INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Department of Aerospace Engineering

Advanced Flow Diagnostics and Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory

Recent Research Highlights!

 

Areas of Interest:

1). Fundamental studies on challenging thermal-fluids problems:

  • Microfluidics, micro-flows and micro-scale heat transfer.
  • Icing physics, aircraft icing, power line icing and wind turbine icing.
  • Wind energy, wind turbine aeromechanics and wake interference.
  • Bio-inspired flows, bio-inspired designs for micro-air-vehicle (MAV) applications.
  • Low-speed aerodynamics, laminar boundary layer separation, transition and flow control.
  • Tornados, storms and flow-structure interactions of built structures with strong winds.
  • Vortex flow dynamics, wind tunnel testing and correction for vortex flows.
  • Film cooling, electronic cooling and thermal management of gas turbine blades

2). Advanced flow diagnostics and instrumentations:
  • Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Stereoscopic PIV techniques.
  • Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) and Laser Induced Phosphorescence (LIP).
  • Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) and Temperature Sensitive Paint (TSP).
  • Molecular Tagging Velocimetry (MTV) and Molecular Tagging Thermometry (MTT).
  • Quantum Dot imaging and Molecule-based microscopic flow diagnostic techniques.

Funded Research Projects:

A.  Current funded research projects:

  • PI: Experimental Investigations on Film Cooling Designs for Gas Turbines; GE Globe Research Center; 12/01/2011 ~ 9/30/2012.

  • PI: Advanced 3D Runback Models for Surface Water Transport; NASA - Atmospheric Environmental Safety Technologies (AEST) program;  01/01/2012 ~ 12/30/2014.

  • Co-PI: Innovative Offshore Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Rotors; Department of Energy; 09/01/2011 – 08/31/2016.

  • PI: Characterization of Surface Wind Energy Resources and Wake Interferences among Wind Turbines over Complex Terrains for Optimal Site Design and Turbine Durability; National Science Foundation;  01/01/2012 - 12/30/2014.

  • Co-PI: Molecular Tagging Techniques for Stratified Flow: Application to Boundary Mixing; National Science Foundation; 09/01/2011 - 08/30/2013.

  • PI: A Wind Tunnel Study of the Interferences of Multiple Wind Turbines over Complex Terrains; IAWIND program, State of Iowa; 07/01/11 ~ 06/30/13.

  • PI: Icing Physics Studies Pertinent to Wind Turbine Icing and De/Anti-icing; National Science Foundation; 04/01/2011 - 03/31/2014.

  • Sole PI: IRES: US-China Collaboration on Bio-Inspired Aerodynamic Designs for the Development of Next Generation Micro Air Vehicles; National Science Foundation; 04/01/2011 - 03/31/2014.

  • Sole PI: Development of Advanced Flow Diagnostic Techniques to Characterize Next Generation Fuel Nozzles; Grow Iowa Values Fund Program, State of Iowa and Goodrich Engine Component Division;  01/01/2011 - 06/30/2012.

  • Co-PI: Study of Microburst Winds and Their Loading Effects on Built Structures; National Science Foundation; 06/01/2010 ~ 05/31/2013.

  • Co-PI: Theoretical & Experimental Development of Dynamic Roughness for Boundary Layer Control; AFOSR – STTR phase II project (through PHYSICAL SCIENCES, INC); 05/16/2010 - 05/15/2012.

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B.  Completed  funded research projects:  

  • PI: On the Simulation of Free Flight Vortices in Ground Test Facilities; Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR);06/31/2008 - 12/31/2011.

  • Sole PI: IREE Supplement to NSF-CAREER project: “Establishment of an ISU-TOKYO Research and Education Integrated International Collaboration Partnership; National Science Foundation (NSF); 01/01/2008 ~ 01/31/2012.

  • Sole PI: CAREER: Development of a Novel Molecule-based Diagnostic technique to Study Joule Heating and Micro-scale Heat Transfer Process in Electrokinetically-driven Microfluidics; National Science Foundation; 02/01/2006 ~ 01/31/2012.

  • Co-PI: Enhancing the Understanding of Extreme Winds Near Ground and Their Damaging Effects for Hazard Mitigation; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); 09/1/2009 - 08/31/2011.

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  • Development of the Next Generation of Vortex Flow Meters for Engine Applications; Grow Iowa Values Fund Program, State of Iowa; 01/01/2009 - 06/30/2010.

  • A Study of Extreme Winds near Ground and Their Damaging Effects on the Built Environment; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA);  08/31/2008 - 09/01/2009.

  • Development of the Next Generation of Vortex Flow Meters for Engine Applications; IPRT Company;10/01/2007 ~ 03/31/2008.

  • Reducing Wind-Induced Damages from Storms; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); 09/01/2006 ~ 08/31/ 2008.

  • MRI: Acquisition of a High-Speed Particle Image Velocimetry System for Single- and Multi-Phase Fluid Dynamics Research; National Science Foundation; 09/01/2005 ~ 09/01/2006.

Funding Sources:

  • DOE
  • NASA
  • AFOSR
  • NOAA
  • NSF-CAREER
  • NSF-OISE
  • NSF-CBET
  • NSF-IREE
  • NSF-MRI
  • NSF-CMMI
  • State of Iowa: Grow Iowa Value Fund program;  IAWIND program
  • VP office for Research of Iowa State University
  • Industrials: GE; Goodrich; J-tech...

Major equipment available for advanced flow diagnostics:

  • A double-pulsed Nd:Yag laser system with 200mJ/pulse@532nm or 50mJ/pulse@266nm, (Gemini 200 -NewWave) for LIF, PIV, µ-PIV and stereoscopic PIV measurements.

  • A high-energy pulsed Nd:Yag laser with 400mJ/pulse@532nm, 100mJ/pulse @ 355nm or 90mJ/pulse@ 266nm (Surelite III-10- Continuum) for molecular tagging measurements.

  • Three high-resolution 12-bit CCD cameras (Sensicam QE and Pixelfly - Cooke Corp).

  • A two-component LDV system (Dantec) with translation mechanism.

  • A research-grade inverted epi-fluorescent microscope (Leica-DM-IL).

  • Digital delay generators with picoseconds-resolution (SRS-DG535, and BNC-565-8C).

  • Optical tables with various camera lens, optics, mirrors, filters, beam splitters and associated mounts.

  • Host computer/workstations for image acquisition and processing with image-processing software.

  • Various electronic devices such as high-voltage power supplies and oscilloscopes for digital signal analyzing and instrumentation.

Other major facilities available in the Lab:

  • A closed-circuit subsonic wind tunnel (1ft ×1ft section) with 180mph capacity.

  • An open-circuit subsonic wind tunnel (3.0 ft × 2.5 ft section) with 180 mph capability.

  • A close-loop water flume (12in × 6in section) with 0.5 m/s capacity.

  • A close-loop water tunnel (4in ×4in section) with overflow systems.

  • An experimental rig for the studies of molecular mixing in turbulent gaseous flow.

  • An experimental rig for the studies of wake aerodynamics of rotorcraft in maneuvering.

  • Various conventional wind tunnel testing equipment such as force balances, digital pressure transducers, and hot wires probes.