Professor Adrian Spencer

PhD, CEng, FRAeS, FIMechE.

  • Director of the Caterpillar Innovation and Research Centre
  • Associate Dean for Enterprise, School of AACME
  • Professor of Thermo Fluid Dynamics
Publications
ORCiD Google Scholar
Headshot of Adrian Spencer

Background:

  • Professor in Thermo-fluid Mechanics
  • Associate Dean for Enterprise, School of AACME
  • Director of the Caterpillar Innovation and Research Centre 

Specialities:

  • Optical measurement techniques and data analysis for turbulent flows
  • Gas Turbine and Internal Combustion Engine Flows
  • Fuel-Air Preparation and Mixing 

Past positions:

  • Head of the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, 2013-2016
  • Deputy Director of the UTC, 2012-date
  • Reader in Thermo-fluid Dynamics, Loughborough University, 2014-2019
  • Senior Lecturer in Thermo-fluid Dynamics, Loughborough University, 2005-2014
  • Secondment to CFDRC inc, Alabama, USA, 2002
  • Lecturer in Thermo-fluid Dynamics, Loughborough University, 1997-2005
  • Research Associate, Loughborough University, 1991-1997
  • Engineer, Rolls-Royce, Derby, 1989-1991

Qualifications:

  • PhD, ‘Gas Turbine Combustor Port Flows’, Loughborough University, 1998
  • BEng, Mechanical Engineering, Nottingham University, 1990

Key Awards and Accomplishments:

  • Research-informed Teaching Award, Loughborough University, 2013
  • PhD Student, David Hollis, Awarded Osborne Reynolds Prize 2005, for best Postgraduate research project in turbulence and combustion

Professional affiliations:

  • Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
  • Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Chartered Engineer

Outline of main research interests

  • Experimental Thermofluid Dynamics

Key interests lie in optical measurement techniques applied to gas turbine flows for diagnostic purposes, including PIV, PLIF and LDA. Utilising these methods in novel configurations to increase measurement accuracy and/or flow physics understanding underlies this activity. Additional interest lies in instrumentation development for accurate measurements more generally including probe based devices, two-phase flows, accurate validation and boundary condition data for LES predictions and advanced analysis techniques such as coherent structure identification.

Grants and contracts:

  • DYNAMO: DYNamic Analysis Modelling and Optimisation of GDI Engines (APC 2017-2020)
  • Lubrizol KTP: Understanding Oil Antioxidancy. (Innovate, 2017-2019)
  • ELECT: Enhanced Low Emission Combustion technology (ATi, 2016-2018)
  • The fundamentals of football aerodynamics and flight. (Adidas, 2015-2020)
  • ACTIVE: Advanced Combustion Turbocharged Inline Variable Valvetrain Engine (APC 2014-2017)
  • STARGATE: Impact of unsteadiness on gas-path pressure and temperature measurements, (EU FP7, 2012-2015).
  • KIAI – Knowledge for Ignition, Acoustics and Instabilities, (EU FP7, 2009 – 2013).
  • SILOET II: PIV for Lean-Burn AeroEngine Combustors (TSB, 2013-2016)

Research group:

  • Applied Aerodynamics
  • Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Combustion System Aero-thermal Processes

Current Teaching Responsibilities:

Aeronautical Engineering, Loughborough University:

  • High Speed Aerodynamics (TTB201)
  • Propulsion Design for the Environment (TTD105)
  • Bachelors and Masters Individual Research Projects

Current Administrative Responsibilities:

  • Associate Dean for Enterprise, School of AACME
  • Director of the Caterpillar Innovation and Research Centre
  • Deputy Director of the Rolls Royce University Technology Centre
  • Member of Senate

Ward, M, Passmore, MA, Spencer, A, Hanson, H, Lucas, T (2023) The effect of surface geometry on the aerodynamic behaviour of a football, Sports Engineering, 26(1), 33, ISSN: 1369-7072. DOI: 10.1007/s12283-023-00409-5.

Yuan, R, Lobo, P, Smallwood, GJ, Johnson, MP, Parker, MC, Butcher, D, Spencer, A (2022) Measurement of black carbon emissions from multiple engine and source types using laser-induced incandescence: Sensitivity to laser fluence, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 15(2), pp.241-259, ISSN: 1867-1381. DOI: 10.5194/amt-15-241-2022.

Biagiotti, F, Bonatesta, F, Tajdaran, S, Sciortino, DD, Verma, S, Hopkins, E, Morrey, D, Yang, C, Spencer, A, Jiang, C, Haigh, R (2021) Modelling liquid film in modern GDI engines and the impact on particulate matter emissions – Part 1, International Journal of Engine Research, 23(10), pp.1634-1657, ISSN: 1468-0874. DOI: 10.1177/14680874211024476.

Butcher, D and Spencer, A (2021) Analysis of multi-stream fuel injector flow using zonal proper orthogonal decomposition, Energies, 14(6), 1789, DOI: 10.3390/en14061789.

Butcher, D and Spencer, A (2020) Linear stochastic estimation of the coherent structures in internal combustion engine flow, International Journal of Engine Research, 21(9), pp.1738-1749, ISSN: 1468-0874. DOI: 10.1177/1468087418824896.

Treleaven, NCW, Staufer, M, Spencer, A, Garmory, A, Page, G (2020) Application of the PODFS method to inlet turbulence generated using the digital filter technique, Journal of Computational Physics, 415(August 2020), 109541, ISSN: 0021-9991. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcp.2020.109541.

Jiang, C, Parker, MC, Butcher, D, Spencer, A, Garner, CP, Helie, J (2019) Comparison of flash boiling resistance of two injector designs and the consequences on downsized gasoline engine emissions, Applied Energy, 254, ISSN: 0306-2619. DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113735.

Parker, M, Jiang, C, Butcher, D, Spencer, A, Garner, C, Witt, D (2019) Impact and observations of cylinder deactivation and reactivation in a downsized gasoline turbocharged direct injection engine, International Journal of Engine Research, 22(4), pp.1367-1376, ISSN: 1468-0874. DOI: 10.1177/1468087419882817.

Butcher, D and Spencer, A (2019) Time-volume estimation of velocity fields from nonsynchronous planar measurements using linear stochastic estimation, Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 141(10), 101004, ISSN: 0742-4795. DOI: 10.1115/1.4044240.

Butcher, DSA and Spencer, A (2019) Spurious PIV vector correction using Linear Stochastic Estimation, Fluids, ISSN: 2311-5521. DOI: 10.3390/fluids4030139.

View publications in our central publications database

External collaborators:

Adrian has worked with many academic and industrial collaborators including;

  • Caterpillar
  • Rolls-Royce
  • Ford
  • Lubrizol
  • Adidas

External roles and appointments: 

  • Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
  • Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Grant reviewer
  • External Examiner, Cranfield University, Aerospace Dynamics MSc 2012-2015
  • External Examiner, University of Hertfordshire, Engineering MEng Programmes, 2014-2019
  • External Assessor, Advanced Systems MSc, RAF Cranwell, 1998-2002.
  • Vice Chair of the Midland Military Education Committee, 2008-current.
  • Combustion and Fuels Committee, ASME IGTI, 2019-current.
  • Session Chair International Symposium on Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics Lisbon, Portugal, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018.