Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CRITICAL (When Flows Turn Turbulent in the Supercritical Fluid Region)
Reporting period: 2022-03-01 to 2023-08-31
The goal of my research is to shed light on these critical, yet unexplored, phenomena by performing the first systematic study at the intersection of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and radiation science.I will use a unique combination of advanced hydrodynamic stability analysis, novel numerical simulation tools designed for GPU accelerated computing facilities, and unprecedented experiments to optically investigate heated supercritical flows with infrared thermography.
In addition, we have developed a high-order Navier-Stokes solver that utilizes non-ideal equations of state and runs on GPGPU platforms using OpenACC statements. This innovative code has enabled us to perform simulations with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency, significantly reducing the time required for our research.We have collaborated with computer scientists, who have provided invaluable support in advancing our computational capabilities.
We also attracted the attention of other researchers to establish collaborations. We will soon accept a researcher from Japan and China to visit through the accompanying travel grant (ERC - JSPS, and ERC - NSFC). We also started a collaboration with researchers from La Sapienza University in Rome, and Maryland University in the US.
We have made decisive progress regarding the origin of the new unstable mode in supercritical fluids. After demonstrating the essential inviscid nature of this instability, we have identified the kinematic viscosity profile of the base flow as the key criterion to predict the appearance of this instability. This brings a considerably new understanding as it isolates which feature of supercritical fluids is responsible for this instability. \
Our second work package, where we've developed a new scaling law for compressible flows, already points toward filling this gap by enabling unprecedented accuracy in estimating skin friction and heat transfer. By the end of the project, we aim to unravel the mechanisms behind turbulence modulation due to compressibility, beyond what is known from mean changes in density and viscosity due to heat transfer. This will have broad implications, particularly for the design of future energy conversion systems in both power and propulsion sectors, making our research not only academically rigorous but also industrially relevant.