In the Computational Fluid Physics Laboratory (CFPL) we generally use computer modeling to understand the detailed physics of fluid dynamics. Our work covers a broad range of physical parameters (Reynolds numbers, Mach numbers, Knudsen numbers…..) as well as a range of applications. We are currently examining drag reduction methods for airplanes and ships via direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the Navier Stokes equations, how best to model rarefied gas dynamics with the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method or the discrete velocity Boltzmann equation, and how to relate astronomical observations of the rarefied atmospheres of some moons and planets (Io, Enceladus, Pluto and the Moon) to the actual physics of the atmospheric flows.

Research in the CFPL is currently being supported by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), NASA through the Planetary Atmospheres, Outer Planets Research, Cassini Data Analysis, and LASER programs, the Department of Energy through the PECOS PSAAP center, and computational resources are provided by UT’s Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC).