Meet Dan Fahy, Qdot’s research engineer and Gaelic football player...

What does a research engineer at Qdot do on a daily basis ?

I help tackle the many difficult heat transfer and aerodynamic challenges that Qdot face. I design & test components and systems. Day-to-day this could involve:

Numerical modelling of a system at different levels of complexity - with the goal of understanding the importance of different design parameters, and investigating whether there is an optimum solution. This can vary from some simple 'back of the envelope' calculations, to system level models of a thermal loop, to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of a component in order to determine the fluid flow field and estimate the performance.

Experimental test facility design, testing and analysis - numerical modelling can only get you so far, but there really is no substitute for real world testing. At Qdot, we are very good at developing test facilities and producing high-quality aerothermal test data, in a reliable and cost efficient manner.

Keeping up to date with the latest developments, collaborating with colleagues on conceptual designs, CAD modelling of components and developing relationships with external partners.

You recently won the Geoffrey Hewitt prize for best PHD thesis in heat transfer, what’s the practical application of your thesis ?

This award is presented every two years by the UK National Heat Transfer Committee, in recognition of the heat transfer thesis that they believe was of the overall best quality and truthfully i felt really honoured to receive it.?

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My DPhil thesis is ' On Natural Convection Cooling in a Large Civil Gas Turbine'. The fundamental problem I researched was the shutdown cooling of a large aeroengine - when an engine is cooling down after a flight, the natural convection heat transfer can sometimes cause problems that would delay your ability to restart the engine. The root cause of this problem was not well understood. My work involved developing experimental facilities and instrumentation to investigate this problem in order to identify some of the key design parameters that influence this, and also we invented some mitigation strategies.

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What do you enjoy about your role and what do you envisage as the ultimate goal?

I enjoy the variety of the role, no two days are the same. the opportunity to apply a lot of the skills that I acquired in my undergrad and DPhil studies. I also relish tackling the complex problems that we face. The ultimate goal is simple: enable clean flight. Decarbonisation is one of the defining challenges that the world is facing right now, and Qdot are at the forefront of tackling this problem. It's a very exciting industry to be involved in.

?What did you want to be when you were little?

I think I was always destined to be an engineer of some sort, I spent many many hours playing with Lego, and that evolved into building an engine-powered go-kart from an old generator and wheelbarrow tyres when I was 12.? However, I did often dream about winning an All-Ireland Gaelic football title for Mayo, and finally breaking the curse!

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You are helping to develop clean flight which is quite incredible - how do you relax ?

My main hobby is Gaelic football, with an amazing group of people at our local club - Eire Og Oxford.?