Research
Our group carries out experimental and computational research in the thermal sciences, covering heat transfer, fire science, combustion, and bioenergy.
Our interests span two broad themes:
- Developing more efficient, safe, and durable energy storage systems
- Understanding the fundamentals of ignition and fire spread to prevent damage to people, property, and the environment from unwanted fires — including wildfires and fires from electrification
Current projects focus on wildfire dynamics, battery fires, thermal management of lithium-ion batteries, and ignition research.
See People
Our Research Funders:
Our research is generously supported by these funders.
Selected Publications
Thermal runaway and fire behavior of large-format prismatic LFP cells under external heating and overcharge conditions
E. Funk, B. Andres Valiente, C. Birksø Eriksen, C. Cruz-Cardona, K. Livkiss, F. Restuccia.
JLPPI 2026, 106161.
Experimental study on the radiative heat flux from flaming 18650- and 26650-type LFP battery cells
F. Lugaresi, P. Bugryniec, H. Sadeghi, D. Williams, M. Wootton, S. Brown, F. Restuccia.
FSJ 2026, 162, 104750.
Kinetic modelling of thermal decomposition in lithium-ion battery components during thermal runaway
H. Sadeghi, F. Restuccia.
JPS 2025, 629, 236026.
Pyrolysis-based modelling of 18650-type lithium-ion battery fires in thermal runaway with LCO, LFP and NMC cathodes
H. Sadeghi, F. Restuccia.
JPS 2024, 603, 234480.
Experimentally-verified thermal-electrochemical simulations of a cylindrical battery using physics-based, simplified and generalised lumped models
A. Sarmadian, W. Widanage, B.A. Shollock, F. Restuccia.
J. Energy Storage 2023, 70, 107910.
Experimental study of the effect of the state of charge on self-heating ignition of large ensembles of lithium-ion batteries in storage
X. He, Z. Hu, F. Restuccia, J. Fang, G. Rein.
ATE 2022, 212, 118621.
Thermal and mechanical abuse of electric vehicle pouch cell modules
P.A. Christensen, Z. Milojevic, M.S. Wise, M.Ahmeid, P.S. Attidekou, W.Mrozik, N.A. Dickmann, F. Restuccia, S.M. Lambert, P.K. Das.
ATE 2021, 189, 116623.
Meta-Review of Fire Safety of Lithium-Ion Batteries: Industry Challenges and Research Contributions
L. Bravo Diaz, X. He, Z. Hu, F. Restuccia, M. Marinescu, J. Varela Barreras, Y. Patel, G. Offer, G. Rein.
JES 2020, 167, 090559.
Quantifying self-heating ignition of biochar as a function of feedstock and the pyrolysis reactor temperature
F. Restuccia, O. Masek, R.M. Hadden, G. Rein.
FUEL 2019, 236, 201-213.
Self-heating ignition of natural reactive porous media
F. Restuccia.
PhD Thesis, Imperial College, 2018.
Self-ignition of natural fuels: Can wildfires of carbon-rich soil start by self-heating?
F. Restuccia, X. Huang, G. Rein.
FSJ 2017, 91, 828-834.
The Department of Engineering is a growing department at KCL, an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research based in London, United Kingdom.
We welcome highly-motivated students and postdoctoral researchers with an interest in thermal engineering or fire science to join our group.