Contact Dr Eduardo Anselmi Palma

Areas of expertise

  • Gas Turbines & Propulsion
  • Instrumentation, Sensors and Measurement Science
  • Power Systems & Turbines

Background

Eduardo is an experienced experimentalist engineer, applying his background in the oil and gas industry to plan, build and operate proof-of-concept test rigs for propulsion and thermal power engineering applications. His engineering portfolio includes consultancy projects on health & safety, constructability and gas turbine performance. His academic portfolio includes developing laboratory practices in refrigeration, thermo-fluids, and strip and build small engines.

He completed a BSc in Production Engineering (1997) followed by specialization courses in oil & gas (1998), an MSc in Mechanical Engineering (2009), with stress in turbomachinery preliminary design (Axial Compressors) and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering (2015), focused on the integration of heat exchangers into aero civil Brayton cycles. Following his PhD, he joined the Centre for Propulsion and Thermal Power Engineering as a Research Fellow. Eduardo led the design and development of two rig tests for novel research at Cranfield University; the first is the supercritical CO2 breadboard for thermal management and waste heat recovery applications, the first of its kind in the UK. The second rig is a platform for testing innovative powertrains, centrifugal compressors, and thermal loops for Environmental Control Systems. Following promotion to Lecturer in 2020, he has direct input into the assessment, planning, and execution of test campaigns for a variety of topics researched by the Centre; for example, test of aero oil-fuel-refrigerant heat exchangers, test of ram jets sub-components, and assessment of requirements for pumping cryogenics fuels.

Eduardo has experience in the preliminary and basic design of test rigs capable of delivering results within the TRL4 spectrum. He also offers technical advice on identifying and selecting components for measurement systems, systems which are adequate for verifying and validating medium-fidelity numerical models.

Current activities

Eduardo is a Lecturer in Aero Systems Design and Integration for Thermal Management and leader of the Thermal Management Team within the Centre for Propulsion and Thermal Power Engineering. He also supports activities within the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre for Aero Systems Design, Integration and Performance at Cranfield University.

Current projects include those funded by Innovate UK, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the private sector. He conducts experimental research in the field of integrated thermal management systems in the frame of projects PINES (Powerplant Integration of Novel Engine Systems) and LH2GT led by Rolls-Royce Ltd. He is also leading the development of a new rig for the project “Innovative high-temperature sealing solution for supercritical CO2 power cycles” led by John Crane Ltd.

Eduardo’s research interests include modelling and assessment of closed power cycles (existing and novel); conceptual development and experimental testing of boundary layer turbomachinery; development and implementation of measurement techniques for thermal management systems; exploration of operational challenges in handling cryogenic fuels for civil aviation; and development of sub-systems for turbomachinery sealing solutions.

Eduardo collaborates with higher educational institutions in Firenze, Koszalin and Istanbul.

Clients

  • Innovate UK
  • Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC
  • Heatric
  • Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
  • Aerospace Technology Institute
  • John Crane

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers