Combustion, Fire, and Plasma Systems

The Combustion, Fire, and Plasma Systems program supports fundamental research and education relevant to these subjects. Among the broader societal impacts of the program are cleaner global and local environments, enhanced public safety, improved energy and homeland security, useful new materials, and more efficient manufacturing.This program is not an applied program, but rather it endeavors to provide basic knowledge that is needed to develop useful combustion and plasma applications and for mitigating the effects of fire. Broad-based tools - experimental, diagnostic, and computational - that can be applied to a variety of problems in combustion, fires, and plasma systems are the major products of this program. Note that the plasma science is generally in support of plasma applications to combustion and materials processing; atmospheric-science or fusion-energy plasmas are funded elsewhere.Areas of interest include:Basic Combustion Science: Laminar and turbulent combustion of gas, liquid, and solid fuels in premixed, non-premixed, partially premixed, and homogeneous modes over a broad range of temperatures, pressures and length scales. Development of models and diagnostic toolsCombustion Science related to Climate-change: Such as: (i) increasing efficiency and reducing pollutants, (ii) production and use of renewable fuels, (iii) oxy-fuel combustion for carbon sequestration, (iv) chemical looping combustion, etc.Fire Prevention: Improved scientific understanding of building and forest fires to prevent their spread, inhibit their growth, and cause their suppressionPlasma systems: Plasma science relevant to combustion, plasma science needed for industrial applications, plasma-processing science relevant to material synthesis and nanomaterialsSome desired outcomes:Science & technology for clean and efficient generation of power both stationary and mobileCombustion science and technology for energy efficient manufacturingResearch that enables efficient production and utilization of renewable "green" fuelsResearch that enables clean global and local environments (reduction in combustion generated pollutants - GHGs, NOx, Soot, etc.)Enhanced public safety and homeland security through research on fire growth, inhibition and suppressionEducate and train an innovative workforce for power, transportation, and manufacturing industriesThe duration of unsolicited awards is generally one to three years. The average annual award size for the program is $90,000. Proposals requesting a substantially higher amount than this, without prior consultation with the Program Director, may be returned without review. Small equipment proposals of less than $100,000 will also be considered and may be submitted during these windows. Any proposal received outside the announced dates will be returned without review.Innovative proposals outside of these specific interest areas can be considered. However, prior to submission, it is recommended that the PI contact the Program Director to avoid the possibility of the proposal being returned without review.Additional Program Information - 1407: (e.g., Areas of Research, Research Highlights, Conferences and Workshops, Program Director Information, etc.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------INFORMATION COMMON TO MOST CBET PROGRAMSProposals should address the novelty and/or potentially transformative nature http://www.nsf.gov/about/transformative_research/faq.jsp of the concept being proposed, compared to previous work in the field. Also, it is important to address why the proposed work is important in terms of engineering science, as well as to also project the potential impact on society and /or industry of success in the research. The novelty or potentially transformative nature of the research should be included, as a minimum, in the Project Summary of each proposal. Proposals submitted to this program are subject to the scope of the program's description and the availability of funds. Decisions about particular proposals are often very difficult to make and factors other than reviewer comments and ratings enter into the decision. Comments by a reviewer must sometimes be considered in the context of other reviews by the same person. The Program Director often has additional information not available to reviewers (such as project reports). Maintaining appropriate balance among subfields, the availability of other funding, the total amount of funds available to the program, and general Foundation policies and priorities are also important decision factors. Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program proposals are strongly encouraged. Award duration is five years. The submission deadline for Engineering CAREER proposals is in July every year. Please see the following URL for more information: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503214Proposals for Conferences, Workshops, and Supplements: Proposals involving these activities should ideally be submitted during the regular annual proposal window. PIs are strongly encouraged to discuss their requests with the Program Director before submission of the proposal.Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) and EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) are also considered when appropriate. Please note that proposals of these types must be discussed with the Program Director before submission. Further details are available in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) download. Proposals received outside of the Announced Proposal Window dates will be returned without review..