University of Colorado at Boulder Home A to Z Map  

Department of Mechanical Engineering

John W. Daily

Professor
Director of Center for Combustion and Environmental Research
303-492-7110
John.Daily@Colorado.EDU
Personal Website
Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • Ph.D. Stanford University, 1975
  • M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1969
  • B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1968

Professional Recognition

  • Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, Society of Automotive Engineers (1987)
  • Senior Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1992)
  • Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1993)
  • Max S. Peters Faculty Service Award, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado at Boulder (1996)
  • Recipient of a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst  Study Grant (1996)
  • Boulder Faculty Assembly Service Award (1999)
  • Recipient of a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst  Study Grant (2003)

Research Interests

  • Thermal chemical processing of biomass for clean fuel and chemical production
  • MEMS devices for aerospace, energy and instrumentation applications
  • Modeling for laser spectroscopic methods used in combustion and plasma devices
  • Molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical studies of combustion, propulsion and environmental physical processes.

Most of Professor Daily’s academic career has been devoted to the field of combustion and environmental studies. He has worked on combustion and heat transfer aspects of propulsion and power generation devices, studying such topics as fluid mechanics of mixing, chemical kinetics, combustion stability, and air pollution.  He also works on the development of advanced diagnostic instrumentation (including laser based) for studying reacting flows and environmental monitoring.  Most recently he has been working in the areas of biomass thermochemical processing and source characterization, wildfire behavior, the environmental consequences of combustion, optical biopsy, and MEMS devices for aerospace, energy and instrumentation applications. He has been using molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical modeling methods to study biomass thermal decomposition and chemical kinetics, the behavior of electrospray based space propulsion devices, and atmospheric particulate formation. He has consulted in the areas of engine combustion, product safety, accident reconstruction, fire safety, toxic air contamination and air quality.  Dr. Daily teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in the thermal-sciences, including thermodynamics, heat transfer, energy and power, combustion, direct energy conversion, experimentation and measurement, optical diagnostics and design. He recently has taught courses in chemical kinetics and molecular modeling.

Selected Publications

  • Li-Anne Liew, R. A. Saravanan, Victor M. Bright, Martin L. Dunn, John W. Daily and Rishi Raj, “Processing and characterization of silicon carbon-nitride ceramics: application of electrical properties towards MEMS thermal actuators, Sensors and Actuators A 103, 171-181 (2003).
  • Brown A.L., B.R. Hames, J. W. Daily, “Chemical analysis of solids and pyrolytic vapors from wildland trees, Energy and Fuel 17, 1022-1027 (2003).
  • Wilcox, B.P., E.T.H. Chrysostom, A. McIlroy, J.W. Daily and I.M. Kennedy, “Measurement of CrO in flames by cavity ringdown spectroscopy,” Applied Physics B 77, 535-540 (2003).
  • Coen, J. L., S. Mahalingam, and J. W. Daily, “Infrared imagery of crown-fire dynamics during FROSTFIRE,”  J. Appl. Meteor. 43(9), 1241-1259 (2004).
  • Daily, J.W., W.G. Bessler, C.Schulz, V. Sick, and T.B. Settersten, “Nonstationary Collisional Dynamics in Determining Nitric Oxide Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectra,” AIAA Journal 43, 458-464 (2005).
  • Daily, J.W., and J. Nabity, "Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Ion Emission from Nanodroplets of Ionic Liquids," Presented at the American Association for Aerosol Research 24th Annual Conference, Austin, TX 17-21 October 2005.
  • "An Electrostatically Actuated MEMS Fuel Injector to Enhance Low-Pressure Atomization," James Nabity, Sean Rooney, John Daily, Eric Johnson and Jean Hertzberg, AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Paper AIAA 2006-804, 9-12 January, 2006.
  • "Effect of Multi-Mode Dye Laser Structure on excitation Dynamics in LIF Diagnostics," J.W. Daily, Spring Meeting Western States Section/Combustion Institute, Paper 06S-12, March 27-28, 2006,
  • Molecular Modeling for Thermodynamic Properties," John W. Daily, Mark Jarvis and David Dayton, Spring Meeting Western States Section/Combustion Institute, Paper 06S-29, March 27-29, 2006.
  • Pyrolysis of 2-Phenethyl Phenyl Ether," Mark Jarvis, David Dayton and John W. Daily, Spring Meeting Western State Section/Combustion Institute, Paper 06S-03, March 27-29, 2006.