All Outputs (41)

Enhanced thermal management of lithium-ion pouch cells via hybrid approach of phase change material-liquid cooling (2025)
Journal Article
Sen, S., Mahdi, J. M., Talebizadehsardari, P., La Rocca, A., & Cairns, A. (2025). Enhanced thermal management of lithium-ion pouch cells via hybrid approach of phase change material-liquid cooling. International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 165(A), Article 108997

Effective thermal management is crucial for safe, high-performance operation of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles (EVs). However, conventional passive or active cooling methods alone struggle to provide sufficient heat dissipation while main... Read More about Enhanced thermal management of lithium-ion pouch cells via hybrid approach of phase change material-liquid cooling.

Design and Testing of a Direct Oil Cooled Homopolar Synchronous Generator with Dual DC-Link via Diode Rectifiers (2025)
Journal Article
Vannini, A., Di Nardo, M., La Rocca, A., Riccio, J., Korman, O., La Rocca, S., Marfoli, A., & Gerada, C. (2025). Design and Testing of a Direct Oil Cooled Homopolar Synchronous Generator with Dual DC-Link via Diode Rectifiers. IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3564349

The drivetrains of large transportation systems, such as aircraft or ships, are evolving towards hybrid configurations with DC primary power distribution thanks to their higher efficiency. In this context, synchronous homopolar machines equipped with... Read More about Design and Testing of a Direct Oil Cooled Homopolar Synchronous Generator with Dual DC-Link via Diode Rectifiers.

Holistic Design Optimisation of 350 kW High-Speed Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machine for Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle (2025)
Journal Article
Jiang, J., Zou, T., Di Nardo, M., Gallicchio, G., La Rocca, S., La Rocca, A., Gerada, D., Huang, H., Ren, X., Prystupa, D., Vakil, G., Degano, M., Gerada, C., & Paciura, K. (2025). Holistic Design Optimisation of 350 kW High-Speed Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machine for Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle. IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2025.3557364

The widely adopted “high-speed machine + high-ratio gear” solutions for passenger electric vehicle (EV) drivetrains are yet to be explored for demanding heavy-duty applications. This paper will investigate 350kW level high speed traction motor develo... Read More about Holistic Design Optimisation of 350 kW High-Speed Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machine for Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle.

Investigating the Effect of Lubricating Oil Volatility and Ash Content on the Emission of Sub-23 nm Particles (2025)
Journal Article
Lagana, S., Pfau, S. A., Haffner-Staton, E., La Rocca, A., & Cairns, A. (2025). Investigating the Effect of Lubricating Oil Volatility and Ash Content on the Emission of Sub-23 nm Particles. Applied Sciences, 15(4), Article 2212. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15042212

Featured Application: This work highlights the critical role of oil formulation in minimizing sub-23 nm particulates; it is particularly relevant in emerging H2 and NH3 engines, crucial for meeting stricter SPN emission standards in decarbonized fuel... Read More about Investigating the Effect of Lubricating Oil Volatility and Ash Content on the Emission of Sub-23 nm Particles.

Conjugate heat transfer analysis of a pouch cell li-ion battery pack using mini channel cold plates with a U-shaped configuration (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Talebizadehsardari, P., Cairns, A., La Rocca, A., & Sen, S. (2024, September). Conjugate heat transfer analysis of a pouch cell li-ion battery pack using mini channel cold plates with a U-shaped configuration. Presented at 18th UK Heat Transfer Conference, Birmingham, UK

In this study, a cold plate with U-shaped channels is investigated to cool the adjacent pouch cell Li-ion batteries. The U-shaped cold plate consists of two parallel sets of channels with seventeen mini channels to cover the whole surface area of the... Read More about Conjugate heat transfer analysis of a pouch cell li-ion battery pack using mini channel cold plates with a U-shaped configuration.

Thermal management challenges of li-ion battery packs using partial immersion cooling: analyzing pressure drop and temperature distribution (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Talebizadehsardari, P., Cairns, A., La Rocca, A., Sen, S., & Pacino, A. (2024, September). Thermal management challenges of li-ion battery packs using partial immersion cooling: analyzing pressure drop and temperature distribution. Presented at 18th UK Heat Transfer Conference, Birmingham, UK

A partial immersion cooling system is used for cooling a battery pack equipped with cylindrical Li-ion batteries considering various flow rates of the coolant. The partial immersion method is used to reduce the total weight of the battery pack and th... Read More about Thermal management challenges of li-ion battery packs using partial immersion cooling: analyzing pressure drop and temperature distribution.

Effect of Different Module Arrangements for Thermal Management of Cylindrical Li-ion Battery Packs (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Sen, S., Talebizadehsardari, P., La Rocca, A., Cairns, A., Pacino, A., & Mehdipour, R. (2024, November). Effect of Different Module Arrangements for Thermal Management of Cylindrical Li-ion Battery Packs. Presented at 50th IECON: Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Chicago, USA

This study aims to analyze the effect of module arrangement in a lithium-ion battery pack using partial immersion cooling. The pack consists of sixteen modules with 192 cylindrical batteries in each module. The partial immersion method is used to red... Read More about Effect of Different Module Arrangements for Thermal Management of Cylindrical Li-ion Battery Packs.

Analytical-Numerical Model for Synchronous Homopolar Machines (2024)
Journal Article
Vannini, A., Nardo, M. D., Marfoli, A., Riccio, J., Murataliyev, M., Rocca, A. L., & Gerada, C. (2025). Analytical-Numerical Model for Synchronous Homopolar Machines. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, 40(2), 1288-1300. https://doi.org/10.1109/tec.2024.3468720

Synchronous homopolar machines represent a viable solution for applications requiring a robust electro-mechanical conversion system. Their diffusion is hindered by the low power density and by their complex three-dimensional magnetic behavior which r... Read More about Analytical-Numerical Model for Synchronous Homopolar Machines.

Fault-Tolerant Dual Channels Three-Phase PMSM for Aerospace Applications (2024)
Journal Article
Khowja, M. R., Singh, K., la Rocca, A., Vakil, G., Ramnathan, R., & Gerada, C. (2024). Fault-Tolerant Dual Channels Three-Phase PMSM for Aerospace Applications. IEEE Access, 12, 126845-126857. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3451705

In safety-critical applications such as aerospace and marine, electrical machines are limited to meet several stringent requirements such as physical, electrical, magnetic and thermal isolation between two three-phase channels, in order to be conside... Read More about Fault-Tolerant Dual Channels Three-Phase PMSM for Aerospace Applications.

Comparing physical and chemical properties of soot from laboratory tests and heavy-duty engines used in field operations (2024)
Journal Article
Pacino, A., La Rocca, A., Smith, J., Berryman, J., Fowell, M., Cairns, A., & Fay, M. W. (2024). Comparing physical and chemical properties of soot from laboratory tests and heavy-duty engines used in field operations. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 18(1), Article 04-18-01-0002. https://doi.org/10.4271/04-18-01-0002

Morphology, nanostructure, and composition of soot extracted from the oil sump of different heavy-duty engines operated under dynamometer and field conditions were investigated. Soot characteristics were then compared to a carbon black sample. Soot w... Read More about Comparing physical and chemical properties of soot from laboratory tests and heavy-duty engines used in field operations.

Correlating wear with the lubricant properties of heavy-duty diesel engine oils (2024)
Journal Article
Kirkby, T., Pacino, A., Smith, J. J., Fowell, M., Berryman, J., Frennfelt, C., La Rocca, A., & Reddyhoff, T. (2024). Correlating wear with the lubricant properties of heavy-duty diesel engine oils. Tribology International, 199, Article 110018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2024.110018

Wear volumes were correlated with the lubricant properties of 11 used, heavy duty engine oil samples. The most important oil property in predicting wear volume is Total Acid Number, TAN. Here, the TAN value may be indicating ZDDP in its oxidised form... Read More about Correlating wear with the lubricant properties of heavy-duty diesel engine oils.

Evaluation of E10 and NH3 co-fuelling in a modern spark ignition engine (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Ambalakatte, A., Geng, S., Cairns, A., La Rocca, A., Harrington, A., Hall, J., & Bassett, M. (2023, November). Evaluation of E10 and NH3 co-fuelling in a modern spark ignition engine. Presented at International Conference on Powertrain Systems for a Sustainable Future 2023, London

Ammonia (NH3) is emerging as a potential favoured fuel for longer range decarbonised heavy transport, particularly in the marine sector, predominantly due to highly favourable characteristics as an effective hydrogen carrier. This is despite generall... Read More about Evaluation of E10 and NH3 co-fuelling in a modern spark ignition engine.

Design of Hairpin Winding and Random Winding Stators for High Speed Heavy-Duty Traction Motor (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Jiang, J., Zou, T., La Rocca, A., La Rocca, S., Liu, C., Xu, Z., Gerada, C., Zhu, S., Paciura, K., & Gerada, D. (2023, October). Design of Hairpin Winding and Random Winding Stators for High Speed Heavy-Duty Traction Motor. Presented at 2023 IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC), Milan, Italy

Hairpin winding with rectangularly shaped conductors are gradually replacing random winding wound with stranded wires in electric vehicle (EV) industry. As the newgeneration winding technology, hairpin winding features high electromagnetic and therma... Read More about Design of Hairpin Winding and Random Winding Stators for High Speed Heavy-Duty Traction Motor.

Investigation of Exhaust Particles on Different TEM Grids: a Comparison between Graphene Oxide and Silicon Nitride Grids (2023)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Lagana, S., Akifjevs, R., Rocca, A. L., Cairns, A., Fay, M. W., & Webb, K. F. (2023, August). Investigation of Exhaust Particles on Different TEM Grids: a Comparison between Graphene Oxide and Silicon Nitride Grids. Presented at 2023 JSAE/SAE Powertrains, Energy and Lubricants International Meeting, Kyoto, Japan

Two different TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) grids - graphene oxide (GO) and silicon nitride (SiN) - were used to capture the particulates emitted with the exhaust of a modern 1.0 L GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine. One speed-load condi... Read More about Investigation of Exhaust Particles on Different TEM Grids: a Comparison between Graphene Oxide and Silicon Nitride Grids.

2D and 3D TEM Characterisation of Benzene and Ethylene Soot (2023)
Journal Article
Lagana, S., La Rocca, A., Cairns, A., Fay, M. W., Apicella, B., Ciajolo, A., & Russo, C. (2023). 2D and 3D TEM Characterisation of Benzene and Ethylene Soot. Fuels, 4(2), 174-185. https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels4020011

Flame-generated soot particles from two different fuels, benzene (B) and ethylene (E), at different ageing conditions, were analysed to assess their morphological and structural features. Samples were collected at 6, 10 and 14 mm from the nozzle loca... Read More about 2D and 3D TEM Characterisation of Benzene and Ethylene Soot.

Airgap Length Analysis of a 350kW PM-Assisted Syn-Rel Machine for Heavy Duty EV Traction (2022)
Journal Article
Zou, T., Gerada, D., La Rocca, S., La Rocca, A., Walker, A., Vakil, G., Arevalo, . S. L., Xu, Z., Cui, M., Bardalai, A., Wang, M., Kumar, R. M. R., Marfoli, A., Paciura, . K., Barden, R., Ernest, E., Zhu, . S., Qayyum, N., McQueen, A., Zhang, F., & Gerada, C. (2023). Airgap Length Analysis of a 350kW PM-Assisted Syn-Rel Machine for Heavy Duty EV Traction. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 59(2), 1557-1570. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2022.3225255

Synchronous reluctance (Syn-Rel) machines with embedded permanent magnets (PMs) are research hotspots in variable speed motor drives due to their robust rotor structure and wide constant power speed range (CPSR). In this paper, the potential of PM-as... Read More about Airgap Length Analysis of a 350kW PM-Assisted Syn-Rel Machine for Heavy Duty EV Traction.

Investigating the Effect of Volatiles on Sub-23 nm Particle Number Measurements for a Downsized GDI Engine with a Catalytic Stripper and Digital Filtering (2022)
Journal Article
Pfau, S. A., Haffner-Staton, E., La Rocca, A., & Cairns, A. (2022). Investigating the Effect of Volatiles on Sub-23 nm Particle Number Measurements for a Downsized GDI Engine with a Catalytic Stripper and Digital Filtering. Fuels, 3(4), 682-697. https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels3040041

Recent efforts of both researchers and regulators regarding particulate emissions have focused on the contribution and presence of sub-23 nm particulates. Despite being previously excluded from emissions legislation with the particle measurement prog... Read More about Investigating the Effect of Volatiles on Sub-23 nm Particle Number Measurements for a Downsized GDI Engine with a Catalytic Stripper and Digital Filtering.

Comparison of Aluminium and Copper Conductors in Hairpin Winding Design for High Power Density Traction Motors (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Petrelli, G., Cui, M., Zou, T., Sala, G., La Rocca, A., Barater, D., Franceschini, G., Gerada, D., Degano, M., & Gerada, C. (2022, September). Comparison of Aluminium and Copper Conductors in Hairpin Winding Design for High Power Density Traction Motors. Presented at International Conference on Electrical Machines (ICEM 2022), Valencia, Spain

Hairpin windings are becoming current/next generation solutions for traction motors of electric vehicles due to inherently reduced DC power losses and improved heat dissipation capability compared with random windings. Copper-based conductor has been... Read More about Comparison of Aluminium and Copper Conductors in Hairpin Winding Design for High Power Density Traction Motors.

Automated particle recognition for engine soot nanoparticles (2022)
Journal Article
Haffner-Staton, E., Avanzini, L., La Rocca, A., Pfau, S. A., & Cairns, A. (2022). Automated particle recognition for engine soot nanoparticles. Journal of Microscopy, 288(1), 28-39. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.13140

A pre-trained convolution neural network based on residual error functions (ResNet) was applied to the classification of soot and non-soot carbon nanoparticles in TEM images. Two depths of ResNet, one 18 layers deep and the other 50 layers deep, were... Read More about Automated particle recognition for engine soot nanoparticles.

Performance Assessment of Standard Cooling Strategies for Hairpin Windings (2022)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
La Rocca, A., La Rocca, S., Zou, T., Liu, C., Moslemin, M., Gerada, C., & Cairns, A. (2022, September). Performance Assessment of Standard Cooling Strategies for Hairpin Windings. Presented at 2022 International Conference on Electrical Machines (ICEM), Valencia, Spain

This paper aims to assess the performance of some standard cooling strategies which are commonly used in traction electric motors for electric vehicles (EVs) employing hairpin windings. The use of such type of coils does normally lead to higher power... Read More about Performance Assessment of Standard Cooling Strategies for Hairpin Windings.