Purdue Professor Designs Cooling System for High-performance Aircraft

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in the engineered products and services industry, Mark Seilkop has represented manufacturers through Texas Industrial Sales since 2010. In addition to his professional background in sales, Mark Seilkop earned his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.

The Purdue University College of Engineering has been widely regarded among the top engineering research programs in the nation. Since the school’s first engineering degree was granted in 1878, Purdue alumni have produced countless innovations across various disciplines. Recently, Issam Mudawar, a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, added another achievement to the list with the development of an innovative cooling system for high-performance aircraft.

Rather than relying on traditional air-cooling from engine compressors, which becomes too hot to operate at supersonic speeds, Mudawar’s heat exchanger design utilizes the aircraft’s own fuel to cool the engine. In addition being lightweight and compact, the design allows for flexible configurations for various engine requirements.

Mudawar states the technology would be especially useful for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, both of which regularly work with high-performance aircraft travelling at supersonic speeds. The design has since been patented though the university’s Office of Technology Commercialization.