Prof. Josua P Meyer

Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering

Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Bio

Prof Josua Meyer, was in April 2022 appointed as a professor at Stellenbosch University. Before this appointment he was a professor at the University of Pretoria. During his professor term he was the Head of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (1 900 students) for 20 years, and Chair of the School of Engineering (7 000 students) for 17 years.

His research has a broad focus on the thermal sciences, but with a narrower focus on heat exchangers. His heat exchanger work focuses on fundamental work in internal forced convection, the transitional flow regime, nanofluids, boiling, and condensation. On an applications level his work focuses on thermal-solar, wind- and nuclear energy. He has grown this research group to approximately 30 full-time graduate students and 10 staff members. During this time he also established various labs with state-of-the-art instrumentation and designed and constructed (with his group members) more than 12 unique experimental set-ups.

He has received 11 different national teaching awards from three different universities, as well as an international award. His videos on heat transfer on YouTube has been watched more than 1.7 million times. He has won more than 43 research awards including 33 awards for best article of the year or best conference paper. International/national awards were given to 12 of his postgraduate students for the quality of their work under his supervision.

For his research he has won the following national and international awards: Thomas Price Award, Rand Coal Award, South African Institute of Mechanical Engineers Medal, LT Campbell-Pitt Award, Literati Award, Chairman’s Award of the South African Institute of Air-conditioning and Refrigeration, and Will Stoecker award. He is a member or fellow of various professional institutes and societies such as ASME, ASHRAE, AIAA, and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is at present the vice president of the Assembly for International Heat Transfer Conferences. In 2020 he won the National Science and Technology Forum award for developing large numbers of engineering research graduates of the highest quality.

At the University of Pretoria he received the “Exceptional Achiever Award” for the fifth time and he also won the Vice Chancellor’s Exceptional Supervisor Award in recognition of exceptional achievement in supervision for his  high quality work as a supervisor/advisor of graduate students. In 2019 he won the Chancellor’s Award for Research for sustained excellent performance, in recognition of exceptional achievement in research and the associated promotion of the University of Pretoria. He is an A-rated NRF (National Research Foundation) researcher. The NRF rating are allocated based on a researcher's recent research outputs and impact as perceived by national and international peer reviewers. A-rated researchers are unequivocally recognised by their peers as leading international scholars in their respective fields, for the high quality and impact of recent research outputs.

His is a “highly cited researcher” according to the ISI and the University of Stanford’s list of top 2% scientists in the world. He is on the editorial board of 13 journals and is editor of 7 journals in his field of research. He has (co)authored more than 800 articles, conference papers, book chapters, and patents and has (co)supervised more than 150 research masters and PhD students. He was on the selection committee of the Franklin Institute Awards Programme (one of the world’s oldest (since 1824)) for the Benjamin Franklin Medal. To date, 117 awards of this institute have been honoured with Nobel prizes.

Title

A Novel Methodology for Automated and Accurate Development of Empirical Correlations in Forced and Mixed Convection Heat Transfer Studies

Abstract

In the realm of investigating single phase forced and mixed convection heat transfer in tubes and ducts, abundant data is generated through experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, often involving various heat transfer geometries. To distill this wealth of information into a more generalized form, the data is conventionally expressed as key dimensionless parameters: Nusselt number, friction factor, Reynolds number, Prandtl number, Grashof number as a function of Graetz number or the dimensionless distance from the inlet. Traditionally, empirical correlations are crafted through iterative processes of trial and error, coupled with intuitive insights, using these dimensionless numbers. While prior equation formats offer a foundational basis, the resulting correlations frequently fall short of aligning with experimental precision. It is not uncommon to encounter correlations predicting 80% of the data within a 20-30% margin, despite the experimental uncertainties often remaining below 10%. Recognizing this disparity between predictive correlations and experimental accuracy, there arises a critical need for a methodical approach that can yield precise equations automatically. This paper aims to address this necessity by introducing a newly developed methodology that can be programmed to deliver a computerized solution. The proposed methodology is designed to enhance the accuracy of empirical correlations, surpassing the limitations of existing practices, and offering a systematic and automated pathway for the development of equations that align more closely with experimental data, thereby filling a crucial gap in current research methodologies.