The Multiscale Thermal Transport Research Laboratory investigates fluid flow and heat transfer across multiple length scales, combining experiments, computational modelling, and data-driven methods to develop novel cooling solutions for high-power-density applications.

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Our work encompasses both active and passive phase-change cooling techniques. On the active side, we study spray cooling and flow boiling in microchannels, with emphasis on understanding the underlying physics — droplet impact, coalescence, bubble dynamics, and thin-film evaporation — through infrared thermography and high-speed imaging. 

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​On the passive side, we develop and characterize heat pipes, pulsating heat pipes, vapour chambers, and flat thermosyphons, with performance enhancement achieved through wettability modifications and novel wick architectures. Single-phase cooling techniques based on wall jets and impinging jets, relevant to combustor liner cooling, are also being explored. These cooling strategies are further applied to battery thermal management for electric vehicles, where we investigate both liquid-cooled cold plate designs and direct immersion cooling approaches for lithium-ion cells.

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On the computational front, multiphase flow simulations are conducted using in-house solvers developed within the OpenFOAM framework, employing geometric Volume-of-Fluid methods for interface-resolved modelling of phase-change processes, including electrohydrodynamic effects. In parallel, machine learning techniques — including deep learning, physics-informed neural networks, and hybrid data-physics frameworks — are being leveraged for temperature field reconstruction, heat flux prediction, and inverse multiphase flow modelling.

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