Metadata
Title
Chris J. NichollsDPhil MEng AFHEA
Category
undergraduate
UUID
e14ae09088a04eaa9dd4d65f524cdfce
Source URL
https://eng.ox.ac.uk/people/chris-j-nicholls
Parent URL
https://eng.ox.ac.uk/people?c=r
Crawl Time
2026-03-09T03:33:52+00:00
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Chris J. NichollsDPhil MEng AFHEA

Source: https://eng.ox.ac.uk/people/chris-j-nicholls Parent: https://eng.ox.ac.uk/people?c=r

EMAIL: christopher.nicholls@eng.ox.ac.uk

TEL: 01865 (2)83470

COLLEGE: Pembroke, St Catherine's, Trinity, Jesus College

LOCATION: Oxford Thermofluids Institute

Biography

Research

Publications

Biography

Dr Nicholls was an undergraduate at Hertford College between 2012 and 2016 studying Engineering Science. He moved to Lincoln College for his DPhil in Active Flow Control at the Oxford Thermofluids Institute in 2016. He became a PDRA in 2021, then an SRA in 2023. He became a Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College in 2022. His research interests lie at the intersection of fluid mechanics and control theory.

Research Interests

• Fluidic device development and control\ • Acoustically-excited flows\ • Fluid jets\ • Modulation of fuel and cooling flows\ • Control of aerodynamics

Current Projects

Fluidic oscillator control and development – fluidic oscillators are no-moving-parts valves that produce an oscillating jet when provided with a pressurised fluid. They have applications in the control of aerodynamics and unsteady heat transfer. I am investigating the fundamental working mechanisms of these devices, and developing methodologies that use acoustics to manipulate their operation and bring them under closed-loop control. I am also developing them for use as sensors to measure flow rate.\ \ Separation and post-stall control – this project is investigating the use of flow injection for boundary layer control in wind tunnel experiments. Blowing air from an aerofoil into the flow can re-energise the boundary layer and prevent stall (separation). It can also be used to manipulate the flow structures over an aerofoil in the deep stall state.\ \ Liquid Hydrogen Gas Turbine (LH2GT) - a £31.4 million project funded by Innovate UK, combining expertise from academic partners the University of Oxford, Cranfield University, and University College London, as well as industrial partners Rolls-Royce, Heathrow Airport, Easyjet, Manufacturing Technology Centre and Reaction Engines. In this project, crucial new technologies needed for zero-carbon, hydrogen-fuelled aviation engines are being developed at Oxford, including a novel fuel pump, the hydrogen-air heat exchanger and fuel flow control and metering valves.

Research Groups

Active Flow Control Group Thermal Propulsion Systems

Professor Ben Williams

Publications

Characterisation of a Fluidic Opposed Jet Amplifier (OPJA)

Cloud MP, Tang B & Bacic M (2024)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@inproceedings{characterisatio-2024/7,
  title={Characterisation of a Fluidic Opposed Jet Amplifier (OPJA)},
  author={Cloud MP, Tang B & Bacic M},
  booktitle={AIAA AVIATION FORUM AND ASCEND 2024},
  year = "2024"
}

An analytical model of the dynamics of reattaching jets

Nicholls CJ, Tang BMT, Turner J & Bacic M (2023), Physics of Fluids, 35(11)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@article{ananalyticalmod-2023/11,
  title={An analytical model of the dynamics of reattaching jets},
  author={Nicholls CJ, Tang BMT, Turner J & Bacic M},
  journal={Physics of Fluids},
  volume={35},
  number={115134},
  publisher={AIP Publishing},
  year = "2023"
}

Reattaching jet response to transverse acoustic excitation

Nicholls C, Chakravarthy K, Tang B, Williams BA & Bacic M (2023)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@inproceedings{reattachingjetr-2023/6,
  title={Reattaching jet response to transverse acoustic excitation},
  author={Nicholls C, Chakravarthy K, Tang B, Williams BA & Bacic M},
  booktitle={AIAA AVIATION 2023 Forum},
  year = "2023"
}

Investigations of Switched Vortex Valves with Ideal Gases

Proudfoot J, Tang B, Nicholls C & Bacic M (2023)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@inproceedings{investigationso-2023/6,
  title={Investigations of Switched Vortex Valves with Ideal Gases},
  author={Proudfoot J, Tang B, Nicholls C & Bacic M},
  booktitle={AIAA AVIATION 2023 Forum},
  year = "2023"
}

Fluidic oscillator with active phase control

Nicholls CJ & Bacic M (2023), AIAA Journal

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@article{fluidicoscillat-2023/3,
  title={Fluidic oscillator with active phase control},
  author={Nicholls CJ & Bacic M},
  journal={AIAA Journal},
  publisher={American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics},
  year = "2023"
}

Shear layer response to overmodulated acoustic perturbations

Nicholls C, Chakravarthy K, Tang BMT, Williams B & Bacic M (2023), Physics of Fluids, 35(1)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@article{shearlayerrespo-2023/1,
  title={Shear layer response to overmodulated acoustic perturbations},
  author={Nicholls C, Chakravarthy K, Tang BMT, Williams B & Bacic M},
  journal={Physics of Fluids},
  volume={35},
  number={015113},
  publisher={AIP Publishing},
  year = "2023"
}

Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion Flight Control of a Tiltwing VTOL Aircraft

Panish L, Nicholls C & Bacic M (2023)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@inproceedings{nonlineardynami-2023/1,
  title={Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion Flight Control of a Tiltwing VTOL Aircraft},
  author={Panish L, Nicholls C & Bacic M},
  booktitle={AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum},
  year = "2023"
}

On acoustically modulated jet shear layers and the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem

Nicholls C, Chakravarthy K, Tang B, Williams B & Bacic M (2022), Physics of Fluids, 34(11)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@article{onacousticallym-2022/10,
  title={On acoustically modulated jet shear layers and the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem},
  author={Nicholls C, Chakravarthy K, Tang B, Williams B & Bacic M},
  journal={Physics of Fluids},
  volume={34},
  number={115106},
  publisher={AIP Publishing},
  year = "2022"
}

Novel operating mode of a fluidic oscillator

Nicholls CJ, Tang BMT, Turner J & Bacic M (2022), Journal of Fluids Engineering, 144(7)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@article{noveloperatingm-2022/2,
  title={Novel operating mode of a fluidic oscillator},
  author={Nicholls CJ, Tang BMT, Turner J & Bacic M},
  journal={Journal of Fluids Engineering},
  volume={144},
  number={71501},
  publisher={American Society of Mechanical Engineers},
  year = "2022"
}

Identification and Closed-Loop Control of a Backwards Facing Step by Opposite Side Acoustic Excitation

Sinclair O, Turner J, Nicholls C, Tang B & Bacic M (2022)

Altmetric score is

BibTeX

@inproceedings{identificationa-2022/1,
  title={Identification and Closed-Loop Control of a Backwards Facing Step by Opposite Side Acoustic Excitation},
  author={Sinclair O, Turner J, Nicholls C, Tang B & Bacic M},
  booktitle={AIAA SCITECH 2022 Forum},
  year = "2022"
}

Google Scholar

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