Biography

Prof. Fernandez Oro is a Full Professor at the University of Oviedo (Asturias, Spain) since 2023. His research activity has been mainly focused on the fluid-dynamic study of fluid machinery, with special attention to turbomachines, using both experimental and numerical techniques. In particular, the most important research areas in which he has been involved are (1) the analysis and description of turbulence and unsteady flow, both in power-consumption (axial and centrifugal fans and centrifugal pumps) and power-generation turbomachines (vertical axis wind turbines, VAWT, and self-rectifying turbines for OWC systems); (2) the development and application of experimental instrumentation for the measurement and post-processing of flow patterns in turbomachinery (hot wires, fast-response transducers and multihole probe); and (3) the development of numerical models (CFD) and specific methods (deterministic flow analysis) to identify sources of viscous interaction in order to propose machine redesigns for a significant efficiency improvement.

Additionally, his scientific-technical skills acquired have allowed to open and consolidate a second field of research, related to the industrial use of numerical simulation techniques (I-CFD). This activity presents with a clear commitment towards the transfer of knowledge to the regional productive companies and it is basically focused on the development of (1) simulation models with deformable meshes and multiphase models and (2) flow resolution in confined spaces (tunnels and mines). This activity has been financed through a significant number of research contracts and projects with important companies like Saint-Gobain, Arcelor-Mittal, Samoa Inc or TK Elevator.