Prof. Ryszard Białecki
Silesian University of Technology
Department of Thermal Technology
Gliwice, Poland
Ryszard Białecki received the MSc degree in chemical engineering from the Faculty of Chemistry of SUT, Ph.D., and D.Sc. (Polish - habilitation) in mechanical engineering from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of SUT. He holds the position of a full professor at the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology (SUT), Gliwice, Poland. Earlier he for 6 years as a chair of the Institute of Thermal Technology SUT, and four years as SUT vice-rector. The thrust of his research is in simulations and experimental investigation of thermofluid phenomena to industrial apparatus and medicine. Specifically, he has been involved in energy and heat transfer, combustion, inverse analysis (retrieving material properties), blood flow, and the influence of the energy generation sector on the climate. He supervised 10 Ph.D. theses. Five of his former Ph.D. students hold now a Professor's degree. Prof. Białecki spent one year as a Fulbright Commission fellow at the University of Central Florida and a total of 3.5 years as a research and visiting fellow at the Erlangen Nuremberg University in Germany. Prof. Białecki authored one book in the UK, co-authored three Polish books, wrote chapters in Springer and Wiley Encyclopedias. He published over 100 journal papers that received 1500 citations. Prof Białecki coordinated two international projects within European Union Framework Programmes and served as local coordinator of two others. Is a co-author of 6 pending and 7 granted patents.
Fluid flow with dispersed phase, simulation, and validation
Numerical techniques applied to fluid-carrying solid particles or droplets are discussed. Both Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes and Large Eddy Simulations techniques are applied to model the flow of the fluid. The presence of the disperse phase is accounted for by resorting to the Euler-Euler multifluid approach, Euler Lagrange particle tracking method, and Dense Discrete Phase Method. In the latter, the particles are traced in the Lagrangian coordinate system, while the interaction with other particles is accounted for using the Kinetic Theory of Granular Flow. Cyclones used to separate the dust from gases leaving the blast furnace, wet scrubber applied to dedust the gas leaving the cyclone, pulverized coal boiler, and circulated fluidized bed boiler are modeled, and the results compared with measurements taken on the objects. Additionally, the flow of blood treated as a multiphase medium – plasma carrying red and white blood cells, and platelets in blood vessels - is investigated, using the same numerical techniques. In each case, the results obtained compare well with the experimental data. The limitations of the discussed methods are pointed out.