Contact Information:
Karen A. Thole, Director
thole@vt.edu
For more information, go to:
http://www.vtexccl.me.vt.edu
What We Do
The mission of the VTExCCL is to study problems in which convective heat transfer is the dominant heat transfer mechanism. These studies involve experiments and computations for both laminar and turbulent flow conditions. Measurements and computations of velocity, temperature, pressure, and surface heat transfer are made to solve our particular research problems.
Research
- Combustor-Turbine Interaction Studies
Performance of gas turbine engines for both power generation and aero applications are typically limited by first vane temperatures in the turbine section. To understand the flow field and thermal field in the turbine section, we must have a clear picture of what is exiting the upstream combustor. This project involves experiments and computations to determine influences of the exiting combustor conditions on the heat transfer that occurs in the turbine passage (Pratt & Whitney, Department of Energy, Air Force Research Laboratory).
- Compact Heat Exchanger Studies
Louvered fin compact heat exchanges are used in a number of applications, including the automotive industry. This project involves measurements and computations that will lead to higher heat transfer in a louvered fin compact heat exchanger. Optimization methods are used to determine a better design which is then experimentally tested in a scaled-up louvered fin model (Modine Manufacturing).
- Thermal Performance of Heat Exchange Devices for Power Electronics
Power electronics is currently being limited by the ability to remove the heat generated by the electronic components. This project involves assessing various heat exchange devices and to determine a more effective method (National Science Foundation's Center for Power Electronics).
Facilities
Large scale wind tunnel with a unique gas turbine combustor simulator placed upstream of a scaled-up turbine vane
- Large scale test rig for testing louvered fin models
- Instrumentation used for testing includes the following: laser Doppler velocimetry, hot-wire anemometry, pressure probes, temperature probes, and an infrared camera
- Computational workstations including two SGI 02s and one Origin 2100 with four processors. The graduate students also make use of 32 processors housed in the Origin 2000, a facility located in the Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Mathematics.