Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/D004136/1
Title:	Modelling droplet formation, growth and coalescence in turbulent flows
Principal Investigator:	White, Dr AJ
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Engineering
Organisation:	University of Cambridge
Scheme:	Overseas Travel Grants Pre-FEC
Starts:	01 July 2005	Ends:	30 September 2005	Value (£):	4,850
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Fluid Dynamics Multiphase Flow
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Aerospace, Defence and Marine
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Nucleation is the process by which tiny liquid droplets or solid particles are formed when a condensible vapour is cooled. It occurs in a variety of engineering and environmental contexts, including the production of particulates in the exhaust of Diesel engines, the formation of contrails from aircraft engines, the formation of clouds in the atmosphere, and during the expansion of steam through turbines. In some cases, droplets are formed around existing particles such as dust or ions. This is known as heterogeneous nucleation and occurs, for example, within clouds. Homogeneous nucleation, on the other hand, is the spontaneous formation of droplets (or particles) by the clustering together of vapour molecules. This is likely to be the dominant process within a steam turbine.The motivation for studying nucleating flows varies according to context: understanding how droplets and ice particles form within clouds is clearly necessary in order to predict weather systems; in the case of steam turbines, the nucleation and growth of water droplets affects the flow of steam and usually results in a reduction in turbine efficiency; and the formation of aircraft contrails near the tropopause is believed to be a contributing factor in global warming.In the examples cited above, the fluid flows are nearly always turbulent - i.e., they contain quasi-randomly fluctuating eddies which stem from the non-linear nature of the equations of fluid motion. These turbulent motions give rise to fluctuations in other flow properties such as temperature, pressure, and concentration of vapour molecules. This is likely to have an impact on the nucleation process since the rate of formation of particles or droplets is particularly sensitive to small changes in these properties. The object of this research is to develop mathematical models to account for the interaction between nucleation and turbulence, particularly in the context of steam turbine flows. Further to this, the growth and coalescence of droplets (or particles) that occurs subsequent to the nucleation process will also be studied.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.cam.ac.uk