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THE ACADEMIC SIDE OF
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
By Eamonn Ryan
During his career to date , Bradley Bock , mechanical engineer and lecturer at the University of Pretoria , has often had to juggle work and study commitments . He says he ’ s learned to “[ B ] e brutally disciplined with [ his ] time ”.
Bock completed his undergraduate and master ’ s degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Cape Town on a Sasol bursary , followed by a stint as a mechanical maintenance engineer at Sasol ’ s boiler plant in Secunda .
He thereafter joined the University of Pretoria in 2014 and has been there ever since , lecturing a number of courses over that time . He ’ s currently lecturing Thermodynamics and Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer .
“ I completed my PhD while at the University of Pretoria on the topic of ‘ Surface influences and how they effect pool boiling and falling film boiling of refrigerants ’. As part of my PhD I collaborated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ) and Imperial College London to apply nanocoating ’ s to tubes to investigate their impact on the boiling heat transfer properties .” MIT is a research university in Cambridge , Massachusetts , that has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science . Imperial College London is similarly a public research university .
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES “ My first challenge was getting through varsity , as I had to pay for it myself . I worked at Spur [ restaurant ] as a waiter and saved up that money to pay for my first year fees . Eventually my marks from my first year allowed me to get a Sasol bursary for the remainder of the studies . To get through that challenge largely involved some good old fashioned slog , both as a waiter and as a first year student ,” says Bock .
“ Completing a PhD while lecturing was a real challenge , as managing my commitments was very challenging . I learnt during this time how to be brutally disciplined with my time , and to say no to individuals .
“ I ’ ve always enjoyed the STEM field in general , as it is a way to understand how this universe of ours works . Physics was a firm favourite of mine at school , so mechanical engineering was a way to work within that field , while applying science to the benefit of humanity .”
Bock explains his enthusiasm for academia as stemming from a desire for knowledge : “ In particular academia allows me to go to the edge of human knowledge and then try to expand it , which is very satisfying , when you get it right that is . Particularly in South Africa , where we need more innovation to make up the gap between ourselves and the
Bradley Bock , mechanical engineer and lecturer at the University of Pretoria .
developed nations , I think we need more research and development so that we can be a competitive nation , which academia provides me the opportunity to tackle .
“ Since my PhD I have continued research into nanostructures and their influence on refrigerant heat transfer . I ’ ve expanded into 3D printing of novel heat transfer surfaces in an effort to see its potential to advance the refrigeration sector .”
The evolution of HVAC & R over the next ten years and the role of R & D in this He lists global warming as the main driver behind the innovations needed in HVAC & R , as the industry contributes significantly to humanity ’ s carbon emissions . “ Locally , I hope that South Africa is able to take a technological lead on the African HVAC & R growth , and we are able use our local knowledge to carve our own niche in this field . R & D will be crucial in both cases . New technologies are needed to reduce the global warming impact of HVAC & R equipment , and South African technologies are needed to allow us to carve our own niche in the field ,” says Bock . RACA
© Eamonn Ryan / RACA www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I May 2023 35