Edmondo Minisci is Lecturer in Multi-disciplinary Design Optimisation at the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering of University of Strathclyde. Affiliated to the Centre for Future Air-Space Transportation Technology, cFASTT, he has more than 10 years experience in the field of CFD based analysis and design, working on the analysis of single-stage to orbit lifting body configurations and bi-rotoric small/medium size UAVs, as well as of on the multi-objective design optimization of marine and aeronautical propellers, subsonic airfoils and wings, (re)-entry vehicles and wind turbines. He is currently involved in projects regarding: a) global optimization of trans-atmospheric and interplanetary trajectories, b) multi-disciplinary uncertainty based design of space transportation systems, and c) uncertainty based design of innovative horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines.
Dr Minisci is also founder member and former general manager of OPTIMAD Engineering S.r.l. - Italian SME, Spin-off of the Politecnico di Torino, active in the field of aerodynamic analysis, design, and optimization.
Numerical methods for entry flow simulations
The ability to provide simulations of hypersonic flows with well-defined uncertainties on the predicted aerothermal characteristics is one of the critical aspects for the risk analysis and impact footprint determination of planetary entry objects. This lecture gives a brief summary of the fundamental attributes of hypersonic flows and an overview of challenges and state of the art for numerical aerothermodynamic simulation and validation of hypersonic flows.