Abstract

In the first part of my seminar, I will present the gamut of works currently being pursued in my lab at IISc ranging from interfacial transport to large-scale gas turbines. I will showcase different interesting results mostly in the domain of multiphase systems related to droplet combustion, bacteria, virulence coupling with flow, colloids and interfaces, vortex interaction with substrates, and high-pressure combustion systems.

I will highlight two topics in detail in the second part of my talk. The first one will be related to how droplet level transport with unique experiments can be utilized to understand and predict the spread of respiratory pandemics like COVID -19. We will show how simple modeling, experiments involving surrogate respiratory droplets in levitators, and impingement of cough droplets on facemasks can be used to unearth the essential physics of transmission pertaining to COVID -19. The other topic will be related to the interaction of complex fluid droplets with shock waves and associated flow. This part will highlight the design and implementation of a diaphragm-less, gas less portable shock tube. Subsequently, we will showcase high-fidelity experiments and new physics regarding the interaction of such shock fronts with droplets leading to instabilities and atomization. We offer insights into such intricate physics. The shock-droplet atomization is central to closed coupled atomizer used for generating metal powder for additive manufacturing.