MMAE Seminar by Alireza Dalili: Flow Machines

Armour College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering will welcome Alireza Dalili, a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University, to present a lecture, “Flow Machines.” The virtual seminar will take place on Friday, April 23rd, 2021, from 2–3 p.m.

This event is open to the public. Contact Elena Magnus at magnus@iit.edu for the seminar details and a link to join.

Abstract

In a typical flow network, pumps or fans are often required to induce a flow by raising the head of a fluid. These flow machines are called centrifugal pumps if they handle liquids and fans if they handle gases. They are especially well suited for raising the pressure in a fluid stream. Such devices are used in a variety of applications. In jet engines, they are used as a means of compressing air. Additional applications can be found in blowers, washing machines, or air conditioning units. Fluid is introduced into the pump through the pump eye, where it gets in contact with the rotating impeller. Fluid travels radially outward through the impeller, gaining head in the process, until it leaves the impeller and enters the volute. Finally, it exits the volute through the flow outlet. In this lecture, we will study the operation of centrifugal flow machines. A review of their features and parameters will be carried out and then we will determine their performance characteristics and how this changes for different blade configurations. 

Biography

Alireza Dalili is a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University. He obtained his Ph.D. from University of Toronto. His research is on liquid film formation by spray and droplet impact on a solid surface, focusing particularly on droplet interaction and coalescence and film formation and breakup, as well as bubble transport, entrapment, and escape from sprayed films. His research findings were presented in more than 20 publications with 134 citations. He received multiple awards and scholarships including the Queen Elizabeth II/DuPont Canada Scholarship in Science and Technology. He has served as reviewer for Journal of Coatings Technology Research and npj Microgravity. He has teaching certifications from University of Toronto and has experience teaching fluid mechanics courses and laboratories, as well as technical drawing (drafting), computer-aided design (CAD), product design, and mathematics courses. He has industry experience working at General Motors of Canada and Guide Corporation.