Luis Alvarez

1. Thesis: BOUNDARY-LAYER MECHANISMS IN FLOW OVER TRIANGULAR-POROUS TEXTURED FLAT PLATES: A COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS STUDY • Designed flat plate and airfoil geometries that were studied in the wind tunnel with various flow modifications and configurations for CFD integration • Meshed geometries using hybrid and unstructured meshes, utilizing Gmsh and ANSYS Meshing to accurately capture flow dynamics • Conducted RANS, SBES, and LES simulations in ANSYS Fluent and Nek5000 through Texas Advanced Computing Centers HPC, LoneStar6 Linux platform • Analyzed and visualized data through ParaView and MATLAB to determine aerodynamic enhancements of various flow modification devices • Collaborated with UCLA and FSU on the study of Triangular Porous Texturing (TPT) aerodynamic performance enhancement, funded through a grant from Air Force Office of Scientific Research 2. Project: Bilateral Leading Edge with Tubercle Modifications • Collaborated with graduate researcher on experimental wind tunnel testing of turbulence-modified NACA airfoils, aimed at reducing noise, increasing lift, and lowering drag for a hexacopter fixed-wing drone • Simulated multiple tubercle-modified wing configurations using CFD to validate and complement experimental results 3. Lead CFD Researcher • Managed and configured HPC resources for graduate and undergraduate students, including setting up accounts, creating custom batch files and ensuring access to computational resources • Mentored students in HPC workflows, CAD/meshing, and CFD practices • Supported in the setup and calibration of wind tunnel test facilities and computational resources at the UTRGV Center for Aerospace Research

Prawn Feeder • Designed and led the implementation of a user-configurable feed system for early stage to mature prawn agricultural production • Utilized SolidWorks, FDM 3D printing, and integrated electrical components to optimize feeding schedule as needed by the client Oyster Clips • Designed 3D printed rope clips for the UTRGV School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences oyster farming project in the hypersaline environment of the Laguna Madre • Collaborated with client to understand project requirements and create ideal clip design • Developed prototypes for client review, allowing for the production of 70 field-tested prototypes

• Performed SBES and URANS simulations in Fluent on wind tunnel aerodynamic models, evaluated near-wall drag reduction effects with flow control devices for various aerodynamic surfaces • Simulated and optimized wind tunnel mounting configurations in Fluent to reduce vortex-induced vibrations and flow separation affecting test article performance • Assisted in wind tunnel experiments of modified NACA airfoils and flat plate configurations

• Performed RANS and LES simulations in OpenFOAM and Nek5000 to investigate the aerodynamic effects of passive flow control mechanisms on a NACA 0018 airfoil • Assisted in the setup, calibration and testing of NACA 0018 airfoils, utilizing PIV and sting mounts to evaluate Triangular Porous Texturing’s effects on drag reduction and flow separation