Project: Characterisation and modelling of turbulent suspensions of large plastics in rivers and the atmosphere
Supervisors: John Craske (CEE, Imperial), Daniel Valero (CEE, Imperial), Eric Climent (CEE, Imperial) & Adam Sykulski (Maths, Imperial)
Project Description:
Plastics disperse throughout the environment, yet knowledge of the specific transport processes involved is extremely limited. However, recent evidence suggests that large plastics exhibit transport mechanisms unlike any other pollutants. The aim of this project is to understand the physics behind these new mechanisms so that they can be accurately represented in simplified models. Our understanding of the physics will come from direct numerical simulations of inertial particles in turbulent flows using a simplified form of the Maxey-Riley equation. The behaviour of irregularly and randomly shaped particles will be examined by solving equations for rotational degrees of freedom before considering elastic and plastic deformations. Depending on the applicants’ skills and preferences, there will be opportunity to incorporate or acquire data from experimental 3D tracking of large plastics in our hydrodynamics laboratory. The simplified models developed for this project will enable accurate prediction of the pollution resulting from the transport of plastic and, therefore, inform regulations, mitigation and remedial measures.
