Sid Sharma.CV
Siddharth “Sid” Sharma · MASc, UBC Mechanical Engineering

I study how jet fuels change engine performance and emissions.

MASc student in Mechanical Engineering at UBC, expected to finish in summer 2027. My graduate research is experimental: I run a micro-turbojet on conventional and sustainable jet fuels, and measure its performance, gaseous emissions and particles. Alongside it, I carry out independent studies of turbulence and reacting flows.

View Research →View PublicationsCVContact
Siddharth Sharma, professional headshot
Siddharth SharmaMASc · UBC CERC
Program
MASc · Energy & Environment
Supervisor
Dr. Steven Rogak
Facilities
Micro-Turbojet Test Rig
Overview

A small jet engine, run carefully, as a test bed for jet fuels.

I commissioned a JetCat P200-SX micro-turbojet test rig at UBC’s Clean Energy Research Centre. A small engine is cheap to run, and I can test fuels back to back under the same conditions. At maximum thrust, its combustor-inlet temperature and pressure are close to those of a V2500 turbofan at idle.

I measure thrust, fuel flow, temperatures, pressures, gas emissions and particle size distributions. Our partners at TU Braunschweig use these data to calibrate and test a chemical reactor network model of the combustor.

JetCat P200-SX · test article
Max spool speed112,000 rpm
Max thrust (rated)230 N
Overall pressure ratio≈ 4
Air mass flow (rated)0.45 kg/s
Fuel flow at max thrust (measured)0.0101–0.0103 kg/s
Fuels testedJet A-1 · FT-SPK
Selected work

Four parts of my work

Each entry gives what I did and one piece of evidence. The project pages give the methods, the sources and the limits.

Measured CO₂, CO and NOₓ emission indices at 80, 90 and 100% speed, Jet A-1 and FT-SPK, from a separate back-to-back campaignGraduate research · experiments

Engine experiments and fuel-dependent emissions

I plan and run back-to-back fuel tests on the P200-SX, and I measure its performance and gas emissions.

In the GPPS campaign at maximum thrust, FT-SPK lowered the measured CO₂ emission index by 1.7% and the NOₓ emission index by 4%.

Read the project →
Steady dwells against measured fuel flow: measured and modeled speed, thrust, pressure ratio, T3, T4 reading and P8Graduate research · modeling

Physics-based transient engine modeling

I built a ten-state model of the engine in MATLAB and Simulink, from component physics and models of the rig sensors.

On 9 held-out Jet A dwells, it predicts shaft speed from the measured fuel flow within 0.61% RMS and thrust within 2.0%.

Read the project →
Calculated penetration through the sampling lines, the catalytic stripper and both together, against particle diameterGraduate research · aerosol

Aerosol measurement and sampling corrections

I correct the measured soot size distributions, bin by bin, for particle losses in the sampling lines and the catalytic stripper.

The sampling lines and stripper together pass less than 40% of 10 nm particles and almost none near 3 nm.

Read the project →
The P200-SX on its instrumented stand in the test cell, exhausting into the ductGraduate research · facility

Building and instrumenting the test facility

I decommissioned the legacy SCRE research-engine facility, set up the test cell, and commissioned the P200-SX rig and its emission lines. I am now instrumenting the P220-RXi.

The P200-SX matched its rated thrust, about 200 N at 112,000 rpm. My Station 4 sampling-probe designs for the P220-RXi went out for fabrication.

Commissioning →Sampling probe →Decommissioning →
Independent studiesTurbulence and reacting flows: Sandia Flame D, Apollo nozzle CFD and unresolved turbulence
Inside the test cell

The test cell

The team behind this work during the initial engine setup, summer 2025
The team behind this work during the initial engine setup, summer 2025
Unboxing the engine shipped from the TU Braunschweig lab in Germany
Unboxing the engine shipped from the TU Braunschweig lab in Germany
Our two turbojets, old and new: P200-SX (left) and P220-RXi (right)
Our two turbojets, old and new: P200-SX (left) and P220-RXi (right)
Research Focus

Areas of work I am involved in

01

Micro-Turbojet Testing

Repeatable, back-to-back engine tests in a controlled test cell.

02

SAFs & Emissions

How sustainable fuels change gas and particle emissions.

03

Combustion & CRN Modeling

Reactor-network models of the combustor, calibrated and tested with our engine data.

04

Thermodynamic Scaling

How results from a small engine relate to a full-scale turbofan.

05

Aerosols, Soot & nvPM

Soot particle size distributions, with loss corrections for the sampling line.

06

Future Interests

Turbulent combustion, combustor–turbine interaction, contrail formation and drop-in alternative aviation fuels.

Read the research →
Research program

The program I work in

JET-CALF · NSERC + Boeing

Jet Contrails from Aviation Lubricants and Fuels

JET-CALF studies how fuels and lubricants affect aircraft emissions and contrails. It connects UBC, TU Braunschweig, Tampere University and Sungkyunkwan University. I lead the micro-turbojet task: I plan and run the engine tests, and I measure performance and gas emissions on the P200-SX.

See all projects →
JET-CALF collaborators at UBC
Latest

Recent papers and talks

Journal · JEGTP · accepted

Development of a Validated Chemical Reactor Network Model for Non-CO₂ Emissions in RQL Aircraft Combustors

Lieder, Sharma, Kirchen, Rogak, Goeing · GTP-26-1516 · also GT2026-177253

Details
Conference paper · GPPS Montreal26

Measurement and Prediction of Particle Emissions from a Micro Turbojet using Conventional and Alternative Jet Fuel

Lieder, Sharma et al. · DOI 10.33737/gpps26-tc-102

Read paper ↗DOI ↗
Conference paper · CSME / CFDSC 2026

A Micro-Turbojet Test Rig to Analyze the Impact of Jet Fuels on Emissions and Performance

Sharma, Lieder, Saini, Kumar, Kirchen, Goeing, Rogak · Paper 361 · Vancouver, May 2026

View slidesDetails
Open the library →
Research interests

From pollutant formation to the turbine inlet

My research interest is to follow fuel effects through the engine. How do fuel properties change mixing, reaction and heat release in the combustor? And which of those differences survive into the flow that enters the turbine? The approach I propose uses measurements first, then RANS constrained by those measurements.

Read the research direction →
Fuel propertiesSpray & mixingHeat releasePollutantsCombustor-exit stateTurbine

I expect to complete my MASc in summer 2027, and I am looking for PhD positions and research collaborations.

Get in touch →View CV