Omid Askari Email & Phone Number

Boston, Ma, Us

Greater Boston Area

Greater Morgantown Area

Greater Morgantown Area

• Secured competitive research funding from NSF and WVRCG.• Led and managed all project activities, including proposal preparation, project planning, project performance, data collection, data post-processing, design, modeling, publications, and communicating the results to the sponsor. A few selected projects: NH3/H2 combustion, CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals, and ultra high-pressure combustion.• Managed and supervised the PCFi lab development process including reviewing… Show more • Secured competitive research funding from NSF and WVRCG.• Led and managed all project activities, including proposal preparation, project planning, project performance, data collection, data post-processing, design, modeling, publications, and communicating the results to the sponsor. A few selected projects: NH3/H2 combustion, CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals, and ultra high-pressure combustion.• Managed and supervised the PCFi lab development process including reviewing lab P&IDs, performing process simulation by ASPEN, purchasing materials, installing/calibrating the equipment, and testing.• Developed several custom combustor models by SolidWorks, conducted thermal and structural analyses by ANSYS and managed the fabrication process in collaboration with the machine shop, including NOx MILD burner, constant volume combustion chamber, and transient plasma reactor for gas conversion.• Measured the flame speed of the NH3-H2-air mixture at high pressures.• Designed and built an extended spark plug system with the capability to adjust the gap size, wire diameter, and custom tip geometry.• Managed the lab safety and risk analysis for compressed gases, chemical liquids, high-power lasers, high-pressure combustors.• Developed a numerical model for ignition kernel formation and propagation of thermal plasma discharge in a capacitive spark system using MATLAB and CANTERA.• Developed reduced chemical mechanisms for ethanol and conducted a 3D spray combustion simulation by ANSYS-FLUENT for validation and verification.• Developed a data analytics platform for collecting, shaping, and visualizing experimental data using MATLAB and Python.• Assembled, calibrated, and operated with different optical and laser diagnostic techniques such as OES, PLIF, PIV, TDLAS, schlieren, and high-speed imaging.• Supervised 3 Ph.D. students, 1 M.Sc. student, and 2 undergraduate researchers. Show less

Starkville, Ms

• Secured competitive research funding from DOE, NASA, ASHRAE, and PACCAR.• Measured the burning speed and studied the flame instabilities for anisole drop-in fuel using a coupled numerical and experimental study at high pressures and temperature.• Investigated the effect of different ignition systems such as CDI, MEHV, and NSD on minimum ignition kernel size for improvement of the lean flammability limit.• Designed and fabricated a coflow combustor equipped with low-temperature… Show more • Secured competitive research funding from DOE, NASA, ASHRAE, and PACCAR.• Measured the burning speed and studied the flame instabilities for anisole drop-in fuel using a coupled numerical and experimental study at high pressures and temperature.• Investigated the effect of different ignition systems such as CDI, MEHV, and NSD on minimum ignition kernel size for improvement of the lean flammability limit.• Designed and fabricated a coflow combustor equipped with low-temperature plasma discharge at the nozzle exit. • Investigated the effect of short-pulsed discharges on stability characteristics (i.e., liftoff and blowout) of CH4-air turbulent flame under a wide range of frequencies and jet velocities (~60% improvement was observed).• Developed a reduced-order 2D model for the plasma-assisted rocket injector by coupling ZDPLASKIN and ANSYS-FLUENT to study the kinetic and transport enhancement of plasma on flame stabilization mechanism.• Developed detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms for alternative oxygenated biofuels (ethanol and anisole) using RMG and CANTERA.• Analyzed the kinetic effect of nanosecond plasma and its interaction with combustion chemistry using CHEMKIN-Pro and ZDPLASKIN.• Analyzed the uncertainties caused by the regime transition of repetitive nanosecond pulsed discharge.• Consulted ClearValue, Inc on the feasibility/safety of using H2 in transportation and power generation applications.• Performed as the faculty advisor and board member of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge (a DOE sponsored project) team.• Taught Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering courses at both undergrad and grad levels: thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, combustion, and IC engines.• Supervised 1 postdoc, 2 Ph.D. students, 3 M.Sc. students, and more than 12 undergraduate researchers. Show less

Greater Boston Area

• Measured the effect of syngas on ignition delay and auto-ignition behavior of JP-8 fuel.• Analyzed Flame instability and chemical kinetics for syngas/oxygen/Helium mixture using CANTERA.• Modified the liquid fuel heating system with PID temperature controllers and new high-temperature pressure transducers.• Handled responsibility to maintain equipment and ensure that gas handling/processing and lab safety standards were met.

Greater Boston Area

• Conducted an experimental study on CH4 high-pressure injection and partially-premixed combustion in a constant volume vessel equipped with a high-speed imaging system.• Studied the spray (tip penetration & cone angle) and combustion (flame speed, flame propagation, pressure rise, and emission) characteristics of alternative jet fuels at gas turbine combustor relevant conditions.• Developed a numerical model for high-pressure CH4 injection and shock formation using… Show more • Conducted an experimental study on CH4 high-pressure injection and partially-premixed combustion in a constant volume vessel equipped with a high-speed imaging system.• Studied the spray (tip penetration & cone angle) and combustion (flame speed, flame propagation, pressure rise, and emission) characteristics of alternative jet fuels at gas turbine combustor relevant conditions.• Developed a numerical model for high-pressure CH4 injection and shock formation using AVL-Fire.• Measured the pressure rise and flame propagation images for alternative fuels (syngas, GTL) at high temperatures and pressures to obtain flame speed and study the flame instabilities.• Developed a thermodynamic differential-based multi-shell model for spherical flame propagation using FORTRAN to obtain the laminar burning speed in conjunction with experimental measurements.• Numerically modeled the turbine blade film cooling with expanded exit holes using ANSYS-CFX.• Investigated the effect of thermal decomposition on emission reduction (N2O, VOCs, NOx, H2S, SO2) from biological nutrient removal processes using CHEMKIN.• Developed an alternative approach based on minimum ignition energy (MIE) to predict the flame speed of mildly flammable low-GWP refrigerants.• Measured the onset of autoignition of GTL-air mixture under high pressures.• Calculated the thermophysical properties of ionized gases (pure and mixed) using molecular thermodynamics.• Collaborated in writing the research proposals for QNRF, ASHRAE, ARO, and DOE.• Mentored six high school students in the Young Scholar Program (YSP) with SolidWorks, LabVIEW, and MATLAB.• Collaborated with Texas A&M University to design an optically accessible high-pressure combustion chamber.• Designed and built a schlieren imaging and a new gas-mixture supply system; installed and calibrated a PLIF system; calibrated and launched a gas chromatography (GC) system; assembled and programmed a new data acquisition (DAQ) system using LabVIEW. Show less

Tehran, Iran

• Designed and manufactured a high-pressure constant volume combustion chamber for visualization of spray and flame propagation using finite element analysis (thermal and structural) in ANSYS.• Developed an optical diagnostics and image-processing laboratory equipped with schlieren, high-speed imaging, and particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems.• Developed an efficient mechanism to equip a single-cylinder engine with optical access for in-cylinder flow measurements using… Show more • Designed and manufactured a high-pressure constant volume combustion chamber for visualization of spray and flame propagation using finite element analysis (thermal and structural) in ANSYS.• Developed an optical diagnostics and image-processing laboratory equipped with schlieren, high-speed imaging, and particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems.• Developed an efficient mechanism to equip a single-cylinder engine with optical access for in-cylinder flow measurements using PIV.• Developed a thermodynamic quasi-dimensional model in FORTRAN to obtain the stratified-mixture distribution for a CNG direct injection engine.• Performed a design optimization process on the conversion of a gasoline engine into a CNG engine by focusing on the fuel injection system (hole diameter, injection duration, pressure ratio, and spray characteristics).• Analyzed the performance and emissions of a bi-fuel SI engine using GT-Power 1D modeling.• Modeled the gasoline spray and combustion process in an engine cylinder using ANSYS-FLUENT to find the fuel distribution before ignition and temperature/pressure changes during the flame propagation.• Performed engine performance/emission testing with various combustion strategies and fuels.• Supervised 3 junior engineers and more than 10 interns. Show less

Tehran, Iran

• Developed a 3D finite element model for heat transfer in a single-well enhanced geothermal system (EGS) using ANSYS to investigate the temperature distribution in the fractured zones.• Developed a 2D heat transfer transient solver in MATLAB to investigate the effectiveness of a geothermal snow-melting system under various snowfall rates, pavement material/thickness, and pipe spacing for bridge applications.• Developed a thermodynamic code to investigate the effect of superheater on… Show more • Developed a 3D finite element model for heat transfer in a single-well enhanced geothermal system (EGS) using ANSYS to investigate the temperature distribution in the fractured zones.• Developed a 2D heat transfer transient solver in MATLAB to investigate the effectiveness of a geothermal snow-melting system under various snowfall rates, pavement material/thickness, and pipe spacing for bridge applications.• Developed a thermodynamic code to investigate the effect of superheater on the efficiency of a geothermal single flash cycle (a 10% improvement in the specific net power output was observed).• Analyzed the technical and economic aspects of the Sabalan geothermal power plant in NW of Iran.• Prepared a comprehensive report on geothermal technologies, resources, and standards. Show less

Tehran, Iran

• Determined the maximum heat transfer and optimum geometry in a forced convective microchannel heat sink with 10 various cross-sections using SINDA.• Developed a 3D finite volume numerical code in FORTRAN to determine the conjugate heat transfer in a parallel flow microchannel heat sink using the additive-correction multigrid (AC-MG) technique.

Tehran, Iran

• Collaborated in the design and sizing of a new cooling tower by theoretical analysis of flow rate, range of cooling, approach, heat load, and capacity factor.• Created BOM for custom-design parts and communicated the information to the material and purchasing departments.• Participated in different sections of the refinery and learned the basics of welding, machining, and turbomachinery operation.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Mechanical Engineering, Gpa=3.95

Master Of Science (Msc), Mechanical Engineering, Gpa=3.85