Department of Environmental Engineering
University of Genoa

LONG STAY TRAINEES



FUNDAMENTAL FLUID MECHANICS
Research in fundamental fluid mechanics is being carried out with specific emphasis on:

  • Wave instability and its active control ( 1 LST )
    Modern control theory is used to device novel and active means to force a flow to behave as requested; in the past the most notable application pursued was that of the laminar flow control for aeronautical applications, where instability waves are optimally damped by steady suction at the wall. In the context of FLUBIO the goal will be to conjugate new optimal control concepts to advanced computational fluid dynamics tools to study the feedback manipulation of some relevant flow configurations.

    PLANNED SUPERVISOR: Prof. A. Bottaro



  • Shallow-water turbulence and mixing ( 1 LST )
    The dynamics of shallow flows which evolve in the presence of complex topographies is analysed to provide a general approach, based on the use of 2D turbulence properties, to analyse the mixing of shallow flows. This line of investigation is rather new for the group, yet interesting and valuable results have already been achieved by means of theoretical analyses, numerical solutions of the Nonlinear Shallow Water Equations and laboratory experiments.

    PLANNED SUPERVISOR: Prof. M. Brocchini



  • ENVIRONMENTAL FLUIDS MECHANICS
    The main topics of research in environmental fluids mechanics are:

  • Hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of rivers, estuaries and lagoons ( 1 LST )
    Much of the DIAM's international reputation comes from studies performed in Riverine and Coastal Morphodynamics with specific focus on the meandering of natural streams and of topographic features like sand bars. Stability analyses of basic coastal morphologies aim at investigating the appearance and evolution of rhythmic patterns of the seabed. A large body of research has been dedicated to smallscale features like ripples. More recently largerscale features of great engineering importance like sand waves have been studied with specific emphasis on their migration. Tidal and Estuarine Morphodynamics is a rather unexplored topic also because of the need for a better understanding of the mechanics of cohesive sediments and of vegetated environments. Various innovative research lines have been developed at DIAM to explore the tide propagation and the consequent planimetric evolution of estuaries and tidal channels and the topographic evolution of the channels bedforms. Analysis of estuarine flows is also supported by the recent fundamental studies made on density driven flows.

    PLANNED SUPERVISORS: Prof. P. Blondeaux, Prof. G. Vittori, Prof. G. Seminara



  • BIOFLUID MECHANICS
    Research in biological fluids mechanics mainly focuses on:

  • Fishlike propulsion and its optimization ( 1 LST and 1 SST )
    The study can be regarded both as a purely scientific investigation for the analysis of the propulsive mechanisms of fish and as an applied research for the design of highthrust propellers for small submarine vehicles. The goal is the realization of propulsion through flapping wings/fins characterised by very high efficiency. Theoretical approaches and numerical tools are already available and an collaboration has been active for the past few years between the DIAM group and the Ocean Engineering Department of the MIT.

    PLANNED SUPERVISORS: Prof. P. Blondeaux, Prof. A. Bottaro



  • Direct Numerical Simulation of flow inside an oscillating sphere ( 1 LST )
    The study is devoted to the analysis of flow inside an oscillating sphere and in particular to the realization of a 3D numerical solver of Navier-Stokes and continuity equations in spherical coordinates by the use of pseudo spectral techniques. A broad range of potential applications is available. The interest here is mainly focussed on the study of the eye dynamics, which might require the inclusion of deformed boundaries and the extension to non-newtonian fluids. The numerical code will be tested against already available experimental measurements. A good knowledge of the FORTRAN language and some mathematical skill are required.

    PLANNED SUPERVISORS: Prof. M. Colombini, Dr. A. Stocchino



  • Last update: January 2006