SPECIAL PHYSICAL MATHEMATICS SEMINAR


TOPIC:	ASYMPTOTIC ANALYSIS OF FLOW IN REACTIVE 
	POROUS MEDIA AND MOTION OF A SPHERE 
	CLOSE TO A BOUNDARY


SPEAKER:  JACQUELINE ASHMORE
	  University of Cambridge, England

ABSTRACT:

My talk will cover two different types of problem in fluid dynamics.
First, I will present analysis of flow in a reactive porous medium when
compositional buoyancy drives convection during solidification of a binary
fluid.  I find similarity solutions to the coupled nonlinear partialdifferential 
equations that characterize the solute concentration, temperature, solid 
fraction and the flow field, which yield predictions of the shape of free 
boundaries and of mass, solute and heat transport in the system.

Second, I will discuss the motion of a heavy sphere close to a boundary.
In order to quantify the velocity and rotation rate of the sphere, it is
necessary to understand the force and torque balance on the sphere.  I
will consider how a thin liquid film that coats the boundary affects the
motion of the sphere, and what physical processes give rise to a force
normal to the boundary on the sphere.  Future work will also be outlined.


DATE:		FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2004

TIME:		2:30 PM

LOCATION:	Building 2, Room 338

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mathematics
Cambridge, MA  02139