Timely “Big Problems”, Computation, and Invention

There are significant engineering challenges ahead of us at the nexus of water, energy, and the environment. At the systems-scale, computational models can empower the study of process physics that will form the foundation for game-changing innovations to address some of the "Big Problems" of our time. In systems of interest, there is significant complexity that may not be overlooked. There is complexity in the form of coupled dynamics across a range of various “types” of physics (for instance, transient suspension flow in free-space, lubrication flows transporting suspended solids, multiphase Darcy-like transport, and poromechanics with continuum damage). There is also complexity in terms of the need to bridge a wide span in characteristic scales over which interactions can make or break an engineered system. Such complexity poses imminent challenges ahead of the model developer who must marry accurate approximation techniques with resilient and efficient solution methods, and develop actual software incarnations. In this talk, I will present, 1) fundamental aspects of a numerical solution method that enables systems-scale simulation of a variety of coupled physics while requiring the minimal level of computation that is necessary, and 2) an application of computing to study the prospects for rock comminution due to seismic wave interaction as a technology that will enable the prudent development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources.

Speaker: Rami Younis, University of Tulsa