Periodic Reporting for period 1 - COMETE (Next-Generation Computational Methods for Enhanced Multiphase Flow Processes)
Période du rapport: 2018-11-01 au 2020-10-31
The project COMETE aims at building a computational framework and a network of competence to extend the applicability of state-of-the-art software tools to industrially relevant multi-phase turbulent flows. The importance and the impact of these type of flows for society has become clear to the general public during the Covid-19 pandemic, since airborne contagion by respiratory droplets is an example of multi-phase flow. Availability of simulation tools that can perform beyond classic academic problems is crucial for any EU industrial sector in order to gain a competitive edge in nowadays global market. The applications targeted in our project are more industrially-oriented but are also characterized by the transport of particles/droplets. We examine this transport in two-phase flows with gas-liquid or liquid-liquid deformable interfaces, which are ubiquitous in process, chemical, and power engineering. These applications are at the crossroads between academic research and practical concerns and their modelling in an industrial context represents a major challenge. This is due to the complexity arising from the coexistence of different phases, but also to a lack of cross-fertilization between academia and industry. To build the new framework, we consider emerging complementary methods and aim at extending their applicability to industrial contexts. Another objective is to leverage on the complementary expertise of the industrial and academic partners to ensure successful combination of technology-driven objectives and original research developments. This is being achieved by putting forward synchronized training-through-research and training-on-the-job activities.
Upon delivering such innovative modelling and simulation framework, the project will facilitate integration across disciplines (engineering, physics, mathematics and computer science, in particular), provide doctoral-level researchers with proper fundamental understanding of multi-phase flows, and equip them with all the professional skills required to master next-generation scientific methodologies for complex industrial applications of multiphase flow technology.
Upon delivering such innovative modelling and simulation framework, the project will facilitate integration across disciplines (engineering, physics, mathematics and computer science, in particular), provide doctoral-level researchers with proper fundamental understanding of multi-phase flows, and equip them with all the professional skills required to master next-generation scientific methodologies for complex industrial applications of multiphase flow technology.
The work carried out during the reporting period was focused on the recruitment of highly-skilled ESRs, their training, and the development of formulations that can extend the applicability of the targeted computational tools to industrially-relevant configurations. In the first year of the project, efforts has been devoted to the successful completion of the ESR recruitment. A cohort of 3 ESRs was recruited and enrolled in the doctoral program of the recruiting beneficiary within a 5-month window. In accordance with the DoA, all ESRs were assigned a supervisor and a co-supervisor, and have already submitted a Year One Progress Report.
Another activity has been network coordination. The Supervisory Board was set-up and includes 5 representatives from each beneficiary. The SB has met via teleconference mode during the ESR selection process, during the kick-off meeting, and during the mid-term meeting. On the occasion of the kick-off meeting, the Career Development Plan (CDP) for each recruited ESR was discussed and finalized.
In the first year, the EPQ was also completed, the website was prepared, launched and regularly updated since then.
Since the second half of the first year, the research and training activities pertaining to WPs 1-4 have started. These activities have been slowed down by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has imposed severe restrictions to in-person activities and to ESR mobility for many months. This has led to some activities lagging behind. In particular, the research activities requiring experimental measurements and mobility of one ESR to carry out the industrial secondment had to be delayed.
Training activities have started upon ESR recruitment. Two training schools, with an attached internal workshop, have been offered: one on Direct numerical simulations of solid particles, drops and bubbles in turbulence, and one on Advanced Numerical Approaches for Simulation of Turbulent Multiphase Flows. Both schools where held in-person, and the academic beneficiaries contributed directly to the lectures.
The main project results within the reporting period can be summarized as follows:
1. recruitment of ESRs
2. advanced, highly-specialized training of the ESRs
3. development of new computational tool formulations (training-through-research)
4. dissemination of project activities and achieved results
Among the exploitable results, an important achievement has been the definition of a CDP for each ESR: This plan wil guide the training-through-research and training-on-the-job, but also fine tune the career perspectives after the Phd. Another important exploitable result is the definition of the Data Management plan, which will serve as basis for the development of the public datasets that are being developed by the ESRs and will be made freely available to interested users. The availability of such datasets is uncommon and will provide industrial practitioners with an unprecedented amount of data for validating commercial codes or reduced-order models. The website, complemented by scientific publications, will be exploited to disseminate the project’s scientific results.
Another activity has been network coordination. The Supervisory Board was set-up and includes 5 representatives from each beneficiary. The SB has met via teleconference mode during the ESR selection process, during the kick-off meeting, and during the mid-term meeting. On the occasion of the kick-off meeting, the Career Development Plan (CDP) for each recruited ESR was discussed and finalized.
In the first year, the EPQ was also completed, the website was prepared, launched and regularly updated since then.
Since the second half of the first year, the research and training activities pertaining to WPs 1-4 have started. These activities have been slowed down by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has imposed severe restrictions to in-person activities and to ESR mobility for many months. This has led to some activities lagging behind. In particular, the research activities requiring experimental measurements and mobility of one ESR to carry out the industrial secondment had to be delayed.
Training activities have started upon ESR recruitment. Two training schools, with an attached internal workshop, have been offered: one on Direct numerical simulations of solid particles, drops and bubbles in turbulence, and one on Advanced Numerical Approaches for Simulation of Turbulent Multiphase Flows. Both schools where held in-person, and the academic beneficiaries contributed directly to the lectures.
The main project results within the reporting period can be summarized as follows:
1. recruitment of ESRs
2. advanced, highly-specialized training of the ESRs
3. development of new computational tool formulations (training-through-research)
4. dissemination of project activities and achieved results
Among the exploitable results, an important achievement has been the definition of a CDP for each ESR: This plan wil guide the training-through-research and training-on-the-job, but also fine tune the career perspectives after the Phd. Another important exploitable result is the definition of the Data Management plan, which will serve as basis for the development of the public datasets that are being developed by the ESRs and will be made freely available to interested users. The availability of such datasets is uncommon and will provide industrial practitioners with an unprecedented amount of data for validating commercial codes or reduced-order models. The website, complemented by scientific publications, will be exploited to disseminate the project’s scientific results.
The processes targeted in this project characterize energy production and therefore their computation is crucial for the industrial sector. However, industry cannot rely yet on commercial or free software to accurately predict the evolution of these processes because their computation requires complex multiscale, multiphysics descriptions. Our project goes beyond the current state of the art in two ways. First, it will develop a currently-unavailable computational framework that embodies multiscale methods for accurate prediction of industrial multi-phase processes. This framework offers tools that go well beyond those available on the market nowadays by bridging isolated approaches and extending their applicability to industrial contexts. Second, it will form a team of suitably-trained and skilled PhD students that can actually transfer the above-mentioned emerging scientific methodologies to industrial applications.
Research doctors are the main driver of technology improvement for economic competitiveness and social benefit. Educating skilled and determined graduates equipped with the leading-edge scientific methodologies for computing multiphase flows will provide a professional figure entering the market with the ability to influence the next generation of computational methods for industrial applications, particularly in areas like heat transfer and energy production.
The expected impact relies on the fact that the broad area of multi-phase flow applications involves many business critical technologies, which in turn can be found in a large and economically significant proportion of the EU’s industrial base. This base covers a broad range of business sectors including aircraft, train and car aerodynamics, food and chemical manufacturing and processing, oil and gas production and refining, respiratory flows (e.g. those responsible of airborne virus transmission that has played a crucial role during the Covid-19 pandemic) and drug delivery devices, heating, power generation and pumping equipments. It is within these sectors that our ESRs will contribute to problem solving and research innovation.
Research doctors are the main driver of technology improvement for economic competitiveness and social benefit. Educating skilled and determined graduates equipped with the leading-edge scientific methodologies for computing multiphase flows will provide a professional figure entering the market with the ability to influence the next generation of computational methods for industrial applications, particularly in areas like heat transfer and energy production.
The expected impact relies on the fact that the broad area of multi-phase flow applications involves many business critical technologies, which in turn can be found in a large and economically significant proportion of the EU’s industrial base. This base covers a broad range of business sectors including aircraft, train and car aerodynamics, food and chemical manufacturing and processing, oil and gas production and refining, respiratory flows (e.g. those responsible of airborne virus transmission that has played a crucial role during the Covid-19 pandemic) and drug delivery devices, heating, power generation and pumping equipments. It is within these sectors that our ESRs will contribute to problem solving and research innovation.