Cool Flames in Space Could Lead to More Efficient Engines on Earth

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), June 29, 2023 – A new type of flame produced on the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) doesn’t just look cool with its spherical blue glow—it is cool. Cool flames, which burn at temperatures much lower than traditional hot flames, could be the key to improving internal combustion engine efficiency and reducing the emission of harmful pollutants. Currently, internal combustion engines in most cars burn gasoline at only 35% efficiency; however, incorporating cool flame chemistry into engines could theoretically increase the efficiency to as high as 60%. To gain a better understanding of cool flame chemistry, researchers are turning to the ISS National Laboratory.

On Earth, cool flames are difficult to study because gravity-driven buoyancy quickly snuffs them out. This makes the space station’s microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. environment an ideal platform to study these unique flames. A team of scientists, led by University of Maryland researcher Peter Sunderland, used microgravity conditions on the space station to produce cool diffusion flames from liquid fuel for the first time, providing new insight into cool flame chemistry.

The latest issue of Upward, official magazine of the ISS National Lab, delves into findings from this exciting research. Upward is dedicated to communicating the results of space station experiments that demonstrate the value of space-based research and development. Read the article “Going Cool to Go Green” to see how studying cool flames in space could lead to cleaner, more efficient internal combustion engines on Earth.

Download a high resolution image for this release: NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins

Notice of correction: The lead photo for this press release has been replaced. The initial photo showed an astronaut working on a previous cool flames investigation.

Media Contact:       
Patrick O’Neill
904-806-0035
PONeill@ISSNationalLab.org

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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:  The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles.. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the space station are available to support non-NASA science, technology and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).), Inc. manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative AgreementA cooperative agreement is Federal assistance that establishes a relationship between the U.S. Government and a recipient in which the principal purpose of the relationship is to accomplish a public purpose of support or stimulation.  Since 2011, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space™ (CASIS™) has managed the National Laboratory® through a Cooperative Agreement with NASA. with NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit issnationallab.org.

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