MULTIFLOW

MULTI-SCALE COMPLEX FLUID FLOWS and INTERFACIAL PHENOMENA

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Understanding and controlling of interfacial phenomena in multiphase fluid dynamics remains one of the main challenges at the crossroad of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Engineering. Examples include film flows, spreading and dewetting of (complex) liquids including suspensions, polymer solutions, liquid crystals, colloids and biofluids. Such systems are central for technological advances in the chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental and food industries and are crucial for the development of Microfluidics and Nanostructuring. The level of detail required by multi-scale flows with interfacial phenomena renders full-scale analyses practically impossible. In fact, such approaches often fail to describe even the results of simple experiments. MULTIFLOW will develop low-dimensional models capable of describing complex interfacial flows coupling different time and length scales. Based on the nature of the dominant mechanism, the scientific program will examine three generic classes: from nano- to macroscale, these are dominated by surface forces, reaction-diffusion, and advection. They are also affected by phase transitions, capillarity, chemical reactions, complex rheology and self-structuring. The strength of the network is its integration of all scientific disciplines, technical skills and expertise necessary to support the multi-scale nature of the envisaged research topics. By fostering the mobility and interdisciplinarity of a strong group of early-stage researchers through a set of well-defined objectives and effective networking between different institutions, disciplines and industries, the ultimate goals of this network are: (i) to create a multi-disciplinary, highly innovative and intersectorial training pool in the field of multi-scale interfacial fluid dynamics; (ii) to generate new tools and techniques for the theoretical-numerical-experimental investigation of such flows, which will be made available to the wider European Community.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU-funded project has brought together experts to build a deeper understanding of interfacial phenomena in multiphase complex fluid mechanics. Potential applications include the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Fluid mechanics is ubiquitous in the manufacturing of advanced materials. Understanding the flow phenomena occurring during processing of these materials will enable high-quality, faster and cheaper manufacture. In particular, the presence of interfaces between different phases and interactions between rigid and deformable substrates makes flows of simple and complex liquids unstable.

The 'Multi-scale complex fluid flows and interfacial phenomena' (MULTIFLOW) Initial Training Network provided interdisciplinary research training for early stage and experienced researchers in the field over the course of four years. The consortium included 14 academic research groups, two small and medium-sized enterprises and five industrial partners.

The MULTIFLOW network team developed models to describe interfacial phenomena on different time and length scales. When theoretical modelling was impossible or inaccurate, they conducted simple experiments to study complex flows relevant to nano-, meso- and macro-scale industrial applications. The findings of the research efforts were passed on to young researchers through the forum established by the network. Several summer schools, workshops and other events brought young and experienced researchers together to share knowledge and expertise. As a result of the collaborative work, a considerable amount of high profile work was produced, resulting in publication of over 300 papers.

Industrial partners have also been involved at all stages of the MULTIFLOW project to help transfer research results into optimised industrial processes. The focus was on addressing fundamental questions with applications in coatings, cooling of electronic components, microfluidics, nanotechnologies and many others. The network has opened up avenues of enquiry for translation into a wide range of new technologies.