Design and Process Engineering
· Designing, construction, calculation, technology of manufacturing, technical preparation of manufacturing including assembly and testing,
· Thermal and nuclear power plant devices such as steam and combustion turbines, steam generators, steam power plants and heating plants including nuclear power stations, industrial power engineering and their environmental aspects,
· Water turbines, hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pumps, piping systems, hydroelectric power plants, and pumping stations,
· Machinary and devices for chemical industry, food-stuff industry, and biotechnological treatment lines,
· Construction, modelling and theoretical studies of machines and devices for cutting, forming machines, industrial robots, and manipulators,
· Machine parts and mechanisms, methodology of designing machine elements and working mechanisms of general application with consideration of stochastic qualities of inputs, including the application of special types of machines and devices,
· Cars, vans and lorries, buses, trailers, semi-trailers, and motorcycles,
· Combustion engines for all types of vehicle drives, simulation of combustion engine thermomechanical systems, dynamics of driving gear, engine accessories, ecology,
· Machines and devices for in-plant handling of material and handling between operations, for the mining and transport of building materials, for passenger conveyance in buildings,
· Aerodynamic calculation and designing, flight mechanics, fatigue and durability of aircraft constructions, aeroelasticity of aircraft,
· Quality of machine industry production.

prof. Ing. Václav Píštěk, DrSc.

1. Balancing of radial and axial forces of impellers by new methods

   In present time is axial force balance by impeller blades on the back side (shroud) of impeller. The study will be aimed to a new ways of balancing both forces, which arise in the running of the impeller.

   Supervisor: Haluza Miloslav, doc. Ing., CSc.

2. Digital image processing used for measurement of fluid phenomena

   Thesis will focus on a digital image processing of video sequences captured during hydraulic phenomena. Watching the cavitation of inlet vortices and similar phenomena, which could be caught with a high-speed camera, will be the main part of the work.

   Supervisor: Habán Vladimír, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

3. Disc friction loss in centrifugal pumps and hydraulic turbines

   Disc friction loss presents significant part of the total hydraulic loss, especially in low-specific speed hydraulic machines. Goal of the PhD study will be analytical investigation of the disc friction loss and analysis of the shape of the rotor-stator clearance on the magnitude of the loss. The latter task will be carried out with help of experimental and computational modeling (CFD).

   Supervisor: Rudolf Pavel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

4. Fittings as a source of pressure pulsations

   Water flowing through pipe fittings can cause pressure pulsations, although the flow is steady. These pressure pulsations are more significant when the flow is controlled or when pump or turbine loses the power. The work will be also focused on pressure pulsation induced by a check valve, which closes with a delay and causes a huge water hammer during the pump trip.

   Supervisor: Habán Vladimír, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

5. Pressure pulsations induced by rotating stall in fluid machine

   Rotating stall influences dynamics of pumps, turbocirculators and hydraulic and gas turbines operated in off-design conditions. The goal is to determine stability of operation with regard to the delivery system.

   Supervisor: Habán Vladimír, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

6. Rotating stall in centrifugal pump

   Rotating stall appears during operation of centrifugal pumps outside of the best effciency point. This phenomenon significantly influences their dynamical properties. Rotating stall in case of reversible pump turbines has adverse effect on stability of the characteristic curve and limits the zone of operation. Conditions leading to rotating stall will be investigated using especially CFD tools.

   Supervisor: Rudolf Pavel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

7. Shape optimization of the hydraulic machine flow passages

   Current design of hydraulic machines is mostly based on trial and error method with engineering experience from past designs. Optimization method will be developed within the scope of the PhD thesis for fast optimization of flow passages of hydraulic machines (pumps and hydraulic turbines). Goal is development of tool automatic design of hydraulic machine for given parameters, whoch will be coupled with CFD software.

   Supervisor: Rudolf Pavel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

8. Study of cavitation erosion

   Cavitation is very important phenomenon occuring in hydraulic machines. It causes deterioration of hydraulic machine properties and degradation of its surface due to cavitation erosion. Goal of the PhD thesis will be study of the erosion mechanism using experimental cavitation circuit and in cooperation with material engineering experts. Result will be improcing the current knowledge of the phenomena occuring during cavitation bubble implosions. Computational modeling will also be emploeyed.

   Supervisor: Rudolf Pavel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

9. The flow of non-Newtonian liquids in thin cracks.

   The behaviour of non-Newtonian liquids is different from the classical Newtonian liquids. The work will be aimed on the basis of computation on the research of its behaviour in thin cracks, static and rotating too. Cracks will be smooth and with central nicks for decreasing of discharge through this crack (for increasing the volume efficiency). The study will be supported by the project MPO no. FR-TI3/051 “Research and development of construction elements of high pressure pumps of new generation for energetic blocks”. Results with be possible to apply on magnetic liquids too. These liquids have a bigger meaning in construction of friction bearings.

   Supervisor: Haluza Miloslav, doc. Ing., CSc.

10. The optimalization of the number of blades of swirl turbine for given parameters.

    The runner with two blades is used in the development of the swirl turbine for small heads and large discharges. Two blades are very harmful for cavitation and suction head is very small, in many causes it is negative. The study will be supported by the project MPO no. FR-TI3/712 “Research and development of systems for low – head water power plants The optimalization of blades of swirl turbine will be aimed to the runners with essentially higher number of blades, but relatively very short to prevent the main advantage of swirl turbine – large discharge. The cavitation properties would be better too.

    Supervisor: Haluza Miloslav, doc. Ing., CSc.

11. The swirl turbine with stochastic blades.

    The runner of swirl turbine will be designed for two hydraulic points. One set of blades will be designed for one hydraulic point; the second one will be designed to the second. Mutual interaction these blades systems will be the aim of the design of new type of swirl turbine.

    Supervisor: Haluza Miloslav, doc. Ing., CSc.

12. Valveless plunger pump

    It is a plunger pump, the principle of which consists in the use of hydraulic losses in the backflow hydraulic system. Principle valve is replaced by a vortex instability speed, which causes local hydraulic seal. The solution will be based on an analysis of the Navier - Stokes equations and the continuity equation using the compressibility of the liquid. The subject of the solution will build a mathematical model and its practical realization of numerical methods. The problem will be solved as nonlinear. The study will be supported by projects GACR "Properties of the hydrophobic surfaces interacted with the fluid" and TAČR "The usage of the hydrophobic and oleophobic surfaces with the fluid interaction."

    Supervisor: Pochylý František, prof. Ing., CSc.