The Laboratory of Research in Fluid Dynamics and Combustion Technologies (LIFTEC by its Spanish acronym) is a joint center between the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC) and University of Zaragoza.
The research activities at LIFTEC are dedicated to the study of various phenomena related to Fluid Dynamics, with special attention to environmental problems, including experimental, computational and theoretical techniques.
The main lines of research are:
Infrared thermography is a technique that can measure surface temperature precisely without coming into contact with it. This is achieved by radiation detectors capable of measuring the energy emitted by objects in infrared wavelengths and converting it into temperature values. Corrections can be made by entering parameters into the camera for the emissivity of the environment and material, and for ambient temperature and distance to the object. Temperature values are usually based on a colour table.
The LIFTEC Fuel Cell Group owns a latest-generation FLIR A310 camera with a detector with 320x240 pixels, equipped with a 25° lens. The image frequency is 9 Hz, with a thermal sensitivity below 50 mK at 30°C, and an operating range of up to 350°C, with a reading precision of around ±2% and video recording. It can continuously monitor thermographic maps and collect data. It also has an alarm system that activates when it detects values above those set points.
| Especificaciones técnicas |
|
Detector
Rango espectral
Campo de visión
Frecuencia de imagen
Sensibilidad térmica
Mínima distancia focal
Zoom electrónico
Rango de temperaturas
Precisión de la lectura
Interfaces
Lentes
Software de control
Alimentación
Dimensiones
Peso
Microbolómetro no refrigerado de 320x240 píxeles
7.5-13 µm
25°x18.8°
9 Hz
< 50mK (a 30°C)
0.4 m
1-8x (autofocus monitorizado)
0-350°C
±2%
Ethernet, MODBUS, vídeo y 2 E/S digitales
25°
ThermaCAM IRMonitor
12/24 Vdc
170x70x70
700 g
|
FLIR-A310 thermal imaging camera
We have a PGSTAT-302 potentiostat/galvanostat with a FRA-2 model (frequency response analyser) to characterise MEAs or fuel cells in general using complex impedance spectroscopy techniques. By using this equipment, we can implement nearly all the techniques based on electrochemical analysis, linear or cyclical voltammetry or the complex impedance spectroscopy we have already mentioned. This equipment is, therefore, highly useful for studying batteries, fuel cells, supercondensers, corrosion measurements in material, coatings, etc.
| Key features | |
| Electrode connections | 2, 3, 4 |
| Potential range | ±10 V |
| Compliance voltage | ±30 V |
| Maximum current | ±2 A |
| Current ranges | 1 A – 10 nA |
| Potential accuracy | ±0.2% |
| Potential resolution | 0.3 µV |
| Current accuracy | ±0.2% |
| Current resolution | 0.0003% |
| Input impedance | > 1 TOhm |
| Potentiostat bandwidth | 1 MHz |
| Computer interface | USB |
Autolab PGSTAT-302
LIFTEC has a Beowulf cluster for computational calculations, which is mostly used to perform numerical simulations of various fluid dynamics problems. Processing and analysis of data obtained in the laboratory are also carried out in this facility.
Many "in house" codes, written in C, C++ and Fortran have been developed. Fluid-dynamics oriented programming tools are of common use (OpenFOAM, Deal.II, ANSYS FLUENT), along with other of more general orientation (CUDA, PETSC).
The system equipment has been installed and configured by LIFTEC computer staff. That makes it possible to install custom software or enable special system configurations. LIFTEC Beowulf runs on Debian Linux, Gigabit Ethernet networking and diskless-sytem computer nodes.
| Model CPU | Intel Xeon [X5650 / E5-2697 v3] |
|---|---|
| Nodes | 10 |
| Processors | 20 |
| CPU Cores | 152 |
| Total RAM | 998 GB |
| Tesla cards | 4 x C2070 / 1 x K80 |
