Current Research Projects

The Optical Engineering Laboratory (OEL) works on development and application of optical techniques in a wide range of research. It has two main areas of interest:

Aero/automotive
Medical

As part of the aero/automotive research particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems have been developed to be used at realistic (large) scales in highly hostile environments. Recently measurements have been successfully obtained of the full exhaust of the jet engine of 1/10th scale aircraft engines in an industrial environment. These measurements were performed as part of an EU international cooperation as well as in follow-on projects for QinetiQ and Rolls Royce aimed at investigating noise generation in co-axial jet flows in order to develop and validate numerical simulation techniques used by the aerospace industry to assess and optimise jet-noise reduction techniques This type of testing provides challenges not normally encountered in laboratory settings, including high running costs, remote operation, high data collection rates and extreme temperatures (Meas. Sci. Technol. 2009)

CoJEN

In addition, techniques are developed for combustion diagnostics. These include development of techniques for visualization of processes inside the combustion chamber as well as development of spectral methods and tomographic non intrusive measurement techniques to investigate combustion efficiency and NOx production. Some of this work is in conjunction with Cubewano Ltd.

Medical research includes the EU-funded project AirPROM, where anatomical models of human lungs are developed through additive layer manufacturing (ALM) allowing study of flow inside human airways. For further info see: ALM-AirPROM.

model of human upper airway produced through ALM

Further medical research performed by the OEL includes development of instrumentation for Opthalmology. As part of this e.g. a novel optical technique for the in vivo determination of the structure and mechanics of the human cornea is being developed (J.Mod.Opt., 2008).

Further research areas include digital holography, interferometry, high-speed time-resolved PIV, photoelastic stress measurement, tonometry

OEL