Research interests

I adopt a multi-disciplinary approach combining numerical simulations (using CFD softwares) and mathematical modelling complemented by experiments in collaborations with other research groups to understand coupled processes such as diffusiophoresis of colloids, flow and transport in intricate geometries, chemical reactions, hydrodynamic instabilities and inertial effects.

I work at different scales starting from pore-scale (scale of the solid grains ranging from tens of micrometers to not more than a few millimeters in my setups) to what is known as Darcy-scale where flow through porous media is predicted by simplified Darcy law (ranging from millimeters up to hundreds of meters).

1. Micropollutant removal in porous media

Environmental technologies like groundwater contamination and remediation and other chemical technologies typically require controlling the transport of micropollutants or other biological entities that are essentially colloidal particles, in complex porous geometries. This is a particularly challenging task.

In this line of work, I aim to harness novel techniques based on diffusiophoresis of colloids to design efficient colloid manipulation strategies in intricate disordered media and subsequently, improve these technologies.

Micropollutant removal for groundwater remediation

2. Hydrodynamic instabilities in porous media

Hydrodynamic instabilities, either driven by viscous or buoyancy effects, typically occur in porous media and are relevant to high-impact technologies like carbon capture and storage, underground hydrogen storage and displacement processes in underground aquifers and storage sites. Despite being a subject of investigation over a century, several discrepancies still exist in the accurate prediction of efficiencies of technological processes in realistic scenarios.

I investigate the coupled interactions between viscosity- and density-driven instabilities with chemical reactions, spatial disorder and geometric intricacies to understand their impact on transport and convective dynamics at different scales. The objective is to improve efficiency predictions and enhance safety and performace of the aforementioned environmental technologies.

CO2 capture and storage to reduce carbon footprint

3. Microfluidics for controlled particle and nutrient transport

Lab-on-chip devices or microfludic technologies for biomedical purposes comprise of confined geometries with dimensions on the order of tens to hundreds of micrometers. Understanding and being able to predict dominant flow mechanisms in such geometries is crucial to control flow patterns, nutrient landspaces and subsequently, transport of colloids or biological entities.

I investigate the effect of inertia and complex chemical compositions on particle dynamics in microfluidic setups. The objective is to design controlled confined environments that are instrumental for processes like particle separation and classification or enhanced passive mixing, as desired.

Lab-on-chip devices for biomedical applications