Dr. Walters’ responsibilities include the investigation of the cause and origin of fires and explosions, as well as thermal failures in home appliances and consumer electronics. Dr. Walters’ has a background in experimental and modeling studies of chemically reactive flows, with a focus on gas-phase reaction kinetics and energy conversion processes. His research background includes combustion, gasdynamics, heat and mass transfer, chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, pollutant emissions, and energy systems.
Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Walters was a research assistant in the High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory at Stanford University, where he studied and performed research on advanced combustion processes. His doctoral research focused on the development of flow reactor experimental techniques and modeling tools to study hydrocarbon oxidation kinetics. He also conducted high-pressure testing of novel gas-turbine combustors. His teaching experience at Stanford included delivering guest lectures in combustion fundamentals and serving as a course assistant in graduate-level engineering thermodynamics.
Prior to his work at Stanford, Dr. Walters held research assistant positions at the Sandia National Laboratory and the Colorado School of Mines, where he developed software tools to predict component and system performance in solid oxide fuel cell systems.
Walters KM. A flow-reactor study of vitiated ethane oxidation at intermediate temperatures. Ph.D. Dissertation, Stanford University, June 2008.
Bardos A, Walters KM, Boutross MG, Lee S, Edwards CF, Bowman CT. Effects of pressure on performance of mesoscale burner arrays for gas-turbine applications. J Propul Power, in press.
Walters KM, Dean AM, Zhu H, Kee RJ. Homogeneous kinetics and equilibrium predictions of coking propensity in the anode channels of direct oxidation solid-oxide fuel cells using dry natural gas. J Power Sources 2003; 123:182–189.
Kee RJ, Korada P, Walters KM, Pavol M. A generalized model of the flow distribution in channel networks of planar fuel cells. J Power Sources 2002; 109:148–159.
Presentations
Bardos A, Walters KM, Golden DM, Bowman CT. Flow reactor studies of synthetic oxygenated fuels for diesel engines. Poster presented at the 32nd International Combustion Symposium, August 3, 2008.
Walters KM, Bowman CT. Effect of pressure on ethane oxidation under flameless conditions. 5th US Combustion Meeting, University of California at San Diego, CA, March 28, 2007.
Walters KM, Bowman CT. Effect of pressure on ethane oxidation under flameless conditions. Poster Presented at the 31st International Combustion Symposium, Heidelberg University, Germany, August 6, 2006.
Bardos A, Walters KM, Boutross MG, Lee S, Edwards CF, Bowman CT. Effects of pressure on performance of mesoscale burner arrays for gas turbine applications. Poster Presented at the 31st International Combustion Symposium, Heidelberg University, Germany, August 6, 2006.
Boutross M, Walters KM, Lee S, Bowman CT. High pressure testing of a mesoscale burner array for gas turbine applications. 4th US Combustion Meeting, Drexel University, PA, March 2005.
Gonzales EA, Walters KM, Bardos A, Lee S, Bowman CT. Hydrogen combustion in mesoscale burner arrays for gas turbine applications. Western States Section of the Combustion Institute, Stanford University, October 2005.
Dean AM, Carstensen HH, Kee RJ, Sheng C, Walters KM. Coupling detailed kinetics and transport. American Chemical Society, V226 U451, September 2003.
Dean AM, Walters KM, Zhu HY, Kee RJ. Coupling detailed kinetics and transport in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Design. American Chemical Society, V225 U711, March 2003.
Walters KM, Pavol MJ, Zhu H, Dean AM, Kee RJ. Numerical simulation of fuel stability and coking propensity in the fuel channels of solid oxide fuel cells. Western States Section of the Combustion Institute, University of California at San Diego, March 2002.