Assistant Professor
Office: CHBE 409
Email: mona.rahmani@ubc.ca
Website: https://blogs.ubc.ca/mrahmani/
Research Summary
Multiphase and Density Stratified Fluid Mechanics, Fiber Suspensions, Renewable Energy, Hydrodynamic Instability, Mixing
Education
Stanford University, 2015, Postdoc
IFP Energies nouvelles, 2013, Postdoc
The University of British Columbia, 2011, Ph.D.
Research interests + projects
Our group focuses on using high-fidelity numerical simulations and analytical tools to understand the physics behind the hydrodynamics and thermodynamics of particle-laden flows for different applications in renewable energy, sustainability and fibrous materials. Examples of these applications are:
– Microplastics in natural environments: Accumulation of non-biodegradable plastic in marine environments has created serious threats to the aquatic ecosystems and the well-being of human beings. We focus on processes, such as fragmentation, aggregation, and slender body interactions with turbulence, that determine the fate of microplastics in the oceans.
– Fiber suspensions: Flexible fibers suspended in a fluid are widely used in the manufacturing process of biomaterials and hydrogels. We examine the assembly of flexible fibers and fiber/fluid interactions in fiber suspensions.
– Solid Particle Solar Receivers (SPSR): In SPSRs, a mixture of gas and solid particles receives concentrated solar radiation. The technology of SPSRs is rapidly evolving globally. To optimize the thermal energy that can be extracted from the mixture, we focus on gaining a better insight into the heat transfer between the radiated particles and the background flow.
Selected publications + presentations
Rahmani, M., Gupta, A., Jofre, L., Aggregation of microplastic and biogenic particles in upper-ocean turbulence. International Journal of Multiphase Flow 157, 104253.
Banaei, A. A., Rahmani, M., Martinez, D. M., Brandt, L., Inertial settling of flexible fiber suspensions. Physical Review Fluids, 5(2), 024301, 2020.
Rahmani, M., Geraci, G., Iaccarino, G., Mani, A., Effects of particle polydispersity on radiative heat transfer in particle-laden turbulent flows. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 104, 42-59, 2018.
Rahmani, M., Lawrence, G.A., Seymour, B.R., The effect of Reynolds number on mixing in Kelvin–Helmholtz billows. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 759, 612-641, 2014.
Rahmani, M. and Wachs, A., Free falling and rising of spherical and angular particles. Physics of Fluids, 26(8), p.083301, 2014.