Research in multi-phase flow and heat transfer

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The proposed research is related a number of practical applications in the power and metal processing industries where the simultaneous flow of liquid and vapour is encountered, e.g. heat exchangers, refrigeration equipment and power plants. The proposed research program is concerned with developing methodologies, and understanding the underlying physics, for designing and evaluating the performance of engineering equipment involving heat transfer and fluid flow.Three particular problems are of interest. The first involves the cooling of hot surfaces in the metal processing industry. This is achieved by impinging cold liquid jets on the hot surface. An experimental apparatus is designed to carry out a range of experiments aimed at obtaining results in support the design and performance optimization of such a cooling system. The second project involves predicting the performance of industrial systems where liquid and gas flow simultaneously in large pipes. The results are relevant to the accurate prediction of the performance and safety of large-scale engineering systems encountered in power plants. The third project is concerned with increasing the effectiveness of heat exchange equipment. By applying high voltage-low current electric field to a fluid flowing in a conduit, additional fluid motion is created causing fluid mixing and as such increasing the heat transfer rate. Increasing the heat transfer rate allows the development of more compact heat exchange equipment for a variety of applications.An important aspect of the proposed research program is the training of highly qualified personnel. We expect eight graduate students and three postdoctoral fellows to be trained through the proposed program.