Technical notes
Short-form technical documentation, derivations, calibration models, and uncertainty workflows supporting publications, projects, and the engineering knowledge platform.
Not sure where to start? 4 places to go
Start with your question
Why visitors arrive: You want a derivation, calibration model, or methods reference - shorter than a paper, more precise than a blog post.
Your question: Which technical notes exist for instrumentation, turbomachinery, or thermal design?
You may also be asking
- Where is probe uncertainty worked out?
- Is there thermography data reduction guidance?
- How do notes link to publications?
Where to go next
- Instrumentation theme: Index for probe and metrology notes
- Uncertainty fundamentals: Start here if metrology vocabulary is new
- Pneumatic probes overview: Choose 3-hole vs 5-hole and calibration path
- Publications: Formal research using these methods
- Focus: Mathematical derivations, signal processing, and calibration algorithms
- Author: Lucas Rey, Oxford DPhil aerothermal engineer · ORCID · About · Publications
- Format: Compact reference documents typeset with MathJax for technical clarity
- Curriculum: Structured fluid mechanics modules live on the fluid mechanics curriculum hub, foundational Pi-group tables also on the dimensionless groups reference
Knowledge clusters
Notes are grouped by research thread so related publications, projects, and tools stay discoverable from one canonical index, not scattered across the site.
Instrumentation & measurement
Pneumatic probing, uncertainty propagation, and multi-facility calibration, methods used in Oxford turbine campaigns and open-hardware probe benchmarking.
- Instrumentation & measurement: thematic index (canonical home for this cluster)
- Pneumatic probes overview: 3-hole vs 5-hole selection and calibration workflow (live)
- 3-hole probe uncertainty analysis: bias and precision propagation (live note)
- Measurement uncertainty fundamentals: foundational metrology reference (live)
- Multi-facility 5-hole probe cross-calibration: experimental campaign
- Publications: instrumentation theme and Oxford probe manuscript
- Experimental aerothermal measurement: methods article
- Aerothermal engineering methods: cross-cutting methods cluster
Aerothermal engineering methods
Cross-cutting experiment, instrumentation, and CFD: experiment validation workflows, the methods layer behind articles and research themes.
- Aerothermal engineering methods: thematic index (canonical home for this cluster)
- Experimental aerothermal measurement: methods article
- CFD-experiment validation: simulation pairing workflow
- Measurement uncertainty fundamentals: metrology reference
- Dimensionless groups reference: similarity and scaling
Turbomachinery deterioration
Rolls-Royce-sponsored HPT aerothermal and thermal performance under in-service leading-edge damage.
- Turbomachinery deterioration: thematic index (canonical home for this cluster)
- HPT deterioration project: flagship experimental programme
- CFD-experiment validation: simulation pairing workflow
- Experimental aerothermal measurement: methods article
- HPT transient thermography: ECAT data-reduction note (live)
- Publications: companion aerodynamic and thermal manuscripts in preparation
Thermal & additive design
Low-order heat-exchanger screening, NTU-effectiveness framing, and additive manufacturability, supporting the 2024 AM heat-exchanger publication.
- Thermal & additive design: thematic index (canonical home for this cluster)
- Additive heat-exchanger low-order models: methods note (live)
- 2024 heat-exchanger paper
- Dimensionless groups reference: Nu, Re, Pr for correlation inputs
Applied aerodynamics
Field aerodynamics, wind resource assessment, and outdoor fluid systems, technical thread linked to ventures and projects.
- Applied aerodynamics: thematic index (canonical home for this cluster)
- Ventures hub: enterprise operations and engagement
- WRF wind mapping project
- Fluid mechanics curriculum: first-principles grounding
Foundational references
Durable lookup material that supports curriculum modules, experiments, and low-order design, kept as notes rather than duplicating long-form curriculum.
- Dimensionless groups reference: Re, Ma, Nu, Pr, Bi and similarity checklists
- Measurement uncertainty fundamentals: bias, precision, and propagation workflow
- Dimensional analysis module: full derivations in the curriculum
Published notes
Each note consolidates derivations and operational workflows into a durable reference. Notes link forward to projects and publications where the methods are applied, and to calculators where correlations are implemented interactively.
HPT transient thermography
Data-reduction and uncertainty posture for transient infrared thermography on engine-scale HPT hardware, ECAT workflow, Biot-consistent interpretation, and pairing with RANS validation.
Related: HPT deterioration project · CFD-experiment validation · Turbomachinery theme · Publications
Pneumatic probes overview
Orientation to 3-hole, 5-hole, and 7-hole configurations, when each fits, calibration and facility-transfer workflow, and pointers to uncertainty derivations.
Related: Instrumentation theme · 3-hole uncertainty note · 5-hole probe project
Measurement uncertainty fundamentals
Foundational vocabulary for bias, precision, and propagation, the layer beneath instrument-specific derivations and campaign-level methods articles.
Related: Experimental measurement article · 3-hole probe note · CFD validation
3-hole probe uncertainty analysis
Derivation of uncertainty propagation for three-hole pneumatic probes: calibration functions, recovery of total and static pressures, and partial derivatives for bias propagation in Reynolds-number estimation.
Related: Multi-facility 5-hole probe cross-calibration · HPT deterioration project (ECAT campaigns) · Publications · Calculators (planned probe-uncertainty module)
Dimensionless groups reference
Quick lookup for Reynolds, Mach, Nusselt, Prandtl, and Biot, similarity checklists linking curriculum modules to experimental campaigns.
Related: Dimensional analysis module · Air properties calculator · Thermal & additive theme
Additive heat-exchanger low-order models
NTU-effectiveness framing, friction-factor budgeting, and AM constraint checklists, methods behind the 2024 heat-exchanger paper.
Related: Thermal & additive theme · 2024 paper · AM project
Additional derivations are added as research workflows are formalised.
In preparation
These notes are scoped from active project and publication work, listed here so the hub reflects honest roadmap status, not a single finished item.
- 5-hole probe Monte Carlo suite: companion to the multi-facility calibration project and Oxford probe publication track
Structured curriculum
Long-form fluid mechanics teaching material, dimensional analysis, viscous flow, and matched problem sets, is maintained as a dedicated curriculum path rather than as notes. The modules were developed during teaching in Barcelona (IES Abroad) and are published as first-principles learning resources.
A hard R&D problem is the kind of conversation I enjoy most, and most of my work has started as one.
Part of
This page sits within the broader knowledge structure on lucasrey.com:
- Engineering - Central knowledge platform - tools, curriculum, notes, and research assets.
Connected work
Related content from the same research and engineering work:
- Publications
- Projects
- Calculators
- Curriculum
- Supporting notes - Referenced from Viscous flow
- Engineering notes - Referenced from Oxbridge lexicon
- Technical notes - Referenced from home
Part of Engineering
This page is part of the engineering knowledge platform on lucasrey.com.
- Engineering hub - Full knowledge platform index
- Pneumatic probes overview - 3-hole vs 5-hole selection, calibration workflow, and facility transfer - orientation before instrument-specific derivations.
- 3-hole probe uncertainty - Uncertainty propagation for multi-hole pneumatic probes.
- HPT transient thermography - Transient IR data-reduction and uncertainty workflow for ECAT turbine campaigns.
- Dimensionless groups reference - Re, Ma, Nu, Pr, Bi and similarity checklists - foundational lookup linked to curriculum modules.
- Publications - Peer-reviewed papers and manuscripts in preparation - research pillar with thematic hubs, project links, and structured metadata.
- Projects - Selected engineering projects and outcomes.
- Engineering calculators - Air properties and pipe flow (live); probe uncertainty and heat-exchanger screening (planned).
- Fluid mechanics curriculum - Index and learning path across modules.
- Articles - Essays and technical articles (pilot).
- Ventures - Professional initiatives - innovation, entrepreneurship, field validation, and applied aerodynamics.
- Publications
- Projects
- Calculators
Engineering knowledge platform
More tools, curriculum, notes, and research from the same body of work:
- Engineering - Central knowledge platform - tools, curriculum, notes, research, and applied engineering work.
- Collaborate - Industry advisory, aerothermal R&D collaboration, and venture partnerships.
Where to go from here
Ways to take this further, in the order they usually happen.
- Get air properties at your own conditions - Conductivity, viscosity, specific heat, gamma and Prandtl for dry air from a temperature alone, and density, thermal diffusivity and kinematic viscosity once you add a pressure, each beside the correlation it came from and its valid range
- The rest of the engineering work - Tools, notes and the software behind them, indexed by topic
- How an engagement is scoped - Defined remit, timeline and deliverables, and which path suits which kind of work
- Discuss a piece of technical work - Scoped advisory, aerothermal review, instrumentation design and R and D roles
I take a small number of advisory engagements alongside the doctorate.