Fluid dynamicists have long used flow visualization methods to get a qualitative sense for flows, but it’s rare to derive much quantitative data from this imagery. But that may soon Keep reading
Tag: computational fluid dynamics
Adapting to the Flow
Simulating fluid dynamics computationally is no simple task. One of the major challenges is that flows typically consist of many different lengthscales, from the very large to the extremely tiny. In theory, Keep reading
Creating Biofuel
One production technique for biofuel converts agricultural waste through pyrolysis. These systems heat biomass particles in a mixture of sand and nitrogen gas until the biomass particles release tar and syngas, a Keep reading
Bay of Fundy Tides
Canada’s Bay of Fundy has some of the wildest tidal flows in the world. Every six hours, the flow direction through the strait shifts and tidal currents rise to several meters per Keep reading
Prehistoric Filter Feeders
Earth’s earlier ages are filled with enduring mysteries about the plants and creatures that lived and died long before humanity. Many of these organisms, like the aquatic Ernietta shown above, are known only Keep reading
Urban Centers During Hurricanes
As the climate warms, many urban centers are facing stronger and more frequent storms. Some, like New York City, are using numerical simulations to better understand the interactions of their complicated urban Keep reading
Breaking
As waves fold over and break, they trap air, creating bubbles of many sizes. The smallest of these bubbles can be only a few microns across and persist for long Keep reading
Flow in the Heart
Few flows are more integral to our well-being than blood flow through the heart. Over the course of our lives, our hearts develop from a few cells pushing viscous blood Keep reading
Inside a Heart
You may not give it much thought, but there is important fluid dynamics happening inside you every moment of every day, especially inside your heart. Of the four chambers of Keep reading
What Makes Turbulence So Hard
Turbulence – that pestersome, unpredictable, and chaotic state of flow – has been a thorn in the sides of mathematicians, physicists, and engineers for centuries. It is certainly one of Keep reading