Research Experience
April 2024 –Present
Post-Doctoral Fellow
With Prof. Jacob Cohen
Technion Wind Tunnel Complex
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa, Israel - 3200003
August 2016 –December 2018
Junior Research Fellow
With Prof. Sudip Das
Department of Space Engineering and Rocketry,
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra,Ranchi-835215, India.
Post Doctoral Research (On going)
Project title: Design of a Free Piston Shock Tunnel
Research supervisor: Prof. Jacob Cohen
Description: The research objective focuses on the design and development of a Free Piston Shock Tunnel (FPST) facility capable of conducting aerodynamic measurements under hypersonic flow conditions at Mach numbers ranging from 10 to 12. This advanced facility is designed to simulate high-enthalpy conditions, achieving enthalpy levels up to 8 MJ/kg and stagnation temperatures of approximately 8000 K, replicating the flow characteristics at altitudes of up to 60 kilometers. Comprehensive simulations have been performed to optimize key geometrical parameters and flow conditions, resulting in a range of test configurations that accurately replicate altitudes between 40 and 60 kilometers within the specified Mach number range.
Project title: Transition to Turbulence in a Hypersonic Flow Over a Two-Dimensional Body
Research supervisor: Prof. Jacob Cohen
Description: Demonstration and investigation of the laminar-turbulent induced transition mechanism at M= 6 over 2D bodies (flat plate/ Wedge models). Experiments were conducted in a Ludwieg tube facility using a wedge model fitted with cylindrical roughness elements of varying relative heights, corresponding to height-to-boundary-layer-thickness ratios (h/δ) of 0.46, 0.77, and 1.15. Flow evolution downstream of the roughness was examined through high-speed Schlieren imaging and Planar Laser Rayleigh Scattering (PLRS), while unsteady pressure sensors embedded in the surface provided quantitative measurements of pressure fluctuations.
Ph.D. Thesis
Thesis title: Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interactions Inside a Scramjet Inlet at Hypersonic Speeds.
Thesis supervisor: Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Sugarno
Description: This study aims to examine the influence of leading-edge bluntness on shock wave boundary layer interactions (SWBLI) within a Scramjet inlet. The investigation focuses on three leading-edge radii—sharp, 0.5 mm, and 1.0 mm—applied to both the ramp and cowl surfaces. Experiments are conducted under varying flow conditions, including Mach number and enthalpy, utilizing the shock tunnel and Ludwieg tunnel modes of operation. Furthermore, the impact of surface roughness on SWBLI is assessed to gain insights into the dynamics of the separation bubble. To complement the experimental work and provide a deeper understanding of the SWBLI region, steady, two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Naiver-Stokes (RANS) simulations are performed using the commercial software ANSYS Fluent.
Masters Thesis
Thesis title: Effect of Multi-Protrusion on Regression Rate in a Hybrid Rocket Motor.
Thesis supervisor: Dr. Rajiv Kumar
Description: For the use of hybrid rockets in real time application the main challenges are low regression rate and low combustion efficiency. To improve those, there are several methods, among those use of wax-based fuels with protrusion is one of the best suitable methods. Study was conducted to see the effect of protrusion on regression rate and combustion efficiency with single and multi-protrusions in hybrid rocket motor by varying L/D ratios. Paraffin wax and gaseous oxygen (GOX) were used as a fuel and oxidizer respectively for this study.
Sponsored Project-1 (STC-IIT Kanpur/ISRO)
Project title: Effect of Leading Bluntness on Shock Boundary Layer interactions in Scramjet Inlet
Research supervisor: Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Sugarno
Description: • Shock wave boundary layer interactions inside the Scramjet inlet will be studied by changing flow parameters such as Reynolds number, enthalpy, and Mach number, as well as leading edge bluntness. • Experiments were carried out in Shock tunnel and Ludwieg Tunnel with the help of heat flux measurements and unsteady wall pressure measurements. Qualitative study will be carried out using Schlieren flow visualization. • 2-D numerical simulations were performed using Ansys Fluent software and the simulations were validated with experimental values.
Sponsored Project-2 (DST-SERB )
Project title: An experimental investigation on shock wave focusing and associated high temperature radiating flow field.
Research supervisor: Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Sugarno
Description: This work aims to study the phenomenon of shock wave focusing. The focusing is achieved with a shock tube and a converging section transforms the planar shock into a spherical shock and focuses it into a confined area. Experiments were carried out to study the variation in pressure, temperature in converging section for varies shock strengths using pressure measurements and coaxial thermocouples. Spectroscopy experiments were performed to estimate the ionization and dissociation at high temperatures.
Sponsored Project-3 (RESPOND-ISRO)
Project title: Cavity studies at Supersonic studies.
Research supervisor: Prof. Sudip Das
Description: Computations and experiments were conducted to obtain the flow field over a rectangular cavity having different L/D ratios, with geometric modifications to aft wall at a Mach number of 2.0. • 2-D and 3-D numerical simulations were carried out using ANSYS-Fluent. • Experiments were performed using a supersonic wind tunnel, qualitative study conducted with help of surface Oil flow visualization technique and Schlieren visualization. • Quantitative measurements with the use of unsteady and steady wall pressures sensors on the cavity faces.