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Dr. Tim Persoons

Associate Professor (Mechanical, Manuf & Biomedical Eng)
PARSONS BUILDING

 Tim.Persoons@tcd.ie

 3531896 1936


Biography

Dr. ir. Tim Persoons is Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing & Biomedical Engineering at TCD since 2019, where he was Assistant Professor since 2013. He has been a visiting Faculty member in the NSF I/UCRC Cooling Technologies Research Center (CTRC) at Purdue University, West Lafayette IN, USA since 2009, and was Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium during 2009-2010.

Tim received his Doctorate in Engineering at KU Leuven in 2006 and his MSc in Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven in 1999. He was awarded an Irish Research Council (IRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2008, an IRC/Marie Curie INSPIRE International Mobility Fellowship in 2010, and Senior Research Fellowship in TCD in 2012. Tim was co-recipient of the 2013 Hartnett-Irvine Award from the International Centre for Heat and Mass Transfer.

Dr. Persoons' research activities include multi-scale convective heat transfer in electronics thermal management using unsteady flows, active flow control for sustainable energy technologies, and developing experimental thermal fluid measurement techniques.

Tim has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference publications, keynote and invited lectures. He has served in editorial roles for IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging & Manufacturing Technology (2016-present), Experimental Thermal & Fluid Science (2020-present) and Journal of Electronic Packaging (2009-2010). He is a member of the Scientific Committees of THERMINIC and EuroTherm, IEEE ITherm Ambassador, and has co-organized several technical-scientific workshops (e.g., THERMINIC-2009, PowerMEMS-2010) and the Workshops on Thermal Management in Telecom Systems and Data Centers (2010, 2012, 2015) in collaboration with CTRC.

Read more on https://timpersoons.org/

Research Tags

  Applied thermodynamics and energy   Fluids and vibration   HEAT TRANSFER   Imaging Techniques   JET IMPINGEMENT HEAT TRANSFER   LASER-DOPPLER VELOCIMETRY   LASERS AND LASER APPLICATIONS   PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY   SIMULTANEOUS VELOCITY AND HEAT FLUX MEASUREMENTS   Thermal Engineering   TRANSIENT AND UNSTEADY HEAT TRANSFER   Vehicle technology   VELOCITY-MEASUREMENT

Research Projects

 Novel passive thermal management solutions for small-scale electronics cooling
 Development of a low cost pulsed LED velocity measurement for sustainable data centres
 Two-phase thermoelectric generator cooler
 Developing a high dynamic range PIV technique with applications in thermal fluids engineering and environmental flows
 A numerical-experimental analysis of air flow, heat transfer and aeroacoustics to develop new architectures for rack-mounted servers in next generation sustainable data centres

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Representations

Details Date
Program Co-chair, 28th International Workshops on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC) hosted by Trinity College Dublin Sep 21-23, 2022
Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology 2016
Associate Editor/Editorial Advisory Board Member, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science 2020
Guest Editor, Journal of Electronic Packaging-Transactions of the ASME 2009
Scientific Committee Member, International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC) 2009
Ambassador, IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm) 2019

Languages

Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
Dutch Fluent Fluent Fluent
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Fluent Medium Basic

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Jan 2016
Associate Editor/Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Experimental Thermal & Fluid Science (Elsevier) Jan 2020
Scientific Committee Member, Workshops on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC) Jan 2009
Guest Editor, Journal of Electronic Packaging-Transactions of the ASME Jan 2009 Dec 2010
Ambassador, IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm) Jan 2019
Funded Investigator, SFI Strategic Partnership on Energy System Integration (ESIPP) Oct 2015
Funded Investigator, SFI Research Centre for Future Networks & Communications (CONNECT) Aug 2017
Funded Investigator, SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals (SSPC) Oct 2019
Funded Investigator, SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine (MaREI) Oct 2020
Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Jan 2018
Member, American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE) Jan 2016
Member, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), T-TAC-TC09.09 Mission critical facilities, data centers, technology spaces and electric equipment Jan 2018
Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) May 2014 Dec 2016
Member, European Research Community On Flow, Turbulence and Combustion (ERCOFTAC) Jan 2014 Dec 2016
Sajad Alimohammadi, Tim Persoons, A Novel Linear Air Amplifier Technology to Replace Rotary Fans in Data Center Server Rack Cooling, 26th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Systems (THERMINIC), Berlin, Germany (virtual), 23-25 September 2020, 2020, pp1 - 6, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
Abdelsalam, Younis Osama and Alimohammadi, Sajad and Persoons, Tim, The Application of Evolutionary Algorithms in Multi-Objective Design and Optimization of Air Cooled Heatsinks, Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications, 12, (2), 2020, p021003 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Fanning, Eoin and Donnelly, Tony and Lunney, James G. and Murray, Darina B. and Persoons, Tim, Application of gaseous laser-induced fluorescence in low-temperature convective heat transfer research, Experiments in Fluids, 61, (5), 2020, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Battaglioli, S and Sakanova, A and Persoons, T, Hybrid-cooled server optimization for air-side waste heat recovery using passive and active flow control, 25th Int Workshop Therm Invest ICs Systems (THERMINIC), 25th Int Workshop Therm Invest ICs Systems (THERMINIC), Lecco, Italy, 2019, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Baudin, N and McEvoy, J and Rouzes, M and Persoons, T and Robinson, A J, Experimental investigation of ionic wind cooling in plate fin heatsinks and needle electrode arrangements, Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), Las Vegas, NV, USA, 2019, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Clarke, A and Smith, K and Cornett, J and Dunham, M and Chen, B and Persoons, T, Characterisation and modelling of small diameter heat pipes for low power applications, 14th Int Conf Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics (HEFAT), 14th Int Conf Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics (HEFAT), Enniskerry, Ireland, 2019, pp431-436 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Cressall, R and Christensen, K T and Persoons, T, An investigation into a pressure anomaly during synthetic jet operation, 25th Int Workshop Therm Invest ICs Systems (THERMINIC), 25th Int Workshop Therm Invest ICs Systems (THERMINIC), Lecco, Italy, 2019, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
McEvoy, J and Persoons, T, Adaptive flow control by wall mounted micromixers in mesochannel heat sinks, 25th Int Workshop Therm Invest ICs Systems (THERMINIC), 25th Int Workshop Therm Invest ICs Systems (THERMINIC), Lecco, Italy, 2019, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
McEvoy, J and Persoons, T, Experimental investigation of resonant flow pulsation in mesochannels embedded with wavy fins, Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), Las Vegas, NV, USA, 2019, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Oude Essink, E and McEvoy, J and Alimohammadi, S and Persoons, T, Microscale heat transfer modulation for server CPU cooling using deformable structures, 14th Int Conf Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics (HEFAT), 14th Int Conf Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics (HEFAT), Enniskerry, Ireland, 2019, pp431-436 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
  

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Persoons, T, Invited talk: Flow unsteadiness for enhanced electronics cooling: Synthetic jets, Invited seminar for the Graduate School of the College of Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, Feb 12, 2019, 2019, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Persoons, T, Optical Illusions in the Quest to Reduce the Internet's Energy Bills, TCD Annual Review 2016-2017, 2017, p36-37 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Persoons, T, Invited talk: High dynamic range PIV for experimental research on transport phenomena, Invited seminar at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, Apr 19, 2016, 2016, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Persoons, T, Invited panel: Current and future ICT thermal management challenges - Performance, efficiency, and IoT, 3rd Workshop on Thermal Management in Telecommunication Systems and Data Centers, Redwood City, CA, USA, 4-5 Nov 2015, 2015, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Persoons, T, Invited talk: Convective thermal management and flow control with synthetic jets, Invited seminar at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA, Jun 4, 2015, 2015, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Deirdre M. D'Arcy, Tim Persoons, 'Simulation of dissolution rate profiles of pharmaceutical systems', School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Dept. of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, 2012, -, Software, EXHIBITED
Persoons, T, Invited talk: Application of high dynamic range PIV to heat transfer studies, Invited seminar at the Graduate School of the College of Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA, 18 Jul 2011, 2011, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Persoons, T, Invited talk: Application of high dynamic range PIV to heat transfer studies with flow unsteadiness, Invited seminar at the Graduate School of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, 20 May 2011, 2011, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Baelmans, M and Persoons, T, Invited talk: Microchannel applications for heat sinks and compact heat exchangers, ERCOFTAC Technology Awareness: 2nd Industrial Seminar, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 11 Nov 2009, 2009, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Persoons, T, Invited talk: Overview and selected results of jet impingement heat transfer research at Trinity College Dublin, Invited seminar at the Graduate School of the Institute of Thermomechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic, 30 Nov 2009, 2009, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED

  

Awards and Honours

Award Date
Fellow of Trinity College Dublin Apr 2020
Visiting Faculty, NSF I/UCRC Cooling Technologies Research Center, School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA Jan 2012
Visiting Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven Sep 2009
2014 Teaching Innovation Award (Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, Trinity College Dublin) June 2014
2014 Christoffel Plantin Prize (nominee for Ireland by Belgian Ambassador) May 2014
2013 Hartnett-Irvine Award, International Centre for Heat and Mass Transfer (ICHMT) June 2014
Senior Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin Feb 2012
Marie Curie International Mobility Fellowship of the Irish Research Council, hosted by School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University (2010-2013) Aug 2010
Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) in Trinity College Dublin (2008-2010) Aug 2008

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

My research since 2013 has centred on multi-scale convective heat transfer for thermal management of electronics systems. This is underpinned by my expertise in experimental fluid dynamics, developed during my Ph.D. work in KU Leuven and my postdoc career in TCD and Purdue University. The focus on electronics cooling is inspired by (i) the rapidly growing energy use of electronics systems and data centres, (ii) the need to better integrate these with our energy system, e.g., through waste heat recuperation, and (iii) the interdisciplinary R&D effort needed to accomplish this - requiring collaboration between thermal fluid science and electronic engineers, as well as more effective knowledge transfer between industry and academia.

Since 2013, I have supervised an active team of an average of 5 PhD students and 3 postdoctoral researchers. A lot of early work went into the fundamentals of heat transfer enhancement with flow unsteadiness (pulsating flow, synthetic jets) and its use in confined geometries, like those in electronics systems. Because of the analogies with aerodynamic flow control, we applied similar techniques to active flow control with applications in renewable power generation.

My research has a strong experimental focus requiring high spatial and temporal resolution measurements of flow and thermal quantities using advanced techniques (e.g., particle image velocimetry (PIV), infrared thermography, constant temperature anemometry). Along the way, we developed new and improved measurement techniques (e.g., high dynamic range PIV) and gradually expanded our expertise to include advanced computational modelling and numerical optimisation.

My team is now internationally recognised for novel research on data centre thermal management and convective flow control, and is firmly embedded in multiple SFI research collaborations (CONNECT, ESIPP, SSPC, MaREI) and closely engaged with academic and industry leaders in the field, through my links with CTRC in Purdue and editorial roles in top journals in the field of electronics cooling.