PROJECTS FUNDED BY NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Rotating macHine platform for the control of environmental risks (energy production simulation)

Project leader and partners: University of Lyon / Ecole Centrale of Lyon, INSA-Lyon, ENS-Lyon, EDF R&D, SNECMA, Laboratoire national des champs magnétiques intense
(LNCMI - CNRS), Claude Bernard University of Lyon 1 (UBCL)
Contact: Fabrice Thouverez
Allocation: € 3,000,000

The research carried out on the PHARE platform will make it possible to design the rotating machine of the future for the control of environmental risks. The platform will be equipped with an innovative architecture, equipped with non-polluting bearings of intelligent embedded systems, allowing it to meet the criteria of ultra-compactness and operation in a wide range of speeds, while offering robustness to extreme stress tests.

Overall presentation of the project


establishment

Aeroacoustics of New Engine Architectures in Aeronautics

 The ARENA industrial chair project led by Christophe Bailly, Professor at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon, has been selected by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR - 2018 edition). The ARENA Chair is dedicated to the noise of future engine architectures in aeronautics, with a budget of € 2 million, half of which is financed by Safran Aircraft Engine and half by the ANR (The French National Research Agency).

The Advisory Council for Aeronautical Research in Europe (ACARE) has recently confirmed through its Strategy Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) update the European vision of the Aviation noise situation in 2050. This vision can be translated into operational targets: perceived noise will be reduced of 50% by 2020 and of 65% by 2050 (-15 dB/operation) relative to the year 2000. Similar goals are also supported by the French Conseil pour la Recherche Aéronautique Civile (CORAC). In this context, the present project addresses noise emissions of new engine and aircraft architectures expected beyond 2025. 

Considering in particular the stronger coupling between the aircraft and the engines on such future designs, the ARENA Chair aims at understanding and modelling the impact of novel installation conditions on engine noise generation, propagation and radiation. A particular focus is put on the engine fan stage, which is the main noise source at take-off and landing in the latest engine generation. 

Ecole Centrale de Lyon (ECL), and Safran Aircraft Engines (Safran AE) have a long history of collaboration on aircraft engine noise issues. These collaborations involve unique experimental facilities on an international scale, and on LabEx CeLyA, which has been bringing together since 2011 all the acoustic research activities in Lyon and Saint-Étienne. ARENA will also contribute to consolidating the technical and scientific leadership in aeroacoustics of Centrale Lyon and the LMFA for research and teaching, with the Master of Acoustics accredited by the University of Lyon.

Safran Poster

More information : http://acoustique.ec-lyon.fr/

Photo : LP3 facility of the LMFA. This facility is used for fan noise studies, performed at a good scale to develop research work, e.g. advanced in-duct modal detection using a large number of pressure probes.

The MenisCare project (2018/2021) brings together Liphy (University of Grenoble-Alpes) and Creatis (University of Lyon 1) laboratories, CIC-IT (Clinical Investigation and Technological Innovation Centre) of the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital and two PME, Cartimage Medical (La Tronche) and ACS Biotech (Lyon).
This project aims to propose a new approach to knee meniscus surgery, by promoting the repair of meniscus lesions rather than ablation (meniscectomy).
This research work is funded by the FRI (Regional Innovation Fund) of the Rhône Alpes Auvergne region
The objective is to develop an endoscopic photoacoustic imaging system to measure the vascular density of a meniscus in vivo on animals. Indeed, at the present time, the literature shows a failure rate of meniscal repair between 5% and 43%. One of the major criteria for establishing a prognosis for successful meniscal repair is the presence of blood capillaries (micro-vascularization) in the injured area to be sutured. However, this micro-vascularization is currently only detectable by invasive techniques such as immunohistology. It is therefore essential to provide a non-invasive measurement technique that allows to determine, with a sufficient level of certainty, if a suture can be successfully performed on a meniscus.
We propose to develop an instrument to detect in vivo the vascular density of a meniscus. For this purpose, the objective will be to develop a photoacoustic imaging system within the constraints of an endoscopic medical device. Photoacoustic imaging makes it possible to produce optical contrast images with a detection signal having the propagation and diffusion properties of acoustic waves. Its principle is based on the generation of an acoustic wave by thermoelastic effect following a thermal variation generated by optical absorption of the object to be imaged. This acoustic wave is then detected using a piezoelectric transducer. The use of an optical wavelength focused on hemoglobin absorption then makes it possible to obtain an image with acoustic resolution (100μm) of the vascularization with a very high contrast. On the basis of an intra-articular ultrasound probe used in sub-arthroscopy operations, it is therefore necessary to develop an endoscopic photoacoustic imager with the same dimensional constraints. This imager will be tested and calibrated on meniscus ghosts. These are microfluidic circuits made of PDMS which must make it possible to simulate the microvascular network close to that of the meniscus in order to be as realistic as possible (channel size, density, optical diffusion).

In parallel with this work, immunohistology work will have to be carried out as part of the MenisCare collaboration to better understand the human vascular network of the meniscus and find the most appropriate animal model. From the samples of interest (human and animal), the optical parameters of the imager can be optimized so as not to damage the meniscal tissue.

The final objective is to be able to carry out an in vivo measurement on animals in open surgery with this imager.

It has been recognized that the blood brain barrier (BBB) presents a major obstacle to the entry of therapeutic molecules into the central nervous system (CNS). It has been shown that, using ultrasound with the presence of microbubbles to locally enhance acoustic cavitation in CNS capillaries, the CNS-blood permeability can be significantly increased due to the temporal opening of the BBB, thus providing a promising strategy to increase delivery of therapeutic agents into brain tumors. Understanding the mechanisms underlying molecular uptake stimulation and ultrasound-based cell modification in brain tissue is crucial, with the key requirement of a better control of the various aspects of cavitation phenomenon.

The CARIBBBOU project is an international consortium whose aim is to focus on the in-vitro and in-vivo control of any kind of ultrasound cavitation activity, with application to the enhancement of BBB opening and brain gene delivery for CNS neurodegenerative diseases. This project is funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) in combination to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in Taiwan, for a grant of 750 k€. The french PI is Claude Inserra (LabTAU) and taiwanese PI is Dr When-Shiang Chen (NTUH, Taiwan).

The industrial Chair ADOPSYS is dedicated to advanced studies on the aerodynamic noise from modern propulsion systems in aeronautics. The scope covers noise reduction at source by means of improved understanding and modelling of the underlying generating mechanisms. It includes the present turbofan technology and new architectures, such as counter-rotating open rotors (CRORs) or advanced propellers. The LMFA contributes through its recognized knowledge of aeroacoustic prediction strategies using analytical techniques and/or high-resolution computational methods, as well as by carrying out basic experiments on fundamental aspects. The final objective is to increase the competitiveness of the partner and to reduce noise impact around airports according to the ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautical Research in Europe) objectives : perceived noise reduced by -10 dB by 2020 and -15 dB by 2050 relative to the year 2000.

Industrial chair ECL/SNECMA (SAFRAN Group), hosted by LMFA, Chair holder Stéphane Moreau 4-year research (2014-2018), 5 PhD programs, 1 post-doc position, 1 chair-holder position, Funding SAFRAN and ANR.

 

The LETMA (Laboratoire Études et Modélisation Acoustiques, Laboratory of studies and modelling in acoustics) was created in March 2015 by the CEA, CNRS, l'Ecole Centrale de Lyon and Sorbonne University. Its activity focuses on the analysis of atmospheric phenomena generating infrasounds. It aims at creating a research community on the studies and modelling of infrasound with a worldwide recognition.

Contact : www.dalembert.upmc.fr/LETMA/iframes/contactletma@dalembert.upmc.fr