MSCA PF 2024- Influence of singularities in ventilated pipes on airflow patterns and their impact on filter loading - combined experimental / numerical approach

Thinking about your next career step and willing to boost your career by joining a technological university ranked among the top 500 universities in the world (Top 201-250 for Computer Science and Engineering, (THE ranking), Top 201-300 for Management (Shangaï ranking)]) and 20th to the THE World’s Best Small Universities Rankings (2023) ?

Willing to experience intersectoral, interdisciplinary and/or international research?

Looking to carry out your research in a new technological university putting industrial, environmental, societal and/or digital transitions as a priority challenge?

In that case you can apply for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship with IMT Atlantique as host institution!

Topic open:

Influence of singularities in ventilated pipes on airflow patterns and their impact on filter loading -  combined experimental / numerical approach

Keywords : indoor air treatment, ventilation systems, energy consumption, aerosol physics, fluid mechanics, pipe singularities, anemometry, CFD, filter clogging, fibrous media autopsy

In the context of indoor air treatment, the Energy Systems and Environmental engineering Department of IMT Atlantique has scientific and technical skills about air filtration implemented in the HVAC systems of buildings through the study of fibrous filters, in particular the design, characterization and optimization of the filtration unit. The pollutants of interest are mainly aerosols/particle matter (PM) but also volatil organic compounds when molecular filters are associated to mechanic or electret filters.

Up to now, several PhD thesis and post doctoral studies have been conducted in the lab on this topic, and several experimental facilities are available. These facilities enable to test the performance (initial efficiency and efficiency evolution during clogging, and pressure drop) at various scales: filter media (implemented as a flat sheet) as well as filter prototypes (single stage or two stages) in lab scale benches, and real filters in a full scale bench. The benches also enable to conduct velocity measurements in the close vicinity of filter prototypes by making use of Hot Wire Anemometry. In parallel to these experimental investigations, some CFD calculations are developed thanks to the Ansys-Fluent code on the airflow pattern in the close filter vicinity.

These investigations have therefore provided strong knowledge on the parameters that can affect the filter performance, mainly at the media and the filter scale. They also have made it possible to develop several collaborations with national and international academic partners, and with industrial partners. These researches also made it possible to raise new questions that could be addressed through the open post-doctorate position.

The objective of the present topic is to study the relationship between airflow patterns generated by singularities classically incountered in ventilation systems of buildings and the filter performance. These singularities can be elbows, enlargements or narrowings, section changes, or first filtration stages. A full scale bench will be used, to realise airflow patterns characterization, thanks to Hot Wire Anemometry, or even Particle Image Velocimetry. These measurements could be completed by 3D CFD calculations. The airflow pattern will be characterized at different clogging stages in order to depict how it is influenced by the filter(s) clogging stage. The evolution of the overall filter(s) performance during clogging will be followed, and coupled by the determination of potential heterogeneous filter(s) clogging. Based on these first characterization steps, some technical solutions will be developed to restor the airflow approaching the filter(s) and thus mitigate clogging heterogeneity due to the airflow pattern. The main issue of the study is to minimize the energy consumption/ carbon footprint of the buildings due to ventilation by maintaining the confort and the indoor air quality for the occupants.

Supervisors :

Félicie Theron and Aurélie Joubert

https://cv.hal.science/felicie-theron

https://cv.hal.science/aureliejoubert