Dr Glen Snedden is a Principal Engineer, Research Group Leader and a Contract Research Leader at the CSIR Aeronautic Systems research group.
Research experience and interests
Currently, the CSIR’s research in the area of gas turbines is focused towards the development of a family of small gas turbine engines for a variety of purposes ranging from glider sustainers and weapons propulsion to energy and waste heat applications. Dr Snedden’s research and research interests centre on Gas Turbine Engines with the following emphases:
• Combustion engine thermodynamics
• Mechanical design
• Micro Gas Turbine Design
• Turbine Aerodynamics and Optimisation
• Turbine Secondary Flows
• Turbine Heat Transfer and Cooling Systems
• Turbine Secondary Systems
• Experimental Aerodynamics
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Mixed Flow Compressors
• Novel Combustor design
• Turbopump design
Apart from a large body of work centred around supporting the South African Air force on the life extension and maintenance of their gas turbine fleet, Dr Snedden has taken part in the following international collaborations:
• Atar+ NGV upgrade programme with SNECMA: Responsible for delivery of heat transfer experimental results for the external surfaces of the NGV
• Klimov SMR-95 Rotor: Responsible for delivery of heat transfer experimental results for the internal and external surfaces of the 1st stage rotor
• Rolls-Royce T56-A15LFE: Rolls-Royce Corporation, CSIR DSTO and NRC in conjunction with the RAAF, USNavy, SAAF and RCAF in support of the international C-130 fleet. Activities included execution of certain aspects of the technical work (disc cavity CFD) as well as programme management of the SA activities.
• Inclusion as the 52nd partner of VITAL, a major European Union Sixth Framework research programme for environmentally friendly gas turbine engines was the first such project awarded to a South African company in the transport and aerospace sector and built on the initial work for my PhD.
• EU Framework 7 project FUTURE for the accurate modelling of flutter in gas turbine compressors with 26 other European partners.
In 2009, Dr Snedden took over the management of the Department of Defence’s University research portfolio aimed at developing gas turbine related skills and has worked with a broad range of universities in South Africa as a result.
Career background
Dr Snedden has been employed at the CSIR Aeronautic Systems research group, since 1996. Since 2000, he has had the title of a Research Group Leader. In 2003 he was assigned the role of a Contract Research Leader, and became a Principal Engineer in 2005. In 2012, Dr Snedden became the Technical Advisor to the Aeronautical Industry Support Initiative (AISI) of the department of trade and industry as well as lecturing at the University of Pretoria. In 2013, he started lecturing at the University of Johannesburg as well.
Detailed qualifications
PrEng, PhD Engineering, 2012, Durham University, UK
BCom Management, UNISA, 2003
MSc Mech Eng, University of Natal, 1996
BSc Mech Eng, University of Natal, 1993, Summa Cum Laude
MRAeS
Professional memberships
National Representative to the International Society of Air Breathing Engines, organisers of the ISABE Conference, Board Member of the Aeronautical Society of South Africa
Awards and achievements
• ECSA Award, Best Engineering Student, Natal University, 1993
• Joint winner of the Operating Unit Technical Excellence Assegai Award 2003 for Turbomachinery track record together with Thomas Roos and an honourable mention at the CSIR Excellence awards for the same.
• Joint winner of Operating Unit Transformation Assegai Award 2004 for the transformation of the CFD Research Group as Research Group Leader.
• Winner of the Operating Unit Best Mentor Award 2013.
Published research
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles:
1. Meyers BC, Snedden GC, Meyer JP, Roos TH, Mahmood GI (2012) Three-component particle image velocimetry in a generic can-type gas turbine combustor, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy 0957650912454780.
2. Mafusire C, Forbes A, Snedden G, Michaelis MM (2008) The spinning pipe gas lens revisited South African Journal of Science, Vol. 104, Issue 7, pp 260-264, 10 December 2008.
3. Mafusire C, Forbes A, Michaelis MM, Snedden GC (2008) Optical aberrations in a spinning pipe gas lens Optics Express, Vol. 16, No. 13, pp 9850-9856, 23 June 2008.
4. Mafusire C, Forbes A, Snedden G, Mahlase C, Michaelis MM (2007) Characterisation of a spinning pipe gas lens using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 6663(6663OH), pp 1-8, 2007.
5. Smith GDJ, Stieger RD and Snedden GC (1999) Energy and the Environment, Bejan A, Vadasz P and Kroger D (eds.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN 0 – 7923-5596-2, p 175-184.
Conference Articles
1. Dunn D, Snedden G and Von Backström, TW (2014) Unsteady Effects of a Generic Non-Axisymmetric Rotor Endwall Contour on a 1½ Stage Turbine Test Rig at off Design Conditions, GT2014-25524 ASME IGTI 2014.
2. Bergh J, Meyer C and Snedden G (2013) Optimisation of Non-Axisymmetric Endwall Contours for the Rotor of a Low Speed 1 ½ Stage Turbine, AfriCOMP, July 2013.
3. Dunn D, Snedden G and Von Backström, TW (2013) An Unsteady Numerical Analysis Of A Generic Non-axisymmetric Turbine Endwall In A 1 ½ Stage Turbine Test Rig, Proceedings of IASSA 2013.
4. Wegman E, Snedden G, Van Der Spuy SJ, F Holzinger, HP Schiffer, H Mårtensson and J Őstlund (2014) The Development of an Air Injection System for the Forced Response Testing of Axial Compressors, GT2013-96011, ASME IGTI 2013.
5. Dunn D, Snedden G and Von Backström, TW (2013) Unsteady Effects Of A Generic Non-Axisymmetric Endwall Contour On The Rotor Of A 1 ½ Stage Low Speed Turbine Test Rig, GT2013-94961 ASME IGTI 2013.
6. Smyth J, Brooks M, Bindon JP, Smith GDJ and Snedden GC (2012) The Design of a Kerosene Turbopump for a South African Commercial Launch Vehicle, AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, August 2012.
7. Bergh JO, Snedden GC and Meyer C (2012) Optimization of Non-Axisymmetric End Wall Contours for the Rotor of a Low Speed, 1 1/2 Stage Research Turbine with Unshrouded Blades, GT2012-68569, ASME 2012.
8. Dunn, D, Snedden, G, Roos T and Hildebrandt T (2011) Application of transition modelling in CFD for use with turbine blades. 20th ISABE Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden, 12-16 September 2011.
9. Meyers, BC, Snedden, GC, Meyer, JP, Roos TH and Mahmood GI. (2011). Experimental results showing the internal three-component velocity field and outlet temperature contours for a model gas turbine combustor. International Symposium on Air Breathing Engines, Gothenburg, Sweden, September 12-16, 2011.
10. Dunn, D, Snedden, G and Von Backström, TW. (2010). Experimental investigation into the unsteady effects on non-axisymmetric turbine endwall contouring. 7th South African Conference on Computational and Applied Mechanics (SACAM10). Pretoria, 10-13 January 2010, pp 1-11.
11. Snedden G, Wegman E, Van Zyl L, Dunn D and Grobler J-H,(2010) An excitation System for Fan Blade Flutter Experimentation” Proceedings of IASSA 2010.
12. Snedden, G, Dunn, D, Ingram, G and Gregory-Smith, D. (2010). Performance of a generic non-axisymmetric end wall in a single stage, rotating turbine at on and off-design conditions. ASME Turbo Expo 2010: Power for Land, Sea and Air. Glasgow, 14-18 June 2010, pp 12.
13. Snedden, G, Dunn, D, Von Backstrom TW and Ingram G (2010). Observations on the selection of objective function for the optimisation of turbine endwalls using computational fluid dynamics. 7th South African Conference on Computational and Applied Mechanics (SACAM10). Pretoria, 10-13 January 2010, pp 1-15.
14. Snedden G (2009) The future of gas turbine technology and developments in South Africa, IASSA 2009.
15. Snedden G, Dunn D, Ingram G and Gregory-Smith D, The Application Of Non-Axisymmetric Endwall Contouring In A Single Stage, Rotating Turbine, In Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2009, GT2009-59169, 2009.
16. Snedden G, Dunn D, Zwane N and Schipani C VITAL TTC T6.2.10: Unsteady Endwall Contouring Investigation of Turbine Endwall Contouring, VITAL Final Workshop, Budapest 2009.
17. Mafusire, C, Forbes, A, Michaelis, MM and Snedden, G. (2009). Wave aberrations in a spinning pipe gas lens. 7th International Workshop on Adaptive Optics for Industry and Medicine., White Lake Resort Shatura, Russia, 8-11 June 2009, pp 22.
18. G Snedden, D Dunn, TH Roos and D Gregory-Smith (2007) Characterisation of a Refurbished 1 ½ Stage Turbine Test Rig for Flowfield Mapping behind Blading with Non-Axisymmetric Contoured Endwalls, ISABE 2007-1363, ISBN 1-56347-931-1.
19. Snedden G, Roos T and Naidoo K (2005) Detailed Disc Assembly Temperature Prediction: Comparison Between CFD and Simplified Engineering Methods ISABE-2005-1130, September 2005.
20. Snedden G and Lambert T (2003) A CFD Analysis of the impingement cooling effect of the coolant jet caused by the T56 1st stage disc metering hole, ISABE 2003-1065, September 2003.
21. Snedden G (2003) Quasi 3D CFD Flow Simulation of a Turbojet Disc Cavity with Conjugate Heat Transfer, ISABE 2003-1179, September 2003.
22. Dunn D, Snedden GC, and Von Backström, TW. 2009. Turbulence model comparisons for a low pressure 1.5 stage test turbine. 19th Conference of the International Society for Air Breathing Engines, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 7-11 September 2009, pp 7.
23. Meyers, BC, Snedden, GC, Meyer, JP, Roos TH and Mahmood GI. (2009). Three-dimensional particle image velocimetry in a generic can-type gas turbine combustor. 19th Conference of the International Society for Air Breathing Engines, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 7-11 September 2009.
24. Mafusire C, Forbes A, Snedden G, Mahlase C, Michaelis MM (2006) CFD Model of a Spinning Pipe Gas Lens, paper C21, 51st Annual Conference of the South African Institute of Physics, Cape Town, 3-7 July 2006.
25. Mafusire, C, Forbes, A, Snedden, GC, Mahlase ACK, Michaelic MM and Mathuthu Ml, (2006), Gas lensing in a heated spinning pipe. 51st Annual Conference of the SAIP, University of the Western Cape, South Africa, 3-7 July 2006, pp 1.
26. Gazendam, A, Bosscha, P, Donovan, S, Eksteen J, Haarhof J, Horn U, Mahlase C, Matthee K, Naidoo T, Snedden G, Van Niekerk H and Vogt D. 2006. Inclusive vision ofr high performance computing at the CSIR. CSIR Research and Innovation Conference: 1st CSIR Biennial Conference, CSIR International Convention Centre Pretoria, 26-27 February 2006, pp1.
27. Scheepers G, Morris RM, Visser JA, Roos TH, Snedden GC (2006) Experimental and Numerical Study of Near Bleed Hole Heat Transfer Enhancement in Internal Turbine Blade Cooling Channels, SACAM 2006.
28. Steenkamp A, Snedden G, Quinn R and Tait R (2005) Determination of the Material Properties of a Modern SLA Resin under Fatigue, RAPDASA 2005.
29. Steenkamp A, Snedden G, Quinn R and Tait R (2005) Secondary Loss Reduction in Modern Turbines using Endwall Profiling, RAPDASA 2005.
30. Stieger R, Smith GDJ, Snedden G (1998) Advances in the Measurement of Convective HeatTransfer Coefficient in Gas Turbine Applications, Presented at the Binational Symposium on Energy Environment, ICC Centre, Durban, June 1998.
31. Kirsten T, Lippert A, Snedden G, Smith GDJ (1996) Experimental Measurement and CFD Prediction of Heat Transfer to a Nozzle Guide Vane, ASME Paper 96-GT-237 Presented at the 1996 ASME congress, Birmingham, UK.
Technical/Research Reports
1. 64 Confidential Technical Reports, Client: SANDF/DoD/Armscor and Local industry
2. 20 Confidential Research Management Reports, Client: DoD/Armscor
3. 1 Confidential report to Rolls Royce Corporation, T56-A15-LFE Spacer Programme
4. 3 Deliverable and 3 Milestone Reports to VITAL FP6 European Project
5. 6 Deliverable Reports FUTURE FP7 European Project
Popular Articles
1. Snedden G (2009) South Africa’s future role in gas turbine engines for aircraft propulsion, World Airnews, Vol. 37, Issue No. 9, TCE Publishers.
2. Three articles for the CSIR’s Sciencescope
Journal Articles under production
1. Dunn D, Snedden G and Von Backström, TW (2013) An Unsteady Numerical Analysis Of A Generic Non-axisymmetric Turbine Endwall In A 1 ½ Stage Turbine Test Rig, Aerospace Journal, RAeS.
2. Snedden G, Dunn D, Ingram G, Bergh J and Huyssen B (2013) Overview of UK/SA Research on Turbine Aerodynamics, Secondary Loss Mechanisms and their Alleviation, Aerospace Journal, RAeS.
3. Snedden G, Dunn D, Ingram G (2014) The Performance of a Generic Non-axisymmetric End wall in a Single Stage, Rotating Turbine at On and Off-Design Conditions, Journal of Turbomachinery, ASME.
