The transport of multiphase suspensions in confined geometries is relevant in a diverse range of flows in science and engineering, from drug transport in the bloodstream, to cell separation in microfluidic devices, and proppant transport in fractured gas and geothermal reservoirs. In this talk, a computational framework for the resolved simulation of such suspensions is presented, using the fully coupled lattice Boltzmann and discrete element methods (LBM-DEM) as its basis. Application to industrially relevant problems highlight new and interesting phenomena, including reverse migration of select species in polydisperse suspensions, the profound influence of electrostatics on clogging and jamming in narrow channels, and the potential for flow reversal to break down some of these behaviours.

BRIEF ACADEMIC/EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

Christopher Leonardi is an Associate Professor within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland (Australia) and currently a Host Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). He completed his PhD in computational mechanics at The University of Wales (UK) and his BE (Honours Class I) in mechanical engineering at James Cook University (Australia). Prior to joining UQ, Christopher spent three years as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MOST RECENT RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Associate Professor Leonardi’s research is focused on the development and application of computational models of complex fluid-solid interactions, including suspension transport, porous media flow, multiphase flows, and poromechanics. The outputs of his work are applied to provide insight into the complex characteristics of subsurface fluid and solid mechanics in gas production from unconventional reservoirs (e.g. coal seams) and microfluidic devices (e.g. cell separators). Current and recent projects include studies on hydraulic fracturing and proppant transport in coal seam gas (CSG) reservoirs, two-phase flow in rock fractures, and oscillatory suspension transport. Christopher and his group of postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students possess expertise in a range of computational techniques, including the lattice Boltzmann, discrete element, finite element, and finite difference methods. His team collaborates closely with national computing facilities, such as Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, to development, implement, and apply these techniques to large-scale engineering problems.