In 2019 we lost an incredibly important member of the CIUK Scientific Advisory Committee with the sudden and unexpected passing of Jacky Pallas at the age of just 54. Jacky was head of e-Research at King's College London and for the previous three years had been an active and vocal member of the CIUK Scientific Advisory Committee, helping to shape the direction our event has taken and pushing through many positive changes, whilst championing diversity and the inclusion of young researchers.
In her memory, and in recognition of her passion for our conference, we introduced an annual award that will highlight the work of an early career researcher and will allow the award winner a slot in the main programme at CIUK. Researchers will be nominated by their supervisors and we are looking for nominations for presentations that highlight the impact of a project that early career researchers have been working on, or have completed.
We are delighted to announce that the CIUK 2023 Jacky Pallas Memorial Award will be presented to Muting Hao (University of Oxford) for her work on "Advancing Aviation Efficiency and Sustainability Through CFD". Muting will present her work at CIUK 2023 on Friday 8 December.
Abstract: My research aims to enhance the sustainability of commercial aviation through turbomachinery Computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Commercial aviation accounts only for 2% of global emissions, but its visibility and projected growth demand action to make the sector sustainable in the future. Immediate gains in sustainability can be achieved through reductions in fuel use. My research helps reducing fuel use by improving the performance of aircraft engines. In broad terms, the performance of an aircraft jet engine can be improved in two ways: 1) increasing the fraction of the energy carried by the fuel that is transformed into the kinetic energy of the propulsive jet; 2) increasing the fraction of the kinetic energy of the propulsive jet used to propel the aircraft. The former can be attained by increasing the temperature at turbine inlet; the latter can be attained by producing most of the engine thrust using a large diameter fan. Both types of improvements pose new challenges to designers. My work on turbine cooling addresses the complexity of film cooling flows bring challenges to accurate numerical simulations and traditional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes models struggle with accuracy. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) has been employed for accurate predictions of thermal performance and turbulence characteristics, enabling a parametric study, yielding insights into mixing regimes that are crucial for design considerations. Validated predictions contribute to a scaling law for the three-dimensional wall jets, guiding computational models’ modifications for improved accuracy, potentially refining film cooling design methodologies. In the work on bypass design, the interactions between the fan and its exhaust duct have been studied. Proposing a flow model accommodating circumferential distortions and considering component interactions, the study emphasizes an efficient computational approach for optimal configurations, crucial for maintaining performance and integrity amid geometric variations.
Bio: Dr. Muting Hao is a Postdoctoral Researcher based in the Oxford Thermofluids Institute (OTI), at University of Oxford. Muting achieved her Dphil degree in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics from University of Oxford in 2022. Muting's Dphil was supported by Rolls-Royce funded scholarship. Her doctoral research focused on development of numerical tools and detailed turbulence statistics of film cooling, a technology of critical importance for gas turbines, under the supervision of Prof Luca di Mare. Muting then got supported by Rolls-Royce plc and by UKRI through the Horizon Guarantee Scheme for her postdoctoral research. She currently focuses on the design of outlet guide vanes for ultra-high-bypass ratio turbofan for aircraft engines.
Past winners of the CIUK Jacky Pallas Memorial Award:
