Speaker

Mr. Nicolò Mazzetti 
PhD Candidate, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Title 

Computational Fluid Dynamics for hazardous gas release: from open environments to confined spaces

Abstract

Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations play an increasingly important role in industrial practice, where they support the analysis, design, and safety assessment of complex processes that are difficult to study experimentally at full scale. In particular, CFD provides a valuable framework for investigating scenarios involving accidental releases, allowing the prediction of flow behavior, concentration fields, and the influence of environmental and geometric factors on hazard development. These capabilities are especially relevant for hazardous or flammable gas releases, where reliable modeling can improve risk evaluation, emergency planning, and mitigation strategies. In this seminar, two applications are presented: the first concerns the modeling of hazardous releases in open environments, while the second focuses on the simulations of the formation and evolution of flammable mixtures in confined spaces. Together, these examples highlight the versatility of CFD as a tool for analyzing dispersion phenomena under different conditions and emphasize the importance of validated numerical approaches not only for safety assessment in both outdoor and indoor scenarios, but also for supporting the planning and design phase.

Short bio 

Nicolò Mazzetti is currently a PhD Candidate in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology at the Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, where he carries out research activities within the SESAM Research Group. His research focuses on numerical modelling and assessment of wind turbine noise under realistic environmental conditions. He obtained his MSc in Energy Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in 2022, following his BSc in Energy Engineering in 2020. From 2022 to 2024, he served as a Research Fellow at Politecnico di Milano, where he was involved in the numerical and energy modelling of industrial and urban components and systems through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Lumped Parameter Modelling (LPM) approaches. Earlier in his career, he completed his thesis internship at Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche S.p.A., where he worked on the CFD analysis of cooling systems for industrial electric motors. In addition to his research activity, he has gained significant experience in higher education teaching. He has served as a Teaching Assistant in the courses CFD for Nuclear Engineering and CFD for Energy Engineering at Politecnico di Milano and has also contributed to seminar and laboratory activities on meshing techniques and CFD applications. His scientific profile is primarily centered on computational fluid dynamics, thermo-fluid dynamic modelling of energy systems, and multiphase flow phenomena. He is author of publications in international journals and of contributions presented at international scientific conferences.