Page 99 - Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Proceedings 2017-18

School of Engineering
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

in strong need, with which, the difficulty of marine research can be surmounted. This UROP requires to build an open-
source and modular underwater robot which can autonomously navigate.

Supervisor: LEE Yi-Kuen / MAE
Student: WICAKSANA Jeffry / ELEC Course: UROP2100, Fall

Control of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) takes up around 40% of total energy consumption in United
States, which costs around $40Billion every year. By utilizing a smart-automated energy efficient building approach, up
to 28% of the consumption can be reduced and thus lead to a higher rate of energy conservation. In order to do so, an
automated data collecting device of both temperature, humidity, and air flow of an environment has to be designed.
This research project will focus on developing the data collecting device using commercial products. Data collected will
then be integrated into enthalpy or energy contained in the room. All of this can be easily accessed through cloud
system which will be updated every minute.

Helical Modes in a Hydrodynamically Self-excited Jet

Supervisor: LI Larry / MAE
Student: CHOW Ka Kin Kenny / MAE Course: UROP1100, Spring

Compared with the more conventional bi-wing configuration, a tandem-airfoil configuration, with one airfoil at the front
and one at the back, can offer improved aerodynamic performance, but only if the stagger and gap distances are
appropriately chosen. Furthermore, the lift generated by the two airfoils would be farther apart along the longitudinal
axis, resulting in improved stability and control. In this project, the design principles, merits, drawbacks and state-of-the-
art knowledge of the tandem-airfoil configuration have been examined, with a view towards developing a new design
framework by which tandem-airfoils can be optimized for use in the next generation of micro aerial vehicles (MAVs).
Various diagnostic methods, ranging from direct force measurements to particle image velocimetry, were explored
under different operating conditions, including when the airfoil is stationary, plunging or pitching – or a combination of
the three. An extensive database was constructed to record the aerodynamic conditions explored in previous
experiments and numerical simulations, laying the foundation for a future feasibility study and prototype development
of a tandem-airfoil MAV.

Supervisor: LI Larry / MAE
Student: HUI Wai Mong / MAE Course: UROP1100, Spring

Low-density jets are known to exhibit global instability in the form of self-excited axisymmetric oscillations, but the
presence of self-excited helical oscillations are still unknown. The conditions of the emergence of these global
oscillations in low-density axisymmetric jets and the boundary of absolute-convective instability are examined in this
project. The jet-to-ambient density ratio (S = / ∞), momentum thickness ( / 0), and Reynolds number are the key
parameters affecting the onset of global hydrodynamic modes in axisymmetric jets. By studying the concepts behind the
self-excited axisymmetric oscillations, it is possible to advance further experiments to search for the existence of helical
modes. Such global hydrodynamic instabilities can be used in industrial and environmental applications such as aircraft
engines and pollutant dispersion in the future.

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