Research Area: Rheology and Multiphase Flow

Contacts

Suharto Saha, M. Sc. Phone number: +49 9131 85-29572 Website:

Main research areas

  • Industrial multi-scale CFD simulations using StarCCM+
  • Numerical solution to laminar and turbulent flows (RANS, DES, and LES)
  • Multiphase flows: Numerical simulation of dispersed and separated flows (VOF, DEM, LPT, etc.)
  • Numerical flow modeling with heat and mass transfer
  • Numerical optimization of industrial problems (spray drying, heat exchangers, heat pumps, vertical axis wind turbines, vehicle aerodynamics, marine engineering, blood oxygenators etc.)
  • High-fidelity simulations (qDNS) for academic and experimental validation
  • Open-source CFD simulations using OpenFOAM

Methods & techniques

  • Finite Volume Methods,
  • Finite Difference Methods
  • Numerical optimization: Gradient and Non-gradient-based methods (Design Space Exploration, Latin Hypercube Sampling, Multiobjective Genetic Algorithms (MOGA), Discrete Adjoint Optimization, AI/ML-based design sampling)

Recent research topics

  • HybridTwin: The Hybrid Spray Dryer – Efficient multifunctional drying with innovative multi-parameter process probes and high-performance multiphase numerical simulation, BMWK/ZIM
  • Deep Sea Sampling (DSS): Fluid mechanical design for minimally invasive deep-sea mining, BMWK (https://www.deepseasampling.de/)
  • ALuVe: Innovative and actively controllable spray dryer with an adaptive air distribution unit employing adaptive flow control for product range diversification in the food processing industry, BMWK/ZIM
  • CompactStream: Development of a ventilation system with a miniaturized, recuperative heat exchanger made from plastic material, featuring an antimicrobial, anti-ice coating, an integrated electrostatic filter for particulate matter, and a scalable airflow, BMWK/ZIM
  • Industrial Projects: Various PLC and SME collaborations

Contacts

Aliena Bösl (Altmann), M. Sc. Phone number: +49 9131 85-29486 Website:
Simon Wrana, M. Sc. Phone number: +49 9131 85-29489 Website:
Ziheng Cai Phone number: +49 9131 85-29489 Website:

Main research areas

  • Multiphase flows: Particle-laden flows, film flows
  • Sensors, optical methods, development and adaption of measurement techniques

Methods & techniques

  • Particle tracking
  • Particle image velocimetry
  • Flow visualization
  • Light sheet techniques
  • Free-surface detection
  • Refractive-image techniques

Recent research topics

  • Impact of inertia on flow-induced particle motion in laminar shear flow, DFG
  • Deep Sea Sampling (DSS): Fluid mechanical design for a minimally invasive deep-sea mining, BMWi
  • Three-dimensional instabilities film flows
  • Substrate impact on flow-induced particle motion in laminar shear flows, DFG
  • Pneumatic testing of valves
  • Industrial Projects, miscellaneous PLC and SME

Selected former research topics

  • Impact of topology on film flows: Eddies, waves, resonance, hydraulic jumps
  • ​Flow-induced particle motion in creeping flows
  • Dunes in shear flows
  • Optimization of cyclone efficiency
  • Material exchange and air entrainment, mass transport through interfaces
  • Instabilities, nonlinear dynamics in fluid mechanics
  • Convection and waves: Bénard-Marangoni, Rayleigh-Bénard

Selected Media 

 Optical light microscopy image (50X, high contrast) of sustainable, natural polysaccharide based, ascorbic acid loaded ‘green’ microcapsules for oralcare / cosmetic applications.

 

Frontal view on the gravity-driven film flow of the silicon oil over a flat incline (a) and over the bottom corrugations (b) at otherwise identical parameters. Flow is from top to bottom. Dark horizontal lines in (a) are travelling surface waves; short, bright vertical lines in the upper part of (b) are due to steady three-dimensional surface pattern (Al-Shamaa et al., 2023)

Capillary-wave turbulence in gravity-driven film flow due to bottom undulations at low Reynolds numbers. Re: 41.

Contacts

Dr. Sharadwata Pan Phone number: +49 9131 85-29492 Website:
Ammar El Menayyir, M. Sc. Phone number: +49 9131 85-29489 Website:

Main research areas

  • Narrow-gap rheometry
  • High-shear rates
  • Polymer solutions
  • Biorheology

Methods & techniques

  • Shear rheometry & dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA)
  • Narrow-gap rheometry
  • Viscosity and normal stress measurements @ shear rates from 10-3 – 4∙105 s-1
  • Cell monolayer rheometry
  • In-situ fluorescence microscopy

Recent research topics

  • Improving temperature reliability at high shear rates
  • Linear viscoelasticity of cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines
  • Impact of microtubule-interacting drugs on the rheological properties and protein expression in cancer cells, NRF
  • Second Newtonian region of polymer solutions, DFG
  • Industrial Projects, miscellaneous PLC and SME

Selected former research topics

  • Adhesion limit of cells in shear flow
  • Load limit of cells in shear flow

Selected Media 

Dynamics and behaviour of biopolymers (DNA) under ultra-high shear mechanical deformations. 

Contact

Prof. Dr. habil. Andreas Wierschem Phone number: +49 9131 85-29566 Website:

Main research areas

  • Phase transitions (melting curve, crystallization, solidification)
  • Pressure-dependent material properties (viscosity, density, compressibility, pH value)
  • Flow and temperature fields

Methods & techniques

  • Pressure range up to 4500 bar
  • Temperature controlled autoclaves with optical accessibility (up to 3 windows)
  • In-situ optical methods, microscopy, pH value measurements
  • Rolling and falling ball viscometer
  • Compressibility test
  • Particle image velocimeter

Recent research topics

  • Natural fats
  • Optical detection of crystal growth & melting curves
  • Industrial Projects, miscellaneous PLC and SME

Selected former research topics

  • pH value detection for food industrial processes
  • Development of measurement techniques to determine pressure-dependent material properties