Past seminars
Liquid fuel atomization and combustion: biofuels
2:00–3:00 pm Thursday 3 October 2019
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
The importance of liquid biofuels has been increasing exponentially along with significant challenges that they pose during combustion process. During the last decade, the importance of atomization of liquid fuels in cold flow and flame has increased significantly. This is due to the need to understand the basics of how the fuel injection process can be tailored to improve the overall efficiency of a combustion process and ensure a homogenous mixture of air and fuel that can generate the smallest droplet sizes with uniform drop distribution and velocity high enough to completely vaporise during combustion. This will ensure that the combustion of fuel is complete and leads to lower emissions specifically when dealing with biofuels and other viscous biooils.
Presenter
Dr Heena Panchasara graduated with a PhD in Mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa USA. Her PhD research focused on understanding liquid biofuel combustion, spray/atomization characteristics in stationary gas turbine combustors and micro turbine combustors as well. After her PhD, she worked as a combustion aerothermal engineer for GE Energy in Greenville, South Carolina. At GE, she worked primarily on designing the next generation, land-based, heavy-duty, gas turbine engine combustors focusing on cost, operability, reliability and emissions and completed her lean Six Sigma Greenbelt certification. Heena is currently a Tenured Academic (Lecturer) at the Central Queensland University, Australia where her work is primarily focused on clean energy combustion and its applications.
Sparse-Lagrangian stochastic particle methods for combustion, nanoparticle synthesis and two-phase flows
2:00–3:00pm Thursday 22 August 2019
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Stochastic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are elegant approaches for solving continuum turbulent flow problems. Their great attraction is that they provide inherently closed formulations for non-linear, small scale processes such as chemical reactions and discrete particle dynamics. Although stochastic approaches have traditionally been considered to be computationally expensive, it is possible to alleviate this by complementing them with low-dimensional manifold and dynamic binning methods. This seminar will present recent stochastic CFD research from the University of Sydney with applications in combustion, nanoscale materials synthesis, and two-phase flows.
Presenter
Associate Professor Matthew Cleary is an academic in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering (AMME) at the University of Sydney where he leads the modelling research conducted by the Clean Combustion Research Group, teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in thermofluids and is the Director of Research. He has bachelors degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and obtained his PhD in 2005 from the University of Sydney. Cleary has held previous positions at Imperial College London, the University of Queensland and a visiting position at Princeton University.
Cleary is best known for his work on developing the multiple mapping conditioning / large eddy simulation (MMC-LES) model for turbulent reacting flows, which has revolutionised the use of stochastic particle methods through sparse (and therefore very low cost) Monte Carlo solutions. Cleary instigated and continues to lead a major opensource combustion code development collaboration, known as mmcFoam, between researchers at universities in Australia, Singapore, Germany, India and China.
MILD combustion and laser diagnostics of flames in hot and diluted coflows
2:00–3:00 pm Tuesday 2 July 2019
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
His presentation will summarise over fifteen years of combustion research developments in the field of MILD (moderate or intense low oxygen dilution) combustion and also in the development and application of advanced laser diagnostic techniques for the measurement of flames and harsh reacting environments. He will also discuss inter-related research topics that have been included amongst his 150 scientific papers, including sooting flames, solid fuel domestic appliances, alternative fuels, pressurised combustion, jet noise, propulsion technologies, and humanitarian technology.
Presenter
Dr Paul Medwell is an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Adelaide. He has over fifteen years of combustion research experience in the field of MILD (moderate or intense low oxygen dilution) combustion and also in the development and application of advanced laser diagnostic techniques for the measurement of flames and harsh reacting environments. This work was the basis for his successful ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) in the inaugural round. Over the years, Dr Medwell has expanded his research interests to include sooting flames, solid fuel domestic appliances, alternative fuels, pressurised combustion, jet noise, propulsion technologies, and humanitarian technology. He has published over 150 scientific articles, won more than $5M in research funding, and regularly presents his findings to international audiences. In addition to his research work, Dr Medwell serves as an engineering consultant to industry and contributes to several Standards committees.
The unstoppable progress of silicon photovoltaics: a tale of three projects
11am–12pm Thursday 28 March 2019
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Photovoltaics is the fastest growing renewable energy technology and has the highest manufacturing experience rate of all renewable energy technologies. By 2050, photovoltaics could supply 30–50% of the world’s electricity, with a levelised cost of electricity expected to be in the range of US$0.02 – $0.06/kWh. Especially for regions in the ‘sun belt’, photovoltaics can provide a cost-effective means by which both the electricity and transport sectors can be decarbonised. Unlike fossil fuel resources, solar energy is ubiquitous and so, once a photovoltaic system has been installed, the price of the electricity generated is predictable and not subject to resource pricing changes. This can provide a global energy stability that has not previously been possible with energy systems that rely on resources distributed unevenly across the world. Photovoltaic manufacturing is dominated by silicon devices that have their origins in the Bell Labs’ ‘solar battery’ in the 1950’s. Although deemed at the time to be “of limited practical use”, these devices have come a long way, with costs of manufacturing silicon modules dropping to as low as US$0.22/W in late 2018. This presentation will trace key developments and challenges faced in this unstoppable pathway post 2010 through the experiences from collaborative research projects with leading silicon photovoltaic manufacturers Suntech Power, Trina Solar and LONGi Solar. In particular, it considers technology development and decisions relating to patterning for metal contacts, durable metallisation and, more recently, module optimisation for electricity yield rather than power under standard test conditions. Although this journey has been largely realised in Chinese manufacturing companies, the presentation will highlight the contributions of Australian research and the importance to Australia that this manufacturing evolution has occurred.
Presenter
Assoc Prof Lennon is an academic in the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) at UNSW Sydney, Australia. She holds PhDs in Biophysical NMR (University of Sydney, 1995) and Photovoltaic Engineering (UNSW, 2010), was awarded a University Medal (University of Sydney, 1991), an Australian Postgraduate Fellowship (1995) and an ARC Future Fellowship (2017). She has published more than 130 scientific papers and is an inventor of 29 granted US patents. Prior to her employment at UNSW in 2010, she worked as a research scientist at Canon Information Systems Research Australia, where she was involved in research ranging from display and printing device simulations to the development of materials/technology for printing, imaging and display applications. She currently conducts research into the areas of silicon solar cell metallisation and interconnection, optical modelling for photovoltaics and more recently high power lithium ion storage. She is a member of the SPREE teaching group and has been responsible for convening/lecturing third core silicon photovoltaics courses at UNSW since 2010 and initiating innovations in the teaching space such as the ‘PV Factory’ which is hosted by PV Lighthouse and more recently a gamification prototype for a first-year course in Sustainable Energy.
Advances in high-temperature solar thermal processing
2:00–3:00pm Thursday 21 March 2019
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
High-flux solar irradiation obtained with optical concentrators is an excellent source of clean process heat for high-temperature physical and chemical processing. Solar thermal power, the area that has traditionally driven developments in concentrating solar technologies, experiences renewed research interests, primarily in the context of large-scale dispatchable power generation. The area of solar thermochemistry aims at direct thermochemical production of chemical fuels and commodity materials. Cheap and efficient solar production of synthesis gas, the precursor to synthetic drop-in hydrocarbon fuels such as petrol, diesel and kerosene, is an intriguing approach to transform today's fossil-based to tomorrow’s renewable-based transportation sector. In the most ambitious scenario, synthesis gas is obtained from sunlight, water and recycled carbon dioxide. This presentation gives an overview of recent developments in high-temperature solar thermal processing, from basic research to technology applications.
Presenter
Wojciech Lipiński is Professor and the Leader of the Solar Thermal Group at the Australian National University. He received his MSc Eng degree from Warsaw University of Technology (2000), and doctorate (2004) and habilitation (2009) from ETH Zurich. His research interests are in transport phenomena, in particular radiative transfer, reactive flows and chemical thermodynamics, with applications in energy and materials processing technologies. The focus applications are high-temperature solar thermal and chemical systems.
Lipiński has published over 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and contributed to several books, edited books and e-books. He was awarded the 2006 Hilti Award for Innovative Research from ETH Zurich, the College of Science and Engineering 2010–2011 Outstanding Professor Award from the University of Minnesota, and the 2013 Elsevier/JQSRT Raymond Viskanta Award in Radiative Transfer. He is Associate Editor of Solar Energy and Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, and serves on the editorial board of Computational Thermal Sciences. He is a member of the Scientific Council and the Executive Committee of the International Centre for Heat and Mass Transfer, as well as a member of ASME, AIChE, AIAA, and several other professional societies.
CFD in aero combustor design
2:00–3:00pm Friday 18 January 2019
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
During the last decade, the importance of CFD in combustor design has increased significantly. This is due to the development of improved methods, but for a large part also through the availability to larger computational resources. The latter enables the inclusion of sufficient details in the simulations. The design of our last developed combustor has been heavily guided by CFD.
Presenter
Dr Ruud Eggels received his PhD in combustion modelling at the University Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He joined Rolls-Royce more than twenty years ago. At Rolls-Royce, Dr Eggels is responsible for managing combustion methods development and related research projects within the combustion and turbine department.
In his position, Dr Eggels has worked at the interface between the scientific and industrial worlds, such that he is responsible of initiating and supporting fundamental combustion research, in addition, to bring them into an industrial environment to improve the predicting capability of combustion processes. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the German Section of The Combustion Institute.
Renewable H2 and H2 Carriers as Clean Transport Fuels
11:00–12:00pm Tuesday 20 November 2018
Venue: Level 1 room 1, Old Metallurgy Building
Abstract
Sharing his confused understanding of the laws of thermodynamics, the speaker attempts to demystify energy in the names of James Joules and James Watts, realising that there is no such a physical thing called energy but a form of spirit, good or evil, depending whom carrying the spirit. It is power, not energy, that people really want.
Concerning the future carbon-constrained world, he is recently a little bit worried about transport fuels and how he can continue to fly without hydrocarbon fuels such as Avgas and Avtur. Renewable hydrogen and hydrogen carriers may save his next flight with smooth take-off and, more importantly, safe landing.
Presenter
Professor Dongke Zhang FTSE is an academic staff member of the UWA Department of Chemical Engineering and director of the UWA Centre for Energy. His research interest is in combustion and fuels, including hydrogen, hydrogen carriers, and their applications.
However, he is more interested in swimming and general aviation when he is not making anything that burns or when he is not burning anything. He resigned from his fellowship from Engineers Australia but remains as a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).
Combustion research for chemical processing
2:00–3:00pm Thursday 15 November 2018
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Combustion is overwhelmingly the main means of delivering heat and power in the process industries and transport. In this presentation, the focus is on processes in which the desired products are the combustion products themselves.
Some of the processes being considered have been used in industry for many years. Despite, or perhaps because of this there are opportunities for combustion research to lead to significant improvements. This point is illustrated in terms of the science and technology of the catalytic combustion of ammonia over platinum that is the basis of the production of nitric acid and nitrate fertilisers on huge scale worldwide.
Other processes remain at early stages of development, where opportunities for innovation are abundant. With many such opportunities involving catalysis, the status of detailed kinetic (microkinetic) modelling of catalytic process is reviewed. This area may appear familiar to many combustion kinetic modellers but a closer inspection reveals a wealth of chemical and computational complexity that transcends familiarity.
Presenter
Brian Haynes is Emeritus Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Sydney. He has a long and distinguished career in chemical process engineering and kinetic modelling of energy-intensive applications, especially combustion processes. His research interests lie in the study and application of fundamentals with a view to solving practical problems, supported by industry. He was elected to the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2002. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and of Engineers Australia.
Brian has served the Combustion Institute (CI) in many functions, most importantly as its President (2004–2008). He was Program Co-Chair for the 27th International Combustion Symposium in Boulder, 1998 and he recently presented the Hottel Plenary Lecture at the 37th Symposium in Dublin. He was awarded the Bernard Lewis Gold Medal of the CI in 2012 for ‘for brilliant research in the field of combustion’.
Direction of time and entropy (perspective of an engineer)
2:00–3:00pm Thursday 18 October 2018
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
The physical mechanisms enacting the direction of time remain one of the most closely-guarded secrets of nature. In this presentation, we try to look into these secrets and explore the hypothesis that the perceived direction of time has thermodynamic origins. Over the years, this hypothesis has been advocated by a number of prominent scientists (eg, Boltzmann, Reichenbach, Hawking), yet it is still not widely known. The overwhelming majority of people (including most physicists) tend to implicitly accept “the natural flow of time”, combining common intuition with an (often unstated) assumption of antecedent (temporal) causality to discriminate the direction of time. So far, consistent investigation of the nature of time has been largely confined to the domain of philosophy, where numerous attempts to build a logical scheme around antecedent causality, which is compliant with our intuitive perception of time, have faced mounting difficulties and, as far as we can generalise, have ultimately subordinated antecedent causality to the second law of thermodynamics. In simple terms, the modern state of our understanding of time represents a circular argument: philosophy explains causality by the second law while physicists commonly derive the second law by implying causality. This presentation suggests that this circular logic should be broken by a yet unknown agent – the time primer, which, in accordance with the Boltzmann time hypothesis, is responsible for both the second law and the “flow of time”.
While there are philosophical and physical arguments supporting the concept of a time primer, this presentation defends a more utilitarian (and perhaps engineer-like) perspective that a new concept can be useful only when it gives some alternative predictions. While antecedent causality cannot possibly survive as a most fundamental principle forming the foundation of rational thinking about the Universe, temporal causality works exceptionally well as an engineering principle replacing complex unknowns originating the flow of time by a relatively simple rule of thumb discriminating the directions of time: whenever possible, one should use initial (and not final) conditions. A more detailed analysis, however, indicates that it might be possible to physically detect the time primer. The first such possibility is existence of CPT-invariant and CP-violating systems (for a long time only one case was known – decay of neutral Kaons) and the second possibility is that the Boltzmann time hypothesis presumes two possible extensions of conventional thermodynamics from matter into antimatter. The choice between these versions can be tested experimentally, although this is not a simple matter, even at the present level of technology. In this presentation we will explore implications of these two versions of thermodynamics.
Presenter
Dr Alexander Klimenko’s research interests are in: Multiscale phenomena, Reacting flows, Turbulence, Energy and Coal, Technology and its Cycles, Complex Competitive Systems, Analytical and Computational Methods.
Dr Klimenko lectures in Mechanical Engineering within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering.
He received his PhD from Moscow University in 1991 and his DEng from the University of Queensland in 2007.
Dr Klimenko has made an outstanding contribution to theory and computation of reacting flows: the conditional equations introduced by him proved to be a most efficient toll in simulation or multiscale phenomena of different nature. His models and approaches (CMC,MMC,IDFE, PCMC theory of RCL and others) have resulted in dramatic improvements in efficiency of simulations and are used and recognised worldwide.
Insights into fundamental combustion processes through temporally resolved optical diagnostics combustion
2:00–3:00pm Friday 14 September 2018
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
In this talk, I will present research that I have been involved in that explores fundamental combustion processes in the time domain using advanced laser and optical diagnostics. The first example is in the exploration of soot precursors and soot. Using a combination of picosecond and nanosecond excitation lasers and collecting the spectrally resolved signal with sub-nanosecond temporal resolution we have shown it is possible to track the evolution of soot precursors and soot in laminar and turbulent flames. The second example is in the area of high-speed imaging of turbulent flames, where the temporal evolution provided by the high repetition rate imaging provides insight that similar temporally uncorrelated imaging would not be able to provide. The specific example discussed focuses on turbulent autoignition in a hot coflow burner for range of fuels.
Presenter
Since January 2012, Dr Matthew Dunn has been a staff member at the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at the University of Sydney. He is presently engaged in research related to the development and application of advanced laser diagnostics to combustion and reacting flow systems. Since being at Sydney, he has been involved in projects investigating biodiesels, soot precursor and soot evolution in flames, inorganic particle synthesis in flames, turbulent autoignition, premixed combustion, second-generation biofuels and stratified combustion.
From 2009–2011 Dr Dunn was a postdoctoral researcher at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Laboratories at Livermore, California USA. In this position, Dr Dunn worked with Dr Robert Barlow a distinguished scientist experimentally investigating a broad range of combusting flows ranging from stratified, oxyfuel, nonpremixed, sooting, alternative fuels and premixed combustion. The experimental results exploring highly turbulent premixed combustion from his PhD continue to be a significant challenge for modellers to replicate and have been the subject of focus sessions at several international workshops.
Turbulent Combustion Modeling for Large Eddy Simulation: Finding Simplicity in Complexity
2:00–3:00pm Thursday 16 August 2018
Venue: Level 4 conference room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Turbulent combustion modeling is a challenging multi-physics, multi-scale modeling problem. Both turbulence and combustion are already difficult multi-scale problems, and the combination of the two brings in new interactions across various length and time scales that fundamentally change both the combustion processes and the turbulence. This seminar will focus on the modeling of unresolved, small-scale details of the combustion processes and the many chemical species involved. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) models for turbulent combustion generally fall into two distinct classes subject to an inherent trade-off: models that are very general in their description of the underlying combustion processes but computationally intensive versus models that make very constraining assumptions about the underlying combustion processes but are computationally efficient. In the latter class of models, the combustion processes are typically constrained to low-dimensional manifolds obtained by assuming combustion occurs in a single asymptotic mode: premixed flames, nonpremixed flames, or homogeneous reactions. For multi-modal combustion, the current state-of-the-art is to apply the “best” asymptotic model locally. However, recent LES results in a laboratory-scale turbulent flame exhibiting partially premixed combustion demonstrate the inherent shortcomings of this approach not only in selecting the “best” asymptotic model but also in relying solely on asymptotic models. In the final portion of the seminar, a new, generalized combustion model will be presented that seeks to break the inherent trade-off above. The model relies on a more detailed manifold description that can capture not only all of the asymptotic modes of combustion in their respective limits but also intermediate regimes. Key characteristics of the model will be discussed, and algorithmic challenges and opportunities in coupling the model with LES will be highlighted.
Presenter
Michael E. Mueller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, an associated faculty member in the Princeton Institute for Computational Science and Engineering, and an associated faculty member in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. He received a BS degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 2007, a MS degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 2009, and a PhD degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 2012 before moving to Princeton in 2012. In 2017 he was recognized with an award through the Young Investigator Program (YIP) of the Army Research Office (ARO), and he currently serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power. His expertise is the computational modeling of turbulent reacting flows, where he utilizes a multi-fidelity approach leveraging first-principles calculations for physics discovery for the development of physics-based models for engineering calculations. Areas of current interest within his research group include multi-modal turbulent combustion, pollutant emissions, and combustion-affected turbulence. In addition, he is active in areas of applied computational science including the development of new approaches to uncertainty quantification and the development of new numerical algorithms and their implementation on emerging architectures.
Nanofluid Optical Filters for Photovoltaic/Thermal Collectors
2:00–3:00pm Thursday 10 May 2018
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Sunlight can be captured to produce both electricity and thermal energy using hybrid photovoltaic/ thermal (PV/T) collectors to sustainably address rising energy demand. However, the thermal component of these systems is currently limited to the delivery of low outlet temperatures (<<100°C) to prevent thermal degradation of the PV cells. Spectrum splitting hybrid photovoltaic/ thermal (PV/T) systems can offer greater combined electrical/ thermal efficiencies and higher thermal output than conventional (thermally-coupled) PV/T systems. This presentation highlights recent advancements in mid-temperature range optically filtering nanofluids, which absorb the portions of the solar spectrum that are poorly converted into electricity by underlying PV cells.
These nanofluids were fabricated by suspending visible light absorbers (silica-coated silver nanoplates, or Ag-SiO2) and near-infrared absorbers (silica-coated gold and bimetallic gold-copper nanorods) in various base fluids to meet the spectral and thermal requirements of the PV/T system. Because nanofluids in concentrating PV/T systems are exposed to harsh environmental conditions including strong ultra-violet (UV) irradiation and high temperatures, the nanofluids underwent accelerated photothermal testing to ensure nanofluid stability. After stable nanofluids were developed, the nanofluids were used to filter light for three PV cell types (monocrystalline silicon, gallium arsenide, and germanium) in an indoor test. Several litres of the highest performing nanofluid (aqueous Ag-SiO2) were produced to filter light for a monocrystalline silicon PV array in a prototype PV/T system for outdoor testing. An economic analysis confirms that Ag-SiO2 nanofluids are a strong candidate for low cost, high-efficiency optical filtration of silicon solar cells, though the commercial viability of such PV/T systems is subject to local natural gas and grid electricity prices.
Presenter
Natasha Hjerrild has recently finished her PhD in the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales. She was awarded an Endeavour Scholarship to pursue her PhD research on nanofluid development for combined photovoltaic/ solar thermal technology. Prior to her time at UNSW, she received her Master’s in Materials from the University of Oxford for her research on alternative transparent conductors applied to solution-processed, quantum dot solar cells. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in 2012. Her primary research interest combines nanomaterial synthesis and characterization with performance enhancement of solar energy and energy storage technologies.
Hydrocarbon Fuelled High-Mach Number Scramjets
3:00–4:00pm Thursday 19 April 2018
Venue: PAR-Alan Gilbert-120 (Theatre 4)
Abstract
In this seminar, Dr Veeraragavan will present the results of a series of shock tunnel experiments/simulations of a hydrocarbon-fuelled, Mach 8 shape-transitioning scramjet engine with a cavity combustor. The inlet of the scramjet transitions from a quasi-rectangular capture area to an elliptical throat, which results in a highly three-dimensional flowfield at the combustor entrance. The main focus of the work was to achieve ignition and combustion of hydrocarbon fuels at a high Mach number in a flight-candidate engine that has the necessary three dimensional flow path that is typical of “practical” scramjet engines. The engine was fuelled with ethylene, methane and a surrogate fuel mixture (64% ethylene and 36% methane by volume) which mimics the extinguishing characteristics of partially cracked JP-7 fuel. Experiments were performed with and without a hydrogen-pilot to demonstrate ignition and combustion. Static pressure measurements throughout the flow path were used in conjunction with experiments where combustion was suppressed, by using nitrogen instead of air as the main flow, to confirm a combustion-induced pressure rise for different injection and piloting strategies. Three-dimensional, non-reacting RANS simulations of fuel-air mixing were also performed of the cavity that demonstrated that the entrained fuel had a highly 3D pathway inside the cavity.
Towards the end, he will discuss ongoing/future efforts using axisymmetric combustors in which he aims to utilise advanced optical diagnostic techniques in collaboration with others.
Presenter
Dr Anand Veeraragavan graduated with a B.Tech in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) in 2002. He obtained his MS (2006) and PhD (2009) degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland. His PhD research focused on understanding flame stabilization in microscale combustors. After his research appointment on solar energy as a postdoctoral associate in the Device Research Lab at MIT, he worked as a combustion technologist for GE Energy in Greenville, South Carolina. At GE, he worked primarily on designing the next generation, land-based, heavy-duty, gas turbine engine combustors focusing on cost, operability, reliability and emissions and also completed his lean Six Sigma Greenbelt certification. He is currently a tenured academic (Senior Lecturer) at the University of Queensland (Australia), where his work is primarily focused on high-speed propulsion for scramjets.
Thermoacoustic oscillations in annular combustors
Symmetry, eigenstructure, perturbation methods, and nonlinear phenomena
3:30–4:30pm Tuesday 19 December 2017
Venue: Old Metallurgy Masters Seminar Room 1 (Room 103, Bldg 166)
Abstract
Thermoacoustic instabilities frequently appear in various combustion systems in the form of high-amplitude pressure oscillations. This undesirable dynamic phenomenon originates from the interaction of flame oscillations and the acoustic modes of the combustion chamber. It has been particularly plaguing for the development of high-efficiency, low-emission gas turbine technology. After a brief introduction to the topic, I will discuss some aspects that are specific to annular combustion chambers, as they are found in aeroengines and in most gas turbines for power generation. These combustors exhibit special dynamical features associated with their discrete rotational symmetry. After introducing the key aspects of the linear eigenstructure of this type of system, I will present some recent tools for stability assessment, uncertainty quantification, optimisation, and nonlinear analysis of annular thermoacoustic systems.
Presenter
Jonas Moeck is an Associate Professor at the Technical University Berlin and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He received engineering degrees from the University of Michigan and the Technical University Berlin, a PhD from the latter institution and was a postdoctoral scholar at Laboratoire EM2C, Ecole Centrale Paris. His research interests include flame dynamics, combustion control, low-order modeling and stability analysis, pulsed detonation, and plasma-assisted combustion.
Mechanical Integrity and Safety of Lithium-ion Batteries Used in Electric Vehicles
2:00–3:00pm Friday 15 December 2017
Venue: Room 1, Old Metallurgy Building
Abstract
Lithium-ion batteries have been used extensively in past decades in a variety of applications from portable devices to airplanes and electric vehicles. Battery packages used in electric vehicles experience dynamic loadings, shocks, and large deformations during normal operations as well as in a crash scenario. It is of paramount importance to battery manufacturers and the automotive industry to better understand how cells deform under such loadings and what conditions might damage a cell and lead to failure. Assistant Professor Sahraei’s research is mainly focused on characterizing the mechanical behavior of lithium-ion batteries, including cylindrical, pouch, and prismatic/elliptical cells. In her talk, she will present experimental methods used for detecting onset of short circuit in lithium-ion batteries due to abusive loads. Also, she will present Finite Element models and failure criteria used to predict mechanical abuse deformation and failure in battery components and full cells.
Presenter
Elham Sahraei is an assistant professor and Beck Foundation Faculty Fellow at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University. She also holds an appointment as a Research Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Elham Sahraei earned her PhD degree from the George Washington University in 2011, and completed two years of post-doctoral training at the Impact and Crashworthiness Lab at MIT in 2013, where she became a Research Scientist afterwards. She is the co-director of the MIT Battery Consortium and a co-investigator of multiple Ford-MIT Alliance projects and a DOE project with National Renewable Energy Lab on safety of Li-Ion batteries. Besides characterization and modeling of lithium-ion batteries, her expertise includes full-scale vehicle crash analysis, occupant protection, and analysis of roadside safety structures. She is the inventor of “Collision Safety Structure,” a structure for controlled buckling of driver seats that reduces perils of frontal crashes. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards such as SAE Myers award, Stapp student award, and WTS scholarship. She has served as a chair person and plenary speaker for multiple conferences including Battery Safety, Battery Congress, and AMSE IMECE.
History Repeats, Engine Knock Has Returned: How It Came Back — and What Can Be Done and How to Make Money Storing Renewable Energy
2:00–3:00pm Wednesday 6 December 2017
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract: History Repeats, Engine Knock Has Returned: How It Came Back
The age-old problem of Knock in spark ignited piston engines has come back! History will be reviewed as well as new information revealed. In part, the knock problem has reappeared as the Spark engine efficiency is being improved, closing the gap on the efficiency between the Diesel engine and the spark engine.
Abstract: What Can Be Done and How to Make Money Storing Renewable Energy
With increasing amounts of renewable energy, it becomes possible to buy electric power when price is low, and sell power when price is higher “Buy Low and Sell High” (BLaSH). The talk will end with discussion of renewable energy storage using Compressed Air or Compressed CO2 or compressed Argon.
Presenter
Robert Dibble is the Director of the Combustion Analysis Laboratory (CAL) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. He is also a faculty member in the clean combustion research center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust).
Professor Dibble’s research interests focus on combustion, and he has investigated a wide range of combustion-related topics over the years, including turbulent flows, gas turbines, micro turbines, spark ignited engines, and Diesel engines. More recently, he has investigated the applications of diode lasers to combustion systems; the removal of nitric oxide (NOx) from combustion systems; and Homogenous Charge Compression Ignited (HCCI) Engines. His earlier research into oxygenated fuel has contributed to the generation and application of biofuels, which are greenhouse gas neutral.
Advanced Understanding of Turbulent Combustion Processes
12:00–1:00pm Friday 17 November 2017
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
The presentation will report recent advances in current understanding of three key processes related to turbulent combustion of gaseous and liquid fuels: (i) auto-ignition, (ii) mixed mode flames, and (iii) reacting jets of dilute and dense sprays. Compositional inhomogeneities that prevail in practical combustion systems lead to mixed-mode flames that span the entire range from premixed to stratified to non-premixed. With liquid fuels, spray atomization remains a critical, but vaguely understood process in both reacting and non-reacting flows. These, along with auto-ignition are studied in well-designed, yet representative laboratory burners. Recent findings brought about by detailed measurements are reported for each case. The long-term objective is to develop reliable predictive tools for these processes in actual reacting systems.
Presenter
Professor Assaad Masri has received his PhD (1987) and BE Honours with the University Medal (1984) from the University of Sydney. He is currently a Professor in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies at the University of Sydney and Chairman of the Australia and New Zealand section of the Combustion Institute. Masri’s research lies in the broad area of efficient energy conversion with a focus on turbulent combustion of gaseous and liquid fuels and laser diagnostics. His current research areas include: combustion of bio-fuels and biodiesels, atomization of sprays, turbulent inhomogeneous flames, explosion and industrial safety and nanoparticle formation in flames. Masri has published over 130 journal papers and won many awards including the Silver Medal of the Combustion Institute. He was recently co-chair of the prestigious 36th International Combustion Symposium which took place in Seoul, August 2016.
Advancing understanding of particle-laden flows for application in concentrating solar thermal energy
2:15–3:15pm Thursday 26 October 2017
Venue: Level 3 seminar room, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
The application of particle-laden flows to concentrating solar thermal energy is receiving growing attention due to their potential to achieve temperatures of above 1000°C, to absorb radiation, to store thermal energy and to drive gasification reactions. However, these devices operate under conditions that are difficult to investigate, with high mass loadings and with heat transfer processes that are complex, non-linear and coupled. The seminar will summarise both the technology and the research being undertaken at the University of Adelaide to address these challenges. A hybrid dual fluidized technology is being developed for solar gasification, while detailed, in-situ and well-resolved measurements have been performed in turbulent jet flows using laser-diagnostic methods of the distributions of single-phase velocity, particle velocity, particle number density and particle temperature. The insights from these investigations will be summarised
Presenter
Professor Nathan is the founding Director of The University of Adelaide’s Centre for Energy Technology and recipient of a Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council. He specialises in research supporting the development of innovative technology in concentrating solar thermal, combustion and gasification technologies, together with their hybrids. Gus is leader of Node 4 of the national Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative, which aims to lower the cost of solar fuels production, and project leader for an ARENA funded project to introduce concentrating solar thermal into the Bayer Alumina process in partnership with Alcoa and Hatch. He is an author of more than 10 patents, including three families of concentrating solar thermal technology, 50 commissioned reports, 150 international journal publications and 200 peer-review conferences.
Next Generation Solar Thermal Collectors
2:15–3:15pm Thursday 21 September 2017
Abstract
Solar energy will become the prime renewable energy source in the future, soon to overtake wind and possibly, in the long-term, hydroelectricity. With the average rate of solar energy reaching the earth’s surface being approximately 4000TW, and the world’s current average rate of energy usage about 15TW, it is a resource ripe for harvesting. While $/kW for photovoltaics (PV) has fallen sharply over the last ten years, partly due to reductions in manufacturing cost, and partly due to efficiency improvements, solar thermal costs and efficiencies have remained almost stagnant. In this presentation I outline our ARENA funded programs to develop both new PV/Thermal collectors for simultaneous high temperature heat and electricity, and a mass manufacturable novel, low cost solar thermal collector that can deliver 250°C heat at approximately 50% efficiency without requiring any tracking. This solar thermal collector forms the basis of a system capable of producing high grade heat for industry with payback periods of less than five years.
Presenter
Professor Gary Rosengarten is head of the Laboratory for Innovative Fluid Thermal Systems (LIFTS) in the School of Engineering at RMIT University, and Adjunct Professor in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Prior to joining RMIT University in 2012, he spent 6 years at UNSW running the solar thermal energy group, and being head of the thermal fluids research area. He also has 2 years experience in consulting for sustainable building design. He has first class honours degrees in Mechanical Engineering and in Physics from Monash University, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of NSW. He won the inaugural American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Solar Energy Division Graduate Student award in 2000. In the last 6 years he has been awarded over $5.5million in funding from ARENA for various solar projects. He has approximately 150 refereed papers in fields ranging from Solar Energy to Biotechnology.