Fourth International Conference on Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements in Multiphase and Complex Flow

12 - 14 June 2007
Bologna, Italy

 Overview

The fourth International Conference on Computational Methods in Multiphase Flow took place recently in Bologna, organised by the University of New Mexico, USA, represented by the Co-Chairman Professor Andrea Mammoli and the Wessex Institute of Technology of the UK, represented by its Director, Professor Carlos A Brebbia.  

Multiphase Flow remains one of the unsolved problems of fluid mechanics.  They are diverse in nature and consequently governed by different laws.  In addition, there are generally several length scales at play, and in many cases these are fully coupled.  

It is still extremely difficult to develop equations which describe realistic multiphase flows at the macroscopic scale, and even when several models are developed, it is difficult to calibrate them by experiment or simulation.  However, as large scale implementation becomes more prevalent, it is becoming possible to dissect various features of the flow which would be difficult to examine experimentally, increasing our understanding of the important features that must be treated in a model.  

Complementing the interesting mathematical and numerical problems that multiphase flows pose is an equally wide array of real-life problems which are characterised by multiphase flow, such as groundwater transport, river and sea-bed sedimentation, boiling and condensation, sprays and aerosols, combustion processes and many others.  

The conference objectives were to deal with a broad spectrum of the many features of multiphase flows.  Papers in the book covered several of the mathematical and numerical aspects of multiphase flows, as well as many practical applications.

 Opening Address

Professor Brebbia opened the Conference with a presentation of the work being carried out at Wessex Institute and in particular the importance of the trans-disciplinary activities promoted by the Wessex Institute of Technology (WIT).  He explained that many of the research projects and joint training initiatives at the Institute originated from contacts made at international conferences such as Multiphase Flow.  These led to the setting up of the research divisions at the Lodge:  

• Environmental fluid mechanics
• Information and communications engineering
• Damage mechanics
• Industrial research
• Ecological modelling
  

One of the objectives of WIT is to increase the transfer of knowledge and the dissemination of new advances, helping to act as a focus for the interchange of information between academics, researchers and industrial users.  In this regard, our Industrial Research Division works in close contact with many companies all over the world.  Particular areas of expertise have been the solution of problems of interest to aerospace and offshore engineering, dealing with problems such as corrosion and fracture mechanics, in which WIT has special expertise based on their Boundary Element Modelling techniques.  

Professor Brebbia also referred to the importance of the WIT Press activities, particularly compiling the papers presented at conferences such as Multiphase Flow.  All conference papers, Professor Brebbia explained, are now permanently archived in WIT’s eLibrary, where they are easily accessible to the international community.  The archive is now linked to different websites and indexation services which have increased its impact within the academic community.  As a consequence, the number of downloads of abstracts and papers far exceeded the initial expectations of WIT.  

Professor Brebbia then introduced Professor Andrea Mammoli, Co-Chairman of the Conference and long-time collaborator of WIT.  Andrea is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.   

Professor Mammoli referred to the facilities at the University of New Mexico and in particular to the current interest in sustainability and solving problems of urgent relevance to society.  Academics, Professor Mammoli said, should be doing more in this regard, starting by educating the students in the field of sustainability.  Research also ought to be focused in the same direction and Professor Mammoli referred to his current projects on CO2 sequestration, reusable energy sources, heat transfer in solar collectors and many others; all of them born of his research in multiphase flow.  

We ought to outreach the whole community as well as industry, trying to educate them and demonstrate that sustainability and ecology can be profitable activities. Professor Mammoli would like to see this Multiphase Flow Conference focusing more on problems related to sustainability in an effort to help solve the many problems affecting our society.

 Conference Topics

The Conference papers were classified under the following topics:  

• Mulitphase flow simulation
• Flow in porous media
• Bubble and drop dynamics
• Interfaces
• Turbulent flow
• Suspensions

 Keynote Addresses

There were some Keynote addresses by well known specialists:  

• “Modelling groundwater flow and pollutant transport in hard-rock fractures”, by J Mls, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
• “Numerical modelling of bubble coalescence and droplet separation”, by Y Y Yan, University of Nottingham, UK
• “Investigation of slug flow characteristics in inclined pipelines”, by A O Nieckele, Pontifica Catholic University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• “Computational and experimental analyses of a liquid film flowing down a vertical surface”, by S Sinkunas, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
• “Modelling the hot rolling process using finite volume approach” by J Adilson de Castro, Federal Fluminense University, Brazil

 ISAC Meeting

The members of the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) met to discuss how the meeting could be improved in 2009.  They decided to stress more in the objectives of the meeting the integration of experimental and computational methods and add a few topics of current interest.  A few names were nominated to join the Committee.  Several locations were put forward for where to hold the next conference and they will be investigated by WIT’s Conference Division.

 Conference Dinner

The Conference banquet took place in a famous restaurant offering excellent Bolognese specialities and local wines.  The restaurant is located in a XVI Century Palazzo in the centre of town. When the Palace was renovated in the 1980s they discovered the remains of a Roman road in the basement.  This is now on display and the Roman pavement slabs have the curiosity of showing the ruts produced by the Roman carts, whose gauge incidentally was standardized throughout the Empire.  Before proceeding to dinner the delegates had occasion to listen to a piano concert given by Pier Paolo Strona, who is a long term friend of WIT.  Pier Paolo has been associated with the Wessex Institute since its beginning, first as a research engineer at FIAT ( Torino) where he worked on boundary elements, and later as a frequent visitor to Ashurst Lodge where he gave several concerts and worked as a photographer.  

At the end of the dinner, Professor Brebbia thanked them all for coming and in particular, his Co-Chairman, Professor Mammoli, whose work was crucial to ensuring the success of the conference and the quality of the presentations.  Professor Brebbia referred to his collaboration with Professor Mammoli over a long time and to his many scientific achievements. He then proceeded to award Professor Mammoli the Eminent Scientist medal of Wessex Institute in recognition of his outstanding achievement in the field of engineering sciences.  Following this, the delegates were given a CD containing a recent recording of Pier Paolo’s music played at Ashurst Lodge in the New Forest as well as a copy of Professor Brebbia’s book on Patagonia.  This work has been a labour of love for Professor Brebbia, who is originally from Argentina, and it describes the interesting history surrounding one of the most beautiful regions of the planet.

 Publication of Papers

The Proceedings of Computational Methods in Multiphase Flow IV, 416pp (ISBN: 1-84564-079-8) are available in hard back from WIT Press priced at £135/US$265/€202.50. Orders can be placed by telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223, fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or via the WIT Press web site at www.witpress.com.  

Papers from the conference will also be hosted online at the WIT eLibrary as Volume 56 of WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences (ISSN: 1743-3533). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at www.witpress.com.  

Patagonia a forgotten land – from Magellan to Peron, by C.A. Brebbia,  384 pp (ISBN 978-1-84564-061-3) is available in hard back from WIT Press, priced at £33/US$59/€49.50.  Orders can be placed as above.