Fluid Mechanics affects everything from hydraulic pumps, to microorganisms, to jet engines. Purdue brings together a world-class group of researchers to model these behaviors in the computer, and then apply them to real-world situations.
Whether it’s air flowing over the blades of a turbine, or liquids coating a batch of pharmaceutical tablets, Purdue boasts one-of-a-kind facilities that enable researchers to explore new theories and set new standards: including the largest academic hydraulics lab in the country. Even at the microscopic or nanoscopic level -- even within the human body! -- Purdue researchers have the expertise to forge new discoveries every day.
Modeling, Experiments and Simulations of turbulent boundary layers: role of initial conditions and bio-inspired micro-surfaces on evolution of velocity/thermal fields.
Importance of turbulence and complex topography on wind energy.
Integration of renewable with water and thermal storage.
Translational research focus on renewable energy & society
Wall interaction (e.g., bio-inspired micro surfaces) in respiratory flows
Big data in turbulence, renewable energy and biomedical engineering.
Advancement of next-generation propulsion concepts including Rotating Detonation Engines (RDEs), Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (RDREs) and Scramjet Engines
Laser diagnostics development for applied thermal environments including RDEs, RDREs, gas-turbines, rockets, IC engines, and scramjet engines
Laser Diagnostics and Spectroscopy for detonations, combustion, sprays, energetics, propellants, hypersonics, plasmas, and non-equilibrium flows
Estimation of performance, efficiency and emissions using state of the art optical diagnostics (PLIF, CARS, TP-LIF, PIV, 3D Imaging, X-Rays, PIV, Molecular Tagging, Thermographic Phosphors and Pressure Sensitive Paints)
Thermal-fluid behavior at the extremes, including turbulent, acoustically coupled, high-temperature, high-pressure, multiphase, and non-equilibrium reacting flows
High-Heat-Flux Thermal Management Systems for Several Applications, e.g., Outer Space Missions, Electric Vehicles, Ultra-Fast Charging Systems, Electronics Cooling, Avionics, Nuclear Reactors, Metal Manufacturing, Superconductors, Data Centers, etc.
Gravitational Effects
Experiments onboard the International Space Station (ISS)
Two-Phase Flow Instabilities
Fluid-Structure Interactions & Non-Newtonian Fluids in Biological Systems
Image-based computational and experimental fluid dynamics for porous-media and biomedical flows
Translational research integrating high-performance CFD, image-based and physics-informed machine-learning, and uncertainty quantification to address unmet clinical needs
GPU-parallelized lattice Boltzmann method for DNS and LES of turbulence
Micro-bubble coalescence and detachment in microfluidics