What is Multiphysics Fluid Dynamics?

In the engineering and science fields, the equations that govern a process often have a 'multiphysics' nature, meaning that:

  • Coupled quantities: Several quantities are interdependent, obeying transport equations that must be solved concurrently (e.g., exothermic reactions occurring in a flowing gas containing a number of chemical species);
  • Nonlinear equations: The transport equations contain varying and/or nonlinear coefficients, often in the diffusion or source terms (e.g., non-Newtonian fluid flow or systems that involve temperature dependent material properties);
  • Multiphase/fluid: There may be multiple fluid types and phases present (e.g., a single gas bubble rising within a liquid, or the sedimentation of sand within oil); or
  • Multiple geometries: The simulation domain is split between a number of coupled regions, each of which may have different dimensions or different interdependent quantities to be found.
The Multiphysics Fluid Dynamics group (mfd) within the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at the University of Melbourne simulates these types of multiphysics problems using advanced numerical methods.

What is in this site?

These pages detail some of the research that our group and its members have conducted and been involved with. Topic areas are listed on the left. Generally topics at the bottom of the list are less detailed than those at the top.

For more details of any of the research shown on this website see the associated Publications.

If you're looking for a specific piece of software or a tool that we have referenced to this site, try Software.

If you're interested in postgraduate study visit the Positions page or better still, drop by Dalton's office for a chat (contact details are here).

Right: The movie shows a simulation of two immiscible fluids coming to equilibrium. Surface tension acts between the phases, smoothing the sharp corners of the irregular initial shape. The simulation was performed using a Combined Level Set and Volume of Fluid (CLSVOF) method for incorporating surface tension forces into CFD algorithms. The CLSVOF method is able to simulate systems where surface tension forces are dominant; for example, droplets in microfluidic devices. More details in Numerical methods.