On Wednesday, September 27, the University of Notre Dame added Doosan Enerbility to the University's Founders Wall. Located just off Notre Dame avenue near the University’s main entrance, the Founders Wall recognizes individuals and organizations that have contributed five million dollars or more to support the University’s academic mission.
Headquartered in Changwon, South Korea, Doosan Enerbility derives its name from a combination of “energy” and “sustainability.” The company is a leading provider of clean energy technologies and equipment.
In 2016, Doosan Enerbility formed a partnership with the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory (NDTL) Propulsion & Power, a research and testing facility located in downtown South Bend’s Ignition Park. The partnership focuses on the development of gas turbines for storing and generating power.
"Doosan was one of the first research partners to recognize the value of NDTL's unique capabilities and has been a very important part of our growth,” said Joshua D. Cameron, a research assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and director of NDTL. “The relationship has helped our students produce significant research results that have improved fundamental understanding of the aero-mechanics of axial compressors," Cameron said.
Tests conducted at NDTL determined the root cause of blade vibrations affecting a power generation compressor. Detailed analysis of the experimental data led not just to improved designs but also to shared research publications and presentations by the combined Notre Dame and Doosan Enerbility team. Aerospace and mechanical engineering doctoral student Val Hernley was able to conduct her dissertation research using data collected during the tests.
Doosan Enerbility's team emphasized the value of working with Notre Dame researchers to bring a technology from a prototype to a market-ready product.
Joo-Hwan Kwak, director of Doosan Enerbility shared that the first compressor tested at NDTL entered into a commercial operation this year, while the next models are in the process of the engine assembly targeting to fire this year.
“All the compressor tests with NDTL have been successful,” Kwak said, “and we will continue this legacy and relationship with NDTL in future engine models.”
During the event, leaders from NDTL and Doosan Enerbility praised the open communication and relationship building that have made the research collaboration a success.
“One team, that’s what it takes for the best outcome we hope to achieve,” said Jeong-Seek Kang, a principal research scientist at NDTL who serves as Notre Dame’s lead collaborator with Doosan Enerbility. “There have been challenges, of course, during our cutting-edge tests. But we have responded together as one team ever since we launched the first project, and that has made a big difference for this continued success story.”
Contact:
Brett Beasley / Writer and Editorial Program Manager
Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame
bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183
research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch
About Notre Dame Research:
The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.
Originally published by at ndtl.nd.edu on October 13, 2023.