​Multiscale Thermal Fluids Laboratory (MTFL)
About MTFL
Facilities
Research
Members
​Openings
​
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ASME Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology
About MTFL
​Multiscale Thermal Fluids Laboratory (MTFL) is a research lab at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Western New England University. In MTFL, we focus on thermo-fluids problems over a wide range of applications. Capillary-scale multiphase flow, thermal management, and microscale heat transfer are some of the research topics that we are currently working on. Undergraduate and graduate students are trained and supervised to conduct research activities in this lab.
​Facilities
  • 1.4 Megapixel monochrom CCD camera, 2/3" Format, 1392 x 1040
  • Bath circulator (Fisher Scientific), 100°C, 12 L
  • Cooling bath circulator, -34˚C (Brookfield, TC-550)
  • Gear pump and peristaltic pump drives with different pump heads
  • Stainless steel heat exchanger (Exergy)
  • Stainless steel water tank 3 gal (Apache Stainless Steel)
  • Condenser with fan (Thermatron 735 series)
  • USB DAQ (different resolutions for temperature and analog voltage)
  • High precision pressure transducer (different ranges)
  • Rheometer and viscometer
  • Goniometer (rame-hart, 295-U1)
  • High-flow, low-pressure, inverter rated air blower, 3 phase (103 cfm at 0 psi) 
  • Programmable variable frequency drive (VFD), 3 phase
  • Thermocouples and digital gas flow meters
  • Air, hydrogen, and nitrogen distribution piping
  • Lasercut
  • PDMS fabrication facilities
  • High precision 3D printer
Research
Transport phenomena in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell
Liquid water transport in PEM fuel cell flow channels has been studied in an ex-situ setup. Particularly, liquid water droplet detachment from the surface of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) has been investigated under different gas flow rates and different PTFE content in GDL. Air and hydrogen gases were supplied in flow channel to represent liquid water droplet detachment in cathode and anode of the PEM fuel cell, respectively.

​Click here to read the journal article.
Capillary-scale water transport through porous media
Water transport through porous media of PEM fuel cell is a capillary-scale transport phenomena that has been investigated. Liquid water breakthrough pressures have been measured for GDLs with different thicknesses and different PTFE contents. Liquid water pressure signature through porous layer has been studied in details.

​Click here to read the journal article.
In-plane microstructure of PEM fuel cell porous media
SEM images were taken from surface of GDL samples and were analyzed through image processing techniques. Important information such as pore roundness distribution, pore roundness distribution, and mean pore diameter were calculated. The data obtained in this study can be utilized in modeling water transport through the porous structure of GDL. It was observed that the mean pore diameter of Toray carbon paper does not change with its thickness and PTFE content. Mean pore diameter for Toray carbon papers was calculated to be around 26µm, regardless of their thicknesses and PTFE content. Finally, the heterogeneous in-plane PTFE distribution on the GDL surface was observed to have no effect on the mean pore diameter of GDLs.

​Click here to read the journal article.
Liquid-gas two-phase flow pressure drop in mini/micro-channels
Liquid-gas two-phase flow pressure drop has extensively reviewed prior to designing experimental setup. The literature review focus was on two-phase flow in PEM fuel cell flow channels. However, two-phase flow models for general applications (conventional channels) were also included in this study. Conducting this comprehensive study helped defining shortcomings on models that had been proposed for the application of PEM fuel cell. This study built the foundation for future research on the topic of capillary-scale two-phase flow in mini/micro-channels.

​Click here to read the journal article.
This video shows liquid water emerging from the surface of the GDL within the flow channel and detaching under the influence of core gas flow. A high-precision pressure transducer also measures the two-phase flow pressure drop along 4cm of the flow channel.
Capillary scale two-phase flow pressure drop in minichannels
Liquid-gas two-phase flow pressure drops in minichannels (2mmx1mm) were measured and compared with different two-phase flow pressure drop models proposed for minichannels. 
Energy conversion and storage
​In this study, a new finned piston compressor that is characterized by increased heat transfer area and coefficient has been designed, analyzed, manufactured and experimentally tested. Results show that the heat transfer along one cycle has increased in the finned compressor by 32 times compared to a classic piston compressor. In addition, although the volumetric efficiency decreased slightly in the finned compressor (8%), the exergetic efficiency was observed to increase from 55.1% in a classic piston to 78.4% in the finned piston.

Click here to read the journal article.
​Members
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Riccardo Clemente
Riccardo is an undergraduate student in ME and will graduate in Fall 2019. His senior design project is to design, fabricate, and assemble an experimental setup that test manifold-microchannel heat exchangers. Riccardo's focus is on air flow loop.
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William Yammen
William is an undergraduate student in ME and will graduate in Spring 2019. He  is working on the manifold-microchannel heat exchanger experimental setup. His focus is on data acquisition system that measures and records temperatures and pressures of air and water flows.
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Joseph Connors
Joseph is an undergraduate student in ME and will graduate in Spring 2019. He is studying the effect of gas diffusion layer (GDL) compression on water percolation in the plane of the GDL. For this purpose, he has designed, fabricated, and assembled the experimental setup.
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Logan LaCroix
Logan is an undergraduate student in ME and will graduate in Spring 2019. He is optimizing the fin drop mechanism in baseboard manufacturing process. Logan's project is sponsored by Mestek Inc.
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Andrew Miller
Andrew is an undergraduate student in ME and will graduate in Spring 2019​. He is working on his senior design project to design, fabricate, and assemble an experimental setup that test manifold-microchannel heat exchangers. Andrew's focus is on water flow loop.
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Nathan Piascik
Nate is an undergraduate stduent in ME and will graduate in Fall 2019. Nate is working on the manifold-microchannel heat exchanger setup and focuses on chilled water loop to decrease air flow temperature. As a part of his senior design, he tested different copper coil configuration for this purpose.
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Cory Arden
Cory is an undergraduate student in ME and will graduate in Spring 2019. He is studying the effect of gas diffusion layer (GDL) compression on water percolation in the plane of the GDL. For this purpose, he has designed, fabricated, and assembled the experimental setup. Cory was also trained on PTFE treating GDL samples.
Alumni
  • Thomas DeMonte - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Brett Sherman - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Abdulrahman Alfaifi - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Abdulmajeed Aziz - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Luke Gonyea - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Thomas Kozak - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Edward Nemchinsky - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Mohammad Salem - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2018
  • Maxwell Holz - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Ian Fay - M.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Mathew Basile - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Kyle Barrett - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Max Magid - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Luke Allison - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Alan Hess - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Nicholas Walp - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
  • Yuriy Belyy - B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2017
Opening
We always look for strongly motivated students who are interested in doing research in the area of multiphase flow, microfluidics for energy and bio applications, heat transfer and relevant topics. Applicants are encouraged to contact Mehdi Mortazavi (mehdi.mortazavi@wne.edu) for further information.