Maxwell's equations | EPFL Graph Search

Maxwell's equations, or Maxwell–Heaviside equations, are a set of coupled partial differential equations that, together with the Lorentz force law, form the foundation of classical electromagnetism, classical optics, and electric circuits. The equations provide a mathematical model for electric, optical, and radio technologies, such as power generation, electric motors, wireless communication, lenses, radar, etc. They describe how electric and magnetic fields are generated by charges, currents, and changes of the fields. The equations are named after the physicist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell, who, in 1861 and 1862, published an early form of the equations that included the Lorentz force law. Maxwell first used the equations to propose that light is an electromagnetic phenomenon. The modern form of the equations in their most common formulation is credited to Oliver Heaviside. Maxwell's equations may be combined to demonstrate how fluctuations in electromagnetic fields (wave

Simulation numérique des phénomènes thermiques et magnétohydrodynamiques dans une cellule de Hall-Héroult

Yasser Safa

This work is concerned with a numerical simulation of the thermal behaviour of an electrolysis cell for the production of the aluminium. Aluminium is produced by an electrolytic reduction of alumina dissolved in a bath of molten cryolite. In this reduction process, called Hall-Héroult process, the metal is produced at about 965 °C. A frozen bath layer, called ledge, arises in the boundary region and protects the side walls of the cell from corrosive electrolyte. This ledge may change the magnetohydrodynamical equilibrium of the cell and reduce the heat loss through the walls. The ledge is thus playing a significant role in both the thermal and magnetohydrodynamical behaviour of the cell. A precise knowledge of the ledge is thus an imporant ingredient in the optimization process of the cell. The temperature field and the ledge shape in a whole smelter are obtained by simultaneously solving the system of equations formed by: a non-linear convection-diffusion heat equation, which can be considered as a Stephan problem in enthalpy and temperature in the domain of the cell occupied by fluids and ledge, Navier-Stokes equations with a free interface in the fluid domains and Maxwell equations in the whole space. The source term of the heat equation results from the Joule effect due to the electrical current crossing the cell. A Chernoff scheme is used to numerically solve Stephan problem. Three dimensional numerical calculations showing ledge shape, temperature and velocity fields as well as electrical potential for an operating cell are obtained. The effect of thermal field on the electrical current and the effect of fluid motions on the ledge shape in the aluminium cells are presented.

EPFL2005

Growth, timing, & trajectory of vortices behind a rotating plate

Diego Francescangeli

The presence of aerodynamic vortices is widespread in nature. They can be found at small scales near the wing tip of flying insects or at bigger scale in the form of hurricanes, cyclones or even galaxies. They are identified as coherent regions of high vorticity where the flow is locally dominated by rotation over strain. A better comprehension of vortex dynamics has a great potential to increase aerodynamic performances of moving vehicles, such as drones or autonomous underwater vehicles. An accelerated flat plate, a pitching airfoil or a jet flow ejected from a nozzle give rise to the formation of a primary vortex, followed by the shedding of smaller secondary vortices. We experimentally study the growth, timing and trajectory of primary and secondary vortices generated from a rectangular flat plate that is rotated around its centre location in a quiescent fluid. We systematically vary the rotational speed of the plate to get a chord based Reynolds number \Rey that ranges from 800 to 12000. We identify the critical \Rey for the occurrence of secondary vortices to be at 2500. The timing of the formation of the primary vortex is \Rey independent but is affected by the plate's dimensions. The circulation of the primary vortex increases with the angular position

\alpha

of the plate, until the plate reaches 30°. Increasing the thickness and decreasing the chord lead to a longer growth of the primary vortex. Therefore, the primary vortex reaches a higher dimensionless limit strength. We define a new dimensionless time

T^*

based on the thickness of the plate to scale the age of the primary vortex. The primary vortex stops growing when

T^* \approx 10

, regardless of the dimensions of the plate. We consider this value to be the vortex formation number of the primary vortex generated from a rotating rectangular flat plate in a Reynolds number range that goes from 800 to 12000. When

\alpha

> 30°, the circulation released in the flow is entrained into secondary vortices for

\Rey > 2500

. The circulation of all secondary vortices is approximately 4 to 5 times smaller than the circulation of the primary vortex. We present a modified version of the Kaden spiral that accurately predicts the shear layer evolution and the trajectory of primary and secondary vortices during the entire rotation of the plate.We model the timing dynamics of secondary vortices with a power law equation that depends on two distinct parameter:

\chi

and

\alpha_{0}

.The parameter

\chi

indicates the relative increase in the time interval between the release of successive secondary vortices.The parameter

\alpha_{0}

indicates the angular position at which the primary vortex stops growing and pinches-off from the plate.We also observe that the total circulation released in the flow is proportional to

\alpha^{1/3}

, as predicted by the inviscid theory.The combination of the power law equation with the total circulation computed from inviscid theory predict the strength of primary and secondary vortices, based purely on the plate's geometry and kinematics.The strength prediction is confirmed by experimental measurements.In this thesis we provided a valuable insight into the growth, timing and trajectory of primary and secondary vortices generated by a rotating flat plate. Future work should be directed towards more complex object geometries and kinematics, to confirm the validity of the modified Kaden spiral and explore the influence on the formation number.

EPFL2022

Collective behavior and emerging patterns in dense dry aligning active matter

Elena Sesé Sansa

In this thesis, we study systems of active particles interacting via generic torques of different nature. We analyze the phase behavior of these systems, which results from the interplay between self-propulsion, excluded-volume and torques.We tackle the problem from two different perspectives. On the one hand, we derive a continuum field theory that describes a system of self-propelled particles subjected to generic torques. At the mean-field level, the linear stability analysis of the field equations unveils different instabilities of the homogeneous and isotropic state, leading to pattern formation and phase separation.On the other hand, we explore the phase diagrams of collections of aligning active Brownian particles by means of numerical simulations. We specifically focus on understanding what happens to motility-induced phase separation in the presence of different types of velocity alignment interactions. We study Vicsek-like alignment rules as well as dipolar interactions, which can be regarded as an alternative way of introducing effective alignment to the system. We extend the numerical simulations to also explore the phase behavior of mixtures of aligning active particles with different motilities. Here, we report a coupling between the fast and slow species, by which the fast species enhances the slow-species' motility. Finally, we address, at a fundamental level, what are the minimal ingredients leading to the emergence of a polarized phase in systems of aligning active particles. To do so, we propose a Hamiltonian model that could admit a transition to collective motion fulfilling the conservation of total linear momentum and derive a suitable algorithm to properly integrate the equations of motion.

EPFL2022

Growth, timing, & trajectory of vortices behind a rotating plate

Diego Francescangeli

\alpha

T^*

based on the thickness of the plate to scale the age of the primary vortex. The primary vortex stops growing when

T^* \approx 10

\alpha

> 30°, the circulation released in the flow is entrained into secondary vortices for

\Rey > 2500

\chi

and

\alpha_{0}

.The parameter

\chi

indicates the relative increase in the time interval between the release of successive secondary vortices.The parameter

\alpha_{0}

indicates the angular position at which the primary vortex stops growing and pinches-off from the plate.We also observe that the total circulation released in the flow is proportional to

\alpha^{1/3}

EPFL2022