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Research Interests
Professor Homsy's research interests are in fluid mechanics and
transport, and in particular in interfacial flows, polymer and viscoelastic
fluid mechanics, porous media flows, and microgravity fluid mechanics.
His group uses a combination of analytical theory, large scale numerical
simulation, and experimental studies in order to understand these
flows from a fundamental point of view.
Interfacial fluid mechanics is of fundamental interest in flow
through porous media, boiling and heat transfer in MEMS devices,
manipulation of dispersed phases in microchannels, and in microgravity
applications. Homsy and his students are currently studying (i)
Thermocapillary migration of drops and bubbles in microchannels,
(ii) Frontal instabilities in porous media flows with active chemistry,
(iii) Ultra thin film coating over topography, and (iv) Boiling
and bubbles in microchannels.
Polymer fluid mechanics is distinguished by the need to consider
additional stresses set up in the fluid as a result of an anisotropic
state of stretch of macromolecules. This work involves using polymer
constitutive equations to study and understand technologically important
flows, including (i) High Reynolds number polymer flows and drag
reduction, and (ii) Viscoelastic coating flows.
Professor Homsy's interests in microgravity fluid mechanics relate
to problems associated with the special environment of the Space
Shuttle and the planned International Space Station. Current work
is focused on flows driven by time-dependent body forces, so-called
"g-jitter", including g-Jitter convection in channels,
and stochastic resonance driven by g-jitter.
Transport in drops and bubbles is often diffusion limited, and
therefore slow. Professor Homsy is interested in ways of significantly
increasing the transport rates by driving chaotic flows within drops.
His group is currently studying the use of modulated (AC) fields,
which produce time-dependent electrical stresses, to achieve this
goal.
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George
M "Bud" Homsy