Description The dynamics of droplet is relevant in many scientific and engineering applications. Over the past years, many studies have been devoted to the investigation of the motion of droplets induced by gravitational, thermal, or other effects. Recently, ferrofluids started attracting the interest of researchers as these fluids have unique characteristics which can be exploited in a virtually endless number of new applications. In particular, ferrofluid drops subjected to non-uniform magnetic field experience a net force that causes its translation; this circumstance can be conveniently exploited, for instance, to drive and control medical compounds injected within blood vessels. In this project, the student will be investigating the migration process of a ferrofluid droplet surrounded by a non-magnetizable fluid induced by the presence of an imposed non-uniform magnetic field. The project will be carried out with a numerical approach using an OpenFOAM solver developed by Dr Paolo Capobianchi. Key objectives

Implementation of the boundary conditions for the non-uniform magnetic field required to generate a propulsive force driving the droplet motion. Investigation of the preliminary two-dimensional problem to assess the correctness of the imposed boundary conditions. Investigation of the analogous three-dimensional problem and comparison with previous experimental results.