Hot topics in CFD research?
 

Hi folks,

Does anybody have any idea about hot topics for research in CFD related studies? How can one find a topic to research on for instance for his/her PhD?

Are Fluid Structure Interaction, Turbulence or Aerodynamics still topic-of-interest?
I appreciate if any PhD student or Prof can help me.

Thanks in advance.
Aroma

Hi Aroma,

Your question is so general that it is hard to answer. Most PhD students find a topic that they are excited about after their Master's courses and thesis. During that time, you attend many classes by professors who are themselves doing research in a particular field, and during your thesis you start reading the fluid dynamics literature to get a feeling of some active areas of research.

The topics you mentionned are for sure very hot topics! To get some other names you can browse the two most popular general fluid mechanics research journals: Physics of Fluids (http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/pof2) and Journal of Fluid Mechanics (http://journals.cambridge.org/action...ournal?jid=FLM). After a very quick search in the latest publications of Physics of Fluids I get the following topics:

- Laminar Flows
(classical theory of fluid dynamics, but still very active and beautiful area)

- Instability and Transition
(why some analytical solutions are not observed in nature, why many flows are very sensitive to perturbations are go unstable)

- Turbulent Flows
(a state of flow with high disorder, very good mixing properties and which is omnipresent at the human scale and crucial for most engineering applications but so poorly understood)

- Compressible Flows
(when the velocities are very high and shock waves can appear, involving a lot of thermodynamics)

- Geophysical Flows
(flows on large scales where the Earth rotation matters or fluids with varying density such as the atmosphere or ocean)

- Biofluid Mechanics
(fascinating topics from the locomotion of animals or microbes to the fluid functions of living cells to the blood flowing in your veins or air through your lungs. Some people even study the influence of fluid flows in morphogenesis, that is the way an embryo and all the organs of a living being are formed. After all life wouldn't be possible without fluids!)

- Micro- and Nanofluid Mechanics
(flows at very very small scales where counterintuitive forces arise, with a lot of exciting technological applications)

- Interfacial Flows
(flows involving interfaces such as bubbles or drops, where surface tension is crucial. Lots of everyday life applications as well)

- Viscous and Non-Newtonian Flows
(flow where viscosity is dominant over inertia and fluids with complex rheology properties such as ketchup, toothpaste, cosmetics, concrete, lava, mud or moving sands. Many environmental and industrial applications!)

- Particulate, Multiphase, and Granular Flows
(flows with small particles inside or different phases such as a mix of liquid/gas in sodas or clouds or liquid/solid in sediments in the ocean or mud or even solid/gas in sand dunes or sand storms!)

Among them, turbulence is honestly the topic counting the largest number of publications. In that sense, it is one of the most "active" areas of research. It is a very important phenomenon from an engineering and fundamental viewpoint, that is described by very well known equations but that is still very poorly understood, so that's why people are putting much effort.

Of course there are many other "topics" such as Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, Aerodynamics, Naval Hydrodynamics, Meteorology and Oceanography, Aeroacoustics, Fluid Structure Interactions etc... But I guess you can always more or less fit them in some of the previously given "academic" categories: the first can be a mix of geophysical flows/instability and transition/compressible flows, while the second and the third are a mix of instability and transition/turbulence/laminar flow/compressible flows etc... More specific or "applied" research journals can give you an idea of these more "specialized" fields.

Don't hesitate if you have more questions!

Adrien

Look for the funding
 

Hi!
I would recommend looking at university websites, and searching PhD topics by faculty. You should look through Aeronautics, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Maths etc etc faculties. Most of them will probably have some specific projects advertised, and these will be funded most importantly!

Thank you both for your time and helpful advice. I am mostly interested in VIV and DNS in turbulent flow. I will follow one of these two topics.
Thanks again for your help.
:)

how to post new thread??
 

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A very impressive explanation by Adrien