Presentation

The Industrial and Aeronautical Fluid-dynamics Research Group (IAFARG) is a new research group that encompasses the main field of its research addressed to industrial and aeronautical applications and the experience and expertise in the field of fluid-dynamic technologies. Recently, IAFARG has been granted as an Emerging Research Group by the Catalan government with reference number 2017 SGR 286.

Precise metering pumps have an important number of sectors of implementations such as pharmacy (bottling of medicines) andmedical (silicone application on medical disposables) in life science and coating applications, filling and dosing technology (additives, adhesives) and dispensing technology (printing inks). And here, trochoidal-gear technology(gerotor) plays an crucial role. For instance, in industrial and mechanical engineering gerotor pumps can be found in aeronautical applications, such as lubrication units for aircraft engines, and gerotor motors can be found in dynamic cooling systems.

The scientific background of the research group has been generated based on the experience and expertise in the field of fluid-dynamic technologies and applications, among others, volumetric gear pumps. The basic technology research has been carried out in the association and interaction of theoretical approach and experimental work. With regard to theoretical approach, analytical study by using home-made ad-hoc software, numerical approach by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and dynamic approach by using Bond Graph technique. With regard to experimental work, several test benches have been designed and constructed with high-performance instrumentation and sensors, and data acquisition systems to process the experimental data and results. One particular experimental technique is the Time Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV), being applied with success to volumetric pumps.

The researcher that acts as the coordinator is an Associate Professor in the Department of Fluid Mechanics of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). The other two members of the group are an Assistant Professor and a Lecturer, both of them from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

All two departments are located in the Campus of Terrassa. It is believed that this interaction of the departmental sections of Fluid Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering is a very positive fact, not only in the group itself, but also for the knowledge transfer of our organization. The training capacity of the applicant team is balanced and optimized for the inclusion of pre-doctoral fellows.