Mauricio Gutierrez Salas

I am a researcher in turbomachinery aeromechanics at Energy Technology at KTH. My research is part of a Horizon 2020 EU research project named ARIAS, which involves designing an experimental rig to investigate unsteady flow in transonic compressors due to vibrations.

Background

I graduated as a Mechanical Engineer from the University of Costa Rica. Then I had my first experience in aeromechanics when I started working at Agilis. My job there consisted of analyzing and designing gas turbine engines under the Rolls Royce customer focus team, which motivated me to enroll in the THRUST master program at KTH and AUTH, where I strengthened my background in turbomachinery.    

In 2012, I had the opportunity to start a Ph.D. at KTH. My project was funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, in collaboration with GKN Aerospace and Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB. The study was focused on the development of accurate reduced-order models in a simulation tool (AROMA) for turbomachinery aeromechanical phenomena. The tool was developed to predict the fatigue life of turbomachinery blades. I was also part of the Innoenergy Ph.D. School, where a 5 months mobility to Duke University took place to validate the tool. The GUIde 5 Consortium provided the test data during this mobility period.

In parallel with my Ph.D., I worked as an Aerothermal Engineer at GKN Aerospace for 5 years, performing different aeromechanical analyses.