Droplets Through a Forest

When droplets flow through a forest of microfluidic posts, they can deform around the obstacle or break up into smaller droplets. Here, researchers explore the factors that control the outcome, as well as when droplets collide, coalesce, and mix. (Video and image credit: D. Meer et al.)

Channeling Espresso

Coffee-making continues to be a rich source for physics insight. The roasting and brewing processes are fertile ground for chemistry, physics, and engineering. Recently, one research group has focused on the phenomenon of channeling, where water follows a preferred path through the coffee grounds rather than seeping uniformly through the grounds. Channeling reduces the amount of coffee extracted in the brew, which is both wasteful and results in a less flavorful cup. By uncovering what mechanics go into channeling, the group hopes to help baristas mitigate the undesirable process, creating a repeatable, efficient, and tasty espresso every time. (Image credit: E. Yavuz; via Ars Technica)

#coffee #cooking #fluidDynamics #physics #porousFlow #porousMedia #science

Hands-on experience during “#Soil #Engineering” class with @VegasIws @Uni_Stuttgart

#EnvironmentalEngineering
#PorousMedia
#Hydrogeology

We create a lot of waste and, at least for now, much of that waste goes into landfills. Properly managing garbage requires much more than digging a hole in the ground, as Grady from Practical Engineering shows in this video. Maintaining a landfill requires careful management of water, soil, landfill strata, and even gas buildup. And these challenges don’t end once the trucks stop arriving. Landfills require decades of care even after their closure. Check out the video to learn more about how these artificial structures are built, managed, and maintained. (Video and image credit: Practical Engineering)

https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2024/10/engineering-our-landfills/

#civilEngineering #engineering #fluidDynamics #landfills #physics #porousMedia #science

Around the world, dry salt lakes are crisscrossed by thousands of meter-wide salt polygons. Although they resemble crack patterns, these structures are actually the result of convection occurring in the salty groundwater beneath the soil. I have covered the physics previously, but this new article by several of the researchers gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the investigation itself and how they uncovered the true explanation. (Image credit: S. Liu, see also: Physics Today)

https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2024/09/origins-of-salt-polygons/

#convection #fluidDynamics #geophysics #physics #porousMedia #saltPolygons #science

Permeability (Earth sciences) (Hydrology 💧)

Permeability in fluid mechanics and the Earth sciences is a measure of the ability of a porous material to allow fluids to pass through it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permeability_(Earth_sciences)

#Permeability #Aquifers #Hydrology #PorousMedia #SoilPhysics #SoilMechanics