Our Research at the MRI Flow Lab
Current Research Projects
ValDrallH2
BMWK LuFo VI/3: New concepts and experimental validation data for swirling and swirl-free flows in hydrogen combustion chambers to avoid flashbacks
In view of the decarbonization of society, alternatives to the combustion of natural gas in aircraft gas turbines are needed. One possibility is green hydrogen as a substitute fuel. However, the combustion of high proportions of hydrogen in aircraft gas turbines poses a challenge regarding NOx emissions, flashback risk and thermoacoustic instabilities. To optimize gas turbines for the use of hydrogen as fuel, data on the flow field and in particular the mixing of different gas flows are important. While conventional measurement methods reach their limits here and CFD models depend on validation data, MRI can make this data available.
| Grand Number | 20E2229 |
| Funding | BMUV |
| Duration | 2024-2027 |
DebriSafe
Experimental and numerical study of flow interaction and particle separation at the fuel assembly foot and mixing grid under operating and accident conditions.
The cooling circuit is crucial for the safe operation of nuclear power plants. During operation, solid particles (debris) accumulate in filter grids at the base of the fuel element, which increasingly obstruct the filter grid. Our project partners from the Framatome GmbH (Erlangen, Germany) have been investigating the deposition behavior using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for several years. MRV is capable of providing a detailed, three-dimensional velocity field in the partical laden flow and the deposition of the particels in the filter. The experimental data is used to verify the CFD methods, which can be applied to ensure the safety of European nuclear power plants.
| Grand Number | 1501660B |
| Funding | BMUV |
| Duration | 2022 - 2025 |
NEO-Patch II
Development of an MRI-compatible patient monitor with highly integrated sensors
The vital functions of patients at risk of death need to be carefully monitored during an MRI scan. Therefore, our industrial partner, Bluepoint MEDICAL GmbH & Co KG, is developing a wireless sensor that measures arterial oxygen saturation, ECG, and skin temperature and transmits them wirelessly to a monitor outside the examination room. The sensor is applied to the skin and is required to be fully functional during the MRI examination without disturbing the imaging process. At the MRI Flow Lab, routines and experimental setups based on current standard norms (ASTM F2052, ASTM F2119, ASTM F2182, and ASTM F2213) are implemented to verify the safety and functionality of this device during an MRI measurement. Furthermore, it is investigated whether and how the norms need to be extended to reliably identify all potential sources of danger and interferences of these sensors with the MRI system.
| Funding | Ministry of Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
| Cofinancing | European Regional Development Fund (EDRF) |
| Partner | bluepoint MEDICAL GmbH & Co. KG |
| Duration | 2023 - 2026 |
Completed Research Projects
2Phase MRV
3D Turbulence Measurements in Two-Phase Flows for the Validation of CFD Methods in the Field of Reactor Safety.
In this project, the measurement method Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry (MRV) is to be further developed in order to be able to measure the flow field in two-phase flows as accurately as possible. The focus is on the generation of experimental data in isothermal gas-water flows. The measurement technique to be developed should record the 3D time-averaged velocity vector and turbulence statistics in the liquid phase as well as the 3D time-averaged distribution of the gas phase.
| Grand Number | 1501643 |
| Funding | BMUV |
| Duration | 2022 - 2025 |
IGF-Project
Experimental investigation of impingement and film cooling flows by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the validation of numerical methods
Impingement and film cooling technologies are based on a flow emerging from holes that either impinges on a surface or covers it with a film. The design of these cooling air systems is usually done using CFD (computational fluid dynamics). In this project, a broad and consistent data matrix from experimental flow measurements of will be built up, which will be made available to CFD developers and users as comparative data. The basic assumptions of turbulence modeling in RANS-CFD will be tested via a systematic selection of the flow parameters investigated.
| Grand Number | 22409 BG |
| Funding | BMWK |
| Duration | 2022 - 2024 |
MRV4NRS
Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry to support reactor safety research and validation of numerical flow simulations.
The focus of this project is on the further development of 3D MRV methods for determining the time-averaged velocity fields and the turbulence quantities (Reynolds stress tensor) in nuclear reactor saftey problems. The data allows to precisely identify the weaknesses of a CFD simulation by a three-dimensional validation of the numerical results. This enhances the nuclear reactor safety studies of water-cooled reactors and build up new competences in the field of reactor safety.
| Grand Number | 1501602 |
| Funding | BMUK |
| Duration | 2020 - 2023 |
| Report | doi.org/10.2314/KXP:1915739411 |
Publications
- John, K.; Romig, S.; Rehm, M.; Hadžić, H.; Pohl, P.; Grundmann, S.; Bruschewski, M.: Volumetric Measurements of Mean Velocity Vector and Reynolds Stress Tensor for CFD Validation: Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry in a Nuclear Fuel Assembly Model with Mixing Grids. Flow, Turbulence and Combustion, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-025-00636-9
- Romig, S.; John, K.; Schmidt, S.; Schmitter, S.; Grundmann, S.; Bruschewski, M.: Improving MRI turbulence quantification by addressing the measurement errors caused by the derivatives of the turbulent velocity field–Sequence development and in-vitro validation. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 110333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10494-025-00636-9
- Barapatre, N.; Frank, D.; Achterhold, K.; Pfeiffer, F.; Edler von Koch, F.; Grundmann, S.; Frank, H.-G.; Bruschewski, M.: Fluid flow patterns in the intervillous space of a scaled, 3D-printed, human placental cotyledon as visualized by high-resolution MRI. Placenta, 154, e32, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2024.07.145
- Wüstenhagen, C: Data matching: a method for the systematic comparison of three-dimensional fluid mechanical data sets for validation purposes and its application. Doctoral dissertation, Universität Rostock.
- Bruschewski, M.; Wüstenhagen, C.; Domnick, C.; Krewinkel, R.; Shiau, C.-C.; Grundmann, S.; Han, J.-C.: Assessment of the Flow Field and Heat Transfer in a Vane Cooling System Using Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry, Thermochromic Liquid Crystals, and Computational Fluid Dynamics; Journal of Turbomachinery, 145(3), 2023, doi: 10.1115/1.4055611
- John, K: Improved magnetic resonance velocimetry to acquire velocity and turbulence statistics for nuclear reactor safety problems. Doctoral dissertation, University of Rostock. https://doi.org/10.18453/rosdok_id00004598
- Bruschewski, M.; John, K.; Benson, M. J.; Grundmann, S.: Combined temperature and velocity field measurements in thermal fluid systems with magnetic resonance velocimetry. tm - Technisches Messen, 89(3), pp. 168–177, 2022, doi: 10.1515/teme-2021-0122
- John, K.; Wüstenhagen, C.; Schmidt, S.; Schmitter, S.; Bruschewski, M.; Grundmann, S.: Reynolds stress tensor and velocity measurements in technical flows by means of magnetic resonance velocimetry. tm - Technisches Messen, 89(3), pp. 201–209, 2022, doi: 10.1515/teme-2021-0123
- Bruschewski, M.; Flint, S.; Becker, S.: Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry Measurement of Viscous Flows through Porous Media: Comparison with Simulation and Voxel Size Study. Physics, 3 (4), pp. 1254–1267, 2021, doi: 10.3390/physics3040079
- Bruschewski, M.; John, K.; Wüstenhagen, C.; Rehm, M.; Hadzic, H.; Pohl, P.; Grundmann, S.: Commissioning of an MRI test facility for CFD-grade flow experiments in replicas of nuclear fuel assemblies and other reactor components. Nuclear Engineering and Design (375), 111080, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111080
- Bruschewski, M.; Schmidt, S.; John, K.; Grundmann, S.; Schmitter, S.: An unbiased method for PRF-shift temperature measurements in convective heat transfer systems with functional parts made of metal. Magnetic resonance imaging, 75, pp. 124–133, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.mri.2020.10.006
- Rauh, A.; John, K.; Wüstenhagen, C.; Bruschewski, M.; Grundmann, S.: An Unscented Transformation Approach for Stochastic Analysis of Measurement Uncertainty in Magnet Resonance Imaging with Applications in Engineering. International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, 31 (1), 2021
- Schmidt, S.; Bruschewski, M.; Flassbeck, S.; John, K.; Grundmann, S.; Ladd, M. E.; Schmitter, S.: Phase-contrast acceleration mapping with synchronized encoding. Magnetic resonance in medicine, 86 (6), pp. 3201–3210, 2021, doi: 10.1002/mrm.28948
- Schmidt, S.; John, K.; Kim, S. J.; Flassbeck, S.; Schmitter, S.; Bruschewski, M.: Reynolds stress tensor measurements using magnetic resonance velocimetry: expansion of the dynamic measurement range and analysis of systematic measurement errors. Experiments in Fluids, 62 (6), 2021, doi: 10.1007/s00348-021-03218-3
- Wüstenhagen, C.; John, K.; Langner, S.; Brede, M.; Grundmann, S.; Bruschewski, M.: CFD validation using in-vitro MRI velocity data – methods for data matching and CFD error quantification. Computers in Biology and Medicine (131), 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104230
- Benson, M. J.; Banko, A. J.; Elkins, C. J.; An, D.-G.; Song, S.; Bruschewski, M.; Grundmann, S.; Borup, D.: Eaton, J. K.: The 2019 MRV challenge: turbulent flow through a U-bend, Experiments in Fluids, 61 (6), 2020, dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00348-020-02986-8
- Bruschewski, M.; Piro, M.H.A.; Tropea, C.; Grundmann, S.: Fluid flow in a diametrally expanded CANDU fuel channel – Part 1: Experimental study. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 357, 2020, dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.110371
- Bruschewski, M.; Piro, M.H.A.; Tropea, C.; Grundmann, S.: Fluid flow in a diametrally expanded CANDU fuel channel – Part 1: Experimental study. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 357, 2020, dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.110371
- John, K.; Rauh, A.; Bruschewski, M.; Grundmann, S.: Towards Analyzing the Influence of Measurement Errors in Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Fluid Flows. Acta Cybernetica, 24 (3), pp. 343–372, 2020, dx.doi.org/10.14232/actacyb.24.3.2020.5
- Piro, M.H.A.; Christon, M.; Tensuda, B.; Poschmann, M.; Bruschewski, M.; Grundmann, S.; Tropea, C.: Fluid flow in a diametrally expanded CANDU fuel channel – Part 2: Computational study. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 357, 2020, dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.110372
- Bruschewski, M.; Kolkmannn, H.; John, K.; Grundmann, S.:Phase-contrast single-point imaging with synchronized encoding: a more reliable technique for in vitro flow quantification. Magnetic resonance in medicine, 81, pp. 2937–2946, 2019, dx.doi.org/10.1002/mrm.27604
- Oldenburg, J.; Borowski, F.; Schmitz, K.-P.; Stiehm, M.; Öner, A.; Quirin, L.; John, K.; Bruschewski, M.; Grundmann, S.: MRV-validated numerical flow analysis of thrombotic potential of coronary stent designs. Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering, 5 (1), pp. 77–80, 2019, dx.doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2019-0020