Modelling, analysis and simulations of surfactant-laden multifluid microflows

This project is concerned with fundamental mathematical problems with applications in microflows encountered in numerous technological applications such as thermal management for microprocessor cooling and multilayer polymer extrusions. Novel phenomena will be investigated using ideas from hydrodynamic stability theory but incorporating effects such as velocity slippage seen in multilayer polymer extrusion processes. Linear and nonlinear aspects will be investigated and new phenomena are expected - the problem is a viscous analogue of the celebrated Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Effects of surfactants will be incorporated to evaluate theoretically the detrimental role of Marangoni forces and several microchannel geometries will be considered. Experiments indicate that Marangoni forces remove any advantage provided by superhydrophobic slip enhancements, and the project will develop and study mathematical models to study these effects, coupling Navier-Stokes flow with surfactant advection, adsorption and desorption kinetics. Direct numerical simulations will be developed and used where possible.


Strategic Theme: Mathematical Sciences, Engineering

Research Area: Fluid dynamics and aerodynamics, continuum mechanics