My current research work mainly focuses on continuous simulations. They include the simulations of the global behavior of a heat and energy system (thermodynamics), convection in porous media (poro-mechanics), fluid flows (fluid mechanics), and heat and mass transfer. In my research work, microscopic simulations are employed to better understand the physics of multiscale motions and thus develop more accurate macroscopic models. The macroscopic models will be used to solve real engineering problems. Through my research, I wish to build a bridge connecting the fundamental studies and engineering applications.
Multiscale Modelling and Simulation
Motions with different length scales were traditionally studied within different disciplines. This can be demonstrated by the study of fluid flow and heat transfer problems: “Molecular Dynamics” focuses on the microscopic movements of fluid atoms and molecules; Continuous fluids which are composed of a large amount of molecules are the subject of “Fluid Mechanics”; The behavior of the flows and heat transfer in a large system, e.g. a gas turbine, are usually assessed by the tools in “Thermodynamics”. However, one discipline is often insufficient for solving real industrial problems, since the macroscopic models are often lack of accuracy while the microscopic models are too expensive for real applications. A multi-disciplinary study which covers different length and time scales is demanded to solve industrial problems accurately.
Research topics:
- Porous medium convection;
- Turbulence modeling;
- Interfacial heat/mass transfer;
- Biological and physical simulation;
- Irreversibility in turbomachinery.
Research methods:
- Finite Volume Method;
- Lattice Boltzmann Method;
- Second Law Analysis.
Team leader: Dr. Habil Yan Jin (CV)
