optimization process that directly correlates the AM process parameters with the desired outcomes. The current research tasks include:

The complete process, combining additive manufacturing, standardised experimental tests, and AI-driven optimization, defines a "hybrid twin" (analogous to digital twins), which can greatly accelerate the development of corresponding technologies. This innovative manufacturing process can thus increase reliability and significantly reduce production costs.

August 1, 2023 – July 30, 2024 (expected) 

If you are interested in our project, have further questions, or would like to support us through student work, internships, or thesis projects, we would be delighted to hear from you via email or phone. Contact details can be found below.