Droplet Impacts with Functional Surfaces

About the Project

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

Droplet interactions with functional surfaces play a crucial role in many important physical processes, from preventing virus laden droplets passing through face masks to reducing the build-up of ice on the surfaces of flying aircraft. This project will investigate droplet impacts and droplet spreading on designed and functionally engineered surfaces. Theoretical multiphase fluid dynamics and mathematical modelling will be used to analyse droplet impacts, splashing, spreading, rebounding and droplet infiltration. Focus will be given to permeable and heated surfaces.

For permeable surfaces, wettability, shape and liquid properties that either promote or limit liquid infiltration into the media below a droplet impact site will be analysed. This is relevant for the design of droplet repellent surfaces and coatings. Understanding how droplets interact with porous media below a permeable surface is also important to mitigate excessive pesticide spraying on crops and to control soil erosion, while also being of use when designing improved remediation strategies for chemical spills and contaminants. Models involving a range of initial contact angles, permeabilities and subsurface fluid flows will be investigated to determine how they impact the droplet shape as it is absorbed. The inverse problem of determining properties of the porous medium from the droplet behaviour will also be considered, with the aim of determining whether readily measured droplet properties on the surface can be used as proxies for sub-surface flow characteristics.

For heated surfaces, we wish to investigate and provide theoretical predictions for the onset of Leidenfrost behaviour (when a droplet skates above the surface on a thin layer of vapour, rather than directly resting on the surface). In spray cooling, if Leidenfrost behaviour occurs, then there is a drop in the heat transfer out of the solid that risks the longevity of the object being cooled, as the liquid and solid are no longer in direct contact. To enhance the effectiveness of spray cooling, surface shapes which can delay the onset of the formation of the vapour cushion between droplet and surface will be investigated, as well as other surface shapes that can cause Leidenfrost droplets to move across the surface.

The common theme across the project will be the development of theoretical and numerical models to analyse the droplet behaviour, focussing on the free-surface evolution and other key parameters such as the load on, and the infiltration through the surface. The numerical methods will be based on the boundary integral technique, with novel interface conditions coupling the droplet to reduced order models of liquid flow in the porous substrate, the gas surrounding the droplet and the temperature.

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics. Experience of fluid dynamics and the use of numerical methods to solve differential equation would be valuable. Experience using Matlab would also be beneficial.

The successful candidate will interact regularly with members of the Fluid Mechanics Research Group in the School of Engineering: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/engineering/research/environmental-industrial-fluid-mechanics-122.php. Members of the Group use different combinations of numerical simulations, theoretical analysis, laboratory experiments and field measurements, to study physical processes associated with a wide range of applications, including droplet dynamics, groundwater remediation, geological CO2 storage, and coastal erosion.

It is possible to complete this project as a distance learning student.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for PhD in Engineering to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project titleon the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the studentship.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you do not need to provide a research proposal with this application.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Dr P Hicks at p.hicks@abdn.ac.uk. If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at researchadmissions@abdn.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This is a self-funding project open to students worldwide. Our typical start dates for this programme are February or October.

Fees for this programme can be found here Finance and Funding | Study Here | The University of Aberdeen