Research Interests:

Stuart Daw is a Distinguished R&D Staff Member in the Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Group (FEERG) in the Engineering Science and Technology Division. Working primarily at ORNL’s National Transportation Research Center, Stuart conducts research on the application of catalysis to emissions controls and advanced combustion processes for the production of power and propulsion. The main sponsor for FEERG research is the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program, but there is also significant support from other DOE programs, other federal agencies, not-for-profit institutions, and private corporations. FEERG consists of approximately 35 multi-disciplinary permanent staff, along with several postdoctoral associates and guests on short-term assignments (e.g. university faculty, graduate and undergraduate students).

Selected current research themes include:

• Experimental catalyst characterization – Experimental measurements of the activity and performance of commercial and model catalysts under both ideal and real-world conditions.
• Catalytic reactor modeling and simulation – Development of both highly detailed and low-order computational models of catalytic reactors with laminar or turbulent reacting flows and single or multi-phase heat, mass, and momentum transfer.
• Integrated emissions control development and simulation – Development, verification, and validation of component device models used for combustion and catalytic reaction systems simulations.
• Combustion diagnostics and controls - Utilization of nonlinear dynamics and complex systems theory for characterizing and controlling combustion and catalytic reaction processes.
• Impacts of alternative fuels – Development of experimental measurements and computational models accurately reflecting the efficiency and emissions of alternative fuels.
• Thermodynamic analysis of combustion processes – Evaluation of conventional and advanced combustion processes from both first and second law perspectives.