Research within the Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids (IMT) spans the range of length and time scales from angstroms to metres, and from femtoseconds to minutes.
Our work focuses on uncovering and predicting fluid phenomena theoretically, numerically and experimentally; from interfacial dynamics at the nano scale, to blood flows at the mm scale, to fluid jets at the cm scale. The fluids are gases, liquids, or even supercritical, and they can be inert or chemically reacting.
Applications of IMT research include nano-filtering seawater to make it drinkable, nano heat-exchangers to cool high power computer chips, micro-fluidics for processing and sensing, supercritical jets in high efficiency engines and gas turbines, supercritical processing of alternative fuels, and fundamentals of combustion in down-sized engines for electric vehicles.
The three themes in IMT integrate across the length and time scales: molecular dynamics simulations in Theme 1 are being used to understand the smallest-scales in thermodynamic state changes in Theme 3; laser diagnostics developed in Theme 3 can be applied to experiments in Theme 2; the instruments in Theme 2 are indispensable to projects in Theme 3.
Research themes
- Non-continuum and non-equilibrium fluid mechanics
- Multiphase flows, interfaces and phase change from nano- to macro-scales
- Multiphase, interfacial and chemically reacting flows at the macro-scale
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