Dr. Nihad Dukhans' Research

Keywords: Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, CFD, Strategic Cooling, Metallic Foam

Credentials:

Dr. Dukhan received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Toledo in 1988, his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Toledo in 1991 and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and his M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Toledo in 1996. His previous experience includes 4 years at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaquez (associate professor), 4 years at Marconi Communications (senior research engineer), and 3 years at NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center (researcher). He joined the University of Detroit Mercy in August 2005 as an Associate Professor. His research can be classified in the broad area of thermo-fluids. Consequently, his research interests include experimental and numerical methods related to heat transfer problems including strategic cooling of electronics, application and characterization of thermal properties of metallic foams.

Research Focus:

Dr. Dukhan’s recent research work (in collaboration with University of Puerto and Eltek) includes the thermal property characterization of metal foams for novel and strategic cooling in applications ranging from electronic packaging to vehicle propulsion. His primary research efforts include implementation of experimental and numerical methods to model thermo-fluid systems. Experimentally, he employs data acquisition systems to measure quantities such as pressure, temperature, heat flux, flow rate and velocity profiles. His numerical modeling involves such commercial codes as Flotherm and Fluent.

Dr. Dukhan involves undergraduate students in research and projects. The research/project experience teaches students some of the excellent practices of the industrial environment that makes projects successful in terms of proposal writing, budgeting, timeliness, and meeting strict requirements. It also includes inventiveness in solving design problems, project and performance, management, risk analysis and mitigation. All these better prepare graduating students for the professional practice of engineering.

Impact of Research:

Dr. Dukhan’s recent work has had direct impact on cooling in electronics and electronic packaging. His four patents have had direct applications in cooling electronics (e.g., vortex tube cooling, etc)

New Directions, Plans or Objectives:

Dr. Dukhan plans to continue his work on thermal characterization and application of metallic foams by evaluating and modeling these materials for such advanced cooling applications (for example, as electronic packaging).

Recent Publications:

• "Heat Transfer Analysis in Metal Foams with Low-Conductivity Fluids," Accepted, Journal of Heat Transfer, Feb. 2006
• "Air Flow through Compressed and Uncompressed Aluminum Foam: Measurements and Correlations," Accepted, Journal of Fluids Engineering, Feb. 2006.
• "One-Dimensional Heat Transfer Analysis in Open-Cell 10-ppi Metal Foam," International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 48, No. 25-26, December 2005, pp. 5112-5120.
• "Simplified Heat Transfer Analysis in Metal Foam with Low-Conductivity Fluid," Proceedings, 2005 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, 2005, Orlando, FL, Nov. 5-11.
• "Assessment of Metal Foam Cooling of High-Power Electronics," Abstract submitted, the 27th International Telecommunications Energy Conference, INTELEC05, Berlin, Germany, September 18 to 22, 2005.
• "Approximate Conduction/Convection Analysis in Metal Foam," Proceedings, the ASME 05 Summer Heat Transfer Conference, San Francisco, CA, July 17-22, 2005.
• "Direct Comparison between a Heat Sink and a Foam Block Cooling of a Computer Chip," Proceedings, the Annual Conference of the Center for Power Electronics and Systems, and NSF Engineering Research Center, Virginia Tech, April 17-19, 2005.
• "Pressure Drop Measurements for Air Flow through Open-Cell Aluminum Foam," Proceedings, ASME International Engineering Congress, Anaheim, California, November 13-19, 2004.
• "An Approach for Simulating Metal Foam Cooling of High-Power Electronics," Proceedings, the International Telecommunications Energy Conference, INTELEC 2004, Chicago, IL, September 19 to 23, 2004.
• "One-Dimensional Model for the Combined Heat Transfer in Open-Cell Metal Foam," Proceedings, the ASME-ZSIS International Thermal Science Seminar, Bled, Slovenia, June 13 -16, 2004.
• "Characterization of the Heat Transfer in Open-Cell Metal Foam," Proceedings, the Second International Conference on High Performance Structures and Materials, HPSM 2004, Ancona, Italy, May 31 to June 2nd, 2004. Undergraduate Students.
• "Experimental Assessment of Air Pressure Drop Through 40 ppi Aluminum Foam," Proceedings, the Congreso de Engenieria y Agrimensura, Colegio de Inginieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 23, 2004.
• "Two-Dimensional Modeling of Heat Transfer in Open-Cell Metal Foam," Proceedings, the Congreso de Engenieria y Agrimensura, Colegio de Inginieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 23, 2004.
• "Effect of Flow Rate on the Heat Transfer in 10-PPI Aluminum Foam," Proceedings, the 24th Puerto Rico Interdisciplinary Scientific Meeting, Humacao, Puerto Rico, March 13, 2004. Undergraduate Students.
• "Simulations of Metal Foam Cooling of High-Power Electronics Using the Equivalent Thermal Conductivity," Proceedings, the 2003 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and R&D Expo, Washington, D.C., USA, November 16 - 21, 2003.
• "One Dimensional Heat Transfer Model for Open-Cell Metal Foam," Presented, the 14th Undergraduate Research Symposium, Metropolitan University, San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 24 - 26, 2003. Undergraduate Students.
• "Experimental Frossling Numbers from Ice-Roughened NACA 0012 Airfoils," AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 40 No. 6, November 2003.
• "Analysis of Porous Media Cooling Techniques," Proceedings, Congreso de Engenieria y Agrimensura, Colegio de Inginieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico, Politecnica University, April 15, 2003.
• "An Equivalent Thermal Conductivity for Open Cell Metal Foam for Solar Air Heaters," Proceedings, the ISEC International Solar Energy Conference, Hawaii, USA, March 16-18, 2003.
• "Experimental Heat Transfer Coefficients from Ice-Roughened NACA 0012 Airfoil," Proceedings, the 9th Latin American Congress on Heat and Mass Transfer, October 20, 2002.
• "Solar Air Conditioning Systems with PCM Solar Collectors," With J. E. Gonzalez and L. H. Alva. Accepted, the ASME Solar Energy Engineering Journal, December 2, 2002. Presented at the ISEC International Solar Energy Conference-American Solar Energy Society, The American Institute of Architects, ASME International, Reno, NV, June 15-20, 2002.
• "Solar Air Conditioning Systems with PCM Solar Collectors," With J. E. Gonzalez and L. H. Alva. Accepted, the ASME Solar Energy Engineering Journal, December 2, 2002. Presented at the ISEC International Solar Energy Conference-American Solar Energy Society, The American Institute of Architects, ASME International, Reno, NV, June 15-20, 2002.
• "Acceleration Effect on the Stanton Number for Castings of Ice-Roughened Surfaces," AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 896-898, November-December 1999.
• "Convective Heat Transfer Coefficients from Various Types of Ice- Roughened Surfaces in Parallel and Accelerated Flows," Proceedings, the AIAA 34th Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, Nevada, January 1996.
• "Flow Characteristics of Multiple Rows of Jets Expanding in a Square Duct at Low Reynolds Numbers," Developments in Mechanics, Proceedings, the 24th Midwestern Mechanics Conference, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, October 1995.
• "Convective Heat Transfer from Castings of Ice Roughened Surfaces in Horizontal Flight," NASA Technical Memorandum 107109, also proceedings of the International Icing Symposium of the American Helicopter Society, Montreal, Canada, September 1995.
• "Experimental Technique and Assessment for Measuring the Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient from Natural Ice Accretions," Proceedings, the AIAA 33rd Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, Nevada, January 1995.

Contact Information:

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Detroit Mercy
4001 W. McNichols Road
Detroit, Michigan 48221-3038

* Phone: 313-993-3285
* Fax: 313-993-1187

* Department of Mechanical Engineering

Email: nihad.dukhan@udmercy.edu