Dr Wheatley is the Chair of Teaching and Learning for the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering. He is a member of the Centre for Hyperosonics and was named Australia's Research Field Leader in Aerospace and Aviation Engineering (The Australian, Sept 28, 2018). He was a recipient of a 2017 Australian Award for University Teaching – Award for Teaching Excellence .
Dr Wheatley's research interests are in the fields of supersonic plasma flows, hypersonics and computational fluid dynamics.
Dr Wheatley's research in supersonic plasma flows focuses on the suppression of instabilities that are detrimental to inertial confinement fusion, a process that promises carbon free energy production. In hypersonics, he focuses on extending the capability scramjets to the point where they can power launch-vehicle stages. This technology could meet the need for safer, more economical space access, which has the potential to revolutionise the space industry. Computational fluid dynamics is his primary method of investigation in these areas.
Dr Wheatley obtained his PhD in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology in 2005. He also earned an MEngSc (Mechanical) and a BE (Mechanical and Space) from the University of Queensland (UQ). After completing his PhD in the US, Dr Wheatley spent two years as post-doctoral fellow at ETH Zurich. He was then a Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Adelaide before taking up his position at UQ in 2009.
Dr Wheatley has expertise in the areas of:
Conference Publication: Tailored Fuel Injection for Performance Enhancement in a Mach 12 Scramjet Engine
Barth, James E., Wise, Dylan J., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2019). Tailored Fuel Injection for Performance Enhancement in a Mach 12 Scramjet Engine. In: 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, (72-86). Jul 06-09, 2015. doi:10.2514/1.B36794
Journal Article: On the magnetohydrodynamic limits of the ideal two-fluid plasma equations
Shen, Naijian, Li, Yuan, Pullin, D. I., Samtaney, Ravi and Wheatley, Vincent (2018) On the magnetohydrodynamic limits of the ideal two-fluid plasma equations. Physics of Plasmas, 25 12: 122113. doi:10.1063/1.5067387
Journal Article: Enhanced supersonic combustion targeting combustor length reduction in a Mach 12 scramjet
Landsberg, Will O., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K. and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2018) Enhanced supersonic combustion targeting combustor length reduction in a Mach 12 scramjet. AIAA Journal, 56 10: 1-6. doi:10.2514/1.j057417
Optical Equipment for Advanced Thermofluid Measurements
(2019) UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
Hypersonic Science and Enabling Technologies - General Support
(2018–2023) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
Examining Growth of Turbulence Over Heated Walls in Hypersonic Flows
(2018–2021) Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Investigation of electron behavior, instabilities, and suppression mechanisms in RMI and RTI affected inertial confinement fusion
Doctor Philosophy
Experimental investigation of scramjet acoustic loads
Doctor Philosophy
Dynamics and simulation of hypersonic combustion
Doctor Philosophy
Numerical investigation of scramjet acoustic loads
Acoustic loads in hypersonic air-breathing engines have been recognized as a serious issue since the 1980s, yet their mitigation remains an open problem. With the successful X51 flight tests at low hypersonic Mach numbers and our success in the laboratory at up to Mach 12, resolving the remaining technical barriers to developing reusable hypersonic vehicles has gained immediate importance. The first step towards effective mitigation or management of scramjet acoustic loads is to develop the capability to accurately predict and understand them. It is this important problem that the proposed research aims to address as part of the 2017 ARC Discovery Project “Acoustic loads on hypersonic vehicles”.
The primary goal of this PhD project is to conduct Wall-Modelled Large-Eddy Simulation (WMLES) of the supersonic and hypersonic experiments conducted by other students, then through comparison of the numerical and experimental acoustic data, refine the simulation approach and ultimately validate it. Once the simulation approach has been validated, WMLES will provide highly detailed, time accurate data upon which to build our understanding of the sound generation mechanisms in scramjets. The approach will also be able to accurately predict the acoustic loads in other supersonic engines.
Two-fluid MHD investigation of the magnetic suppression of shock driven plasma instabilities
In inertial confinement fusion, hundreds of terawatts of laser power is used to drive a converging shock wave into a small spherical capsule containing a fuel mixture of heavy hydrogen isotopes. When the shock wave converges at the centre of the capsule, the temperature should exceed 100 million Kelvin and a fusion reaction between the hydrogen nuclei should be ignite. The fusion burn should then propagate outward through the fuel more rapidly than it can expand. However, when the shock impacts on the interfaces between the capsule and the fuel layers, hydrodynamic instabilities are triggered. The first of these is the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, which occurs when a shock interacts with a density interface. The hydrodynamic instabilities limit the chance of energy break-even or production.
In the last few years, we have shown that in ideal plasmas, the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability can be suppressed by the application of a seed magnetic field. The extreme temperatures involved in inertial confinement fusion mean the fluids involved are plasmas, so suppressing the instability is possible. Unfortunately, to suppress the instability and maintain spherical symmetry would require a radial magnetic field, which is not attainable. Instead we have studied cases where the instability is suppressed using realistic magnetic fields, with very promising results.
The results discussed above were obtained using ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), which is one of the simplest frameworks for modelling plasma behaviour. In this project, the suppression of the Richtmyer-Meskov instability will be investigated using the more realistic framework of two-fluid MHD, where the electrons and heavy ions are simulated separately, and the full set of Maxwell's equations are solved to determine the evolution of the electric and magnetic fields. This framework allows a wealth of plasma behaviour that cannot occur in ideal MHD. The crucial outcome of this project will be to determine how these phenomena affect the suppression of the Ritchmyer-Meshkov instability in the presence of a seed magnetic field.
Experimental investigation of scramjet acoustic loads
Acoustic loads in hypersonic air-breathing engines have been recognized as a serious issue since the 1980s, yet their mitigation remains an open problem. With the successful X51 flight tests at low hypersonic Mach numbers and our success in the laboratory at up to Mach 12, resolving the remaining technical barriers to developing reusable hypersonic vehicles has gained immediate importance. An essential step towards effective mitigation or management of scramjet acoustic loads is to measure them in a realistic environment, providing vital data to validate predictive models. It is this important problem that the proposed research aims to address as part of the 2017 ARC Discovery Project “Acoustic loads on hypersonic vehicles”.
The primary goal of this PhD project is experimentally measure acoustic loads in a scramjet engine under realistic hypersonic flight and fuel injection conditions in UQ’s T4 Shock Tunnel. This facility can faithfully recreate the flow physics in scramjet engines, including the acoustic environment. The experimental measurement of acoustic waves in shock tunnels is extremely challenging: The impact of the free-piston driver, diaphragm bursting and transient shock reflections produce intense structural vibrations. Test flows at multiple kilometers per second are generated with stagnation temperatures of over 5000 K. Many of the sensors typically used in aeroacoustics cannot withstand this extreme thermal environment. We will overcome these limitations and resolve all waves above 5 kHz by using the focused laser differential interferometer (FLDI) technique. This method has been proven to work in the T5 shock tunnel in Caltech for external flows; this will be the first application to scramjet flows in a reflected shock tunnel. The method will be extended to simultaneously measure perturbations at three locations, enabling acoustic signals to be distinguished from entropy waves. The proposed experimental design will produce a supersonic turbulent reacting flow with features that closely match those in a candidate access-to-space scramjet. Using FLDI to probe the sound field at key points will permit a high-fidelity, time-resolved comparison between experimental and numerical data for validation purposes.
On the magnetohydrodynamic limits of the ideal two-fluid plasma equations
Shen, Naijian, Li, Yuan, Pullin, D. I., Samtaney, Ravi and Wheatley, Vincent (2018) On the magnetohydrodynamic limits of the ideal two-fluid plasma equations. Physics of Plasmas, 25 12: 122113. doi:10.1063/1.5067387
Enhanced supersonic combustion targeting combustor length reduction in a Mach 12 scramjet
Landsberg, Will O., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K. and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2018) Enhanced supersonic combustion targeting combustor length reduction in a Mach 12 scramjet. AIAA Journal, 56 10: 1-6. doi:10.2514/1.j057417
Simulation of Laser-Induced Plasma Ignition in a Hypersonic Crossflow
Gibbons, Nicholas, Gehre, Rolf, Brieschenk, Stefan and Wheatley, Vincent (2018) Simulation of Laser-Induced Plasma Ignition in a Hypersonic Crossflow. AIAA Journal, 56 8: 3047-3059. doi:10.2514/1.j055821
Spontaneous singularity formation in converging cylindrical shock waves
Mostert, W., Pullin, D., Samtaney, R. and Wheatley, V. (2018) Spontaneous singularity formation in converging cylindrical shock waves. Physical Review Fluids, 3 7: . doi:10.1103/PhysRevFluids.3.071401
Singularity formation on perturbed planar shock waves
Mostert, W., Pullin, D. I., Samtaney, R. and Wheatley, V. (2018) Singularity formation on perturbed planar shock waves. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 846 536-562. doi:10.1017/jfm.2018.263
Li, Yuan, Samtaney, Ravi and Wheatley, Vincent (2018) The Richtmyer-Meshkov instability of a double-layer interface in convergent geometry with magnetohydrodynamics. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 3 4: 207-218. doi:10.1016/j.mre.2018.01.003
Blast Wave-Induced Mixing in a Laser Ignited Hypersonic Flow
Gibbons, Nicholas, Gehre, Rolf, Brieschenk, Stefan and Wheatley, Vincent (2018) Blast Wave-Induced Mixing in a Laser Ignited Hypersonic Flow. Journal of Fluids Engineering, 140 5: 050902. doi:10.1115/1.4038397
Special Section on the 15th International Workshop on the Physics of Compressible Turbulent Mixing
Thornber, Ben, Wheatley, Vincent and Schilling, Oleg (2018) Special Section on the 15th International Workshop on the Physics of Compressible Turbulent Mixing. Journal of Fluids Engineering, 140 5: 050301. doi:10.1115/1.4038402
Performance of high mach number scramjets - Tunnel vs flight
Landsberg, Will O., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K. and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2018) Performance of high mach number scramjets - Tunnel vs flight. Acta Astronautica, 146 103-110. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.02.031
Thermofluidic compression effects to achieve combustionin a low-compression scramjet engine
Moura, A. F., Wheatley, V. and Jahn, I. (2017) Thermofluidic compression effects to achieve combustionin a low-compression scramjet engine. Shock Waves, 28 4: 863-875. doi:10.1007/s00193-017-0782-0
Richtmyer-Meshkov instability of a thermal interface in a two-fluid plasma
Bond, D., Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R. and Pullin, D. I. (2017) Richtmyer-Meshkov instability of a thermal interface in a two-fluid plasma. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 833 332-363. doi:10.1017/jfm.2017.693
Improving scramjet performance through flow field manipulation
Landsberg, Will O., Gibbons, Nicholas N. , Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K. and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2017) Improving scramjet performance through flow field manipulation. Journal of Propulsion and Power, . doi:10.2514/1.B36772
Mostert, W., Pullin, D. I., Wheatley, V. and Samtaney, R. (2017) Magnetohydrodynamic implosion symmetry and suppression of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in an octahedrally symmetric field. Physical Review Fluids, 2 1: 1279-1281. doi:10.1103/PhysRevFluids.2.013701
Supersonic combustion of hydrocarbons in a shape-transitioning hypersonic engine
Denman, Zachary J., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K. and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2017) Supersonic combustion of hydrocarbons in a shape-transitioning hypersonic engine. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 36 2: 2883-2891. doi:10.1016/j.proci.2016.08.081
Geometrical shock dynamics for magnetohydrodynamic fast shocks
Mostert, W., Pullin, D. I., Samtaney, R. and Wheatley, V. (2016) Geometrical shock dynamics for magnetohydrodynamic fast shocks. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 811 . doi:10.1017/jfm.2016.767
Characteristics of cascaded fuel injectors within an accelerating scramjet combustor
Landsberg, Will O., Wheatley, Vincent and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2016) Characteristics of cascaded fuel injectors within an accelerating scramjet combustor. AIAA Journal, 54 12: 3692-3700. doi:10.2514/1.J054815
Converging cylindrical magnetohydrodynamic shock collapse onto a power-law-varying line current
Mostert, W., Pullin, D. I., Samtaney, R. and Wheatley, V. (2016) Converging cylindrical magnetohydrodynamic shock collapse onto a power-law-varying line current. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 793 414-443. doi:10.1017/jfm.2016.138
Linear simulations of the cylindrical Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics
Bakhsh, A., Gao, S., Samtaney, R. and Wheatley, V. (2016) Linear simulations of the cylindrical Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics. Physics of Fluids, 28 3: 034106. doi:10.1063/1.4943162
Numerical investigation into the performance of alternative Knudsen pump designs
Bond, D. M., Wheatley, V. and Goldsworthy, M. (2016) Numerical investigation into the performance of alternative Knudsen pump designs. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 93 1038-1058. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2015.10.069
Ignition experiments of hydrocarbons in a mach 8 shape-transitioning scramjet engine
Denman, Zachary J., Chan, Wilson Y. K., Brieschenk, Stefan, Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan, Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2016) Ignition experiments of hydrocarbons in a mach 8 shape-transitioning scramjet engine. Journal of Propulsion and Power, 32 6: 1462-1471. doi:10.2514/1.B36099
Mostert, W., Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R. and Pullin, D.I. (2015) Effects of magnetic fields on magnetohydrodynamic cylindrical and spherical Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. Physics of Fluids, 27 104102: 104102. doi:10.1063/1.4932110
Supersonic Boundary-Layer Combustion via Multiporthole Injector Arrays
Pudsey, Adrian S., Wheatley, Vincent and Boyce, Russell R. (2015) Supersonic Boundary-Layer Combustion via Multiporthole Injector Arrays. AIAA Journal, 53 10: 2890-2906. doi:10.2514/1.J053817
Effects of Hydrogen Fuel Injection in a Mach 12 Scramjet Inlet
Barth, James E, Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K (2015) Effects of Hydrogen Fuel Injection in a Mach 12 Scramjet Inlet. AIAA Journal, 53 10: 2907-2919. doi:10.2514/1.J053819
Numerical investigation of the heat and mass transfer analogy in rarefied gas flows
Bond, Daryl M., Goldsworthy, Mark J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2015) Numerical investigation of the heat and mass transfer analogy in rarefied gas flows. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 85 971-986. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2015.02.051
Behaviour of multiple jet interactions in a hypersonic boundary layer
Pudsey, Adrian S., Wheatley, Vincent and Boyce, Russell R. (2015) Behaviour of multiple jet interactions in a hypersonic boundary layer. Journal of Propulsion and Power, 31 1: 144-155. doi:10.2514/1.B35298
Effects of seed magnetic fields on magnetohydrodynamic implosion structure and dynamics
Mostert, W., Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R. and Pullin, D. I. (2014) Effects of seed magnetic fields on magnetohydrodynamic implosion structure and dynamics. Physics of Fluids, 26 12: 126102. doi:10.1063/1.4902432
Converging cylindrical shocks in ideal magnetohydrodynamics
Pullin, D. I., Mostert, W., Wheatley, V. and Samtaney, R. (2014) Converging cylindrical shocks in ideal magnetohydrodynamics. Physics of Fluids, 26 097103: 1-18. doi:10.1063/1.4894743
Solving the discrete S-model kinetic equations with arbitrary order polynomial approximations
Bond, D. M., Wheatley, V., Macrossan, M. N. and Goldsworthy, M. (2014) Solving the discrete S-model kinetic equations with arbitrary order polynomial approximations. Journal of Computational Physics, 259 175-198. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2013.11.026
Numerical investigation of curved channel Knudsen pump performance
Bond, D. M., Wheatley, V. and Goldsworthy, M. (2014) Numerical investigation of curved channel Knudsen pump performance. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 76 1-15. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2014.04.021
The transverse field Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics
Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R., Pullin, D. I. and Gehre, R. M. (2014) The transverse field Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics. Physics of Fluids, 26 1: . doi:10.1063/1.4851255
Simulations of mixing in an inlet-fueled axisymmetric scramjet
Peterson, David M., Boyce, Russell R. and Wheatley, Vincent (2013) Simulations of mixing in an inlet-fueled axisymmetric scramjet. AIAA Journal, 51 12: 2823-2832. doi:10.2514/1.J052480
Barth, James E., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2013) Hypersonic Turbulent Boundary-Layer Fuel Injection and Combustion: Skin-Friction Reduction Mechanisms. AIAA Journal, 51 9: 2147-2157. doi:10.2514/1.J052041
Hypersonic Viscous Drag Reduction via Multiporthole Injector Arrays
Pudsey, Adrian S., Boyce, Russell R. and Wheatley, Vincent (2013) Hypersonic Viscous Drag Reduction via Multiporthole Injector Arrays. Journal of Propulsion and Power, 29 5: 1087-1096. doi:10.2514/1.B34782
Influence of common modeling choices for high-speed transverse jet-interaction simulations
Pudsey, Adrian S., Boyce, Russell R. and Wheatley, Vincent (2013) Influence of common modeling choices for high-speed transverse jet-interaction simulations. Journal of Propulsion and Power, 29 5: 1076-1086. doi:10.2514/1.B34750
Computational investigation of thermal nonequilibrium effects in scramjet geometries
Gehre, R. M., Wheatley, V. and Boyce, R. R. (2013) Computational investigation of thermal nonequilibrium effects in scramjet geometries. Journal of Propulsion and Power, 29 3: 648-660. doi:10.2514/1.B34722
Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a detached flat plate
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2013) Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a detached flat plate. AIAA Journal, 51 2: 291-301. doi:10.2514/1.J051378
Effects of oxygen enrichment on scramjet performance
Petty, David J., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K. and Razzaqi, Sarah A. (2013) Effects of oxygen enrichment on scramjet performance. AIAA Journal, 51 1: 226-235. doi:10.2514/1.J051732
Revised model coefficients for vibrational relaxation in a nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture
Gehre, R. M., Wheatley, V. and Boyce, R. R. (2012) Revised model coefficients for vibrational relaxation in a nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture. Shock Waves, 22 6: 647-651. doi:10.1007/s00193-012-0401-z
Low Reynolds number flow over a square cylinder with a detached flat plate
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2012) Low Reynolds number flow over a square cylinder with a detached flat plate. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 36 133-141. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2012.03.011
The sound generated by a square cylinder with a splitter plate at low Reynolds number
Ali, Msm, Doolan, CJ and Wheatley, V (2011) The sound generated by a square cylinder with a splitter plate at low Reynolds number. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 330 15: 3620-3635. doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2011.03.008
Low Reynolds number flow over a square cylinder with a splitter plate
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2011) Low Reynolds number flow over a square cylinder with a splitter plate. Physics of Fluids, 23 3: 033602-1-033602-12. doi:10.1063/1.3563619
On the role of Riemann solvers in Discontinuous Galerkin methods for magnetohydrodynamics
Wheatley, V., Kumar, H. and Huguenot, P. (2010) On the role of Riemann solvers in Discontinuous Galerkin methods for magnetohydrodynamics. Journal of Computational Physics, 229 3: 660-680. doi:10.1016/j.jcp.2009.10.003
The Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics
Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R. and Pullin, D. I. (2009) The Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics. Physics of Fluids, 21 8: 082102-1-082102-13. doi:10.1063/1.3194303
Stability of an impulsively accelerated density interface in magnetohydrodynamics
Wheatley, V., Pullin, D. I. and Samtaney, R. (2005) Stability of an impulsively accelerated density interface in magnetohydrodynamics. Physical Review Letters, 95 12: 125002-1-125002-4. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.125002
Regular shock refraction at an oblique planar density interface in magnetohydrodynamics
Wheatley, V., Pullin, D. I. and Samtaney, R. (2005) Regular shock refraction at an oblique planar density interface in magnetohydrodynamics. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 522 179-214. doi:10.1017/S0022112004001880
Rarefied, Superorbital Flows in an Expansion Tube
Wheatley, Vincent, Chiu, Sam Hsieh-Hsiang, Jacobs, Peter A., Macrossan, Michael N., Mee, David J. and Morgan, Richard G. (2004) Rarefied, Superorbital Flows in an Expansion Tube. International Journal for Numerical Methods for Heat and Fluid Flow, 14 4: 512-537. doi:10.1108/09615530410532277
Tailored Fuel Injection for Performance Enhancement in a Mach 12 Scramjet Engine
Barth, James E., Wise, Dylan J., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2019). Tailored Fuel Injection for Performance Enhancement in a Mach 12 Scramjet Engine. In: 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, (72-86). Jul 06-09, 2015. doi:10.2514/1.B36794
Fundamental scramjet combustion experiments using hydrocarbon fuel
Vanyai, Tristan, Grieve, Sam, Street, Oliver, Denman, Zachary, McIntyre, Timothy, Veeraragavan, Anand, Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael (2018). Fundamental scramjet combustion experiments using hydrocarbon fuel. In: 22nd AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonics Systems and Technologies Conference. AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonics Systems and Technologies Conference, AIAA SPACE Forum, Orlando, FL, United States, (). 17–19 September 2018. doi:10.2514/6.2018-5201
Investigation of combustion mode control in a mach 8 shape-transitioning scramjet
Curran, Damian R., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2018). Investigation of combustion mode control in a mach 8 shape-transitioning scramjet. In: 2018 AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition. 2018 AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition, Orlando, Florida, (). 17-19 September 2018. doi:10.2514/6.2018-5380
Magnetohydrodynamic drag force measurements in an expansion tube
Smith, Daniel R., Gildfind, David E., James, Christopher M., McIntyre, Timothy J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2018). Magnetohydrodynamic drag force measurements in an expansion tube. In: 2018 Flow Control Conference. 9th AIAA Flow Control Conference, 2018, [state] GA, [city] Atlanta, (). June 25, 2018-June 29, 2018. doi:10.2514/6.2018-3755
Flow field manipulation via fuel injectors in scramjets
Landsberg, Will O., Gibbons, Nicholas N., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K. and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2017). Flow field manipulation via fuel injectors in scramjets. In: 21st AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonics Technologies Conference, Hypersonics 2017. 21st AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonics Technologies Conference, Hypersonics 2017, Xiamen, China, (). 6 - 9 March 2017.
Performance of high Mach number scramjets - Tunnel vs flight
Landsberg, Will O., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2017). Performance of high Mach number scramjets - Tunnel vs flight. In: 68th International Astronautical Congress, IAC 2017: Unlocking Imagination, Fostering Innovation and Strengthening Security. 68th International Astronautical Congress: Unlocking Imagination, Fostering Innovation and Strengthening Security, IAC 2017, Adelaide, SA, (9156-9164). September 25, 2017-September 29, 2017.
Reducing combustor length within a mach 12 shape-transitioning scramjet
Landsberg, Will O., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K and Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan (2017). Reducing combustor length within a mach 12 shape-transitioning scramjet. In: 11th Asia-Pacific Conference on Combustion, ASPACC 2017. 11th Asia-Pacific Conference on Combustion, ASPACC 2017, Sydney, Australia, (). 10-14 December 2017.
Fuel injection and mixing in a Mach 8 hydrocarbon-fuelled scramjet
Denman, Z. J., Wheatley, V., Smart, M. K. and Veeraragavan, A . (2016). Fuel injection and mixing in a Mach 8 hydrocarbon-fuelled scramjet. In: 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Perth, Australia, (). 5 – 8 December 2016.
Local field effects on magnetic suppression of the converging Richtmyer-Meshkov instability
Wheatley, V., Mostert, W., Bond, D. M. and Samtaney, R. (2016). Local field effects on magnetic suppression of the converging Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. In: Proceedings of 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Perth, Western Australia, (). 5-8 December 2016.
On the development of a Mach 10 scramjet engine for investigation of supersonic combustion regimes
Moura, A. F., Wheatley, V., McIntyre, T. J. and Jahn, I. (2016). On the development of a Mach 10 scramjet engine for investigation of supersonic combustion regimes. In: The Proceedings of the 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Perth, Western Australia, (). 5-8 December 2016.
Performance Comparison of Distributed Injection Methods for Hypersonic Film-Cooling
Basore, K. D., Selzer, M., Wheatley, V., Boyce, R. R., Mee, D. J., Capra, B. R., Kuhn, M. and Brieschenk, S. (2016). Performance Comparison of Distributed Injection Methods for Hypersonic Film-Cooling. In: Proceedings of 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Perth, Western Australia, (). 5-8 December 2016.
Plasma flow simulation using the two-fluid model
Bond, D. M., Wheatley, V. and Samtaney, R. (2016). Plasma flow simulation using the two-fluid model. In: Proceedings of 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Perth, Western Australia, (). 5-8 December 2016.
Preliminary Investigation of Sound Generation in Scramjets
Gibbons, N., Wheatley, V. and Doolan, C. (2016). Preliminary Investigation of Sound Generation in Scramjets. In: Proceedings of 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Perth, Western Australia, (). 5-8 December 2016.
Characterisation of the cylindrical Riemann problem in magnetohydrodynamics
Mostert, W., Wheatley, V. and Samtaney, R. (2015). Characterisation of the cylindrical Riemann problem in magnetohydrodynamics. In: Riccardo Bonazza and Devesh Ranjan, 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves 2. International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW29), Madison, WI, United States, (823-828). 14-19 July 2013. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16838-8_1
Combustion regimes in inlet-fueled, low compression scramjets
Gehre, Rolf M., Wheatley, Vincent and Boyce, Russell R. (2015). Combustion regimes in inlet-fueled, low compression scramjets. In: 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, (). 6-9 July 2015. doi:10.2514/6.2015-3507
Fluorescence studies of jet mixing in a hypersonic flow
Brieschenk, S., Gehre, R., Wheatley, V. and Boyce, R. (2015). Fluorescence studies of jet mixing in a hypersonic flow. In: Riccardo Bonazza and Devesh Ranjan, 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves 1. International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW29), Madison, WI, United States, (617-622). 14-19 July 2013. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16835-7_98
Numerical investigation of the mixing process in inlet-fuelled scramjets
Gehre, R. M., Peterson, D., Wheatley, V. and Boyce, R. R. (2015). Numerical investigation of the mixing process in inlet-fuelled scramjets. In: Riccardo Bonazza and Devesh Ranjan, 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves 2. International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW29), Madison, WI, United States, (997-1002). 14-19 July 2013. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16838-8_32
Simulation of laser-induced-plasma ignition in a hypersonic crossflow
Gibbons, Nicholas, Gehre, Rolf, Brieschenk, Stefan and Wheatley, Vincent (2015). Simulation of laser-induced-plasma ignition in a hypersonic crossflow. In: 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, (1-23). 6-9 July 2015. doi:10.2514/6.2015-3622
Tailored fuel injection for performance enhancement in a Mach 12 scramjet engine
Barth, James E., Wise, Dylan J., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2015). Tailored fuel injection for performance enhancement in a Mach 12 scramjet engine. In: 20th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, (1-37). 6-9 July 2015. doi:10.2514/6.2015-3614
The magnetohydrodynamic Richtmyer-Meshkov instability: the oblique field case
Wheatley, V., Gehre, R. M., Samtaney, R. and Pullin, D. I. (2015). The magnetohydrodynamic Richtmyer-Meshkov instability: the oblique field case. In: Riccardo Bonazza and Devesh Ranjan, Proceedings of the 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW29). International Symposium on Shock Waves, Madison, WI, United States, (1107-1112). 14-19 July 2013. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16838-8_50
Characterization of a spark ignition system for flameholding cavities
Brieschenk, Stefan, Pontalier, Quentin, Duffaut, Alexandre, Denman, Zachary J., Veeraravagan, Anand, Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2014). Characterization of a spark ignition system for flameholding cavities. In: 45th AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference. 45th AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference 2014, Atlanta, United States, (). 16-20 June 2014. doi:10.2514/6.2014-2242
Basore, K., Wheatley, V., Boyce, R. R. and Starkey, R. (2014). Equivalent direct connect free-stream shock tunnel conditions for injection locations in an axisymmetric scramjet. In: Harun Chowdhury and Firoz Alam, Proceedings of the 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, (113.1-113.4). 8-11 December 2014.
Experimental design of a cavity flameholder in a Mach 8 Shape-Transitioning Scramjet
Denman, Zachary J., Brieschenk, Stefan, Veeraragavan, Anand, Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2014). Experimental design of a cavity flameholder in a Mach 8 Shape-Transitioning Scramjet. In: 19th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. 19th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States, (1-11). 16-20 June 2014. doi:10.2514/6.2014-2953
Mostert, W., Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R. and Pullin, D. I. (2014). Influence of a seed magnetic field on the imploding cylindrical Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics. In: Harun Chowdhury and Firoz Alam, Proceedings of the 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, (488.1-488.4). 8-11 December 2014.
Inlet fuel injection in a mach 12 shape-transitioning scramjet
Barth, James E., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2014). Inlet fuel injection in a mach 12 shape-transitioning scramjet. In: Proceedings of: 52nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting - AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition, SciTech 2014. 52nd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, National Harbor, MD, United States, (1-26). 13-17 January 2014. doi:10.2514/6.2014-1159
Irregular shock refraction in magnetohydrodynamics
Bilgi, P., Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R. and Barth, J. E. (2014). Irregular shock refraction in magnetohydrodynamics. In: Harun Chowdhury and Firoz Alam, Proceedings of the 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, (299.1-299.4). 8-11 December 2014.
Tailored fuel injection within a Mach 12 shape transitioning scramjet
Landsberg, W. O., Barth, J. E., Veeraragavan, A., Wheatley, V. and Smart, M. K. (2014). Tailored fuel injection within a Mach 12 shape transitioning scramjet. In: Harun Chowdhury and Firoz Alam, Proceedings of the 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 19th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, (288.1-288.4). 8-11 December 2014.
Brieschenk, Stefan, Gehre, Rolf M., Wheatley, Vincent, Boyce, Russell R., Kleine, Harald and O'Byrne, Sean (2012). Jet interaction in a hypersonic flow: A comparison between PLIF thermometry and computational simulation. In: 28th Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences 2012, ICAS 2012. 28th Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences 2012, ICAS 2012, , , (2523-2533). September 23, 2012-September 28, 2012.
A parametric study of oxygen enriched scramjet combustion
Petty, David J., Wheatley, V. and Smart, M. K. (2012). A parametric study of oxygen enriched scramjet combustion. In: Wayne Short and Iver Cairns, Proceedings of the 11th Australian Space Science Conference. 11th Australian Space Science Conference, Canberra, Australia, (327-338). 26 - 29 September 2011.
Arbitrarily high-order BGK-Shakhov method for the simulation of micro-channel flows
Bond, D. M., Wheatley, V., Macrossan, M. N. and Goldsworthy, M. (2012). Arbitrarily high-order BGK-Shakhov method for the simulation of micro-channel flows. In: P. A Brandner and B. W Pearce, Proceedings of the 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Launceston, Australia, (). 3 - 7 December 2012.
Comparison of discrete BGK-Shakhov System with DSMC
Bond, D. M., Macrossan, M. N. and Wheatley, V. (2012). Comparison of discrete BGK-Shakhov System with DSMC. In: Michel Mareschal and Andres Santos, 28th International Symposium On Rarefied Gas Dynamics 2012, Vols. 1 and 2. 28th International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics (RGD), Zaragoza Spain, (350-357). 09-13 July 2012. doi:10.1063/1.4769540
Effects of ethylene combustion in a hypersonic turbulent boundary layer
Barth, James E., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2012). Effects of ethylene combustion in a hypersonic turbulent boundary layer. In: Wayne Short and Iver Cairns, Proceedings of the 11th Australian Space Science Conference. 11th Australian Space Science Conference, Canberra, Australia, (313-325). 26 - 29 September 2011.
Flow physics inside a shape-transitioning scramjet engine
Barth, James E., Wheatley, Vincent, Smart, Michael K., Petty, David J. and Basore, Kevin D. (2012). Flow physics inside a shape-transitioning scramjet engine. In: Proceedings of the 18th AIAA/3AF International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. 18th AIAA/3AF International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Tours, France, (). 24-28 September 2012. doi:10.2514/6.2012-5888
Hybrid reynolds-averaged and large-eddy simulation of mixing in an axisymmetric scramjet
Peterson, David M., Boyce, Russell R. and Wheatley, Vincent (2012). Hybrid reynolds-averaged and large-eddy simulation of mixing in an axisymmetric scramjet. In: Proceedings of the 18th AIAA/3AF International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. 18th AIAA/3AF International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Tours, France, (). 24-28 September 2012. doi:10.2514/6.2012-5902
Hypersonic viscous drag reduction via multi-porthole injector arrays
Pudsey, Adrian S., Boyce, Russell R. and Wheatley, Vincent (2012). Hypersonic viscous drag reduction via multi-porthole injector arrays. In: Proceedings of the 18th AIAA/3AF International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference. 18th AIAA/3AF International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Tours, France, (). 24-28 September 2012. doi:10.2514/6.2012-5934
Brieschenk, Stefan, Gehre, Rolf M., Wheatley, Vincent, Boyce, Russell R., Kleine, Harald and O’Byrne, Sean (2012). Jet interaction in a hypersonic flow: a comparison between plif thermometry and computational simulation. In: I. Grant, ICAS 2012 CD-ROM Proceedings. 28th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS 2012), Brisbane, Australia, (1-10). 23 - 28 September 2012.
Gehre, R. M., Wheatley, V., Boyce, R. R., Peterson, D. M. and Brieschenk, S. (2012). Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes and wall–modelled large–eddy simulations of sonic hydrogen injection into hypersonic crossflow. In: P. A. Brandner and B. W. Pearce, Proceedings of the 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Launceston, Australia, (). 3-7 December, 2012.
Streamwise porthole fuel injection for boundary-layer combustion inside a scramjet engine
Barth, James E., Wheatley, Vincent and Smart, Michael K. (2012). Streamwise porthole fuel injection for boundary-layer combustion inside a scramjet engine. In: I. Grant, ICAS 2012 CD-ROM Proceedings. 28th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS 2012), Brisbane, Australia, (2934-2941). 23 - 28 September 2012.
The Cylindrical Riemann Problem in magnetohydrodynamics: a case study
Mostert, W., Wheatley, V., Hingee, M. and Samtaney, R. (2012). The Cylindrical Riemann Problem in magnetohydrodynamics: a case study. In: P. A. Brandner and B. W. Pearce, Proceedings of the 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Launceston, Australia, (). 3-7 December 2012.
The magnetohydrodynamic Richtmyer-Meshkov instability: the transverse field case
Wheatley, V., Samtaney, R. and Pullin, D. I. (2012). The magnetohydrodynamic Richtmyer-Meshkov instability: the transverse field case. In: P. A. Brandner and B. W. Pearce, Proceedings of the 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 18th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Launceston, Australia, (). 3 - 7 December 2012.
Thermal non-equilibrium effects in radical farming scramjets
Gehre, Rolf M., Wheatley, Vincent and Boyce, Russell R. (2012). Thermal non-equilibrium effects in radical farming scramjets. In: , , (1049-1057). .
Thermal non-equilibrium effects in radical farming scramjets
Gehre, Rolf M., Wheatley, Vincent and Boyce, Russell R. (2012). Thermal non-equilibrium effects in radical farming scramjets. In: I. Grant, ICAS 2012 CD-ROM Proceedings. 28th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS 2012), Brisbane, Australia, (1-9). 23 - 28 September 2012.
Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a detached flat plate
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat Ali, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2011). Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a detached flat plate. In: 17th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference (32nd AIAA Aeroacoustics Conference). 17th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference (32nd AIAA Aeroacoustics Conference), Portland, OR, United States, (1-25). 5-8 June 2011.
Hypersonic inlet for a laser powered propulsion system
Harrland, Alan, Doolan, Con, Wheatley, Vincent and Froning, Dave (2011). Hypersonic inlet for a laser powered propulsion system. In: Hans-Albert Eckel and Stefan Scharring, AIP conference proceedings: Beamed Energy Propulsion: Seventh International Symposium. 7th International Symposium on Beamed Energy Propulsion, Ludwigsburg, Germany, (145-157). 10 -14 April 2011. doi:10.1063/1.3657023
Spectral Performance of RKDG methods for Ideal MHD
Wheatley, V., Kumar, H. and Jeltsch, R. (2011). Spectral Performance of RKDG methods for Ideal MHD. In: Mathematics in Industry 2010, Sofia, Bulgaria, (257-276). 11-13 July 2010.
Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a splitter plate
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2010). Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a splitter plate. In: , , (135-142). .
Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a splitter plate
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2010). Aeolian tones generated by a square cylinder with a splitter plate. In: Marion Burgess, John Davey, Charles Don and Terry McMinn, Proceedings of 20th International Congress on Acoustics, ICA 2010. 20th International Congress on Acoustics, Sydney, NSW, Australia, (1-8). 23-27 August 2010.
Flow around a square cylinder with a detached downstream flat plate at a low Reynolds number
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2010). Flow around a square cylinder with a detached downstream flat plate at a low Reynolds number. In: 17th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference 2010. 17th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, (308-311). 5-9 December 2010.
Fuel injection via rectangular cross-section injectors for mixing enhancement in scramjets
Wheatley, V. and Jacobs, P. A. (2010). Fuel injection via rectangular cross-section injectors for mixing enhancement in scramjets. In: Proceedings of the Seventeenth Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 17th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, (791-794). 5-9 December 2010.
Harrland, Alan, Doolan, Con and Wheatley, Vincent (2010). Hypersonic inlet for a laser powered propulsion system and its interaction with an idealized laser induced detonation wave. In: Wayne Short and Iver Cairns, Proceedings of the 10th Australian Space Sciences Conference. 10th Australian Space Sciences Conference, Brisbane, Australia, (). 27-30 September 2010.
Simulation of hypervelocity scramjet combustion with oxygen enrichment
Petty, D., Smart, M. K., Wheatley, V. and Razzaqi, S. A. (2010). Simulation of hypervelocity scramjet combustion with oxygen enrichment. In: Wayne Short and Iver Cairns, 10th Australian Space Sciences Conference, Brisbane, Australia, (). 27-30 September 2010.
Ali, Mohamed Sukri Mat, Doolan, Con J. and Wheatley, Vincent (2009). Grid convergence study for a two-dimensional simulation of flow around a square cylinder at low Reynolds number. In: Computational fluid dynamics : Seventh international conference on CFD in the minerals and process industries. The 7th International Conference on CFD in the Minerals and Process Industries, Melbourne , Australia, (1-6). 9-11 December, 2009.
Hypersonic Vehicle Control Using External Burning
Doolan, C.J. and Vincent Wheatley (2009). Hypersonic Vehicle Control Using External Burning. In: Klimenko, A.Y., Proceedings of the Australian Combustion Symposium. Australian Combustion Symposium, University of Queensland Brisbane, (231-234). Dec 2 -4, 2009.
Numerical simulation of compressible magnetohydrodynamic plasma flow in a circuit breaker
Hiptmair, R., Hugueniot, P., Jeltsch, R., Kumar, H., Schwab, C., Torrilhon, M. and Wheatley, V. (2008). Numerical simulation of compressible magnetohydrodynamic plasma flow in a circuit breaker. In: Simos, TE, Psihoyios, G and Tsitouras, C, Numerical Analysis and Applied Mathematics - International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Applied Mathematics 2008. International Conference on Numerical Analysis and Applied Mathematics, Psalidi, Greece, (21-22). 16-20 September 2008. doi:10.1063/1.2990896
Numerical simulations of high current arc in circuit breakers
Huguenot, P., Kumar, H., Wheatley, V., Jeltsch, R. and Schwab, C. (2008). Numerical simulations of high current arc in circuit breakers. In: 24th International Conference on Electrical Contacts, Saint-Malo, France, (). 9-12 June 2008.
Promotion of open and efficient communication in tutorials
Mattner, Trent and Wheatley, Vincent (2008). Promotion of open and efficient communication in tutorials. In: Education Research Group of Adelaide 2008 Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, (1-9). 24-25 September 2008.
Modelling low-density flow in hypersonic impulse facilities
Wheatley, V. (2001). Modelling low-density flow in hypersonic impulse facilities Master's Thesis, School of Engineering, The University of Queensland.
Optical Equipment for Advanced Thermofluid Measurements
(2019) UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
Hypersonic Science and Enabling Technologies - General Support
(2018–2023) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
Examining Growth of Turbulence Over Heated Walls in Hypersonic Flows
(2018–2021) Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Magnetic Suppression of Instabilities in Inertial Confinement Fusion
(2018–2021) King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
(2017–2019) University of New South Wales
Ethylene Fuelled Axisymmetric Scramjet Testing
(2017–2019) Commonwealth Defence Science and Technology Group
Mach 6-8 scramjet combustion experiments using hydrocarbon fuel
(2015–2017) Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development
Magnetic suppression of instabilities in shock driven converging flows
(2015–2017) King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
A parallel computer facility for modelling and simulation
(2014) UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
Comparison between hydrogen and methane fuels in a 3-D scramjet at Mach 8
(2013–2015) Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development
Improving scramjet performance to enable more economical and reliable access to space
(2013) UQ Early Career Researcher
The General Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability in Magnetohydrodynamics
(2012–2016) ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
The Converging Shock Driven Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability in Magnetohydrodynamics
(2012–2014) ARC Discovery Projects
Infrastructure for hypersonic laboratories
(2012) UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
Investigation of electron behavior, instabilities, and suppression mechanisms in RMI and RTI affected inertial confinement fusion
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Experimental investigation of scramjet acoustic loads
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Dynamics and simulation of hypersonic combustion
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Design of combustor for supersonic combustion of hydrocarbons in high Mach number scramjets
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Investigation of flow field manipulation, thermal compression and mode transition in a Mach 5-10 scramjet accelerator
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Examining Growth of Turbulence Over Heated Walls in Hypersonic Flows
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Investigation of supersonic turbulent combustion in a Mach 10 scramjet engine
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Concentrated breakdown in boundary layer transition in a hypersonic flow
Master Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Advanced Biodegradable Materials: Functionally graded, crystalline plus amorphous Mg alloys produced by laser metal deposition and laser surface modification
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Mars atmosphere magnetohydrodynamic aerobraking
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Dynamics and hydrodynamic instability of magnetohydrodynamic implosions
(2015) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Flow Physics of a Hypervelocity Mixing Wake with Oxygen Enrichment
(2015) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Numerical investigation of gaseous heat and mass transfer: The effect of rarefaction
(2015) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
The Flow Physics of Inlet-Fueled, Low-Compression Scramjets
(2015) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Mixing and Combustion Enhancement in a Mach 12 Shape-Transitioning Scramjet Engine
(2014) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Improving Performance of High Mach Number Scramjets: Fuelling Strategies and Combustor Design
(2018) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Supersonic combustion of hydrocarbon fuels in a three-dimensional Mach 8 scramjet
(2017) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Hypersonic Viscous Drag Reduction using Multiport Injection Arrays
(2014) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Supersonic Combustion in Inlet-Fuelled Busemann-like Axisymmetric Scramjet Flow Paths
(2014) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
Numerical investigation of scramjet acoustic loads
Acoustic loads in hypersonic air-breathing engines have been recognized as a serious issue since the 1980s, yet their mitigation remains an open problem. With the successful X51 flight tests at low hypersonic Mach numbers and our success in the laboratory at up to Mach 12, resolving the remaining technical barriers to developing reusable hypersonic vehicles has gained immediate importance. The first step towards effective mitigation or management of scramjet acoustic loads is to develop the capability to accurately predict and understand them. It is this important problem that the proposed research aims to address as part of the 2017 ARC Discovery Project “Acoustic loads on hypersonic vehicles”.
The primary goal of this PhD project is to conduct Wall-Modelled Large-Eddy Simulation (WMLES) of the supersonic and hypersonic experiments conducted by other students, then through comparison of the numerical and experimental acoustic data, refine the simulation approach and ultimately validate it. Once the simulation approach has been validated, WMLES will provide highly detailed, time accurate data upon which to build our understanding of the sound generation mechanisms in scramjets. The approach will also be able to accurately predict the acoustic loads in other supersonic engines.
Two-fluid MHD investigation of the magnetic suppression of shock driven plasma instabilities
In inertial confinement fusion, hundreds of terawatts of laser power is used to drive a converging shock wave into a small spherical capsule containing a fuel mixture of heavy hydrogen isotopes. When the shock wave converges at the centre of the capsule, the temperature should exceed 100 million Kelvin and a fusion reaction between the hydrogen nuclei should be ignite. The fusion burn should then propagate outward through the fuel more rapidly than it can expand. However, when the shock impacts on the interfaces between the capsule and the fuel layers, hydrodynamic instabilities are triggered. The first of these is the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, which occurs when a shock interacts with a density interface. The hydrodynamic instabilities limit the chance of energy break-even or production.
In the last few years, we have shown that in ideal plasmas, the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability can be suppressed by the application of a seed magnetic field. The extreme temperatures involved in inertial confinement fusion mean the fluids involved are plasmas, so suppressing the instability is possible. Unfortunately, to suppress the instability and maintain spherical symmetry would require a radial magnetic field, which is not attainable. Instead we have studied cases where the instability is suppressed using realistic magnetic fields, with very promising results.
The results discussed above were obtained using ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), which is one of the simplest frameworks for modelling plasma behaviour. In this project, the suppression of the Richtmyer-Meskov instability will be investigated using the more realistic framework of two-fluid MHD, where the electrons and heavy ions are simulated separately, and the full set of Maxwell's equations are solved to determine the evolution of the electric and magnetic fields. This framework allows a wealth of plasma behaviour that cannot occur in ideal MHD. The crucial outcome of this project will be to determine how these phenomena affect the suppression of the Ritchmyer-Meshkov instability in the presence of a seed magnetic field.
Experimental investigation of scramjet acoustic loads
Acoustic loads in hypersonic air-breathing engines have been recognized as a serious issue since the 1980s, yet their mitigation remains an open problem. With the successful X51 flight tests at low hypersonic Mach numbers and our success in the laboratory at up to Mach 12, resolving the remaining technical barriers to developing reusable hypersonic vehicles has gained immediate importance. An essential step towards effective mitigation or management of scramjet acoustic loads is to measure them in a realistic environment, providing vital data to validate predictive models. It is this important problem that the proposed research aims to address as part of the 2017 ARC Discovery Project “Acoustic loads on hypersonic vehicles”.
The primary goal of this PhD project is experimentally measure acoustic loads in a scramjet engine under realistic hypersonic flight and fuel injection conditions in UQ’s T4 Shock Tunnel. This facility can faithfully recreate the flow physics in scramjet engines, including the acoustic environment. The experimental measurement of acoustic waves in shock tunnels is extremely challenging: The impact of the free-piston driver, diaphragm bursting and transient shock reflections produce intense structural vibrations. Test flows at multiple kilometers per second are generated with stagnation temperatures of over 5000 K. Many of the sensors typically used in aeroacoustics cannot withstand this extreme thermal environment. We will overcome these limitations and resolve all waves above 5 kHz by using the focused laser differential interferometer (FLDI) technique. This method has been proven to work in the T5 shock tunnel in Caltech for external flows; this will be the first application to scramjet flows in a reflected shock tunnel. The method will be extended to simultaneously measure perturbations at three locations, enabling acoustic signals to be distinguished from entropy waves. The proposed experimental design will produce a supersonic turbulent reacting flow with features that closely match those in a candidate access-to-space scramjet. Using FLDI to probe the sound field at key points will permit a high-fidelity, time-resolved comparison between experimental and numerical data for validation purposes.