Congratulations to Krishan Chana, alumna from the 2015 CDT in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics cohort, runner-up of the Helios Prize 2020.
Krishan was awarded second place for his paper The Effect of Reaction on Compressor Performance which he presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) IGTI Conference.
Krishan summarises his paper below.
“During my PhD., my research has focussed on jet engine aerodynamics. In the field, little is known about the effect of the centrifugal force on rotating compressor blades. The paper develops a unique model in computational fluid dynamics which allows us, for the first time, to understand the effect rotation has on jet engine performance independent of other effects. What I have enjoyed most is being able to use a variety of mathematical tools and computer programs to create a novel solution to a problem that has not been understood before. I have collaborated with designers at Rolls-Royce plc. to implement the work in the analytical routines they run daily, which could significantly improve performance predictions made by their preliminary design systems.
“The work also lays the foundation for the development of a third generation of three-dimensional compressor blades. The Whittle Laboratory is responsible for developing the first two generations of compressor blades, which have involved the redesign of the stationary compressor blades. This third generation could allow the redesign of the rotating blades, likely to have a major impact in reducing CO2 production globally. Addressing the pathway to climate change is something I am passionate about. In light of the annual funding gap of $2.5 trillion identified by the UN to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, I am excited to continue to work on developing models to identifying new opportunities in this area.”
Krishan will receive a cash prize and a brass medal depicting the Greek sun god, Helios, for his prize winning conference paper.