Oxford Thermofluids Institute | Research - Research Themes: Gas Turbines

Gas turbine technology is used in the field of aerospace to accelerate air and create thrust. Every time you travel in a commercial jet you rely on gas turbine engines to help transport you to your destination. More generally, the world relies on such technology to transport good and provide power. This type of engine typically consists of three main elements: an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine with a combustion chamber located in-between.

The Oxford Thermofluids Institute has a long history based around challenges associated with gas turbines and turbomachinery more broadly. These include significant research around increasing the efficiency of the gas turbine along with the reliability of the design process.

Research broadly focuses on three areas:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Control of flows with a focus on heat transfer, active flow control and turbine cooling methods including turbine cooling and high-heat flux cooling
• High-speed turbomachinery