Thermal management in energy systems is needed to control heat. One of the passive techniques is to utilize phase change materials (PCM). PCM can accumulate a significant amount of heat in small volumes and can be easily integrated with energy systems to be cooled. One of the current Ph.D. projects is on developing a thermal management system for futuristic space missions, which contribute to colonizing outer space, remote sensing, communication, navigation, space research, and meteorology. We develop CFD models to advance understanding of convection-diffusion phenomena under the effect of influencing parameters and hostile space environmental conditions such as rapidly changing illumination, low-and hyper-gravity environments for designing the PCM-based thermal control system. 

We develop CFD models to advance understanding of convection-diffusion phenomena under the effect of influencing parameters and hostile space environmental conditions such as rapidly changing illumination, micro-and hyper-gravity environments for designing the PCM-based thermal control system. 

With the Implementation of advanced technologies and active participation from all entities of the society, water issues such as water shortage, leakage, quality degradation, increased energy consumption, infrastructure aging, etc. can be alleviated in a much more energy efficient and sustainable manner. Our lab is working on one such project to overcome water issues and other associated challenges. We are developing a Smart Graded-Water Supply Grid (1MLD capacity) framework which will optimally utilize the capabilities of locally available water and energy resources in the IIT Jodhpur campus to deliver graded water using smart sensors and ICT network in combination with IoT, and AI. Read our article here.

A real-time water supply monitoring system is deployed inside IIT Jodhpur campus to continuously assess the quantity and quality of the treated water. A web-based dashboard, configurable and accessible to authorized users, is designed to visualize the data. The deployed system generates alerts during abnormal water flow, pressure, and quality conditions. 

Read our recent article here and poster here. Watch the video here.

Automotive Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator technology involves the utilization of waste heat from automobiles and then converting it to electricity that can either be stored or used in vehicles, thus improving fuel efficiency. However, the implementation of this technology in waste heat recovery has some challenges like, low efficiency of thermoelectric modules, and high convective resistance between exhaust gas and heat exchanger resulting in low and non-uniform temperatures on the hot side. The focus of the present study is to design an efficient and optimized heat exchanger design for Automotive Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator. We are developing new hot heat exchanger configurations using detailed multiphysics simulations, prototypes of which will be tested experimentally under dynamic conditions. 

Fin and tube heat exchangers are among the most commonly used heat exchanger configuration in boilers. However, sufficient performance data with different fin designs are still lacking which is critical in achieving cost-effective operation. We developed multiphysics CFD models of different fin and tube heat exchangers to investigate the heat transfer and pressure loss performance and generate meaningful data. We investigated H-type finned tube heat exchangers and developed enhanced designs for waste heat recovery for the marine exhaust gas boiler for Alfa Laval Kolding A/S,  Denmark. Some of our papers on waste heat recovery are: 

Implications of fin profiles on overall performance and weight reduction of a fin and tube heat exchanger

Investigation of material efficient fin patterns for cost-effective operation of fin and tube heat exchanger

Modeling and optimization of integrated exhaust gas recirculation and multi-stage waste heat recovery in marine engines

Utilizing Vortex Generators is one of the most effective heat transfer enhancement methods in the field of improved heat exchangers. We study the fin-and-tube heat exchanger design to investigate the combined enhancement using herringbone fin and the winglet VG under the influence of different flow conditions. A CFD model is developed to simulate the conjugate heat transfer and the airflow using a coupled open-source solver in OpenFOAM. The study showed that VGs not only increase the heat transfer in the herringbone fin but also decrease the pressure drop. The highest and longest investigated VG design is found to perform the best because of its ability to delay the flow detachment from the tube, to feed high kinetic energy flow to the recirculation zone and to create longitudinal vortices in the downstream region from the VG. Read our paper here.

ECSR team members from the Med-tech program is working on the design and development of medical devices for the critical care unit. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common condition in critically ill patients, which may occur in more than 48 h after the initiation of endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. In the current project, a medical device to reduce the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia is being developed. The initial phase of this project focuses on the design of the device optimized with the help of CFD simulations using real anatomical geometry. Further research will be done on the validation of the 3D-printed prototype of the device using analytical testing and consequently through clinical trials.

Thermal energy storages have shown a huge potential to harness useful energy from renewables (Solar and wind) and store it for peak demand or later use. Based on reliability and environmental sustainability, sensible heat storage employing rocks as storage material actually is a more practical and efficient approach.  Rocks are cheap, easily available and allow a much wider working temperature range (up to 800°C) than other existing technologies. We perform performance studies to investigate the potential of natural rocks to store heat in medium- to high-temperature range applications with a primary focus on designs for the integration with Concentrated Solar Power. Read our paper here.