Apply now

  • Dr Oliver Pountney

  • Job Title:Director of Doctoral Studies

Other key roles

  • Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor),
  • Director of Doctoral Studies for Mechanical Engineering,
  • Director of Doctoral Studies for the AAPS-CDT,
  • Associate Editor for ASME Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications

Research Interests

  • Experimental simulation of heat transfer problems
  • Modelling of additively manufactured heat exchangers
  • Improving the efficiency of fluid dynamic systems involving heat transfer

Bio

Olly completed his undergraduate MEng and PhD at the University of Bath in 2009 and 2012 respectively. He subsequently spent ~3 years in industry working as a fluids and heat transfer engineer. He returned to Bath in 2015 as a Post Doctoral Research Associate, before being awarded a Prize Fellowship in 2016, and Lectureship (Assistant Professorship) in 2018. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in 2021.

Olly’s research began in the field of power-generating gas turbines, specifically in the experimental and numerical modelling of sealing problems. He has subsequently worked on gas turbine projects involving blade cooling, compressor cavity flows, and mainstream-purge aerodynamics – these projects have taken place in collaboration with Siemens Energy and Rolls-Royce through various EPSRC supported projects. His research in the field of gas turbines has won two prestigious American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Best Paper Awards (2011 and 2021).

More recently, Olly has expanded his research into new technology areas, notably thermal management of hydrogen fuel cells, and additively manufactured heat exchangers. This work is being conducted in partnership with GKN Aerospace. He is continuing to work with Siemens Energy on cooling and aerodynamic projects that help support their development of hydrogen-fuelled gas turbines. His future research direction is being driven by a motivation to use his expertise to help support decarbonisation of power generation and aircraft propulsion.

FunFacts

  • I did my undergraduate and PhD at Bath
  • I worked for three years in consultancy between my PhD and becoming a staff member at Bath
  • I am a keen cyclist (and own four bikes, which I struggle to fit in my house!)

What does being involved in AAPS mean for Olly?

As the Director of Doctoral Studies (DoDS) for Mechanical Engineering I have had the privilege of supporting students with their PhD progression and working with students improve research culture in the department. The role has been one of the most rewarding parts of my job and inspired me to apply for an executive position in the AAPS CDT. I think that the multi-disciplinary and cohort aspects of the AAPS CDT are amazing as they facilitate collaboration across the entire University, and I am excited to work with and learn from students in the CDT.

Key research projects

  • An investigation into combined film and internal cooling of turbine blades (EPSRC First Grant, PI)
  • Advanced Thermal Management of Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Net Zero Flight (GKN Aerospace, PI)
  • Optimised Rapid Prototyping of Heat Exchangers Using Polymer Substitutes (EPSRC IAA, Co-I)
  • Effect of Density on Hot Gas Ingestion (EPSRC IAA, Co-I)
  • Improving Turbine Efficiency by Combining the Effects of Rim Seals and End-wall Contours in the Presence of Purge Flow (EPSRC Grant, Post-doc & Collaborator)
  • Buoyancy-Induced Flow and Heat Transfer inside Compressor Rotors (EPSRC Grant, Collaborator)

Career/Research highlights and achievements

  • 50th Anniversary Prize Fellowship (University of Bath)
  • Two x ASME Best Paper Awards (2011 and 2021)
  • Two x patents with Airbus

© Copyright 2024 AAPS CDT, Centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems at the University of Bath