Prof.dr.ir. S. Vanapalli | People Pages: Find employees & contact details

Srinivas Vanapalli’s academic roots are from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras with a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering. He later received an electrical engineering master’s degree (cum laude) from the University of Twente. He received his PhD title for 'High frequency operation and miniaturization aspects of cryocoolers' at UT, a major part of this work is carried out at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, USA.

Navigating the energy transition requires innovation across diverse fields, and cooling/cryogenics stands at the forefront as a pivotal enabler. What role can cryogenics play in this transformation? What new tools and technologies need to be developed to enhance the reliability and precision of cryopreservation and cryosurgery? And what undiscovered insights lie within the liquid-vapor phase change of cryogenic fluids? These are just some of the questions driving the future of the cryogenics field—and ones I am deeply committed to exploring.

I lead the Applied Thermal Sciences Laboratory at the University of Twente, where our research focuses on unraveling microscale multiphase heat and mass transfer at low temperatures. One of our recent breakthroughs involved imaging the wetting dynamics of liquid nitrogen droplets on superheated surfaces, revealing complex microscale phenomena unique to cryogenic liquids. Our lab pioneers advanced optical imaging tools with high spatial and temporal resolution to illuminate these intricate processes. We also work extensively on liquid hydrogen technology, enhancing the efficiency of Stirling-type cryocoolers, developing novel cryocoolers with high energy efficiency and distributed cooling, and innovating flow sensing at cryogenic temperatures. Beyond multiscale physics, our technological innovations include a flat panel gas-gap heat switch, a tissue snap freezer for enhanced cryopreservation, Stirling cryocoolers, and an economic hydrogen liquefier, among others.

In 2019, I organized a landmark cryogenic heat and mass transfer conference at the University of Twente, drawing 75 experts from various sectors, including medicine, food, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and beyond. This multidisciplinary participation underscored cryogenics' significance as a research and technological field that continues to push boundaries and spark interest far beyond its traditional circles.

As an educator, I am passionate about guiding the next generation through the foundations of classical thermodynamics and cryogenics. In my role as member of the Program Committee for the Advanced Technology educational program at the University of Twente, I help shape a dynamic curriculum. I also actively contribute to global cryogenics and refrigeration bodies such as the International Institute of Refrigeration's A2 commission, the Cryogenic Engineering Conference (CEC) board, and the Cryogenics Society of Europe (CSE) board.

Let's advance the science and technology of cryogenics together to make meaningful impacts on industry and society.

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Expertise

Physics
- Temperature
- Cooling
- Heat
- Gaseous State
- Ice
- Performance
- Liquid Nitrogen
Engineering
- Microcooler

Organisations

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Cryocoolers: Joule-Thomson and Stirling type

Hydrogen liquefaction and storage: small scale hydrogen liquefiers and storage

Multiphase flow and heat transfer at low temperatures: imbibition of liquid nitrogen in porous media, cryogenic droplet evaporation physics, freeze concentration.

Stirling thermodynamics: Oscillating flow and heat transfer physics

Sublimation physics: Dry Ice (CO2) Leidenfrost layer dynamics, Schlieren imaging of density gradients around dry ice, dry ice sublimation in storage boxes, CO2 thermodynamic sublimation phase diagram for a binary mixture.

Cryogenics in Applied Lifescience: Cryofixation of biomedical materials, frozen transport, & cryo-handling.

Technology development: Additive manufacturing, Micromachining

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

please see the home page of Applied Thermal Sciences lab

Publications

2024

Heat transfer from a vertically eccentric hot sphere to its enclosed spherical cavity (2024)International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 159(Part C). Article 108182. Zhang, Z. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2024.108182Absorption of liquid nitrogen into porous materials used in the cryogenic cold chain (2024)Cryogenics, 143. Article 103936. Spijkers, R. M. A. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cryogenics.2024.103936Modeling of a liquid nitrogen droplet evaporating inside an immiscible liquid pool (2024)International journal of heat and mass transfer, 226. Article 125444. Zhang, Z., Zhao, H. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2024.125444Experimental and theoretical investigation of the Leidenfrost dynamics of solid carbon dioxide discs sublimating on a solid substrate (2024)International journal of heat and mass transfer, 224. Article 125300. Purandare, A. S., Cuartas-Vélez, C., Smeman, N., Schremb, M., Bosschaart, N. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2024.125300Sublimation Kinetics of Carbon Dioxide (2024)[Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT]. University of Twente. Purandare, A.https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036561198A non-invasive capacitive sensor to investigate the Leidenfrost phenomenon: a proof of concept study (2024)Scientific reports, 14(1). Article 10565. Purandare, A. S., Rijs, J., Sagar, P. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61222-zExperimental and theoretical analysis of solute redistribution during a progressive freeze concentration process (2024)International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 152. Article 107288. Zhang, Z., Joy, M. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2024.107288

2023

A nitrogen Leidenfrost droplet on a water pool: Experiments, theory and simulations of droplet shrinkage and ice formation (2023)International journal of heat and mass transfer, 217. Article 124658. Schremb, M., Kalter, M. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2023.124658Cryogenic sub-cooling (2023)[Patent › Patent]. Vanapalli, S. & Holland, H.https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/083271638/publication/WO2023244112A1?q=WO2023%2F244112Development of a lab-device for evaporation-free supply of pure liquid nitrogen for droplet- and jet-generation (2023)Scientific reports, 13(1). Article 6421. Schremb, M., Kalter, M. & Vanapalli, S.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31955-4

Research profiles

What defines me as a teacher?

Experiment with better ways to achieve success
Value the students and respect them.
Inspire students by drawing parallels between the subject matter and students everyday experiences. Also walking through several examples.
Belief in mentoring students and showing them the path to learn themselves.
Provide thought provoking examples (not just a text book).

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2023/2024

My research is supported by national, european funding agencies and industry.

Funding entities: NWO-TTW, EU, TKI-HTSM, TKI-Energy, ZonMW, ESA & Air Liquide

What drives me as a scientist is the exciting wealth of knowledge and surprises I come across in my research, either in the lab or in discussions with my team. We built a little cryogenic fluids playground and often me and my students try things out of curiosity, very often transforming into serious multi-year projects. I believe in sharing this curiosity with the general public and to high-school students, with a hope to ignite the STEM flame in them. My outreach efforts were recognized recently by the MESA+ Dave Blank Outreach Award.