Heat and mass transfer (HMT)

The origin of TSE-Group dates back to the early ‘60 with pioneering studies on thermo-hydraulics of two-phase flows. From then on, its expertise and research activities had been spreading into many new areas that currently cover a wide spectrum of transport phenomena even in presence of electrochemical reactions, multiphase flows, computational fluid dynamics, and applied thermal engineering. The TSE-Group utilizes a problem-solving approach based on the blended use of theoretical investigations, experimental techniques, possibly advanced, and computational methods. In this context, the TSE-Group carries out, together with other research laboratories and/or industrial partners, both fundamental and applied research in heat, mass and momentum transfer across all relevant length and time scales. Moreover, it develops innovative solutions to support energy technologies and thermal design of components and processes for a very broad spectrum of engineering applications, ranging from energy harvesting to electrochemical technologies for energy conversion and storage, from electronics to automotive, from biomedical to aerospace.

The TSE-Group activities are organized in three Labs, namely, ThermaLab, MultiphaseLab, and FireLab.
Thermalab, acronym of Thermal Analysis Lab, carries on research activity on heat and mass transfer without phase change. It is, indeed, a basic subject of research in the field of transport phenomena, but the new emerging technologies, that are more and more oriented to device miniaturization and energy saving, require a deeper investigation of many new specific aspects. Crucial issues currently indagated at Thermalab are complex channel flows over or though a large variety of structured surfaces, thermal conductivity of metallic foams and trabecular/composite materials, spectral and directional radiometric properties of both opaque and transparent materials. Moreover, Thermalab has a long-term proven expertise in IR-thermographic analyses and in thermal modeling carried out by CFD, multiphysic finite elements analyses (FEM), ray-tracing simulations, and custom code development.

The Lab long-standing experimental experience allows to create models that take account of any relevant physical phenomenon for very accurate result.

MultiphaseLab contributes to develop analysis on thermo-fluid-dynamics of multiphase systems. The research activities are focused on both experimental and theoretical-modeling studies of transport phenomena. Specifically, it investigates transport of liquid-gas, liquid-liquid and liquid-liquid-gas (e.g., water-oil-air) mixtures for a variety of applications ranging from foams to oil-and-gas transportations. Phases distribution, transitions between flow regimes and pressure drops are experimentally investigated. MultiphaseLab also deals with studies on interaction of drops with solid and liquid surfaces as well as with gas by means of both experimental techniques (geometry, contact angle, wettability) and CFD simulations.

Finally, the MultiphaseLab is also carrying out analyses on heat transfer and pressure drops in flow boiling and convective condensation inside specially configured tubes for both conventional and new refrigerants.

FireLab activity is centered on the study of fire safety engineering, with the purpose of analyzing the behavior of materials under fire, as well as of proposing engineering solutions for fire control and suppression. Among the latter, sprinklers and water mist systems are analyzed both from numerical and experimental standpoint (accounting, by the way, for diameters, velocity, and pattern of water droplets) to evaluate their efficacy on smoke containment and stratification. The laboratory is equipped with an SBI test apparatus (EN 13823) and a small flame apparatus (EN 11925-2).