Institute of Combustion, Aerothermics, Reactivity and Environment (ICARE)

Created in 2007 from the merger of the Combustion and Reactive Systems Laboratory and the Aerothermal Laboratory, ICARE is one of France's leading research laboratories in the fields of energy, surface and space propulsion and atmospheric reactivity. It part of the CAPRYSSES and VOLTAIRE laboratories of excellence and recognised by the European Research Council (ERC).

Research topics:

Combustion and reactive systems

• Chemical kinetics
• Formation and reduction of pollutants
• New fuels
• New combustion technologies
• Laminar and turbulent flames
• Dynamics of chemical explosions
• Gasification of biomass and waste
• Multiphase combustion
• Supercritical oxidation
• Hydrothermal treatment of biomass

Atmospheric reactivity

• Atmospheric degradation of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds
• Formation of secondary organic aerosols
• Gas-surface reactions
• Reactions affecting the oxidative capacity of the troposphere
• Ambient air measurements and instrument intercalibration

Space propulsion and high-speed flows

• Electrical propulsion
• Chemical propulsion
• Very high velocity flows
• Atmospheric re-entry
   

Experimental facilities:

Supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels, space propulsion test facilities, chemical kinetic reactors, atmospheric simulation chambers, laminar and turbulent burners, high-pressure combustion chambers, shock and detonation tubes, supercritical water reactors, laser diagnostics, high-speed and ultra-high-speed cameras, chromatography, mass spectrometry, IR, UV and visible spectroscopy + CRDS, thermogravimetric analysis, etc.