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Explore how CCS is redefining the fight against climate change through bold innovation and impactful research. With sustainability at our core, we bring together a community of visionary thinkers and collaborators dedicated to building a resilient, thriving future for our planet.
Seminar
From DNS of Heated Vortex Flows to Affordable Wind Data Observations: Dr. Vishnu Ravindran
Presenter
Dr. Vishnu is a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at SRM University-AP, India. His research explores the fundamental mechanics of atmospheric flows, fluid turbulence, and weather forecasting through both advanced numerical simulations and innovative tabletop experiments. He earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Madras, specializing in thermal convection, rotating flows, and combustion instability.
Prior to his current role, Dr. Vishnu conducted research at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). Inspired by a local typhoon, he secured a major grant to develop a novel, patent-pending algorithm for wind speed estimation, paving the way for frugal instrumentation and high-resolution local weather forecasting. Driven by a deep curiosity about the natural world, his future research spans everything from hurricane formation dynamics to the application of machine learning in fluid mechanics.
(Personal website : https://agnithepower.wordpress.com)
Abstract
Join Dr. Vishnu to explore two key areas bridging fundamental fluid mechanics and applied meteorology:
The Dynamics of Heated Vortex Flows: Delving into fundamental fluid behavior, Dr. Vishnu will share insights from direct numerical simulations of Rayleigh-Bénard convection with shear induced by lid rotation. He will unpack two distinct flow regimes, one dominated by rotation and the other by convection and demonstrate how heat transfer exhibits unique power-law scaling in each. Attendees will also learn how to accurately predict these flow regimes based solely on initial input parameters.
Innovations in Wind Speed Estimation: Transitioning from theoretical physics to real-world application, the second half of the talk will showcase a novel, cost-effective algorithm designed to revolutionize ground-based wind observations. By offering a frugal alternative to traditional instruments, this technology enables much denser data collection across the Earth’s surface. Dr. Vishnu will discuss how this tool captures crucial local wind variations and outline his future vision for integrating this data into numerical weather prediction models for hyper-local forecasting.
