Designing and optimizing an aerospike micro-nozzle for the sub-mN range: A numerical study

Micro-propulsion technology is under rapid development and considerably extends the mission capabilities of small spacecraft. However, the flow in conventional nozzles on a microscale is relatively viscous, which, combined with the bounding nozzle walls, leads to low efficiencies. Aerospike nozzles, on the other hand, offer...

Thermal Management of a Data Center White Space: A numerical study using computational fluid dynamics, flow & temperature predictions using neural networks, and white space design optimization using a genetic algorithm.

The total electrical energy consumption by all the operational data centers (located all over the world) is enormous (approx. 1% of the global electricity demand 20000TWh). This electrical energy is required 24x7 to operate and cool all the IT equipment present in the data center. The electrical energy required to cool all...

Reduced Order Models For Unsteady Fluid Dynamic Optimization of Turbomachinery

The need to meet the increasingly demanding sustainability goals entails remarkable new challenges for technical innovation. Due to the crucial role of turbomachinery in present and future energy scenarios, advancements in turbomachinery performance by means of design methods represent a fundamental step towards global sustainable development....

Multi-point aerodynamic shape optimization for airfoils and wings at supersonic and subsonic regimes

The second-generation of supersonic civil transport has to match ambitious targets in terms of noise reduction and efficiency to become economically and environmentally viable. High-fidelity numerical optimization offers a powerful approach to address the complex trade-offs intrinsic to this novel configuration. Past and current research however...

Multi-fidelity Co-Kriging Optimization using Hybrid Injected RANS and LES

The computation of complex turbulent flows design optimization processes is currently limited by the lack of accuracy of Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) in massively separated flows and the infeasible cost of multiple Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) evaluations. A novel method is presented, injecting data from LES or other high-fidelity...

Analysis of an over the wing based distributed propulsion system

This project aims to investigate propeller wing interaction of an over the wing (OTW) based distributed propulsion (DP) system with the addition of a secondary wing. This research explored the opportunities that OTW configuration provides to DP concept, such as improving the lifting performance of system by inducing the flow over the upper...

Parametric Modeling and Optimization of Advanced Propellers for Next-Generation Aircraft

As traditional fossil fuels become scarcer and more attention is given to environmental impact of the combustion of fossil fuels, for next-generation aircraft, the focus of development will mainly be on reducing fuel consumption. Open rotor engines have the advantage over conventional turbofans that they are expected to perform 25% to 30% better...

Simulation Verification and Optimization of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine using CFD

In this research computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to model a vertical axis wind turbine. Well known turbulence models | i.e. the k-epsilon and k-omega SST model | are used and compared in their performance against each other and a set of experimental data. The formal research question is "What models are available for the simulation of...