Master thesis in Flow Optimisation

Can you design a water jet that keeps a filter clean using flow and pressure? At Mimbly, we are looking for one or two master’s or bachelor´s students to improve the self-cleaning system in our Mimbox. You will combine CFD, prototyping and experiments to develop and test a new nozzle design. Mimbox recycles laundry water from commercial washing machines. Lint, fibres and detergent residues build up on its main filter, and how well that filter cleans itself affects water recovery and the need for service. Your work will help us understand the current design and develop a better one. The project: The main filter is a cylindrical screen that collects fibres on its outer surface. To clean it, a two-nozzle propeller inside the cylinder is used to backflush the mesh. It is driven by the reaction force from the water jets rather than a motor. You will investigate the trade-off between backflush and drive thrust, and develop a design that cleans more effectively within the existing flow and pressure. The goal is a validated nozzle and propeller concept ready for integration into a Mimbox prototype. What you will work on:

• Understand the current design. Measure flow, pressure, rotation speed and filter pressure drop to establish a baseline for cleaning performance.
• Model the flow and rotation. Build a torque-balance model and a CFD model to investigate how the jets reach the mesh, which areas they cover and how long they act on each area.
• Explore better concepts. Study the effects of nozzle geometry, angle, number and distance from the mesh. Could separate drive and cleaning jets improve performance?
• Build and test. Prototype the most promising concepts and compare them in a test rig using a repeatable fouling procedure. Evaluate pressure-drop recovery, cleaning time and water use, and check how well the simulations predict the results.

Your final recommendation should explain the performance gains, manufacturing considerations and changes needed for integration. The focus is on the nozzles, propeller and cleaning flow; filter media and the wider treatment system are outside the project scope.