Prof. Wenxian Lin obtained PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sydney in 2000. He is the Head of Discipline of Mechanical Engineering at the College of Science & Engineering of James Cook University.

Prof. Lin’s research interests encompass computational fluid dynamics, buoyancy-driven flows, turbulent flows, stratified flows, heat transfer, natural convection, boundary layers, scaling analysis, environmental fluid dynamics, solar thermal energy, mixing and entrainment, building heating and ventilation, solar collector technologies, solar water heaters, turbulence modelling, DNS and LES, hydrodynamics, etc. He has published more than 130 refereed journal publications and more than 50 refereed conference publications and has the h-index of 24.

Prof. Lin has received numerous awards and fellowships over his career, including the ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship (ARC, 2003), Australian Awards for University Teaching: Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (Office for Learning and Teaching, Australian Government, 2015), and Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (JCU, 2015), and Dean’s Research Excellence Award – Research Group (JCU, 2006). Together with his collaborators, he has attracted 8 ARC DPs/APD.

Teaching

• CS3008: Fluid Mechanics (Level 3; TSV)
• ME2521: Dynamics of Machine Elements (Level 2; TSV)
• ME4513: Advanced Fluid Mechanics (Level 4; TSV)
• ME4515: Advanced Mechanical Engineering Design (Level 4; TSV)

Interests

Research

• Turbulent Flows
• Solar Thermal Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Natural Convection Heat Transfer
• Buoyant Jets
• Entrainment and Mixing
• Boundary Layers
• Building Heating and Ventilation
• Buoyancy-Driven Flows
• Turbulence Modelling

Teaching

• Fluid Mechanics
• Dynamics
• Energy Technologies

Experience

• 2016 to present - Professor, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2010 to present - Head, Mechanical Engineering Discipline, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2010 to 2015 - Associate Professor, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2006 to 2009 - Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
• 2004 to 2006 - ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia)

Research Disciplines

• Fluid mechanics and thermal engineering (4012)
• Mechanical engineering (4017)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding knowledge (2801)
• Energy efficiency (1701)

Awards

• 2015 - JCU Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
• 2015 - Australian Awards for University Teaching: Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, the Office for Learning and Teaching, Australian Government
• 2006 - Dean’s Research Excellence Award – Research Group, JCU

Fellowships

• 2004 to 2006 - ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship

Memberships

• 2008 - Secretary and Executive Committee Member, Australasian Fluid and Thermal Engineering Society (AFTES)
• 2000 - Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• 2012 to 2018 - Executive Committee Member, Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society (AFMS)

Other

• 1992 to 1998 - Associate Editor, Energy - The International Journal

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Ahmed F, Khatamifar M, Lin W and Situ R (2023) Thermal performance of dynamic, origami?inspired geometries: An experimental study. Heat Transfer, 52 (5). pp. 3799-3816
• Cowley J, Khatamifar M, Lin W and Erskine D (2023) Experimental investigation of static pressure characteristics in a slotted short pin array. Experimental Heat Transfer, 36 (4). pp. 564-583
• Dong L, Lin W, Armfield S, Kirkpatrick M, Williamson N and Khatamifar M (2023) Direct numerical simulation of “fountain filling box” flow with a confined weak laminar plane fountain. Heat Transfer, 52 (1). pp. 193-215
• Inam M, Lin W, Armfield S and Khatamifar M (2023) Maximum Penetration Height and Intrusion Speed of Weak Symmetric Plane Fountains in Linearly Stratified Fluids. Fluids, 8 (4).
• Jobby A, Khatamifar M and Lin W (2023) Alternative Internal Configurations for Enhancing Heat Transfer in Telecommunication Cabinets. Energies, 16 (8).
• Maika N, Lin W and Khatamifar M (2023) A Review of Gravitational Water Vortex Hydro Turbine Systems for Hydropower Generation. Energies, 16.
• Nguyen D, Kirkpatrick M, Williamson N, Armfield S and Lin W (2023) Effect of Thermal Stratification in Meandering Turbulent Open-Channel Flow with Varying Sinuosity. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 149 (9).
• Di Bella B, Khatamifar M and Lin W (2022) Experimental study of flow visualisation using fluorescent dye. Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 87.
• Inam M, Lin W and Armfield S (2022) Thermal Entrainment in the Core Regions of Transitional Plane Fountains in Linearly Stratified Ambient Fluids. International Journal of Applied Mechanics, 14 (3).
• Lin W, Armfield S and Khatamifar M (2022) Scaling laws for natural convection boundary layer of a Pr > 1 fluid on a vertical solid surface subject to a sinusoidal heating flux in a linearly stratified ambient. Heat Transfer, 51 (4). pp. 2956-2976
• Nguyen D, Kirkpatrick M, Williamson N, Armfield S and Lin W (2022) Effects of meander curvature in thermally stratified turbulent open-channel flow. Physics of Fluids, 34 (9).
• Nguyen D, Kirkpatrick M, Williamson N, Armfield S and Lin W (2022) Turbulence structure in a very sharp thermally stratified open-channel meander. Physics of Fluids, 34.

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 163+ research outputs authored by Prof Wenxian Lin from 2000 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Experimental and Computational Investigation of Functionalized Aluminum Nitride (AIN) Hybrid Polymer Composite for Heat Sink Application (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• To obtain Experimental Results of the Cyclic Plastic Behaviour for 3 Strain Ratios (e.g. R=-1; R=0; R=0.5) and study Mean Stress Relaxation Effects (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Mixed Convection from large scale Solar Thermal Receivers (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Design and analysis of a PCM-filled Trombe wall coupled with renewable energy utilization systems for meeting heating requirements of a building (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Development and Design Optimization of High Capacity Gravitational Vortex Hydro Power Plant (GVHPP) for High and Constant Flowing River conditions employing Computational Fluid Dynamics and modelling (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• The development of sustainable and innovative techniques to enhance thermal management in a temperature sensitive system. (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Surface integrity study of the as-fabricated and post-processed SLM Aluminum alloy. (PhD , Advisor Mentor)

Completed

• Heat and mass transfer mechanisms in a wet scrubber (2020, PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
• Intrusion, wall fountain and stratification of homogeneous fluid in confined space filling with fountains (2019, PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Instability, coherent structures and turbulent mixing in cross sheared flow in stratified environments (2018, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Conjugate natural convection boundary layers (2018, PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.