Modeling Turbulent Particle-laden Flows

The need for cloud modeling is vital for weather prediction. Weather forecasts can be difficult to create accurately because of a limited understanding of rain formation. By studying how droplets grow and form in clouds on a small scale, forecasters can improve their knowledge of larger cloud processes and dynamics, such as rain formation and precipitation efficiency. Clouds are an example of a general type of flow called a particle-laden flow, consisting of a dispersed phase (such as sediments, droplets, or particles) which interacts with a continuous carrier phase. These flows are complex to model, combining two challenging topics of fluid mechanics: turbulence and multi-phase flows. In this talk, I will look at how the effect of particle inertia (size of the particle) causes the clustering of particles within the flow. I will first introduce the mathematical equations that make modeling these systems possible, and then, present the simulations in which we investigate these systems.

Speaker: Sara Nasab, UC Santa Cruz