Dr Petr Denissenko
Mechanical + Process: Turbulence in two-phase flow
You will study the transport of kinetic energy in the water-oil flow stirred by two counter-rotating impellers. Apart from the academic interest related to the Turbulence theory, the project may have implications in oil industry where the actual well fluid contains up to 95% of water.
Civil: Runup statistics at various beach geometries (joint supervision with J. M. Pearson)
Predicting the runup statistics from the given distribution of incident waves is vital for prediction of shore erosion, flooding, pollution transport etc. You will carry out experiments at the 16 metre wave flume, relate the results to existing theoretical models, and develop methods for prediction of wave effects on the shore.
Biomedical: Behaviour of sperm cells in microchannels of various configurations
The pilot study has shown that the sperm cell advance in a channel crucially depends on the channel geometry. The project involves theoretical modelling and experimental investigation of the cells propagation along the microchannels. The ultimate aim of the project is to relate hydrodynamic and physiological properties of sperm cells and to explain how the cells interact with the particular geometry of reproductive channels. Experimental part of the project will be based at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.