Maurizio is the Course Director of the Advanced Mechanical Engineering MSc, and Lecturer in the Renewable Energy Group. His research activities are mainly focused on the following topics:
- Offshore wind turbine (HAWT and VAWT) floating support structures: conceptual and preliminary design,
- Microalgae cultivation for biofuel production: modelling and engineering,
- Aerodynamically Alleviated Marine Vehicles: conceptual and preliminary design, dynamics
Background
Maurizio obtained the “Laura vecchio ordinamento”, equivalent to the MSc, with mark 100/100 in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Milan, Italy). In 2005 he joined Cranfield University for a doctoral research under the supervision of Prof Minoo Patel. In his thesis, "Dynamics of Marine Vehicles with Aerodynamic Surfaces (2008)", he developed a coupled aero-hydro dynamics model for a new class of high speed marine vehicles; hybrid between an aircraft, a wing in ground effect vehicle and a high speed marine vehicle. Results have been published in the Proceedings of Royal Society A journal (doi:10.1098/rspa.2009.0459). He is further developing this research, focusing on AAMV conceptual and preliminary design, and on dynamics.
He is responsible of the conceptual and preliminary design of the floating support structures for offshore wind turbines, in the NOVA project, a 10 MW offshore vertical axis wind turbine. Main aspects analyzed are the static and dynamic stability of the structure.
Maurizio is involved also in a number of projects focusing on the production of biodiesel from microalgae. In particular, he is responsible of the throughput estimate model and acts as assistant project manager.
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