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An adventure with particles, droplets and bubbles

1,938 views · Published 18 May 2016 · 1:09:28 · Indexed 14 November 2026

Channel: Imperial College London · 2016 · Science & Technology

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Particles, droplets and bubbles play a significant role in our daily lives; ranging from the living cells in our body, the properties of rain or snow, the effectiveness of new liquid or solid drugs, or the many processes in energy and manufacturing industries. The importance of understanding their behaviour is increasing as we demand new generations of drugs, higher quality products, and more environmentally friendly processes.

In this inaugural lecture, Berend van Wachem will discuss his career unpicking the complex behaviour of particles, droplets and bubbles and their role in daily life through a better understanding of physics at various scales. Join him as he journeys into the micro-world, where the behaviour of individual particles, droplets and bubbles can improve the design of everything from asthma inhalers to biomass incinerators, and learn how a better understanding of physics leads to better engineering. 

About the speaker
Berend van Wachem is Professor of Multiphase Flows in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He received a PhD degree from Delft University of Technology and spent time in the USA and Sweden as researcher and academic.

His research interests comprise Particles, Droplets, Bubbles, and Computational Fluid Dynamics. The goal of his research team is to develop a holistic approach across multiple scales for understanding complex flows and disseminate this approach and its results to society and industry. Next to a researcher, Berend is also a passionate lecturer on courses such as Thermodynamics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, and Multiphase Flows.

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