Here you will find a list of the ongoing and concluded theses supervised within the FluidLab group, together with proposal of possible topics. If you are interested, please contact prof. Stefano Malavasi (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

• Proposals
• In progress
• Completed

Proposals for new theses

• Energy harvesting in flow control devices (Green Valve). Energy harvesting from dissipation processes during flow control is a challenging possibility for many different applications. The "Green Valve" is an innovative control device designed to control the flow and harvest the energy normally wasted during throttling process. Possible these are available regarding the development of the device implying both experimental analysis, that will be developed in the Hydraulic Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano, and numerical simulations through the use of CFD softwares.

• Cavitation analysis and visualization in control devices. Cavitation is a dangerous phenomena that represents an issue for hydraulic devices under severe working conditions. It can cause damages, noise and vibrations. The aim of the work is to evaluate the position of cavitation bubble implosion as a function of flow conditions. The thesis is based on experimental evidences and will be mainly developed in the Hydraulic Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano.

• Pipeline hydro-transport of solid materials. The aim is to investigate the behavior of liquid-solid slurry mixtures in pipeline systems. This will be mainly carried out by employing, and possibly improving, a CFD model which has been developed within the FluidLab research group. However, analysis of experimental data and laboratory activities may eventually be possible based on an agreement with the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

• Modelling of flow-control devices noise emissions. This thesis deals with the study of the aero-dynamic acoustic emission of industrial flow-control devices installed inside pipes. Numerical simulations and experimental campaigns will be performed in order to develop a predictive procedure to be applied for the noise prediction in the design phase of new devices. Numerics will be focused on fluid-dynamic simulations of the tested devices, and on the application of acoustical models to the computed quantities. Particular interest will be addressed to the estimation of the parameters introduced in the procedure for noise prediction described by the international standards. Experimental tests will be performed on the same numerically-computed cases. The internal sound will be compared to the numerical results in order to tune and validate them. The measurement of the internal noise in different positions will help to identify which phenomenon influences the external noise the most. The noise transmission through the pipe’s walls and its propagation in the free-space will be investigated as well.

• Impact erosion in slurry systems. The aim is to investigate the impact erosion phenomenon in slurry systems, i.e. the process of material removal from the surfaces subjected to the impingements of the solids dragged by the carrier liquid. Theses on this topic will be mainly numerical, erosion predictions being obtained by combining the results of CFD simulations with an in-house MATLAB library called E-CODE. However, experimental works may be also possible due to the availability of specific setups in the Hydraulic Laboratory of Politecnico di Milano.

• Hydro-abrasive erosion of concrete structures. The aim is to investigate the material removal from concrete hydraulic structures due to the presence of solids carried along with water. Research on this topic is made by the FluidLab group in the context of a cooperation with researchers from the University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil. Theses in this field may be either experimental (possibly in Campinas) or numerical (in Milano).

• Experimental investigation of Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) aspects of flows over perforated plates. This project will focus on the fundamental study of the mechanisms of flow induced loading on and vibrations of perforated plates, which are common in engineering systems. The investigation will involve application of quantitative flow visualization technique of particle image velocimetry (PIV) and direct force measurements. In the context of an already established cooperation, the experimental tests will be performed at the University of Victoria in Canada.

• Numerical investigation of flows over perforated plates using Large Eddy Simulations (LES). This projects aims to provide detailed insight into the physics of turbulent flows over perforated plates, which are commonly used in various engineering systems. Specific emphasis is on determining and quantifying the interaction between the separated flow regions that develop within individual perforations and the global instability of the boundary layers that separate from the trailing edge of the plate. The investigation will involve development and application of high-fidelity numerical techniques, such as LES, implemented on a high-performance computing (HPC) platform. In the context of an already established cooperation, the experimental tests will be performed at the University of Victoria in Canada.

• Perspectives for the exploitation of the full energy potential in the Langhirano water distribution network. This projects consists in the development of the model for simulating the hydraulic behavior of the water distribution network of Langhirano using the EPANET library in a MATLAB environment. Afterwards, the developed model will be used to investigate different operating scenarios for energetic optimization. The thesis is proposed in the context of a cooperation between the FluidLab group and the University of Bologna (dr.ssa Bragalli). Click here for more details (in italian).

• Motion-Blurred analysis for accurate measurements of Fluid-Structure Interaction and Vortex Induced Vibrations. Motion-Blurred pictures portray information concerning the motion that has occurred during the exposure time, and they can be used to accurately estimate the motion of particles in a fluid flow. Goal of this thesis, proposed in cooperation with the Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering (DEIB), is to employ motion-blur analysis techniques to analyze FSI and VIV phenomena. Click here for more details.

• Impact erosion in gas-solid abrasive jet impingement tests. In abrasive jet impingement tests, a specimen of a target material is hit by a particle-laden jet at high velocity, resulting in material removal (impact erosion). Aim of this thesis is to assess the reliability of an analytical model to predict the surface evolution of the target specimen, by comparison against experimental data already available in the literature.

Theses in progress

• Fasanella L., Energy recovery, monitoring and optimization of industrial fluid dynamic processes through control valves able to recover energy, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXXIV cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Yang Q., Numerical modeling of slurry flows, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXXIV cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Wang Y., Prediction of the useful life of hydraulic devices in heavy-duty conditions, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXXIII cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Ferrarese G., Energy recovery in hydraulic systems, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXXI cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Fenini L., Numerical prediction of fluid-dynamic noise, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXXI cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• La Rosa D., Two-fluid modelling of turbulent slurry flow in a rectangular pipe, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.

• Rizzuti A., Green Valve: experimental analyses, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.

• Crespi T., Modeling of the hydrodynamic interference effects in arrays of marine energy turbines with focus on farm optimization, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Thesis carried out as part of the Double Degree Program developed at University of São Paulo, Brazil.

• Yilmazer P., Design of an experimental setup for fluid-dynamic noise testing, M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.

• Frati C., Supporto alla progettazione di un impianto fluidodinamico, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Tirocinio presso SIET.

• Cenotti L., Simulazione di pompe Gerotor, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Tirocinio presso Gamma Engineering S.r.l.

• Fontana L., Studio del circuito idraulico ausiliario di un impianto sperimentale, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Tirocinio presso SIET.

Completed theses

• Mandelli S., 2016, Vortex induced vibration on oscillating bodies, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXVIII cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Negri M., 2016, Modeling of a two-oscillating-body wave energy converter for shallow water, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXVIII cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Bossi F., 2016, Fluid-dynamic noise in control devices, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXVII cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Messa G.V., 2013, Two-fluid model for solid-liquid flows in pipeline systems, PhD in Environmental and  Infrastructures Engineering (XXV cycle), Politecnico di Milano. Click here to download the thesis.

• Volpe Plantamura A., 2011, Study of the interaction between an oscillating bluff body and a free surface flow, Dottorato di Ricerca in Metodi e Tecnologie per il Monitoraggio Ambientale (XXIII ciclo), Università degli studi della Basilicata, Potenza, Italy. 

• Macchi S., 2009, Analysis of multi hole orifices and their use in a control device, PhD in Hydraulic Engineering (XX cycle), Politecnico di Milano.

• Airoldi E., Wave run-up processes on mortar-grouted riprap revetments, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Thesis partially carried out at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.

• Bardini D., 2018, Direct simulation of surge tank stability, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Thesis carried out as part of the Double Degree Program developed at NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

• Dadda M., Gnocchi S., 2018, Caratterizzazione sperimentale e confronto di prototipi della GreenValve, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• De Lima Branco R., 2018, Development of a new erosion apparatus for gravel materials, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

• Mansour M., 2018, Studio del potenziale impatto del sistema Green Valve sulle adduzioni in Ticino, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Marchesi E., 2018, Modellazione numerica del Wave Energy Converter EDS, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Piazza T., 2018, Caratterizzazione sperimentale dell'erosione da impatto in curve di condotti in pressione, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. Click here to download the thesis.

• Castellini L., 2017, Energy recovery from water systems, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.

• D'Alessio G., 2017, Le turbine fluviali, prospettive ed applicazioni. La valutazione del potenziale energetico in Lombardia, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Piani L., 2017, Experimental characterization of erosion in abrasive jet impingement tests, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Click here to download the thesis.

• Sacchi M., 2017, Numerical analysis of the Globe Green Valve, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.

• Novati F., 2016, Predizione dell'erosione da impatto in flussi ad alta densità di particelle solide, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Wang Y., 2016, Erosion estimation of a gate valve operating in sand-water flow, M.Sc. Energy Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Click here to download the thesis.

• Baccino O., 2015, One way fluid structural interaction for Green Valve's rotor blades analysis, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Click here to download the thesis.

• Caviggia R., 2015, Analisi sperimentale di dispositivi di regolazione per flussi criogenici, M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. Click here to download the thesis.

• Clerici E., 2015, Modelling of a hypochlorite disinfection process at pilot scale by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), M.Sc. Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.

• Fenini N., 2015, Analisi di un modello numerico per la previsione del rumore generato da un piatto forato, M.Sc. Mathematical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

•  Galbiati A., 2015, Disinfezione con ipoclorito di sodio e acido peracetico: approcci modellistici a confronto, M.Sc. Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. Click here to download the thesis.

• Incampo N., 2015, Analisi numerico-sperimentale del wave energy converter EDS, M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. Click here to download the thesis.

• Ingrosso I., 2015, Una strategia per lo studio dell'erosione con modelli Euler-Euler, M.Sc. Mathematical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Lopez Galiano I.C., 2015, CFD feasibility for dust analyzer, M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. Click here to download the thesis.

• Vicario P., 2015, Modellazione della produzione di radicali ossidrile in processi di fotocatalisi su biossido di titanio in sospensione mediante fluidodinamica computazionale (CFD), M.Sc. Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. Click here to download the thesis.

• Marchetti R., 2019, Analisi fluidodinamica del processo di attuazione della Green Valve mediante modellazione a parametri concentrati in ambiente Amesim, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Bergamaschi M., 2018, Progettazione di una Wet Bench per wafer di silicio da 8", B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Giovannini E., 2018, Studio numerico dell'influenza del numero di Reynolds sul flusso all'interno di un tubo di Venturi, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Morelli A., 2018,  Caratterizzazione sperimentale della Green Valve: coefficiente di flusso e indice di cavitazione, B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. 

• Nicosia D., 2018, Simulazione in ambiente Amesim delle prove della normativa API-6A, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.

• Spataro C., 2018, Implementazione in Amesim di un modello dell’impianto E-LOOP e sua validazione sperimentale, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. 

• Iannelli L., 2017, Analisi del comportamento fluidodinamico di una pompa idraulica ad ingranaggi esterni, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. 

• Monza F., Speranza C., 2017, Ottimizzazione energetica di reti in pressione e caratterizzazione sperimentale di un dispositivo per il recupero di energia, B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. 

• Nunez F., 2017, Simulation of the Erosion Loop, B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. 

• Parodi M., 2017, Recupero di energia da una rete di distribuzione, B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milan. In Italian. 

• Schiavi G., 2017, Simulazione 1D in ambiente Amesim di un impianto idraulico, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. 

• Tinacci G., 2017, Modellazione di impianti idraulici: due software a confronto, B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian. 

• Granata G., 2017, Recupero di energia da vibrazioni indotte da distacco di vortici su una sfera oscillante, B.Sc. Civil Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. In Italian.