MSc AND PhD IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Take an active role in the analysis of real industrial issues and develop solutions for industrial application. Apply your knowledge in the following areas of specialization available:

Mechanical Systems Design The Mechanical Systems research area emphasizes on the design, analysis and operational excellence of industrial based systems. At present, the focus centers on the oil and gas industry and production plants. Notable research projects include development of underwater autonomous vehicle, design of stabilized oil platforms, under close collaboration with related PETRONAS operating units, robust sensor for corrosive environment, turbo machinery and rotating machines, and design of smart machines. The research would include the use of computational methods, modeling and prototyping, experimental analysis and industrial site investigation. Vehicle Design The Vehicle Design research area includes advanced aerodynamic, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), vehicle dynamics, powertrain, body design and crashworthiness. The focus of the research will be on the development of simulation model using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Finite Element Modeling (FEM) softwares. Strategies are then established and optimized through model simulation with a target of improved functionality at reduced complexity and cost. The research could then be extended to the design phase and fabrication of the prototype. Experiments will then be conducted on a test rig to validate the design. Advanced Engine Development The Advanced Engine Development research area focuses on the optimization of the combustion process in order to increase engine performance and reduction of exhaust gas emission. The state-of-the-art measurement techniques such as particle image velocimetry (PIV), laser doppler anemometry (LDA), and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF), will be used extensively in the research in combination with high speed imaging device and optical engine. The research group is currently leading a multi-institutional R&D consortium in developing a Linear Generator engine with funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. The group is also involved in developing the nation's first Compressed Natural Gas - Direct Injection (CNG-DI) engine with other research consortium. Advanced Materials The main objective of the Advanced Materials research activity is to bridge the gap between science & technology and industrial applications in the area of materials integrity, processing and design, via the use of advanced characterization equipment such as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorospectroscopy (XRF). Vast development in modeling of the full thermo-mechanical history of materials (elements) during their formation, processing and final design can be applied extensively in order to be able to quantitatively predict product properties for a specific design. Currently the group is involved in R&D materials-related activities such as the Light Ray Transit (LRT) Brake Materials, Automotive Brake Discs development and Composites material developments (Metal Matrix Composites, Polymer Matrix Composites and Ceramic Matrix Composites). Manufacturing Systems and Technology Manufacturing Systems research areas focus on the optimization of manufacturing planning, scheduling and operations. The scope also covers quality and process improvement. The scope of research that are covered under Manufacturing Technology are design for manufacturing (DFM), CAD/CAM, advanced manufacturing processes such as CNC machining and EDM, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping and metrology. To support the requirements of research activities, the manufacturing laboratories are equipped with CNC turning and machining centers, EDM facilities, Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), Prototyping machines, Industrial Robots and vision equipments. Software such as CAD/CAM, WITNESS, Material Requirement Planning (MRP) and reverse engineering are also used to conduct research in this area. Alternative Energy The Alternative Energy research areas include renewable energy studies, hybrid renewable and conventional energy systems, energy efficiency and management, cogeneration/trigeneration, and energy audit of industrial plants. Currently, external involvement and interests have led to collaborations in the form of research clusters for related research work. Apart from solar energy, the group has successfully been involved in the development of bio fuel briquettes for use in industrial boilers. Facilities for cogeneration studies have recently been identified at the adjacent Gas District Cooling facility. This facility co generates electricity and chill water to meet our campus demands. Many research aspects of cogeneration can be conducted here, which also adds real life examples to the research work. Reservoir Engineering The Reservoir Engineering research area focuses on industry-driven Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) initiatives. This research will be guided and assisted by appointed industry experts and targeted for immediate filed applications. The current IOR research interests are Miscible Gas-Flooding (CO2 injection) and combinations of chemical IOR (Alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding). These R & D efforts are focused on ways to achieve an incremental recovery factor of at least 10% from the producing oil fields. There are two essential components of IOR: improving microscopic displacement efficiency and improving the macroscopic sweep efficiency. It is believed that the best IOR scheme can be achieved by marrying the physical-chemical properties of the reservoir fluids with reservoir characterization. Joint-industry projects and R & D will be carried out in collaboration with various institutions with the aim to optimize resources i.e. hardware (lab equipment) and software. Reliability and Maintenance In the oil & gas and utilities sectors, maintenance is one of the main activities that must be undertaken to ensure equipment/assets are always in good conditions. To determine maintenance requirements for equipment and assets, appropriate risk and reliability management methodologies are among the factors that need to be considered. The methodologies include root-cause analysis; reliability centered maintenance, failure analysis, asset life cycle analysis, reliability analysis and safety & risk management. To support industry requirements, research areas that have been identified are reliability and maintenance of equipment and plant with the aim to improve the equipment and plant availability. The research would include the use among others material analysis, statistical data analysis, modeling and simulation.