Pixelated Flow facilities for tomorrow's fluid dynamics

Most incompressible wind tunnels are designed to generate flow at a range of speeds and have been optimized for mild spatiotemporal variability, large-scale unsteadiness, low background noise, and full dynamic similarity. However, current technological challenges in fluid dynamics, such as with urban air mobility, are increasingly complex with vehicles subjected to atmospheric turbulence, vehicle wakes, three-dimensional building vortices, and thermal updrafts -- all simultaneously. To enable controlled studies that reproduce the critical physics of such flows we need a fundamentally new concept, like the recently proposed distributed flow facility made of computer cooling fans. We have taken this a step further by creating a facility using computer fans on all of the flow facility walls that can generate stable flow-speeds up to 11 m/s. Custom software is used to control complex 1D, 2D, and 3D gusts that can be induced on a fixed aircraft within the tunnel.

Active Student(s): Carson, Manish

Turbulence enhances insects' life?

Invasive insect species such as mosquitos and moths are a major menace that draw billions of dollars in prevention and healthcare, in addition to causing nearly a million deaths each year. Host-seeking behavior – where mosquitos approach humans using air-borne odor cues from even 50 meters away – remains unexplored with insects employing robust tracking strategies, apparently leveraging the flow turbulence instead of resisting it. Understanding this could yield not only efficient insect control strategies but also robust bio-inspired algorithms for bio-chemical hazard tracking.
Active Student(s): Jay

More updates on their way...