- MyPlanet -

Massively Parallel Computations of Combustion and Emission Simulations

The MYPLANET collaborative project is one of the first Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN) funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Programme. MYPLANET represents a European initiative to train a new generation of engineers in the field of high performance computing applied to the numerical combustion simulation, energy conversion processes and related atmospheric pollution issues.

The consortium is composed of 12 high-level partners of four different sectors and 7 different countries covering large parts of Europe; 7 partners contribute to MYPLANET as network contractors (beneficiaries), while Allinea, ALSTOM, Rolls Royce, Turbomeca and the Czestochowa University of Technology act as associated partners.

The project is based on the recognised lack on European level of highly skilled engineers that are equally well-trained in both combustion technologies and high-performance computing (HPC) techniques. The project will contribute to the structuring of existing high-quality initial research training capacities in fluid mechanics and the HPC field through combining both public and private (industrial) sectors.
The research is motivated by the fact that in today's industrial society more than 80% of the energy consumed on Earth is produced by burning fossil fuels, i.e. through combustion. It is widely recognised that important technological progress is required in order to optimize these combustion processes in the context of growing pollution, fuel depletion and global Earth warming. The computer simulation of combustion appears as a prerequisite to a better understanding of the underlying physical and chemical processes.
The main objective is to develop an ambitious training programme in the field of high-performance computations of reacting flows on massively parallel machines. Through the training actions they will learn both the fundamental physics behind combustion processes as well as software implementation aspects of high-performance computing as a prerequisite to the numerical simulation of reacting flows. Such training is necessary for developing future energy- and carbon-efficient devices based on biofuels. Thanks to the industrial partners involved in the project, the trainees will experience the industrial use of these new simulation tools while industry will obtain a first-hand experience with new methodologies.

The project started on 1 October 2008 and has a duration of 48 months.