Description A space experiment recently conducted on board the International Space Station has demonstrated the ability of vibrations applied to a differentially heated cubic enclosure containing a solid-particle/fluid mixture to force particles to self-organise and form complex aggregates or structures (https://t-paola.co.uk/).

This 4th year project stems from an ongoing collaboration between MAE and the UK Space Agency (USA). Its scope is to extend this research to normal gravity conditions by considering a shallow container. The problem will be tackled in the framework of numerical simulations (OpenFoam or Ansys Fluent software). The student will be provided with the required training. The outcomes of the project will support current MAE efforts to define a new contactless manipulation strategy for the control of solid particles dispersed in a fluid in microgravity or normal gravity conditions, which will lead in the future to the production of new materials that cannot be obtained with traditional methods (https://t-paola.co.uk/).

It is expected that the student will use such codes to explore the system dynamical response in the space of parameters. The student may require to have a suitable personal PC/laptop to install and run the OpenFOAM or other CFD and visualization applications.

Key Objectives

• To perform numerical analysis of fluid flow and particle dynamics in a very high-aspect ratio rectangular container subjected to a thermal gradient and vibrations perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

• To explore how the fluid-particle system behaves when the container aspect ratio is changed.

• To compile the results thus obtained and provide indications for the design of a rig to be used in the future to verify the numerical results (potentially a relevant subject for a future 5th year project).