CENTRALE LYON - postdoctoral position - Turbomachinery aerodynamic simulations with the Lattice Boltzmann Method

ECL and Laboratory presentation

Founded in 1857, École Centrale de Lyon is one of the top 10 engineering schools in France. It trains more than 3,000 students of 50 different nationalities on its campuses in Écully and Saint-Étienne (ENISE, in-house school): general engineers, specialized engineers, masters and doctoral students. With the Groupe des Écoles Centrale, it has three international locations. The training provided benefits from the excellence of the research carried out in the 6 CNRS-accredited laboratories on its campuses, the 2 international laboratories, the 6 international research networks and the 10 joint laboratories with companies. Its excellent research and high-level teaching have enabled it to establish double degree agreements with prestigious universities and advanced partnerships with numerous companies. With its focus on sobriety, energy, the environment and decarbonization, Centrale Lyon intends to respond to the problems faced by socio-economic players in the major transitions.

The Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics Laboratory (Laboratoire de Mécanique des Fluides et d'Acoustique - LMFA) develops a continuum of research in fluid mechanics and acoustics, from the understanding and the modelling of physical phenomena to applied research, in collaboration with industrial partners and public institutions. Research is organized around three major socio-economic fields: aeronautics and transport, environment and risks, and energy and processes for industry and life.

Research field presentation :

The Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is gaining increasing interest in Computational Fluid Dynamics. While traditional methods rely on a discretization of the Navier-Stokes equations at a macroscopic level, the LB method considers the fluid at a kinetic level. Capturing the dynamics of collections of fluid particles distributed over a lattice is here preferred to solving non-linear PDEs. Processing a simulation in this way has some advantages. The low numerical dissipation allows for accurate simulation of time-dependent flows, enabling sensitive applications such as aeroacoustics. Furthermore, the high scalability on massively parallel computers can lead to advantageous turn-around times for industrial applications.

The Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics (LMFA, CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon) is seeking a highly qualified candidate for a post-doctoral research fellowship regarding aerodynamic simulations of rotating geometries with high-fidelity Lattice Boltzmann methods.

Description of the activities

The successful candidate will be in charge of setting up, running and analyzing LBM simulations in the context of turbomachinery, using the ProLB software developed at LMFA with other academic and industrial partners. The configuration of interest is the ECL5 fan from LMFA. A special focus will be placed on analyzing the rotational stall that may occur when the flow rate is lower than nominal conditions. The numerical simulations will be assessed by comparison with experimental data.

This research activity is carried out within a collaboration between the teams ‘Acoustic’ and ‘Turbomachinery’ at the laboratory. It is part of a 3 years-long major project co-funded by the DGAC (French Civil Aviation) and directed by Airbus. The successful candidate will therefore develop his research activity collaboratively with the other academic and industrial partners of the project.

Scientific references:

[1] J. Boudet, et al. “Unsteady Lattice Boltzmann Simulations of Corner Separation in a Compressor Cascade”, Journal of Turbomachinery, vol. 144, no 1, January 2022, doi: 10.1115/1.4052017.

[2] V. Pagès, et al. “UHBR Open-Test-Case Fan ECL5/CATANA”, International Journal of Turbomachinery,  Propulsion and Power, vol. 7, no 2, May 2022, doi: 10.3390/ijtpp7020017.

[3] M. Buszyk, et al. “Aeroacoustic Performances of the ECL5 UHBR Turbofan Model With Serrated OGVs: Design, Predictions and Comparisons With Measurements”, 30th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference (2024), vol. 7, no 2, June 2024, doi: 10.2514/6.2024-3160.

[4] G.. Margalida, et al. “Comparison and Sensibility Analysis of Warning Parameters for Rotating Stall Detection in an Axial Compressor”, International Journal of Turbomachinery,  Propulsion and Power, vol. 5, no 3, July 2020, doi: 10.3390/ijtpp5030016.

Diplomas : PhD in Engineering, Physics, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, or Applied Mathematics

Experience : None

Knowledge required: Contributions in the area of scientific computing and Computational Fluid Dynamics. Prior Experience in turbomachinery or the Lattice Boltzmann method is an advantage.

Operational skills : Physical analysis of fluid dynamics, advanced skills in programming and numerical methods, writing scientific reports and articles, presenting at scientific conferences.

Behavioural skills : Independence, ability to work in a team and adapt to the needs of colleagues, creativity

Work context / environment_______________________________

Attendance at an European  scientific conference is expected.

Recruitment process_______________________________

The recruitment process takes place in two stages, supervised by a recruitment committee, in accordance with Centrale Lyon's OTMR policy.

• Study of the written application:  CV with a cover letter, a summary of recent work and interests,

                one or two letters of reference

• Selection interview: in person or by videoconference

Recruitment timetable: 3 weeks

Selection criteria : excellence