Dr. Ames is currently the advisor for a senior design team investigating pinned fin heat transfer. The team plans to study pin diameter Reynolds numbers ranging from 2000 to 30,000. Currently, the project in nearing the final stages of completion. All the main components including the wind tunnel, test section, heater controls and instrumentation are assembled. Turbulence generated by gas turbine combustors and by the wakes of turbine airfoils increases the heat transfer to downstream airfoils.
Turbulence can rapidly mix away film cooling protection on turbine airfoils.
Dr. Ames is currently working with a graduate student to develop an undergraduate wind tunnel to investigate lift, drag, pressure distributions, and separation on airfoils. 182, April, 1997. 23, Jan., 1997. 857, Nov., 1996.