DAITHÍ MOORE BEng MIEI
PhD Research Postgraduate (2007-2010)

e: daithi.moore@ul.ie

t: +353-61-202471

Daithí Moore graduated from the University of Limerick with a first class honours degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 2007. He obtained work placement with Honeywell Engine Systems & Services who manufacture turbine and fan blades for turbofan engines where he oversaw the introduction of a blade stress-relieve oven to the factory floor.

On his return to the University he carried out a final year project which involved the study of an unsteady natural convection plume over a cylinder in an enclosure. This simulated an aircraft wing leading edge and the effect of the enclosure geometry, cylinder location and ventilation were analysed with regards to the stability of the plume.

He was awarded an Enterprise Partnership scholarship co-funded by IRCSET & Airbus UK to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Limerick. He joined the Stokes Institute in October 2007.

PhD Project Title: Optimisation of Ventilating Leading Edge Compartment Holes

Natural convection cooling of ventilated and non-ventilated compartments has its application in both the electronic and aerospace industries. In the latter, natural convection alone is used to cool the electronic components and moderate enclosure temperatures in aircraft compartments. The cooling of such components becomes important when the aircraft is stationary, with all systems running, and the ambient outside air temperatures are above 40 deg. C. Many aircraft wing compartments however, are not ventilated which further increases the air temperatures reached inside. A potential solution to this problem, and forming the basis of this research project, is to firstly redesign the placement of electronic components in compartments and secondly incorporate ventilated cooling. A second problem encountered by engineers in designing such aircraft compartments is in the accuracy of numerical predictive methods for heat transfer.

The main objectives of the proposed research are to improve the accuracy of numerical models for natural convection flows and to optimise ventilated cooling for aircraft compartments. Enclosure natural convection, both ventilated and non-ventilated, is widely known for its complexity as both the temperature and velocity fields are coupled. Numerical modelling of such flows may not always produce the correct velocities or flow regimes encountered in the actual modelled enclosure. A detailed experimental analysis of a ventilated leading edge using Particle Image Velocimetry and temperature measurements is presently under investigation to benchmark against numerical predictions. From this an optimisation of the ventilation regime within the leading enclosure will be investigated with a view to reduce any aggressive thermal environment which may be present.

Publications to date

Egan, V., Moore, D., Newport, D., Lacarac, V. and Estebe, B., 2008, “An Analysis of Natural Convection in Leading Edge Wing Compartments”, Proceedings of the 2008 ASME-JSME Thermal Engineering Summer Heat Transfer Conference, HT2008-56320, Jacksonville, FL, August 10-14