Matthew recently received a Distinction in MSc Automotive Engineering from Coventry University after graduating with a First Class Honours in BEng Aerospace Technology in 2020. He has a devotion to his industrial and academic career, with experience in teaching assistance as a Student Proctor whilst studying at Coventry University, drawing on knowledge gained from a 1-year design internship in the automotive industry. He is particularly enthusiastic about the physical, mechanical, and thermal areas of automotive engineering, such as aerodynamics and propulsion.
In the fourth year of his bachelor's degree, his final project and supporting dissertation titled 'Parameterisation of a Glider Empennage' involved the use of CAD and MATLAB scripting to create a tool which creates aircraft tail designs using a set of input criteria, provided by the user of the tool. The following year, he finalised his master's degree in automotive engineering by revisiting aerodynamics in a project titled 'An Investigation into the Aerodynamic Characteristics of Bluff Bodies in a Vehicle Platoon', which provided numerical and experimental data on the effects of vehicle geometry on the aerodynamic performance of vehicles in close proximity. During his PhD, Matthew will apply his knowledge and experience of fluid dynamics, automotive design, and thermodynamics to the Chemical Energy Converters research theme at AAPS, whilst taking opportunities to revisit his passion for teaching.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are a potential technology to help alleviate climate change, providing reduced harmful emissions than petrol and diesel cars. In their fuel cell stack, hydrogen gas is reacted with oxygen to produce electricity and water. The electricity produced goes on to power electric motors, as in battery electric vehicles, but hydrogen vehicles have the benefit of being able to be refilled with hydrogen far more quickly than an EV can be charged. The water produced simply exits the exhaust pipe as steam.
The hydrogen fuel is stored in tanks and fed to the fuel cell stack much like petrol or diesel is in an engine, and oxygen is provided by the air. For air to enter the fuel cell stack at high flow rate and pressure, various components are used to condition it. This may include: compressors, which pressurise and accelerate the air; humidifiers, which carefully control the water content in the incoming air, and turbines, which can harness some of the energy from the exhaust which would otherwise be lost to the atmosphere. Many other options for components are possible, in many more configurations. Matt's project investigates these configurations which make up the air handling system as a whole, and aims to determine which are best for various scenarios. It also analyses the effect of the exhaust water on the turbines themselves, as water can condense on the turbine blades and effect the turbine's performance, or even damage it over time.
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