Gas Turbine Combustion Short Course (GTCSC)

Dr. Scott Samuelsen, Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Environmental Engineering at the University of California-Irvine, Founding Director the UCI Combustion Laboratory which encompasses both basic and applied research in gas turbine combustion technology. He has bridged between university research and practical application in fuel-air mixing, combustor aerodynamics and turbulent mixing, liquid spray behavior and characterization, pollutant formation, and active control of combustor performance. Professor Samuelsen has authored over 200 technical papers, and is actively engaged in the evolution of gas turbines and fuel cells.

Dr. Vincent G. McDonell, Adjunct Associate Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Environmental Engineering and Director of the UCI Combustion Laboratory at the University of California-Irvine, focuses on gas turbine combustion systems for both liquid and gas fired applications. He is a recognized world expert on phase Doppler interferometry and highly respected for his scientific skill and command of optical diagnostics in two-phase flows and the physics of two-phase transport. Research by Dr. McDonell is documented in over 40 publications.

Dr. Ashok Rao is chief scientist for power systems at UC Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program. He was previously employed with Fluor where he was a director in process engineering and a senior fellow. He has worked extensively in the design and development of gas-fired power plants, and gasification and synthetic fuels plants. Dr. Rao is the recipient of several patent awards in the area of energy conversion, including a patent for the Humid Air Turbine (HAT) cycle, an advanced gas turbine based cycle.

Dr. James Blust received his doctoral degree from the University of Dayton in 1998, studying under Dilip Ballal.  He has worked in the gas turbine industry for over 20 years and holds several patents, including a combustion-induced oscillations patent honored at the 2015 Innovation Festival at the Smithsonian.  His interests include homebrewing and photography. 

The course is inspired by Arthur Lefebvre, who divided his career between university and industry, spending more than twenty years in both. He authored the popular books "Gas Turbine Combustor Design Problems," "Atomization and Sprays," and "Gas Turbine Combustion,” the latter of which is provided to students enrolled in the course. The lectures in the course are punctuated with carefully selected video segments of Professor Lefebvre’s popular and insightful presentations. Professor Lefebvre is the recipient of the ASME IGTI Gas Turbine, R. Tom Sawyer, and prestigious Scholar Lecturer Awards, and the inaugural AIAA Propellants and Combustion Award.