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Robert Lotz

BorgWarner Turbo Systems, Senior Aerodynamics Engineer

Education:
BS, MS and PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Design and analysis of transonic airfoils for transport aircraft.

Professional:
Computational Fluid Mechanics Consultant/Engineer with CD-adapco
Specialized on In-cylinder and combustion modeling, but also extensive work with external aero, multiphase flow, heat transfer, moving mesh transient and large eddy simulations.

Aerodynamics Engineer in Advanced Design at Hawker Beechcraft
Flap design and optimization for a midsize bussiness jet.

Aerodynamicist in Product Development at BorgWarner Turbo Systems
Compressor Impeller and Stage Design.

Speeches

Design Process Turbocharger Compressor Impellers using modeFRONTIER
Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel - Ballroom, Wed, 04/11/2015 - 09:45 - 10:30

This paper presents a numerically optimized design approach to turbo charger radial compressor development for commercial diesel applications. The design optimization includes both aerodynamic as well as structural components, combined via a “loosely coupled” iterative procedure. The primary goal of the design is to maximize total to static efficiency at various operating conditions, while also preserving or expanding the overall operating range of the compressor, and doing so with a structurally sound geometry. The design of the impeller uses modeFRONTIER as the optimization driver. For the aerodynamic component, Concepts NREC AxCent acts as the geometry engine, and Concepts NREC pbCFD as the aerodynamic analysis tool. Structural optimizations use ProEngineer for geometry changes, and ANSYS Mechanical for FEA analysis. The resulting impeller was tested on a gas test stand at the BorgWarner North American Tech Center. Test data are compared with CFD predictions and discrepancies are quantified. The resulting impeller design shows that efficiency and operating range gains over conventional designs can be achieved, at a slightly higher  cost of manufacture to account for more complex geometry.

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