Transport in Multiscale Systems: the Role of Heterogeneity

Speaker: Dr. Andrea Cortis, Geological Scientist, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Berkeley, CAABSTRACT: Complex multiscale, heterogeneous structures, found ubiquitously in engineered and natural systems, are often the main cause behind our inability to make reliable predictions.
In this talk, we explore how the transport of mass, momentum, and energy is affected by multiple-scale heterogeneity. Moving from a critique of the assumptions underlying our current understanding of transport in terms of advection and dispersion, we arrive at the formulation of a coherent transport theory based on the Continuous Time Random Walk paradigm, which provides a flexible and effective framework for the treatment of transport in heterogeneous media. While this new transport theory is general and can be applied to virtually all transport phenomena, in this talk we will test its predictions against hydrogeological observations, both at laboratory and field scales.

Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Evangeline Reyes