Our research activity focuses on physical effects, pre-normative research, and safety within energy and process technology. The research group aims to reduce the risk and the consequences of accidents and contribute to a safer and more sustainable society.

Research Areas

The research group has three main areas of research.

Experimental

Our experimental studies range from small-scale laboratory testing to large field tests within hydrocarbons, hydrogen, CO2, Li-ion batteries, ammonia, etc. With an extensive range of equipment, such as high-speed cameras with frame rates of up to 5 million frames per second, a wide range of pressure sensors, mass flow controls, gas concentration sensors, and temperature and thermal radiation sensors. Our laboratory has various explosion channels where we study gas dispersion, deflagrations, detonations, their transition (DDT in fuel-air), and more. We also have a 20-liter explosion sphere for studying fundamental combustion properties, such as laminar burning velocity. A droplet/spray rig to characterize droplet sizes from nozzles, such as in deluge systems. High-pressure vessel to study rapid phase transition and boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions (BLEVEs).

Numerical

Extensive competence within computational fluid dynamics (CFD), including in-house developed CFD codes (USN-FLIC) and open-source codes such as OpenFOAM to study deflagration to detonation transitions (DDT), flame acceleration, and fluid flow. Studying chemical kinetics and reacting systems using Cantera and the Engineering Equation Solver (EES) for process simulation and modeling.

Image Processing

In combination with high-speed imaging, we have in-house developed codes in Python and MATLAB for image processing and diagnostics. The codes are used for flame front, shock wave, fragment tracking, droplet characterization (i.e., size distribution, velocity), and more.

Partners

Highlighted national partners:

  • IFE - Institute for Energy Technology
  • Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)
  • The Norwegian Defence Estates Agency (NDEA)
  • Norwegian Hydrogen Forum and Norwegian Battery Safety Forum
  • Wärtsila, Equinor, Norsk Hydro, Yara, Corvus Energy, Statkraft, Ineos, Sintef,
  • And research partners in MoZEES, HYDROGENi, and SH2IFT-2.

Highlighted international partners:

  • IDERS - The Institute for Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems
  • IEA Hydrogen TPC – Hydrogen Safety Task 19, 31,37, and 43.
  • HySafe: The EC Network of Excellence for Hydrogen Safety "HySafe."
  • ICARE: Institute of Combustion, Aerothermal, Reactivity, and Environment

Research Projects

Past and current:

  • FME-MoZEES (NFR, 2017 – 2025): MoZEES focuses on battery and hydrogen value chains, systems, and applications where Norway can take a leading position in the future.
  • FME-HYDROGENi (NFR, 2022 – 2030): Norwegian research and innovation center for hydrogen and ammonia (2022 – 2030)
  • HyTunnel-CS (EU, 2018 – 2022): The safe use of hydrogen in tunnels and confined spaces.
  • HyRESPONDER (EU, 2020 – 2023:): European training network for first responders
  • H2Konstabel (NFR, 2022 – 2024):
  • H2Maritime (NFR, 2018 - 2022): Fuel Cell in the maritime systems, bunkering, and safety.
  • HyLOCD (NFR, 2021 - 2024): Research and development of a hydrogen loss of containment detection method for maritime fuel cell systems.
  • SH2IFT-2 (NFR, 2021 - 2025): Safe hydrogen fuel handling and use for efficient implementation.
  • Green Platform (NFR, 2022 - 2025): Subsea storage of hydrogen
  • Green Platform (NFR, 2022 - 2025): Ammonia as a hydrogen vector in the energy market
  • HySchool (NFR, 2022-2030): Norwegian research school on hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels
  • H2NOR (IN, 2021 – 2024): For safe maritime fuel cells
  • Gen2Energy (RFF, 2021 - 2022)

Publications

Group leader

Members

PhD candidates