Karol Pietrak

Functions within the Institute and WUT:

• Assistant Professor in the ITC
• Faculty Editor of the WUT Base of Knowledge

Key research areas:

• Numerical methods
• Inverse thermal problems
• Heat transfer in heterogeneous media
• Measurement techniques

Topics of intermediate and diploma projects (examples):

• Design GUI in MATLAB for a simple engineering application enabling calculation of effective thermal conductivity of composite material
• Train artificial neural networks in MATLAB (pattern recognition problem)
• Measurement uncertainty and measurement error - definitions, classifications and estimation methods (writing a guide for other students based on newest norms)
• Calculations of electronics cooling systems and other heat exchangers (Design cooling for a chip, smartphone, computer etc. - analytical and/or numerical method)

Teaching courses:

• Thermodynamics (lecture and tutorials for the external studies, in Polish)
• Computer science 1 (lab, in Polish)
• Intergrated laboratory (lab, in Polish)
• Thermodynamics 1 (tutorials, in Polish)

Key publications:

• P. Latko-Durałek et al., “The composites of cross‑linked polyethylene with enhanced thermal conductivity,” Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (2024) 149:4385–4396
• K. Pietrak, P. Furmański, and P. Łapka, “Effective thermal conductivity of composites with anisotropic particles of various shapes embedded in an isotropic matrix,” Journal of Physics - Conference Series, vol. 2423, Art. no. 1, 2023, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2423/1/012019.

• K. Pietrak, M. Krakowiak, and P. Łapka, “Experimental verification of conditions within the cups in the cup method of water vapor permeability measurement,” Journal of Physics - Conference Series, vol. 2423, Art. no. 1, 2023, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2423/1/012009.

• K. Pietrak, R. Muszyński, A. Marek, and P. Łapka, “Performance of artificial neural networks in an inverse problem of laser beam diagnostics,” Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Technical Sciences, vol. 70, Art. no. 1, 2022, doi: 10.24425/bpasts.2022.140100.

• M. Kubiś, K. Pietrak et al., “On the anisotropy of thermal conductivity in ceramic bricks,” Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 31, pp. 1–9, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101418.

• P. Łapka, K. Pietrak, M. Kujawińska, and M. Malesa, “Development and validation of an inverse method for identification of thermal characteristics of a short laser pulse,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences, vol. 150, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2019.10624

• K. Pietrak, P. Łapka, and M. Kujawińska, “Inverse analysis for the identification of temporal and spatial characteristics of a short super-Gaussian laser pulse interacting with a solid plate,” International Journal of Thermal Sciences, vol. 134, pp. 585–593, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2018.08.040.

• K. Pietrak, T. Wiśniewski, and M. Kubiś, “Application of flash method in the measurements of interfacial thermal resistance in layered and particulate composite materials,” Thermochimica Acta, Art. no. 654, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.tca.2017.05.007.

• K. Pietrak and T. Wiśniewski, “A review of models for effective thermal conductivity of composite materials,” Journal of Power Technologies, vol. 95, Art. no. 1, 2015.

• K. Pietrak and T. Wiśniewski, “Methods for experimental determination of solid-solid interfacial thermal resistance with application to composite materials,” Journal of Power Technologies, vol. 94, Art. no. 4, 2014.

• full list, WUT Base of Knowledge
• Google Scholar page

Participation in research projects:

• Manufacturing technology of building products made of ecological high performance fibre composites with encapsulated PCM for the NZEB application, M-ERA.NET2- acronym: HEMP4NZEB

• 2021-2023: Development of innovative geothermal systems based on new probes with increased heat exchange efficiency applicable in vertical ground heat exchangers, Project No: POIR.01.01.01-00-0188/20

• 2017-2020: DryWall - Development of an innovative technology for drying and insulating of walls (National Center for Research and Development, POIR.04.01.02-00-0099/16)
• 2013-2016: INNOOS -Development of a system of innovative test stands for examination of personal protective equipment (National Center for Research and Development, O-ROB/ 0011/03/001)
• 2012-2013: TERMET – New functional materials of increased thermal conductivity (EU fund Innovative Economy, POIG.01.01.02-00-097/09)

Organizational activity:

• peer reviews for journals: Thermochimica Acta, International Journal of Solids and Structures, International Journal of Materials Research, eXPRESS Polymer Letters, Buildings
• since 2018 - editor of the web page of Division of Thermodynamics

Other:

• hobby: guitars and synthesizers, histroy of religion, personality psychology

Educational materials and notes: