Within NREL’s power electronics and electric machines group, Rajneesh Chaudhary’s research focuses on designing and developing novel thermal and electromagnetic solutions for advanced power electronics and electric drives for electric vehicles. He has more than 15 years of research and development experience stemming from a diverse background in chemical, nuclear and mechanical engineering, all with a focus on the numerical modeling of multiphysics complex coupled phenomena in engineering and sciences.

Research Interests

Multiphysics modeling

Heat transfer

Computational fluid dynamics

Multiphase flows and reactive systems modeling

Multiphase-electrochemical modeling

Reactive porous media

Magnetohydrodynamics

Electromagnetics

Structural and thermo-mechanical modeling

Experimental methods in thermo-fluids

Other domain application interests include thermal hydraulics modeling of nuclear systems, modeling for materials and metals processing, including ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and thermal management of power electronics and electric machines.

Education

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

M.Tech., Nuclear Engineering & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

B.Tech., Chemical Engineering, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow

Professional Experience

Senior Research Engineer, Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences, NREL (2023–present)

Senior Staff Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeler, Alcoa Technical Center (2015–2023)

Adjunct Faculty, Pennsylvania State University (2016–2019)

Principal Scientist, ABB Corporate Research Center (2012–2015)

Senior Researcher, General Motors Global R&D (2011–2012)

Scientific Officer, Bhabha Atomic Research Center (2003–2006)

Associations and Memberships

Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Member, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS)

Featured Work

A Large Eddy Simulation Study of Flow Turbulence, Alumina Transport, and Bath Temperature Evolution in Conventional Aluminum-Smelting Cell Using OpenFOAM, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B (2022)

Electromagnetic Devices for Continuous Steel Casting Tundishes, 8th International Conference on Electromagnetic Processing of Materials (2015)

Transport and Entrapment of Particles in Steel Continuous Casting, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B (2014)

Effect of Electromagnetic Ruler Braking (EMBr) on Transient Turbulent Flow in Continuous Slab Casting Using Large Eddy Simulations, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B (2012)

Direct numerical simulations of transverse and spanwise magnetic field effects on turbulent flow in a 2:1 aspect ratio rectangular duct, Computers & Fluids (2011)

Transient Turbulent Flow In A Liquid-Metal Model Of Continuous Casting, Including Comparison Of Six Different Methods, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B (2011)

Direct Numerical Simulations Of Magnetic Field Effects On Turbulent Flow In A Square Duct, Physics of Fluids (2010)

State of the Art in Electromagnetic Flow Control in Continuous Casting of Steel Slabs: Modeling and Plant Validation, 6th International Conference on Electromagnetic Processing of Materials EPM (2009)

Intense Heat Simulation Studies On Window Of High Density Liquid Metal Spallation Target Module For Accelerator Driven Systems, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer (2006)

Velocity profile measurements in Rough Pipes using Ultrasonic Doppler Shift and Echography Method, 18th National & 7th ISHMT-ASME Heat and Mass Transfer Conference (2006)

Patents

Method and Apparatus to Maintain a Homogenized Melt and Controlled Fields of a Molten Metal, WIPO 2015110984A1 (filed 2015)