Prof. David Greenblatt

Faculty:

Mechanical Engineering

Main energy field:

Renewable Energy Sources

About:

Ph.D. 1999, Tel Aviv University, Aerodynamics.
M.Sc. 1990, WITS University, Fluid Mechanics.
B.Sc. 1986, WITS University, Fluid Mechanics.

2008 Sanford Kaplan Prize for Creative Management.
2004 NASA AAAC Team Award (CFD Validation Workshop).
2002-2005 NRC Associateship Award, NASA Langley Research Center.

Research Area in Energy:

Renewable Energy Aerodynamics

Research Interests:

Wind Power- This aspect of our research employs modern flow control techniques to maximize energy efficiency of devices that extract energy from flowing fluids. This applies to horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines as well as novel techniques for harvesting energy from the wind. Our research also encompasses flow control techniques to reduce the negative impact of wind turbine wakes on turbines that are located downwind, such as in wind farms,leading to more wind energy capture per unit ground area.

Advanced Combustion and Energy Savings- One of the methods to improve cycle efficiency while maintaining or reducing emissions employed for gas turbines is the control of lean pre-mixed combustion. This aspect of our research focuses on controlling instabilities occurring in lean pre-mixed combustion systems. Pulsed plasma actuators are used for this purpose.

Efficient fluid machines- Industrial fans and blowers consume approximately 20% of the total industrial energy worldwide. Blade stall is a major factor leading to reduced efficiency, vibrations, damage and noise. Our research focuses on using modern flow actuation techniques on the blades to control flow separation. Effective control results in significant increases in power output, reductions in noise and increased lifespan.

Selected Publications:

Greenblatt, D., Ben-Harav, A. and Mueller-Vahl, H., “Dynamic Stall Control on a Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Using Plasma Actuators,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 52, No. 2, 2014, pp. 456-462, DOI: 10.2514/1.J052776.

Mueller-Vahl, H., Strangfeld, C., Nayeri, C.N., Paschereit, C.O and Greenblatt, D., “Control of Thick Airfoil, Deep Dynamic Stall Using Steady Blowing,” AIAA Journal, 2014. doi: 10.2514/1.J053090 (in press).

Greenblatt, D. and Ben-Harav, A., “Feed-forward dynamic stall control on a vertical axis wind turbine,” Wind Energy, 2014. DOI: 10.1002/we.1814 (in press).

Greenblatt, D., Doron, G. and Treizer, A., “Reciprocating-Motion Wind-Energy Generator Driven by Plasma Actuation,” International Journal of Flow Control, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2014, pp. 105-124.

Greenblatt, D., Schulman, M. and Ben Harav, A., “Vertical axis wind turbine performance enhancement using plasma actuators,” Renewable Energy, Vol. 37, 2012, pp. 345-354. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2011.06.040.

Greenblatt, D., Treizer, A., Eidelman, A. and Mueller-Vahl, H., “Flow-control-induced vibrations using pulsed DBD plasma actuators,” Journal of Fluids & Structures, Vol. 34, 2012, pp. 170-189.

Greenblatt, D., Schneider, T. and Schüle, C.Y., “Mechanism of flow separation control using Plasma Actuation,” Physics of Fluids, Vol. 24, 077102, 2012. dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4733399 (26 pages).

Sasson, B. and Greenblatt, D., “Blowing and pulsed blowing flow control performance prediction on a vertical axis wind turbine,” 50th Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences, February 2010.

Greenblatt, D., Rumsey, C. and Wygnanski, I., “Active control of Aerodynamic Flows,” Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, Edited by Richard Blockley and Wei Shyy, 2010, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-470-75440-5.

Lacarelle, A., Faustmann, T., Greenblatt, D., Paschereit, C.O., Lehmann, O., Luchtenburg, D.M. and Noack, B.R., “Spatio-temporal characterization of a conical swirler flow field under strong forcing,” ASME Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 131, Issue 3, 2009, 031504 (12 pages).

Nayeri, C.N., Haff, J. Greenblatt, D., Loefdahl, L., Paschereit, C.O., “Drag Reduction on a Generic Tractor-Trailer using Active Flow Control in Combination with Solid Flaps,” The Aerodynamics of Heavy Vehicles II: Trucks, Buses, and Trains, Vol. 41, 2009, pp. 179-191.

Rumsey, C.L. and Greenblatt, D., “Flow Control Predictions Using URANS Modeling: A Parametric Study,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 47, No. 9, 2009, pp. 2259-2262.

Greenblatt, D., Vey, S., Paschereit, C., Meyer, R., “Flap Vortex Management using Active Gurney Flaps,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 47, No. 12, 2009, pp. 2845-2856.

Romm, I. Greenblatt, D. and Ishay, M., “Subcritical Pipe Flow Transition Control Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators,” International Journal of Flow Control, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2009, pp. 239-254.

Greenblatt, D., Paschal, K., Yao, C., Harris, J., “A separation control CFD validation test case part 2: Zero efflux oscillatory blowing,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 44, No. 12, 2006, pp. 2831-2845.

Greenblatt, D. and Moss, E. A. “Rapid temporal acceleration of a turbulent pipe flow,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 514, 2004, pp. 65-75.

Greenblatt, D. and Wygnanski, I., “The control of separation by periodic excitation,” Progress in Aerospace Sciences, Volume 36, Issue 7, 2000, pp. 487-545.