Information About

Catalog description

Kinematics of turbulent flow fields: dynamic processes. Application of models to isotropic and shear flow turbulence; turbulent diffusion. Effects of compressibility and buoyancy on turbulent flows.

Prerequisite: None.

Who takes it

This course is usually taken by graduate students of all engineering disciplines.

What it's about

As demand grows to produce more and more efficient devises, engineers often have to take into account the strange phenomenon of turbulent flow. Turbulence can interfere, with much of modern day machinery, from airplanes, and rockets, to automobiles were turbulence slows down the flow of gas. However in certain cases turbulence may be exploited to increase efficiency. For example, turbulence can be used to better mix gas with air before it is burned, thus producing a more efficient engine. This class is often taught as a project-course in which students simulate, ether analytically or numerically, an aspect of turbulent flow. Past projects have modeled vortex bursting, Lagrangian-flow dynamics, vortex-shear interactions and vortex stretching.

Contact:

Professor: Seth Lichter
e-mail: s-lichter@northwestern.edu