Massively parallelized models of fluid-solid multiphase flow

Modelling fluid-solid multiphase flows in environmental systems are complicated by the range of scales between those controlling turbulent suspension of particulate material and the size of the systems themselves (see the e.g. figure of seafloor dunes offshore San Francisco, USGS). In this PhD, the student will make a novel contribution across the entirety of the environmental sciences by addressing these issues of scale and model complexity by developing a University of Leeds Lattice Boltzmann Model, implemented on massively parallel Graphics Processing Units, to describe multiphase flow and erodible beds at environmental scale. The PhD will be supported by the Joint Industry Project the Turbidites Research Group for the petroleum industry. Models will be tested using, TRG supported, current experimental research into flow hydro- and morphodynamics. The TRG will integrate the student directly within the industry; however, no copyright conditions will be enforced on research developed within the project.