COMPUTATIONAL THERMO-FLUID DYNAMICS LAB (CTFDL)
Welcome to the website of the CTFDL in the Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies at the University of Tehran. The Lab is committed to advanced modeling and computational thermo-fluid dynamics of multidisciplinary fluids engineering problems, with emphasis on:
- Coupling methodologies for discretized fluid flow and heat transfer equations
- Steady and unsteady-wavy falling film instabilities
- Condensation and absorption in two-phase flows
- Unsteady flows around bio-inspired pitching and flapping wing
- Hydrogen combustion and clean energy
In the Lab, we develop computational tools using C++ object oriented programing that are algorithmically efficient, robust, parallelized, and scalable to thermo-fluid flows of practical interest.
Absorption, Condensation and Evaporation
Wavy Interface and Instability
The performance enhancement and simulation difficulties due to the wavy interface of falling liquid film increase the main need for wide research on the dynamics and interface conditions of these instabilities. The industrial equipment design approach has been attracted by developing wavy interfaces for more mass and heat transfer processes.The investigation of how surface waves are created, determining the exact time and location of occurrence of these surface instabilities in the design and optimization of the industrial equipment is very crucial.
Fouling and Washing in Gas Turbines
Since the beginning of utilizing axial compressors (in large turbochargers), the serious issue of engine output loss due to compressor sedimentation has always been considered by researchers. The formation and growth of sediments on the compressor blades and the gradual drop in the aerodynamic behavior reduce the overall efficiency of the compressor. In order to solve facing such problems solvent-based cleaning fluids are used based on manual and offline cleaning methods. The novel approach can be combining a highly effective cleaning liquid with a modified delivery system allowing the compressor to be washed online. The correct combination of the cleaning fluid and the online washing system significantly reduces the engine output power loss consequently the possibility of producing and exporting more electric power.
Turbulence
Turbulence is an essential part of most fluid flows in nature, industry, and academic research and understanding of fluid dynamics. Velocity field, pressure, temperature and other flow properties are affected by turbulence. For instance, turbines, compressors, pumps, heat exchangers and many other engineering systems are affected by this physical phenomenon. Hence, simulation and prediction of turbulence behaviour are crucial, for improving the efficacy of the equipment. Although simulation of a turbulent flow is complex due to the chaotic nature of turbulence, there are several approaches such as Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes (RANS), large eddy simulation (LES) and direct numerical simulation (DNS), which help scientists and engineers to predict characteristic of flow.
Alternative Fuels
In this era, when the world encounters critical environmental problems, the use of alternative fuels is crucial and inevitable to help to address the climate crisis. Due to its high energy density, Hydrogen compared to other alternatives has a great potential in air transportation, shipping, long-distance land transportation, and cement and steel production. Hydrogen can be utilized in several forms such as in combustion engines and fuel cells. Therefore, we have started a stream of research on alternative energies, with a particular focus on hydrogen.