Todd Lowe

Assistant Professor

Research Expertise

Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics

Professional History

• 2010 - Present, Assistant Professor, Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech.
• 2006 - 2010, Vice President for Research and Development, Applied University Research, Inc.

Professional Leadership

• Member of the Commonwealth Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems, a joint collaboration among Rolls-Royce Aircraft Engines, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia
• Associate Member of the Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Technical Committee, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• Senior Member, AIAA
• P.I., Small Business Innovation Research Program, Department of Defense and NASA, Phases I-III

Research Interests

Novel laser optical flow instrumentation

Emerging photonics and instrument control technologies continually provide opportunities to gain deeper understandings of complex flow phenomena through novel, advanced laser optical instrumentation. Techniques such as position-resolving laser-Doppler velocimetry, laser-Doppler accelerometry, and Doppler velocimetry utilizing molecular optical filters yield detailed flow velocity measurements at scales of practical aerospace applications. Ruggedization and miniaturization of optical probes enable detailed measurements in tight quarters inaccessible to conventional flow instruments. Additional advances in flow-seeding particles for laser-induced fluorescence open the possibility to measure flow temperature simultaneously with velocity.

Compressible Vortical Flow in Gas-Turbine Engines

The performance and efficiency of gas-turbine engines is intimately related to the behavior of vortical flow throughout the system. Performance characteristics such as heat transfer, noise, and aerodynamic efficiency all arise from, or are closely linked to, vortical flow behavior. Complicating the problem, designers must contend with drastically variable thermodynamic conditions through each stage of an engine. The scales and behavior of vortical flow along surfaces within engines also vary dynamically and interact with the thermodynamic conditions. Understanding the fundamental behavior of compressible vortical flow, particularly in regions with appreciable three-dimensionality, is a key to designing the next generations of efficient, high performance, aerospace propulsion. The program involves contributions to fundamental compressible vortical flow physics understanding, turbulent and unsteady flow modeling, and systematic engine component design for synergistic system performance. The application of novel laser optical instrumentation enables new insights, unattainable with other instruments, into complex gas-turbine engine flows.

Aeroacoustics of Gas-Turbine Engine Inlets and Exhausts

Gas-turbine engine inlet and exhaust noise is highly geometry dependent. A major challenge in designing quieter inlets and exhaust nozzles is gaining confidence in the near-surface flow around these elements. Novel laser optical instrumentation in conjunction with state-of-the-art acoustics facilities and instruments, allows a complete study of the physical relationships between geometry, flow scale, and noise. The results available from such studies are valuable for several fundamental needs:

• initial conditions for detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of inlet, exhaust, and high speed jet flows
• model relationships between near-surface inlet/exhaust flow behavior and inlet/exhaust noise
• improved turbulent flow models for non-axisymmetric inlets and exhausts
• design iteration of improved inlet and exhaust geometries