8th International Conference Advances in Fluid Mechanics
15 - 17 September 2010
Algarve, Portugal
Introduction
The eighth International Conference on Advances in Fluid Mechanics has recently taken place in the Algarve, organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology, represented by its Director Professor Carlos A Brebbia, and Professor Matiur Rahman of Dalhousie University in Canada.
The papers at the conference covered a wide range of topics in the area of advances in fluid mechanics. The first of these conferences was held in New Orleans (1996), followed by Udine (1998), Montreal (2000), Ghent (2002), Lisbon (2004), Skiathos (2006) and the New Forest, UK (2008).
All volumes are part of the Transactions of the Wessex Institute series, published in paper and digital format and distributed throughout the world. In addition, all papers are archived within the Wessex Institute eLibrary http://library.witpress.com where they are easily and permanently available to the international scientific community.
Opening Address
Professor Brebbia opened the conference by explaining the activities carried out by his Institute, and in particular those that relate to international links and joint activities with other intuitions around the world. WIT – Professor Brebbia said – is a different type of Institution in that it seeks to collaborate rather than compete with other Institutions around the world. The Institute has developed over the years a large number of formal links with academia and industry as well as other research organisations. This led to collaboration in many projects in which WIT contributes its particular field of expertise, the development of advanced computer codes for solution of solid, fluid and other engineering problems.
Work continues in the Institute campus on further developments of boundary element type techniques for fluid mechanics as well as solids. A special Industrial Research Division sees that the results are rapidly disseminated in industry. Industrial links – Professor Brebbia said – are of fundamental importance for the development of the Institute’s research and setting up its strategic plans.
Professor Brebbia then referred to the emergence of digital publishing and the efforts of WIT Press, the publishing arm of the Institute, to achieve maximum dissemination of books and Journals. All WIT Press publications are now distributed in digital as well as paper formats. Open access, which is increasingly demanded, is now available in all Institute Journals, which is another reason why papers published by WIT Press receive the maximum exposure. The careful preparation and editing of the proceedings adds to the quality of the material contained in the book.
Professor Brebbia ended by thanking the participants for their collaboration in making WIT conferences – and particularly this one – so successful.
Conference Sessions
The papers presented at the conference were grouped into the following topics;
- Computational Methods
- Multiphase Flow
- Applications in Biology
- Experimental Measurements
- Fluid Structure Interaction
- Electronic Components Cooling
- Hydrodynamics
Invited Presentations
There were in addition a series of invited lectures given by well-known colleagues;
‘Turbulence modeling with the boundary element method’
by Leopold Skerget, University of Maribor, Slovenia
‘Modelling nanoparticle transport in an animal exposure chamber: a comparison between numerical and experimental measurements’
by François Morency, Ecole de Technologie Superieure, Canada
‘Enhancement of conjugate heat transfer from electronic chips with a rotating tri-vane assembly’
by Raed Bourislii, Kuwait University
Conference Dinner
There were ample occasions for the delegates, who were staying at the hotel where the conference took place, to interact. The organisers provided complementary lunches to promote interaction and informal discussions.
The conference dinner took place in a restaurant offering typical Portuguese dishes and situated in a nice location. At the end of the meal an ensemble played some music typical of the Algarve. They were accompanied by a dancing group that gave a lively demonstration. The folkloric songs of the Algarve are different from those of the rest of Portugal, having a fast rhythm expressing happiness and joie de vivre unique to the region.
The success of the conference will lead to it being reconvened in 2012 at date and place to be shortly decided.
Publication of Proceedings
The proceedings of Advances in Fluid Mechanics VIII, 608pp (Print ISBN: 978-1-84564-476-5; Online ISSN: 1743-3533) are available from WIT Press priced at £231/US$462/€323. Orders can be placed online at www.witpress.com or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone: +44 (0) 238 029 3223 or fax: +44 (0) 238 029 2853.
Papers from the conference will also be hosted online in the WIT eLibrary as Volume 69 of WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences (ISSN: 1743-3533). For more details visit the WIT eLibrary at http://library.witpress.com
Wessex Institute