91社区

Description

The project will address the mechanical vibrations of systems and structures by using analytical and numerical methods.

Tasks per student

Good knowledge of MECH 315 is a requirement. Developing solutions, make plots using Matlab or Mathematica computer programs, drawings and writing in good English.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Combustion-based technology will maintain a prominent position in the energy sector for the near future. Alternative fuels, low-emission technologies, and a greater understanding of combustion physics are required to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Hydrogen has been proposed as a carbon-free alternative to current fuels but has not been adopted yet because of multiple challenges with its production, storage, safety, and transportation. Ultimately, the use of hydrogen in the energy sector will be determined by the competitiveness of its entire production cycle. This project aims to quantify the cost of energy production from hydrogen combustion to compare it with current environmentally friendly technologies. This preliminary feasibility study should provide a better idea of the amount of hydrogen required to achieve similar power output as current methods and identify bottlenecks in the implementation of a hydrogen economy. Simplified cycles and combustion models will be used to perform the analysis. Contact Antoine Durocher: antoine.durocher [at] mail.mcgill.ca to interview for position.

Tasks per student

Calculate the cost of energy production using hydrogen fuel to compare it with other carbon-free technologies and evaluate the feasibility of developing a hydrogen infrastructure.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

No preference

Description

Metallic particles in suspensions can serve as a clean energy carrier, which can be burned in a reactor to produce energy without carbon emissions. The powder can then be collected and recycled back into its metallic form thanks to renewable energy sources. Iron has been identified as a particularly suitable metal for this purpose but reliable experimental data on the combustion of individual particles is still missing in the literature. Thus, studies describing the ignition, combustion, and extinction of iron particle are needed to improve our understanding and utilisation of iron combustion. The project consists in performing measurements, such as of combustion time or ignition temperature. Contact Jan Palecka (jan.palecka [at] mail.mcgill.ca) for the position.

Tasks per student

Perform experimental observations of individual particle combustion events and obtain measurements of combustion properties. The analysis may be performed on MATLAB or similar software.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

The combustion of suspensions plays an important role in industrial production and safety, as well as in propulsion and in energy production. In many cases, the concentration of particulates plays an important role in determining the rate of reaction and of propagation of such flames. Current particle concentration measurements often rely on imprecise techniques or mere estimates of the concentration from flow rate data. The project consists in the development and testing of a laser-based optical system aimed at directly measuring concentrations of micron-sized spherical particles in the flow. Contact Jan Palecka (jan.palecka [at] mail.mcgill.ca) for the position.

Tasks per student

The student will improve on an existing optical setup and will perform particle count measurements to assess the accuracy of the system.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 2

Description

Metallic particles burned in suspensions can serve as a clean energy carrier, which can be burned in a reactor to produce energy without carbon emissions. Yet, little is known about flame instabilities, which often develop during the propagation of such heterogeneous flames and which are likely to have a profound effect on the structural stability and performance of prospective burners. The goal of the project is to investigate the frontal properties of such metal flames using existing experimental apparatuses. Contact Jan Palecka (jan.palecka [at] mail.mcgill.ca) for the position.

Tasks per student

Perform experimental observations of flame propagation in experimental apparatuses and obtain measurements of frontal properties of the flames. The analysis may be performed on MATLAB or similar software.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

A shift towards the use of renewable energy is necessary to fight climate change. Existing studies have concluded that it is possible to transition to an energy system that relies solely on wind, water and solar primary energy. However, solar energy in the Canadian context is not well understood. Specific challenges such as seasonal variability and extreme temperatures have not been closely examined. This project aims to estimate the amount of solar energy available in Canada and model its variation on a daily and seasonal basis. This type of study is necessary in order to gain an understanding of how solar energy could be integrated into the Canadian energy landscape and the infrastructure needed to support such a shift. Contact Keena Trowell: keena.trowell [at] mail.mcgill.ca

Tasks per student

Review literature regarding solar resources available in Canada, relevant technologies and estimate Canadian solar capacity (including seasonal variability) as well as cost.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

No preference

Description

Over the last several year an analogue Robotic Spine (TIM) was developed in the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab. This spine has pneumatic muscles and cavities with a control system in place. In theory the spine is designed to represent a simplified version of how we control our own spines. This summer project will take up the project were others have left off. In brief, the main goal of the project is to execute test of stability of the spine. That is, how the spine responds under different loading configurations. Response is tested based on movement, muscle response, and intervertebral disc pressures. Some minor updates to the model will be required and thus hands on experience is a plus.

Tasks per student

- Update spinal robot muscles and membranes as needed - Use and modify control (PID) in place - Execute biomechanical control tests with the robotic spine under loading

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Vehicles that are able to autonomously move in the air, on the ground, or underwater must fuse various forms of sensor data together in order to ascertain the vehicles precise location relative to objects. Typical sensor data includes inertial measurement unit (IMU) data and some sort of range data from an optical camera, radar, or LIDAR. This SURE project will focus on sensor fusion using both traditional tools, such as the Kalman filter, and untraditional tools, such as Gaussian process regression. Students best fit for this position are those interested in using mathematical tools, such as linear algebra, probability theory, and numerical optimization, to solve problems found in robotics. Experience with matlab and/or C programming is desired. Depending on the students interest and/or experience, the students may work more with data and hardware, or more with theory.

Tasks per student

- Formulate the constrained estimation problem. - Write matlab code to test the algorithm in a simulation. - Test on experimental data.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Some compacted mixtures of metal and metal oxide powders as well as bulk reactive metals can react upon impact with a solid wall. This project will focus on the use of a light gas gun and a test section to study the impact-induced fragmentation and reaction of various metallic projectiles. High-speed photography will be used to observe the fragmentation process, and emission spectroscopy will be used to infer the temperature of reacting fragments. The operation of a new particle impact gauge containing a triboluminescent powder (a material that emits a flash of light when impacted) will also be tested to detect the impact of high-speed particles. Please contact Geoff Chase (geoff.chase [at] mail.mcgill.ca) to interview for this position.

Tasks per student

Assist with the development of diagnostics and the operation of the light gas gun to visualize the impact of a particle with an end wall and the subsequent fragmentation and reaction. Carry out tests with various particles and gas mixtures. Test the operation of a particle impact gauge.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

The rotating detonation engine is a promising new concept for aerospace propulsion that use a detonation wave to rapidly and continuously burn a fuel-oxidizer mixture in an annular channel. This concept has the theoretical potential to obtain greater specific impulse via self-pressurization of the combustion chamber. This project is aimed toward developing a rotating detonation engine that can fly on a suborbital demonstration flight.

Tasks per student

Student 1: Student 1 will perform computational simulations of the operation of a rotating engine using OpenFOAM or equivalent CFD package. Using simplified chemistry, the conditions for stabilized detonation will be identified. The thermal and structural response of the engine will also be examined. Student 2: Student 2 will oversee the hardware development and experimental testing of the RDE engine using a 91社区-based facility. Experimental measurements will be made via high-speed video, pressure transducer, strain gage, etc.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

No preference

Description

The ability of gigawatt-class lasers to accelerate thin films of dielectric materials to velocities approaching a significant fraction of lightspeed is now recognized as a feasible means to achieve interstellar flight. How the sail, which will likely be thinner than a micron, responds to the laser loading is an outstanding question. This project will examine the dynamics of laser-driven lightsails both computationally and experimentally.

Tasks per student

Student 1: Student 1 will develop a finite-element model of the sail dynamics, including the elastics and viscoelastic response of the sail. The response of a sail, perturbed with different sinusoidal perturbations of varying wavelength, and exposed to intense laser radiation flux will be examined. Student 2: Student 2 will experimentally study the dynamics of thin films that represent candidate light-sail materials under simulated laser loading using gasdynamic techniques in the laboratory. The dynamics of the sail will be measured using high-speed videography and laser Doppler velocimetry.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

No preference

Description

Laser thermal propulsion is a concept wherein a high-power laser heats a propellant (usually hydrogen) to very high temperatures. Expansion of the high-temperature propellant in a plasma state through a nozzle generates thrust. This technology would enable rapid transit missions within the solar system (e.g., Mars in a month, etc.). A significant issue is the radiative heat transfer to the walls of the heating chamber, which can melt the walls and also reduce performance. This project will examine the radiative heat transfer in high-temperature hydrogen and techniques to trap the radiation via 鈥渟eeding鈥� the hydrogen.

Tasks per student

Student 1: Student 1 will develop a two-dimensional computer code to model the laser heating and radiative heat transfer through high-temperature/ionized hydrogen. Student 2: Student 2 will conduct experiments using a new facility (presently under construction at 91社区) to create high temperature ionized hydrogen via imploding shock waves. The radiative emissions will be recorded via spectroscopic and radiometric measurements, viewing the ionized region directly and through a layer of seeded hydrogen.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

No preference

Description

The recent arrival of modular, inexpensive fiber optic lasers may enable a disruption of deep-space propulsion, wherein large phased arrays of lasers may be able to deliver energy over very great distances, enabling rapid transit in the solar system and interstellar flight. The very intense laser fluxes, however, present both a challenge and an opportunity: The flux may damage key spacecraft components (lightsail, etc.) but may also be able to vaporize interplanetary dust grains that could impact the spacecraft prior to impact.

Tasks per student

Student 1: Student 1 will develop a model of laser interaction with thin-film materials (lightsails, etc.), incorporating diffraction of laser light around the sail. Solutions for Gaussian beams and other beam profiles of interest for laser-driven interstellar flight will be considered. The vaporization of a dust grain exposed to the diffracted laser beam will be modelled using one-dimensional and two-dimensional laser ablation models. Student 2: Student 2 will conduct experiments using a 10 W, 1-micron-wavelegth fiber-laser (under construction at 91社区) to examine vaporization of dust grains (representative of interplanetary dust). Fluxes on the order of 10^9 to 10^11 W/m^2 will be examined, and the response of grains of representative materials (carbon, alumina, iron, etc.) will be examined and compared to model predictions.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

No preference

Description

This project will build a fiber-optic laser where the lasing medium is fiber optic doped with ytterbium to produce a laser wavelength of 1 micron. An emphasis will be placed on a modular, inexpensive design that can be readily scaled up by duplication of the design. Such lasers, if combined in parallel arrays, have the ability to deliver laser power over very great distances that could be used for power transmission and for laser thermal, laser electric, or direct photon pressure propulsion for spaceflight in deep space.

Tasks per student

The student will be responsible for assembly the components and testing the laser, measuring the output, modelling the performance using software (e.g., OptiSystem). The student will be responsible for packaging and coupling the laser to experimental set-ups for laser dust grain vaporization and laser thermal propulsion.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

No preference

Description

Composites are used vastly in the automotive industry and their application is constantly growing. These composites must be inexpensive, manufactured at high volumes, and have relatively good mechanical properties. The goal of this project is to investigate the effect of graphene on the composite鈥檚 performance. The graphene used here has low cost and will be integrated in the composite by mixing in the resin and different fibre manipulation methods. Firstly, the neat resin and nanocomposite are characterized, then, the graphene is added to the resin + preform to make the multiscale composite. A range of properties of the developed composites will be assessed while seeking new applications for them.

Tasks per student

1) Fabricating composite coupons 2) Evaluating the mechanical and electrical properties of the coupons

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

The research being conducted is to investigate the process parameters involved in SNAP-RTM. SNAP-RTM is a short novel affordable process to produce composite structures for the transport industry. Resin systems involved in SNAP-RTM are highly reactive, which involves thermal, fluid, and chemical phenomena all occurring in few minutes. In this project, the SURE recipient will be required to perform experiments with a lab scale fixture, making 2D coupons with different process parameters. The coupons will be visually and mechanical tested to measure their quality.

Tasks per student

With the support of two Ph.D. (Thesis) students and the lab team: 1) Produce 2D coupons with the lab scale fixture 2) Mechanical tests of the coupons to measure their strength. 3) Microscope visual test of the coupons to measure defects.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

This project involves experimental work for detecting defects in aerospace composite parts made by the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process. This is a manufacturing method that is used to make many large aircraft composite parts.

Tasks per student

Microscopy and other visualization methods Sample Preparation Data Analysis

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 2

Description

We are now recycling fiberglass from used Wind Turbines and the recycled fibers are being converted into a material for use in 3D printing. Fiber-reinforced filaments are being produced and 3D printing results must be evaluated. Students working on this project will be able to create demonstrator parts to showcase this technology

Tasks per student

Learn about recycling of composite materials Assist in making reinforced PLA Composite filament material Design 3D printed parts from simple to complex shapes Test the parts

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 2

Description

Cell therapy, in which cellular materials are injected or implanted to patients with limited regenerative capacity to instruct and facilitate local tissue repair has emerged as an exciting technique for enhanced tissue regeneration. Hydrogels with highly defined and customizable tissue-mimetic mechanical, chemical and biological properties are one of the most promising candidates for this purpose. A better understanding of how hydrogel material mechanics could affect cellular function would provide valuable instructions for the design and development of biomaterials as mechanically and biologically functional scaffold for advanced cell delivery and therapy. In this project, we will design alginate hydrogels with different mechanical properties (including stiffness and viscoelasticity) and investigate how these mechanical stimuli could influence cellular behaviors. The cell-laden hydrogel will be later incorporated within a bioreactor with dynamic loading functions to study the effects of dynamic biomechanical environments on cellular functions.

Tasks per student

Biomaterials synthesis and mechanical testing; cell culture; microscopy; cell marker staining and analysis; interdisciplinary collaborations with engineers and biologists.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

No preference

Description

Damage of Intervertebral discs (IVDs) have been proven to cause lower back pain. One of the major causes of IVD damage is the complex mechanical loading experienced during daily activities. This complex loading includes axial compression, torsion, flexion, extension, and lateral bending. To understand IVD damage and develop effective treatments, ex vivo culturing of the entire disc organ for IVD bioreactors are in high demand. Though the effect of static and dynamic axial compression has been studied extensively, little is known about the biomechanical response of the disc, and the disc cells, under the condition of dynamic complex loading. To address this need, this project is to develop an IVD bioreactor capable of applying these complex load cases. This project aims to develop a new organ culture loading system with a loading pattern according to human daily activities and to validate the performance of this loading system against human physiological and pathological conditions. The bioreactor will be later incorporated with cell-laden hydrogel to study the effects of dynamic biomechanical environments on cellular functions.

Tasks per student

Biomaterials synthesis and material testing; electro-mechanical design and testing; interdisciplinary collaborations with engineers and surgeons.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

No preference

Description

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Asthma affects 300 million people worldwide, causing 250,000 deaths annually. Its pathogenesis involves interplay between genetic polymorphisms, environmental and immune factors. Steroids are used to reduce airway inflammation by inducing eosinophils apoptosis, thereby increasing levels of IL-10. We aim to create a model of atopic asthma using microfluidics. The model will allow the co-culture of epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages to recapitulate the interactions with TGF-尾, and with secreted IL-10 in a 2D air-culture. The substrate will encapsulate macrophages and induce their migration. The second channel will mimic the fibroblast interface in healthy and asthmatic conditions. We will use an allergen to initiate the inflammatory response by IL-13 activation. The effectiveness of corticosteroid budesonide, mepolizumab, and other asthma drugs will be tested. We will investigate the therapeutic effect of IL-10 on inflammation by evaluating the differentiation of macrophages into M2c, and M2a cells, epithelium phenotype, and mucus degradation. We will modify the substrate with nanoscale topographical features to provide biophysical cues, and improve cell adhesion. Complex dynamic interactions between cells and their microenvironment and secretory interleukins will be modeled computationally to design the microfluidic platform, coordinate the activation and inactivation of specific cells and interleukins, and to adjust the dosage of steroids based on experiments. The microfluidic in-vitro model and the computational model will improve our understanding of the inflammatory characteristics of asthma.

Tasks per student

Student 1: Computational modeling and analysis Student 2: Microdevice fabrication Student 3: Cell culturing and biological assays

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Number of positions

3

Academic Level

No preference

Description

For surgical training, virtual surgical planning and numerical model validation, reproducible synthetic arterials mockups (phantoms) are needed. These models need to replicate the mechanical properties of native tissue (hyperelastic, anisotropic, heterogeneous). The large deformation, the layered structure and pathological degradation of the vessel need to be mimicked. In this regard, we initiated the development of anthropomorphic tissue-mimicking mockups (TMM) that exhibit the major mechanical, anatomical and pathological characteristics of vessels. The TMM is made of a cryogel, polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C), which has excellent biocompatibility and is suitable for imaging modalities. By varying the parameters during cryogel fabrication, it possible to tailor the mechanical strength of PVA-C to that of human arteries. The project aims particularly at the incorporation of synthetic inclusions to reproduce the pathological deposition of calcium in the vessels.

Tasks per student

The candidate will help in characterizing the mechanical properties of the synthetic vessels and pathological calcium synthetic inclusions, fabricating the phantoms and incorporating the calcium inclusions structures in the artificial vessels and subsequently test the phantoms using medical imaging.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

No preference

Description

A high spatial and temporal resolution static pressure sensor has been developed by two previous SURE students. This sensor requires further refinement, to increase its signal-to-noise ratio at high frequencies (> 1 kHz). Once completed, combined measurements of turbulent pressure and temperature measurements will be undertaken (with the latter by way of cold-wire thermometry).

Tasks per student

1) Become familiar with the current pressure sensor 2) Propose a refined design to improve its performance 3)Lean how to make high-resolution cold-wire thermometry measurements 4) Make combined pressure and temperature measurements in the turbulent wake of a heated cylinder. 5) Prepare a report summarizing the student's activities.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

The Aerospace Mechatronics Laboratory houses a wide range of unmanned aerial vehicles, including quadrotors, gliders, fixed-wing and hybrid aircraft. The overall objective of our research is to develop platforms for a range of tasks. Example applications include gliders for wildfire monitoring and fixed-wing aircraft for autonomous acrobatic flight through obstacle fields. Two SURE students are sought with strong interest and aptitude for research in the areas of robotics, mechatronics and aerial systems. Depending on the status of the above projects, the student is expected to contribute to experimental testing of components and to flight tests with these platforms. In addition, the students will be involved with interfacing new sensors into the platforms, for the purposes of acquiring data and for closed loop control. Some programming experience would be useful for the development of a real-time hardware-in-the-loop simulation. The students are expected to assist with hardware interfacing, programming, conducting experiments, and processing the data.

Tasks per student

The tasks will be varied and could accommodate mechanical, electrical or software engineering students; but ideally someone with experience in all aspects. Tasks will include some interfacing of sensing hardware with microprocessors; programming; some CAD modeling; some Matlab/Simulink modeling; and finally, experimental testing.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Tip vortices are generated by nite lifting surfaces and lead to induced drag, which contributes to the overall drag. Commercial aircrafts use winglets to counteract this effect, which despite being bio-inspired, are limited by manufacturing capabilities and have simple geometries. Research into incorporating complex geometries on lifting surfaces is an area of growing interest that draws inspiration from bird wings. To this effect, four chevrons with a fixed wave-length and varying depths were cut into the tips of a flat plate and have shown to give wider and weaker tip vortices. However, the impact of chevron wing-tips on the aerodynamic characteristics such as lift, drag and moments, as well as the pressure distribution over the lifting surface is not very clear. Furthermore, the effect of changing the chevron geometry i.e., variable number of chevrons and/or wavelengths is also yet to be explored.

Tasks per student

1. Design variable chevron geometries and cut them into the tips of a flat plate using a laser cutter. 2. Perform load cell measurements to obtain the aerodynamic force and moment coefficients in a low-speed wind tunnel. 3. Study the pressure distribution over the chevron tip flat plate using a 64 channel pressure transducer.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

In a concept called Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF), a plasma is compressed to fusion conditions using a collapsing liquid cavity. The liquid must be rotating to form a spherical-like cavity but is initially injected from a stationary liquid injector, resulting in a complex flow. The liquid will be injected via a stationary mesh into a rotating mesh that assists in shaping the cavity, but the flow through this rotor-stator can also result in instabilities that may cause the inner surface of the liquid cavity to become unstable, limiting the degree of compression achieved. This project will examine the development of instability on the liquid surface and how the instability may be suppressed. -- Project done in collaboration with Prof. Higgins

Tasks per student

Student will develop diagnostic techniques (laser Doppler velocimetry, particle imaging velocimetry) to measure the magnitude of velocity perturbations in the fluid. Software for the reduction and analysis of the data will be developed. The results will be compared to modelling predictions.

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

No preference

Description

The 91社区 fluids laboratory is developing a multi-fan wind tunnel facility for testing unsteady aerodynamic effects on drones and other types of aircraft. To study the unsteady aerodynamics effects, the multi-fan (81 fans in total) wind tunnel facility requires a proper signal generator to vary the RPM of each fan independently. Preliminary prototyping of a signal generator to drive these 81 fans has been done using simple Arduino microcontrollers. This project aims at developing, building and testing a more robust controller that can generate 81 independent PWM signals with variable duty cycles.

Tasks per student

1) Design and fabricate a working PWM signal generator capable of generating and varying at least 81 individual outputs. 2) Help troubleshoot and optimize this device and implement desired fluctuating outputs. 3) Aid in developing a template/interface to create future signal outputs.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Systems in space are vulnerable to large temperature changes when travelling into and out of the Earth's shadow. Variations in temperature can lead to undesired geometry deformation in sensitive applications requiring very fine precision, such as sub-reflector supporting struts. To suppress temperature induced failures, materials with a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are generally sought over a wide range of temperatures. Besides low CTE, desirable stiffness, strength and extraordinarily low mass are other mechanical properties critical to guarantee. We are developing a novel class of materials with tunable coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), low mass, besides high stiffness and strength, and capability to reversibly reconfigure their shapes. We are not moving into the implementation phase where several prototypes are being built and tested under a range of testing conditions. Various gradients of temperature are applied to test the robustness of the concepts so far introduced.

Tasks per student

The students will help graduate students in fabricating and testing proof-of-concept materials with tunable thermal expansion and reconfigurable characteristics

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Professor Sharf is working with FPInnovations on increasing robotics and automation in tree harvesting machinery. Since summer 2019, her group has been using a simulator of the machines developed in Vortex studio to support research in motion planning for the feller-buncher and forwarder. The simulator needs further development to include the machines immediate environment, realistic representation of the forest and the terrain and interaction between machine and environment. This topic is motivated by the need for having a 鈥榙igital twin鈥� of the system, that is a high-fidelity simulator that can be used for visualization, development and evaluation of new control and motion planning strategies for automating aspects of tree cutting operations. In addition to improving the simulator, we need to develop a seamless and easy interface between motion planner and controllers that are developed in Matlab/Simulink environment and the simulator in Vortex studio. Another aspect of the work will be to integrate different sensors on the modelled machines in Vortex Studio with the view to validating in simulation the measurements obtained by these sensors during reaslistic machine operations. The student will also continue the work carried out by the capstone design group during 2019-2020 academic year on integrating a camera into the head of the feller buncher. This will involve completing the integration of the sensor as needed, collecting and processing data from the sensor and making improvements to the original design. Finally, Professor Sharf will be initiating a project with MacLean Engineering to develop models of some of their machines for underground mining applications and to evaluate motion planning with dynamic stability for these machines. The above directions will be prioritized based on the need, and availability of information need to proceed with each one.

Tasks per student

1) Familiarize with existing models of machines in Vortex Studio; 2) Integrate real forest data into the model; 3) Develop interface between Matlab and Vortex Studio; 4) Collect and process data from camera sensor on feller-buncher; 5) Develop model of underground mining machine and study motion planning with dynamic stability.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Harnessing the Sun鈥檚 energy into a renewable, low-carbon heat source for power generation is the basis of solar thermal energy technologies. Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants use mirrors to concentrate natural sunlight hundreds to thousands of times, producing excess thermal energy during the day that can be stored at low-cost, and used during night-time operation to dispatch electricity 24/7. The Thermal Energy Laboratory is currently developing direct absorption high temperature molten salt solar receiver technology to be used in CSP applications. This project will focus on developing new diagnostic methods and computational tools to investigate the receiver鈥檚 thermofluid performance and to optimize its design. Monte Carlo ray tracing methods will be used to calculate photon transport (radiative heat transfer) in the system. A small-scale laboratory experiment will also be developed to investigate natural convection and radiative heat transfer interactions in molten salts using particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques. Students interested in alternative energy technologies, numerical methods, radiative heat transfer, instrumentation and optics are encouraged to apply.

Tasks per student

(1) Develop a Monte Carlo Ray-Tracing simulation in Matlab. (2) Develop a preliminary lab-scale molten salt experiment with particle image velocimetry.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 2

Description

Design of aerodynamic surfaces using high-fidelity approaches have typically been demonstrated through gradient-based optimization techniques for their lower computational cost but these approaches can only guarantee local optimum solutions. Traditional artificial intelligence using genetic algorithms and/or surrogate modeling based neural-network techniques have not been able to compete non only in terms of the lower computational cost of gradient-based techniques but these approaches have not been able to realize global optimum solutions that are superior to gradient-based approaches. Both approaches have been employed and compared within the computational aerodynamic design community for a series of benchmark aerodynamic design cases in the past with inconclusive results. The objective of this summer research project is to revisit this research problem and systematically establish a comprehensive comparison between the approaches.

Tasks per student

The summer student will employ common approaches in neural network techniques and couple the code to our in-house computational aerodynamics analysis and design code. The student will then compare the approaches for a standard series of benchmark problems and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 2

Description

Traditional CFD programs rely on what are known as low-order methods. These are methods defined to have a spatial order of accuracy, the rate at which the error of the numerical solution decreases as the mesh is refined, of at most 2. This low order of accuracy in turn results in the need for very fine meshes for obtaining accurate numerical solutions with low errors. The drawback, however, is that solutions on these fine meshes are accompanied with very high computational costs. This impediment caused by the order of accuracy of low-order methods has resulted into increased research into computational approaches known by, unsurprisingly, high-order methods. These methods allow for much higher spatial orders of accuracy, thus allowing the ability to obtain numerical solutions with low errors on coarser meshes. Several high-order methods have been the principal focus of research in the past years including the Discontinuous Galerkin method, Spectral Difference method and Flux Reconstruction approach. One complication that has plagued high-order and low-order methods alike, however, is the ability to interface easily with CAD geometries. To alleviate this issue, an approach known as Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) will be studied. This technique proposes the use of Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) basis functions, the same functions used in CAD programs to parametrize geometries, as the function space to represent the flow's numerical solution. In addition, applications of high-order methods incorporating IGA to aerodynamic shape optimization will be investigated. The scholar has incorporated an adjoint-based approach to compute the gradients required for shape optimization through a previous summer research. In this work, the focus will be on the introduction of NURBS.

Tasks per student

The summer scholar will work first on implementing IGA to numerically compute solutions to the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations by incorporating NURBS basis functions within a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin method flow solver. Studies will be conducted to check the numerical stability and effectiveness of the use of NURBS basis functions as a solution space as opposed to traditional polynomial function spaces.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 2

Description

Professor Sharf's research group is working on several projects with unmanned aerial vehicles. In particular, research is ongoing on collaborative payload transport using several UAVs as well as the use of unmanned gliders for wildfire surveillance. The research spans modeling and simulation of these systems, design and integration related to modifying commercial vehicles to meet the requirements of the projects, developing controller and state estimators and flight testing in the field. The student will be involved in different aspects of the research working jointly with graduate students to further the research.

Tasks per student

1) familiarize with project objectives, hardware and software available; 2) develop and integrate hardware for collaborative payload transport and glider surveillance; 3) assist with carrying out flight testing: preparation, execution and post-processing of data from flights; 4) assist with further development of supporting simulation tools

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Due to its effect on the climate and the environment, combustion of fossil fuels has become an important concern for power generation gas turbines and aeronautical engines. Increasingly rigorous emissions restrictions on polluting species such as nitric oxides are leading these industries to develop new technologies such as lean premixed combustion. This technology allows the flame to burn at a lower temperature and leads to lower emissions of nitric oxides molecules. However, lean burn engines suffer flame instability and lean blown-out. This requires the development of new methods to achieve stable lean combustion. In the last two decades, nanosecond repetitive pulsed discharges (NRP) have been demonstrated as a promising technique to improve ignition, flame stability, combustion efficiency, and reduce emissions. This is explained by the fact that NRP discharges release heat and generate reactive species in a time scale and temperature window which combustion itself cannot achieve. This project consists in the development of a plasma-assisted pilot flame for ultra-lean combustion in gas turbine applications. The student must be interested in working in a laboratory. Please contact Julien Lambert at julien.lambert [at] mail.mcgill.ca to interview for position.

Tasks per student

路 The student will design and develop a pilot flame burner and implement high-voltage electrodes to deliver NRP discharges in the flame to increase its stability.

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Number of positions

1

Academic Level

Year 3

Description

Co-simulation is a common methodology for larger scale dynamic models used in virtual environments to interface different subsystem elements. In this project we primarily investigate virtual environments for aerospace and vehicle systems where the main sub-model represents the dynamics of the mechanical subsystem. A new model-based method was recently introduced for interfacing the mechanical subsystem with other system elements. This relies on a reduced-order model concept. The work in this project will involve the further development, implementation, and testing of this methodology for different aerospace, vehicle, and robotic applications. This will also include the analysis of the use of this technique to interface virtual environments with human users through force feedback based haptics.

Tasks per student

Carry the development of models, algorithms, and implementations

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Number of positions

2

Academic Level

Year 3