Research Projects

Plastic production and mismanagement are significant environmental concerns, with an estimated 380 million tons of plastic waste in landfills or the environment by 2050. The coronavirus outbreak has exacerbated single-use plastic production, with facemasks contributing to 1.6 million tonnes/day. Mismanaged plastic finds its way into water bodies through various sources. This project aims to improve the performance of helical hydrokinetic turbines (H-HKTs) through a comprehensive study on parameters influencing their performance, optimization of the turbine for higher performance through an automated approach, and experimental investigation of the optimized turbine. The methodology for this project includes challenging CFD-driven optimization to obtain the optimal design of the turbine, obtaining geometric parameters that affect the performance of H-HKT, developing an automated frame for optimization, and validating the optimized model through experimental investigation in India. The Indian side will guide students in numerical and experimental studies, while the German side will develop and implement the OPAL code for CFD-based optimization. Preliminary activities by the Indian side include preparing the initial computational setup required for parametric research and optimization, fabricated using 3D printing, and testing at North Chennai Thermal Power Station NCTP, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The Indian side will focus on a Hydro kinetic turbine for marine applications and publish a joint article on the control algorithm for the marine current turbine. The Indo-German cooperation justification for collaboration includes an MoU signed between IITM and OVGU, which intensifies collaboration between institutions. The study conducted on the design and optimization of the Wells turbine and the exchange study focused on designing and optimizing a fluid diode for a wave energy converter. The Co-PI will assist with practical design, and the project will be a natural component of this MoU, supporting the exchange of joint Ph.D. students.