Domaines
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
Two-phase turbulence, particularly in air-water systems, plays a critical role in numerous natural and industrial processes. In atmospheric physics, cloud microphysics (where water vapor condenses into liquid droplets) governs precipitation, radiative properties, and climate dynamics. Similarly, in oceanography, the interaction between turbulent air flows and the sea surface influences heat and mass exchanges, wave breaking, and aerosol production.
Despite its importance, the fundamental physics of such systems remains incompletely understood, particularly when phase transitions (e.g., vapor-to-liquid) occur within a turbulent environment.
During this internship, we want to investigate experimentally two-phase turbulence in a controlled air-water flow, with a focus on the formation of liquid water droplets from vapor under varying thermodynamic conditions.
The experiment will use a swirling flow driven by the counter-rotation of two disks in a closed cylinder. Different properties can be measured such as the pressure fluctuations or the droplet size, velocity and number.
The central question is: How do the turbulent dynamics of the gas flow influence the nucleation, growth, and size distribution of water droplets, and how do these droplets, in turn, modify the flow’s statistical properties (e.g., pressure fluctuations, velocity spectra)?
Contact
Francois PETRELIS