Environmental Fluid Mechanics

The Environmental Fluid Mechanics (EFM) research focus area aims to tackle a diverse array of fundamental and applied research problems in environmental and geophysical flows. In particular, the emphasis is to solve a broad of fluid flow and transport related problems in the natural (atmosphere and hydrosphere) and engineered environment.

Research is conducted in the Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (EFML) which is a new state-of-the-art facility located on the main CSU campus. A variety of research projects are currently undertaken in the EFML such as:

• River engineering with emphasis on flow dynamics and transport processes (e.g. sediment and other scalars).
• Flow obstacle interactions in environmental flows.
• Drinking water and wastewater quality for small communities and decentralized systems.
• Wind energy and sustainability.
• Ocean and atmospheric flow physics with an emphasis on turbulence and mixing.
• Assessment of acoustic instruments for hydraulic flow measurements for practical applications.

Research in the EFML makes use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation tools in conjunction with theoretical analysis and experimental methods (as well as collaborative research with field experimentalists) to study the multi-scale physics of turbulent flows in natural and engineered systems in a multi-disciplinary context.

Associated faculty in the EFM research focus area are: Dr. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Dr. Timothy Gates, Dr. Rob Ettema, Dr. Peter Nelson, Dr. Susan De Long.