The Impact of The Topology Optimization Method on Engineering Design, including its application to fuel cell engineering
Topology optimization (TO) is a computational engineering tool used to provide optimized geometries, with highly attractive applications in multiphysics areas such as structural, fluid flow, and fuel cell designs. The main goal of TO is to solve a material distribution problem within a design domain considering an objective function and a set of possible constraints. This presentation will cover the concepts of topology optimization focusing on its application for fluidic devices design including fuel cells. In the case of fluids, the design variable values {1} and {0} usually indicate the regions of the domain where the fluid is free to flow (fluid) or is restricted to flow (solid), respectively. The use of TO for fluid problems began with laminar flows, and the current most challenging applications of TO methods for fluid flow design include the consideration of turbulent and compressibility effects. Another important aspect is the design of blood flow devices, since blood is a living fluid, subject to blood damage (hemolysis and thrombosis). Finally, the fuel cell design places a multiphysic challenge in TO in including fluids and electrochemical equations. Thus, this lecture will present the main aspects of TO for fluid flow design covering laminar and turbulent flows, Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, blood damage (hemolysis and thrombosis), incompressible and compressible flows, and fuel cell design. Examples for all cases will be presented.
Biography
Dr. Silva is Professor Titular of Department of Mechatronics and Mechanical Systems Engineering at Polytechnic School of University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. He obtained Bachelor and master degree in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic School, USP, in 1990 and 1993, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, in 1998. During his Ph.D studies at U. of Michigan, he received two awards: Distinguished Achievement Award and Ivor K. McIvor Award, given in recognition of excellence of academic staff, and excellent performance in research, respectively. Dr. Silva has a productivity research fellowship from CNPq (Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development) level 1A. His research focused primarily in studying topology optimization methods applied to multiphysics problems, including fluidic systems such as blood pumps and fuel cells. Currently, he is also the Deputy Scientific Director of the Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI) (https://sites.usp.br/rcgi/br/home/). As a result of the dissemination of his research work during his career, Dr. Silva has published around 150 publications in indexed international scientific journals. Dr. Silva is a member of the editorial board of journals MRC, JSMO, IJSSD, IJCESM, and editor-in-chief of the journal “Polytechnica”. He was the “Chair” of the “MM&FGM2014” congress, held in Brazil, 2014. Dr. Silva acts as an ad hoc consultant for national and international funding agencies.
About Energy Futures Lab
Energy Futures Lab is one of seven Global Institutes at Imperial College London. The institute was established to address global energy challenges by identifying and leading new opportunities to serve industry, government and society at large through high quality research, evidence and advocacy for positive change. The institute aims to promote energy innovation and advance systemic solutions for a sustainable energy future by bringing together the science, engineering and policy expertise at Imperial and fostering collaboration with a wide variety of external partners.