The atomization of gases into bubbles or liquids into droplets is relevant in many areas: in the production of steel, in the atomization of gasoline in engines and in sprays for medical use.
With a research project on the physical rules according to which these bubbles or droplets move in other gases or liquids and interact with each other, Mahdi Saeedipour from JKU has now secured a prestigious ERC Starting Grant from the EU. “The ERC grant is an important help for us because such prestigious funding is an additional argument for good researchers to participate in the project,” explains Saeedipour.
The grant of 1.5 million euros will run for five years. During this time, the Iranian-born scientist and a team of five will conduct basic research using a wide range of methods, the results of which can be used in numerous fields. The background is that energy is needed to atomize liquids into droplets, for example. “Imagine you want to break a branch. You have to use force to do this,” says Saeedipour. In order to keep this energy expenditure as low as possible, the processes in the liquids that are atomized must be understood as well as possible.
Search for universal formula
The current models still leave room for improvement, says Saeedipour: “Especially when liquids such as water and oil mix in industrial processes, for example, the explanatory power of the current theory is limited.”
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Source: Nachrichten
