Balanced research approach

Our research involves a balanced approach of experiments, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and semi-theoretical modelling of fluid-thermal flows.

Experiments
Our experiments are mostly conducted with particle image velocimetry (PIV) in a water channel or wind tunnel. Other velocity measurement techniques used include hotwire and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV). Pressure sensors and multi-component aerodynamic balance are also used for pressure and aerodynamic force measurements, respectively.

 
CFD
We perform numerical simulations using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), large eddy simulations (LES) and Hybrid RANS-LES. CFD software packages used include OpenFOAM, Star CCM+, ANSYS CFX or ANSYS Fluent.

 
Advanced data analysis
For both experiments and CFD, advanced data analyses are performed to provide novel insight into the flow physics and develop flow control strategies. This involves the use of single-point and multi-point statistics such as the mean velocities, Reynolds stresses, energy spectra, two-point correlations, joint probability density function (JPDF) and proper-orthogonal decomposition (POD). Machine Learning (ML) techniques are also used for developing reduced order models (ROM) for flow control.