Turbulence and mixing in transitional to supercritical two-phase flows: fundamental physics and modelling

This project deal with the problem of injection of liquid jets into an environment where the pressure and temperature are higher than the critical point of the liquid. Under this condition the local pressure and temperature of the liquid phase approach and exceed its critical point, and the liquid can transform into the supercritical condition. While this project is primarily aiming at studying pharmaceutical supercritical two-phase flow applications that are widely used for effective drug delivery in cancer treatments, however, the knowledge and the numerical tools that are created can be directly used for modelling supercritical sprays in other areas such as advanced direct injection engines, and modern cooling technologies.
The problem of two-phase flows near supercritical conditions involve very nonlinear transport processes between liquid and gas phases. Under this condition, the interface between liquid and gas phase and the force of surfaced tension at the interface of the phases are vanished, in a very nonlinear manner. Also, other thermochemical properties of fluids such as the specific heat, heat of vaporisation, viscosity and diffusivity coefficients also exhibit very drastic and nonlinear changes. In transitional conditions from subcritical to supercritical conditions, the exchange rate of the mass, momentum and energy between the liquid and gas, and the dynamic of shear layer and turbulence generation and dissipation are not fully understood. In this project, we will develop and use high-fidelity numerical tools to investigate the transport processes at the interface of liquid and gas of a two-phase flow at supercritical conditions. Our goal is to use open source platforms to develop and validate a Large-eddy simulation (LES) tools that can handle supercritical interfaces. For this project, we are looking for an enthusiastic individual who is willing to use and develop CFD tools for complex flows.

The University of Birmingham is looking to recruit a highly motivated graduate with an engineering or mathematical background to undertake this research.  You will be working alongside a highly experience team who are known for the quality of their research and creative approach to problem solving.  Applicants are encouraged to send a CV Dr Mehdi Jangi ([Email Address Removed]) before making a formal application.