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David Hargreaves

Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering

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Biography

David graduated with a BSc in Physics from Bristol University in 1989. He then worked for British Nuclear Fuels plc for five years, developing groundwater flow modelling software, which is still in use today. For the first year at BNFL, he was seconded to Salford University where he gained an MSc in Computational Physics. David then came to the Department of Civil Engineering at Nottingham University where he did a PhD under the supervision of Chris Baker, who remains a collaborator. The PhD involved both experimental and numerical modelling of the dispersion of pollutants in the wakes of vehicles in the urban environment. David then worked as a post-doc and then lecturer in the Department of Chemical, Environmental and Mining Engineering at Nottingham University, developing expertise in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), as applied to underground mine ventilation, under the guidance of Ian Lowndes. David then went to work for Fluent plc, where he spend three years supporting, developing and applying the FLUENT software. During this period, David worked closely with companies involved in drug delivery, fuel cell development, steel production, municipal incinerator design and dog biscuit extrusion! David then came back to Civil Engineering at Nottingham, where he continues to apply CFD to a variety of environmental flow problems, notably wind engineering and channel flow.

Expertise Summary

David's expertise lies in the application of CFD to a whole range of engineering problems. As a long-time code developer, he understands the capabilities and limitations of the software and is able to extend its functionality when required to address new, novel applications. Application areas include:

Gaseous/particulate dispersion Wind Engineering (pedestrian level comfort, windborne debris, dynamic response of bridge decks/tall buildings) Channel flow (secondary currents, embankment erosion)

Teaching Summary

David teaches four modules that are primarily designed for students taking the Civil and Environmental Engineering courses at Nottingham. These are:

Introduction to Environmental Engineering (Year 1) Air Quality and Noise (Year 2) Water in the Environment (Year 2) Wind Engineering and Energy (Year 4/MSc)

I also supervise the group design team each year tasked with the design of an onshore wind farm. I supervise 3rd, 4th and MSc projects, using both experimental and numerical techniques.

Research Summary

My research can be summarised as the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling to environmental fluid flows. While this can mean both wind and water, it is the former that I tend to… read more

Recent Publications

Current Research

My research can be summarised as the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling to environmental fluid flows. While this can mean both wind and water, it is the former that I tend to concentrate on at present. By wind I mean the classic applications such as wind engineering and air pollution dispersion modelling, but also the harnessing of the wind to generate energy and provide natural ventilation to buildings. Having worked as a CFD consultant engineer, I am keen to inform the CFD community on best practice, based on findings from my research. I also collaborate with colleagues who are applying CFD to a range of Civil Engineering flows, typically water, but also areas like the rheology of high temperature bitumen.

More recently, I have worked on the problem of wind-borne debris. Wind-borne debris is a real problem in high winds, often doing more damage and causing more fatalities than the direct action of the wind. To this end, we have used as part of an EPSRC-funded investigation into the flight of, for example, roof tiles and road-side signs.

Along with Ian Lowndes, I have been awarded a grant from the Research Fund for Coal and Steel, which will allow us to look at the appropriateness of ventilation-on-demand in UK coal mines and in the wider European context. I also apply CFD to a range of non-Civil engineering applications such as photocatalysis and drug dissolution.

Past Research

I have a good deal of experience in the following areas:

  • groundwater flow modelling (finite element)
  • air pollution modelling (Gaussian plume and puff models)
  • wind tunnel experimentation (anemometry/gas detection)
  • mine ventilation (methane and dust)
  • application of CFD to multiphase flows (specifically Langrangian particle tracking)

Faculty of Engineering

The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD


telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 4163
email:engineering@nottingham.ac.uk