Curriculum Vitae

Amitabh Narain

 

Personal Data

 

Address

      Office:                            Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

                                                Michigan Technological University

                                                1400 Townsend Drive

                                                Houghton, MI 49931-1295

                                                Phone: (906) 487-2555          Fax: (906) 487-2822

                                                e-mail: narain@mtu.edu

                                                http://www.me.mtu.edu/~narain

 

        Home:                             1520 Brookside Drive

                                                 Houghton, MI 49931-2713

                                                 Phone: (906) 482-2441

 

        Citizenship:                   U.S. Citizen

 

Education

1983                                Ph.D. (Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics) University of Minnesota

1980                                M.S. (Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics) University of Minnesota

1978                                B.Tech. (Aero. Eng.) Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, (India), 1978.

 

Experience

2006-Present                 Professor

1990-2006                       Associate Professor with tenure at Michigan Technological University

1988                                Visiting Professor at University of Minnesota

1983                                Assistant Professor at Michigan Technological University

1978 - 1983                     Research/Teaching Associate, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

 

Research Interests

·         An integrated computational and experimental approach for internal condensing flows that has involved development and use of a state of the art experimental facility and a direct computational simulation tool. Research deals with: characterization of flow regimes, prediction of flow fields, stability and noise-sensitivity of the flow, heat transfer rate assessments, characterization of interfacial waves and its impact, and understanding of issues that lead to presence or absennce of condenser induced system-instabilities in thermal systems (e.g. Rank­ine cycle power plants, capillary pumped loops, etc.).

·         Use of commercial CFD/CHT codes, in conjunction with experiments, to model and improve industrial equipments/processes (such as natural and forced convection turbulent flows through heat exchangers, and design/development optimization of a displacement pump).

·         Study of cavitation signatures in an automobile’s torque-converter using micro-wave telemetry.

·         Shock propagation in viscoelastic fluids and solids (past interest).

·         Constitutive modeling of polymer melts (past interest).

 

Honors  

·         Fellow of ASME, 2006

·         Invited/nominated listing in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering (Marquis 7th Edition), 2000 - present.

·         Listed in Who’s Who in America (Marquis 2008 Edition).

·         B. Tech., 1978, First Rank award in Aero. Eng. for each of the five years during 1973-1978. At graduation, awarded the IIT-Kharagpur's Silver Medal.

·         Member, Sigma Gamma Tau, Aerospace Honor Society

·         One of the in-press papers (Oct. issues of JHT 07 and related IMECE2007-41306)  has been nominated for ASME ’08 Best Paper Award

 

Memberships (current and past) in Professional Societies

·         American Society of Mechanical Engineers

·         American Academy of Mechanics

·         Society of Engineering Science

·         American Physical Society - Division of Fluid Dynamics

·         American Association for the Advancement of Science

 

 

Teaching

 

Courses Taught

Graduate (at Michigan Technological University, 1983 - present)

·         Advanced Fluid Mechanics (MEEM 5210/EM531)

·         Advanced Fluid Mechanics II (EM632)

·         Advanced Heat Transfer (MEEM 5230)

·         Two Phase Flow and Heat Transfer (MEEM 5280)

 

Undergraduate (at Michigan Technological University, 1983 - present)                                                                                                   

·         Heat Transfer (ME328/MEEM3230, ME327)

·         Fluid Mechanics (EM431, EM332/MEEM3210)

·         Thermodynamics (ME223, ME320)

·         Dynamics (EM212)                             

                                                                    

Undergraduate (at University of Minnesota, 1988 – 1989)

·         Incompressible Boundary Layer Theory (Senior Level, AEM 5202)

·         Honors Mechanics I (Statics & Strength of Materials, AEM 3816H)

·         Dynamics (Junior Level, AEM 3036)               

 

 

Graduate Student Advising

 

M. S. Graduate Students (13 students)

·         Jorge H. Kurita, MSME from MTU, “Experimental Investigation of Fully Condensing Downward Vapor Flows in a Vertical Tube - Unspecified (Free) Exit Condition Cases,” March 2007.

·         Jordan Bilyeu, MSME from MTU, “Flow Simulations For Optimized Performance of Displacement Pumps Manufactured By Engineered Machined Products,” August 2006.

·         Hector O. Degadillo Rocha, MSME from MTU, “Measurement and Modeling of Film Thickness Variations For Annular In-Tube Flows Through Design and Development of a Flow-Loop Test Apparatus,” September 2006.

·         A. Chichester, MSME from MTU,  “Heat-Exchanger Performance and  External Water (Coolant) Flow for a Heat-Exchanger at the Hull of a Ship,” November 2005.

·         X. Wang, MSME from MTU, “Direct Computational Simulations of Internal Condensing Flows and Effects of Gravity, Shear, and Surface Tension on Interfacial Waves and Heat Transfer Rates,” April 2004.

·         J. T. Mekkes, MSME from MTU, 2003 (with C. L. Anderson), “Static Pressure Measurements on The Nose of a Torque Converter Stator During Cavitation,” 2003.

·         A. S. Barve, MSME from MTU, “A Comparative Study of Internal Condensing Flows in Converging and Parallel Channels,” 2002.

·         L. Zeng, MSME from MTU (with C. L. Anderson), “Experimental Investigation of Cavitation Signatures in an Automotive Transmission Torque Converter,” 2000.

·         T. A. Cross, MSME from MTU (with C. L. Anderson), “Cavitation Signatures in an Automotive Torque Converter,” 1998.

·         R. M. Kamath, MSME from MTU, “Internal Flows of Vapor Undergoing Film Condensation,” 1991.

·         Y. Kizilyalli, MSME from MTU, “Computations (Integral Formulation) for the Flow of Pure Vapor Undergoing Condensation Between Parallel Plates,” 1989.

·         K. Lee, MSME from MTU, “A Computational Study of Film Condensation over a Horizontal Plate,” 1988.

·         C. Christodoulou, MSME from MTU (with N. V. Suryanarayana) “Condensation in a Horizontal Rectangular Duct – An Experimental Study,” 1987.

 

Ph.D. Graduate Students (6 Ph.D. students)

·         Lucas Phan from MTU, “Flow Simulations, Code Developments and Comparisons with Experiments for Internal/External Condensing Flows,” 2007.

·         Tian W. Ng from MTU, “Development and Calibration of a Fluorescence and Fiber-Optics Based Real-Time Thickness Sensor for Dynamic Liquid Films,” 2006.

·         Anna Siemionko, Ph.D. from MTU, ChemE (with Nam Kim as Advisor), “Design, Fabrication, and Operation of a System to Control FC-72 Condensation Inside a Vertical Tube,” 2006.

·         Q. Liang, Ph. D. from MTU, “Unsteady Computational Simulations and Code Development for a Study of Internal Film Condensation Flows’ Stability, Noise-sensitivity, and Waviness,” 2003.

·         G. Yu, Ph. D. from MTU, “Development of a CFD Code for Computational Simulations and Flow Physics of Annular/Stratified Film Condensation Flows,” May 1999.

·         Q. Liu, Ph. D. from MTU, “Computational Simulation and Interfacial Shear Models for Wavy Interface Annular Downward Flows in Vertical Pipes: Turbulent Vapor/Laminar Condensate Situations,” 1999.

·         Q. Lu, Ph. D. from MTU (with N. V. Suryanarayana), “An Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer with  Condensation in a Horizontal Rectangular Duct,” 1992.

 

M.S. Graduate Students Currently Being Advised (1 student)

·         Sandeep Sikarwar, MSME from MTU, expected Spring 2008.

Ph.D. Graduate Students Currently Being Advised (4 students)

·         Jorge H. Kurita, Ph. D. in ME-EM from MTU, expected 2008.

·         Shantanu Kulkarni, Ph. D. in ME-EM from MTU, expected 2009.

·         Michael T. Kivisalu, Ph. D. in MEEM from MTU, expected 2010.

·         Soumya Mitra, Ph. D. in MEEM from MTU, expected 2010.

 

Undergraduate Student Advising

 

·         Advised ME-EM senior Michael Kivisalu (GPA 3.7) over Summer’06 and Fall’06 as an undergraduate researcher on NASA grant.

·         Took up special advising of three seniors: Alan Chichester (GPA  3.7) and Lucas Phan (GPA  3.85) over Spring’03 and Jordan Bilyeau over Fall’04. For Alan and Lucas, it consisted of one hour per week meeting with them towards academically preparing them for research. Later on, all three of them joined my research as graduate students (one for Ph.D. and two for M.S.).

·         Advised ME-EM seniors Justin Keske (GPA 3.8) and James Whitmarsh (GPA 3.6)  on experimental aspects of condensing flow research over the summer of 2003. I also supported them through NSF’s REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program.

·         Advised ME-EM seniors Ted Hanes (GPA 3.88) and Vince F. Jones (GPA 3.9) on experimental aspects of condensing flow research over the summer of 2002. I also supported them through NSF’s REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program.

·         Extensively advised Matthew Himes, Matt McQueen, Jason Skiera, Nick Verhagen, and Daiyouga over Spring 04 and Fall 04 on their senior design project that was sponsored by me.

·         Advised a number of undergraduate students ( > 10) on issues such as career decisions, graduate school selection, design projects, etc. I have also written a number of reference letters on their behalf.

·         Advised (Winter 1999) five undergraduate students on a Design Project (ME 447) which involved fabrication of a fluid-mechanics experiment for measuring frictional losses in pipe flows.

·         Advised several undergraduates (Rodney Worthing, Celeste Mazur, Brian Kleinfeld, etc.) on individualized undergraduate projects under one-on-one guidance. For example, over the academic year 1997-1998, I advised Brian Kleinfeld as he built a hardware demonstrating passive cooling techniques (heat sinks) for a Pentium micro-processor (mounted on a PC’s motherboard). This demonstration, along with a related open ended design problem that we developed, is sometimes used for the undergraduate heat transfer (MEEM 3230) course.

·         Informally advised many students (> 10), who were working with other ME-EM advisors, and sought my input/help on fluid-flow/heat-transfer aspects of their design projects.

 

Grants, Contracts, and Gifts (Role: Investigator)

 

·         NASA Grant NNC04GB52G, “Direct Computational Simulations and Experiments for Internal Condensing Flows’ Sys­tem-Instabilities/Dynamics in Micro-gravity and Terrestrial Environments,” 2004-2009, $686,963 (total with cost-share: $712,163). A. Narain (PI) with (over ’04-’06) H.A. Evenson (Co-I) and C. Van Karsen (Co-I). (In Progress)

·         Engineered Machine Products (EMP) Inc., Escanaba, MI “Flow Simulations for Optimized Performance of Displacement Pumps,” Jan. 1, 2005 - Aug. 31, 2006, $67,748, A. Narain (PI). (Completed)