A System of Equations Modeling Low-speed Flow for Near-critical Fluids with Capillary Effects

Prof. Diane Denny

Department of Mathematics
University of Wyoming

January 24, 2003
202 Madison Hall
3:00 PM (Coffee and Cookies at 2:30)

Abstract

I consider the low-speed flow of a highly compressible, single-phase fluid in the presence of gravity, in a regime appropriate for modeling space-shuttle experiments on fluids near the liquid-vapor critical point. The equations of motion include forces due to capillary stresses that arise from a contribution made by strong density gradients to the free energy. I will discuss existence of solutions to these equations.