Abstract:

New insights from advanced laser diagnostic methods are becoming available of the dynamics of particle-laden flows under conditions of relevance to pulverized fuel combustors, solar thermal receivers and industrial reactors. These practical devices typically operate with a volumetric loading of particles that is sufficiently high for the particles to influence the fluid flow (i.e. the two-way coupled regime) and, for some cases, where inter-particle interactions are also significant (the four-way coupled regime). However, detailed measurements in such flows have been scarce until recently, particularly under conditions with high heating rate, due to the interference of the particles on most available methods.  The presentation will describe new insights into the behavior of such flows that are emerging from recent developments in optical methods, which provide multi-dimensional measurement of the distributions of particle velocity, number density and temperature of both phases under heating rates of up to 30 MW/m2.

Biography:

Professor Nathan is the founding Director of The University of Adelaide’s Centre for Energy Technology, a Fellow of the Combustion Institute, a recipient of a Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award from the Australian Research Council and an ATSE KH Sutherland medalist. He has led the development of 3 technology platforms to ongoing commercial use, including the ceremonial flame technology that was first implemented in the Relay Torch for the Sydney Olympic Games. He presently leads Solar Fuels program in the ARENA funded Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute and another ARENA funded program that is targetting cost-effective methods with which to implement up to 50% solar thermal energy into the Bayer alumina process. He has published some 200 papers in international journals, 250 peer reviewed conferences and 11 patents.  He is a Fellow of the Combustion Institute, an ARC Discovery Outstanding Researcher, the inaugural AIE-SA Energy Professional of the Year.