Nonequilibrium in Environment and Engineering Systems (NEES)
Nonequilibrium in Environment and Engineering Systems (NEES) is a research group within the Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems
Focus of our research
Led by Dr Ran Holtzman, our group combines analytical, experimental and numerical methods to gain fundamental understanding and establish quantitative models of various phenomena in which fluid mechanics is key.
We apply basic scientific research towards natural and industrial problems in which nonequilibrium flows prevails and leads to instabilities, the emergence of complex patterns and preferential pathways, and path and rate dependencies. We focus on multiphase and reactive flows in porous and granular materials, where the behaviour at the larger scales of interest is strongly influenced by a multitude of competing mechanisms at much finer scales. We develop novel computational and experimental methodologies to gain fundamental understanding of the mechanisms and governing parameters in a wide range of problems. Example range from microfluidics, filters, microfabrication and biological flows (nanometres to centimetres) to water and energy resources and geo-hazards (metres to kilometres).
While our research is driven by curiosity (scientific questions at the interface of physics, earth sciences, and engineering), it addresses environmental and engineering applications, in particular in the context of global warming and the dwindling natural resources. Our outputs provides stakeholders with tools to improve decision making and advance technologies; together with our interdisciplinary, multi-scale, multi-physics approach, this makes our work attractive to multiple funding streams.
Project spotlight
Our projects evolve around the application of basic fluid dynamics concepts to a variety of applications across scales.
Examples range from microfabrication and 3-D printing, microfluidics, filters, and biological flows, to water resources, geohazards, enhanced hydrocarbon recovery, carbon geosequestration and renewable energy systems.
Find out more about some of our projects:
Cooling of 3D printed tool for Aluminium casting - Developing an innovative methodology for designing a conformal cooling channel embedded in a 3D-printed HPDC tool for aluminium parts of complex geometries.
Petroleum Reservoir Engineering Simulation Models - Making the standard models required for the testing and comparison of petroleum reservoir engineering modelling techniques available at a single location.
SIG in Particulate Matter Filtration Flows - This special interest group (part of the UK Fluids network) brings together industry, academia and policy makers to boost research in filtration flows in automotive and marine applications.
