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The Fluids and Thermal Engineering Group uses advanced experimental facilities alongside computational modelling to engage in a broad range of research activities in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, combustion, bio- and renewable fuels and low-carbon propulsion.

The Group’s work covers industrially and environmentally relevant projects associated principally with the automotive, aerospace and power industries.

We have excellent experimental facilities that include well-equipped engine test cells; a wind tunnel with moving ground plane; test facilities for combustion; and test facilities for renewable fuel research. Each research area is supported by a strong, complementary analytical and numerical modelling capability.

Current research interests include:

• Low-carbon propulsion
• Future renewable fuels
• Heat transfer enhancement
• Thermodynamics and properties of new solid and liquid materials
• Turbulent combustion in supersonic and subsonic flows
• Fluid-structure interaction
• A broad spectrum of aerodynamic research from gas turbines and ground vehicles to missiles and space vehicles

Northumbria is a longstanding member of the AVL Advanced Simulation Technologies University Partnership Program and provides students with access to this and other software including Ansys, Star-CCM+, CATIA V5, OpenFOAM, Chemkin and SIMULIA.