Research Archives - Ronald E. Hanson

Turbulent Flow

Ronald Hanson — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 19:35:02 +0000

Active turbulence generation for simulation of realistic conditions in the research laboratory.

Sports Aerodynamics

@dmin — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:16:14 +0000

Aerodynamic drag also limits the potential performance of athletes. Competition is also a major source of Canadian economy and business. Aerodynamic performance gains will bolster the Canadian advantage for our industries in high-performance sports as key point to differentiate from. Competition also inspires camaraderie, perseverance, and the strength to break limits though Paralympic and Olympics events. In cycling, as an example, aerodynamic drag represents approximately 80-90% of the losses that the rider must overcome. Potential for advances in drag reduction can bolster athlete performance.

Particle Transport

@dmin — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:15:06 +0000

Dispersion, transport and ecotoxicological risks of microplastics have over the last two decades focused mainly on the marine environment. While water is an effective transport mechanism of microplastics between terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments, air currents are known to distribute atmospheric particles very quickly.

Beyond the characterization of small plastic contaminates such as microfibers in still air, the inclusion of the effects of turbulence that occurs in the atmosphere is important to predict behaviour and transport. Hanson’s laboratory conducts physical experiments to provide modelling input of the transport dynamics of microplastics to further our understanding of the atmospheric pathway for plastic pollution.

Boundary Layer Flows

@dmin — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 20:57:05 +0000

The boundary layer is the thin region of fluid pulled along by a vehicle as it moves through a stationary fluid (or as moving flow passes a stationary wall).

With increasing environmental awareness and regulation in conjunction with high fuel costs, energy conservation in the aviation industry is a prevalent issue. Meeting this challenge will translate into financial benefits for manufacturers and passengers. It is also toward our social responsibility of energy conservation, emission reduction, and environmental protection. Aerodynamic drag reduction will reduce thrust demands, and consequently, both emissions and fuel consumption. For commercial aircraft, at cruise conditions over half of the aerodynamic drag on civilian aircraft is attributed to skin-friction, which is due to the presence of the boundary layer.