S Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence
for Research in Fluid and Thermal Sciences
Research Areas
Our Research Areas
Encourages collaboration across aerospace, mechanical, and computational domains to solve complex engineering challenges. This approach integrates theory, simulation, and experimentation for impactful research outcomes.
Active Thermal Management for Next-Generation Electronics
To design and optimize high performance two-phase cooling systems, including microchannels and spray cooling, to manage significant heat from advanced spacecraft electronics.
Key Approach A dual experimental and numerical methodology. Experimental: Utilize a high-fidelity flow loop to conduct field measurements of temperature and heat flux using high-speed optical and infrared cameras Numerical: Perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using OpenFOAM and ANSYS Fluent to gain physical insights and optimize system parameters.
02
Passive Thermal Management with Advanced Phase-Change Devices
Core objective: To identify and develop the optimal passive cooling system design, including material choices and liquid properties, for space electronics
Our Focus: Existing flat heat pipes have performance limitations.
We will investigate novel hybrid wick structures (sintered, screen mesh, metal foam) to improve heat transfer rates and dry-out limits. Key Approach Focus on material science and performance characterization Wettability engineering: Modify surface properties (hydrophobic, hydrophilic) to enhance capillary action and fluid transport without external power. Fabrication & Testing: Develop and test novel hybrid wick structures and wickless designs to improve heat transfer and mitigate hotspots. Performance Metrics: Characterize device efficiency using thermal resistance and spreading resistance
03
Cryogenic Tank Thermodynamics
Core Objective: To build a facility and generate critical data to characterize propellant tank thermodynamics, ultimately leading to more efficient utilization of cryogenic propellants and better propulsion system design.
Key Approach: Experimental investigation using liquid nitrogen as working fluid. Facility Enhancement: Modify the existing, proven sloshing test rig to incorporate helium bubbling experiments Dynamic Testing: Conduct experiments simulating launch conditions, including lateral and longitudinal excitations, to study pressure responses across various wave modes (planar, chaotic, swirl) Model Development: Develop a condensation-evaporation model to estimate mass transfer based on experimental data
04
Data-Driven Thermal Modeling
Objective: To create ultra-fast, accurate Reduced Order Models that can predict spacecraft thermal behaviour in seconds or milliseconds, compared to hours for traditional high-fidelity simulations. This enables real-time decision-making during critical mission phases.
Key Approach: A comparative study of modern reduction techniques. Intrusive (Physical-Based): Investigate Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and advanced Least-Squares method. Non-Intrusive (Data-Based): Explore Dynamic Mode Decomposition and its variants. Machine Learning: Evaluate hybrid techniques like Physics-Informed DeepONets to leverage the strengths of both data and physics.
