A Small Research Facility for Multi-phase Flows at High Pressure and Temperature

The University of Edinburgh is purchasing a steady flow, high pressure (P < 120 bar) and temperature (T < 1000 K) optically accessible jet and spray research chamber. This chamber is unique within the UK. In addition, the university is also buying a single-cylinder optically accessible research engine. The chamber can be used to study sprays of all kinds; how they develop and react. The engine can be used to study transient fuel sprays as they interact with realistic in-cylinder flows. With this grant, the University of Edinburgh will acquire highly advanced laser diagnostics for multi-parameter measurements in the new chamber and engine, and in other related experimental devices, as a means to leverage the university's substantial equipment investment (£1.4 million) into a UK-wide Small Research Facility (SRF).

The measurements to be acquired by this SRF include:

a) A femtosecond laser system and ancillary devices (e.g. a second harmonic bandwidth compression system (SHBC), frequency resolved optical gating (FROG) to characterize the pulses etc.). The system will be used for hybrid picosecond/femtosecond rotational CARS (coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy), for line-image temperature and species (e.g. O2, N2, H2 etc.) in the jet/spray equipment, and ballistic imaging for investigation of primary breakup in highly atomizing sprays.

b) High-speed (HS) 2-pulse, 532 nm wavelength laser and HS imaging systems for HS stereoscopic PIV, SLIPI imaging, and LII for particulate. A HS 1-pulse, 355/266 nm wavelength laser and HS intensifier system for HS PLIF, phosphors, and LITA.

c) A phase Doppler instrument for droplet/particle size distribution and velocity in reactive jets and sprays

The combined equipment and diagnostics will enable new studies on:

a) Fuel sprays (including alternative fuels), and

b) Supercritical materials synthesis (biofuels, pharmaceuticals, nano-catalysts, polymers etc.).

Our research goals are multi-faceted. The research will enable more efficient combustion engines, reducing their impact on the climate. It will also make it possible to understand and then improve supercritical processing for materials synthesis, helping bring such products to market more effectively. In so doing we will address critical needs for both established industries and for key emerging industries across the UK.

The impacts of this new small research facility (SRF) include:

Technological Impacts - This SRF will reveal both system-wide and very detailed information about jets and sprays. The entire jet will be available for study, from inside the injector, to primary breakup, to spray dispersion and transformation (into vapour or supercritical states), to reaction and product formation. These components of the problem can be studied under realistic conditions (pressure and temperature) with highly advanced diagnostics.

As such it will guide understanding for applications areas as wide as - small IC engines used as range extenders in electric vehicles, automobile, truck and large ship engines; and both large factories (producing biofuels) and smaller factories (producing pharmaceuticals) using supercritical jets.

Training Impacts - the SRF will act as a clearing house and gathering place for a community of spray and jet researchers. As such it will be a community of people acquiring new knowledge; from senior professors and company CTO's to summer interns. The University of Edinburgh will welcome students from a large number of partners. They will all learn from each other while teaching each other inside a highly advanced research environment.

Societal impacts - One main goal of this SRF is to enable the development, production, and use of significantly more efficient transport powertrains, reducing the impact of transport on climate. This must be done while maintaining already low pollutant emissions levels. This is no easy task, the obvious ideas have already been used up, and the kind of detailed work proposed here is the only way to make progress without massive disruptions to the economic system worldwide.

Another goal is to enable new industries based on supercritical jet manufacturing to bring their products to market faster at lower cost via process optimization that is informed by detailed experiments and CFD analysis within the SRF.

An overlap exists between our interest in fuels and interest in supercritical processing in that supercritical jets can be used to synthesize biofuels. We will investigate that topic together with partners.

Outreach Impacts - A new internet/data-sharing/conference system will make it possible for remotely located partners to participate fully in the research. It will also make it possible to engage the wider community, including a goal to have school students observe experiments in real time. This will allowing them to understand how experimental research is done without bringing them into the lab. This initiative could provide many opportunities to engage budding scientists in their formative ages and attract them into STEM careers.