Interview with a Mechanical Engineering Student Hoping to Achieve Gold at Sochi

The University of Bath’s Mechanical Engineering PhD student Dom Parsons has put his car engine research in neutral in hopes of achieving gold in this year’s controversial Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

Now that Parsons has been selected for the team, he said in an interview with ENGINEERING.com, “The first emotion was relief really. I’ve worked quite a few years to get there and hopefully compete for a medal. I want to put out the best performance I possibly can. Since the selection announcement there has not been enough time to process anything else.”

The research Parsons has put on hold is on the Ultraboost research programme. The programme is working to develop car engines which are more efficient and more powerful. The programme is part-funded by the UK Technology Strategy Board, the UK’s innovation centre, and led by Jaguar Land Rover in partnership with, Shell, CD-Adapco, Lotus Engineering, the University of Leeds, Imperial College London and GE Precision in a programme totalling £4.3 million ($7 million).

The goal of Ultraboost is to produce a 2L petrol engine that can perform at the level of a 5L V8, but with 35% less Carbon emissions. The main portion of the programme has been a success, and Parsons’ research goes into the detail of the combustion chemistry in the hopes of further improvements.

“The Ultraboost engine showcases what is possible with engine downsizing, where higher boost pressures are used to gain the equivalent performance to a much larger engine with improved emissions and efficiency due to the engine running at a higher load for a larger part of its operating range.” said Parsons.

“The risk of knock at higher loads can be a problem though, and that is where my research fits in. Exhaust gas recirculation is a very effective way of increasing knock limits, and my research is concerned with finding out whether further benefits can be gained from passing the recirculated gases through a catalyst. The catalysis changes the composition of the inlet gases, decreasing NOx, CO and hydrocarbon levels which has a chemical and thermodynamic impact on combustion. I've been looking at the impact of these changes on autoignition reactions and combustion rates.”

Dr Chris Brace, Parsons’ advisor and Deputy Director of the Powertrain and Vehicle Research Centre at U of Bath, said that “Dom is at the top of his game in two completely different fields.” He added that “there are no other universities in the UK that could do these kind of experiments, so he is involved in some really ground-breaking research. There’s a lot more we need to understand about the way combustion happens and what we can do to improve it.”

Parsons’ engineering ingenuity has also helped in his quest for gold. “I think my engineering background has helped me to analyze and understand what the corners are doing to me. It helps me predict a faster line and plan my way down the track. It is quite basic physics when you think about it, trying to predict the energy losses in a turn. Minimizing these losses means I get more speed,” said Parsons.

Like any engineer would, Parsons painstakingly analyzed the Calgary track for the World Cup where he won his first medal, a bronze. He watched footage, read the track notes, discussed them with experienced coaches, and even walked the course. Perhaps his work will pay off again as he says “I did more work on Sochi than Calgary.”

The University of Bath has a long history with the sport, having housed the British Skeleton HQ and the National Governing Body. The school even has its own track which has trained and been tamed by many skeleton and bobsleigh/bobsled athletes including Vancouver 2010 gold medalist Amy Williams.

Parsons started his skeleton career six years ago when he was just an Undergrad at Bath. “I loved it from the start. If I hadn’t done my degree at the University of Bath I probably still would have known very little about the sport of skeleton.”

Win or lose, Dom Parsons can count on ENGINEERING.com in his corner.

Images and Source courtesy of University of Bath

Reference University of Bath 2