University of Sussex academics are celebrating after their research was named best paper at a recently held conference.

The Effect of Surface Vibration on Spray Evaporative Cooling by Research Fellow Alireza Sarmadian, Professor Julian Dunne, Reader Christopher Long, Jean-Pierre Pirault and Jisjoe Thalackottore-Jose was selected as best paper at the 8th International Conference of the Fluid Flow Heat and Mass Transfer (FFHMT’21) Conference held virtually at the end of May.

The research was carried out with the support of Shoreham-based engineering company Ricardo UK.

The paper sought to tackle one of the key issues impacting the take-up of electric cars: the limits to their range.

The team of six sought to tackle this issue by reducing the weight of electric vehicles by significantly improving on-board thermal management systems, which are essential to protect batteries and electronic components from overheating and catching fire.

The research team developed a system of spray evaporative cooling, involving a phase-change from liquid to vapour, which could withstand the agitation and vibration that typically occurs in a moving vehicle using predictive modelling, experimental measurement and verification.

The researchers hope to be able to take the findings from the laboratory to practical application which could benefit several forms of electrified transport including automotive and aerospace.

Alireza Sarmadian, Research Fellow in the School of Engineering and Informatics at the University of Sussex, said: “This project at Sussex, spanning several important engineering disciplines, has enabled me to work on a really fascinating area of research that is both academically challenging and important for society.”

Julian Dunne, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sussex, said: “The research team has been very fortunate to have such breadth of expertise available to it, culminating in this prize-winning publication, largely driven by Alireza’s infectious enthusiasm and total dedication to the research.”