Multiphase flows often play a central role in engineering and have numerous practical applications. The proposed research focuses on free-surface thin-film flows over heated substrates. Such flows are part of the general class of interfacial flows which involve such diverse effects as dispersion and nonlinearity, dissipation and energy accumulation, two- and three-dimensional phenomena and hence they are of great fundamental significance. Film dynamics and stability are governed by the effects of gravity, inertia, capillarity, thermocapillarity, viscosity, as well as surface topology and conditions. The thermocapillary forces give rise to an important surface phenomenon known as the Marangoni effect, in which variations in surface tension due to temperature result in liquid flow. The Marangoni effect leads to film deformation, driving it to rise locally and thus to generate instabilities that lead eventually to the formation of wave structures. In low-Reynolds (Re)-numbers heated falling films the thermocapillary forces are in competition with those of gravity and viscosity. In shear-driven horizontal flows, gravity is absent and the driving force is that of viscous shear at the gas-liquid interface. At higher Re inertia begins to play an increasingly dominant role. Film flows show great promise in terms of their heat exchange capabilities. We aspire to harness and extend this promise, which will allow step improvements to the performance and efficiency of a host of technologies and industrial applications that rely crucially on film flows. This proposal seeks funding for a comprehensive three-year research programme into a three-pronged novel experimental, theoretical and numerical investigation aimed at rationally understanding and systematically predicting the hydrodynamic characteristics of liquid films flowing over heated surfaces, and furthermore, how these characteristics control the heat transfer potential of the corresponding flows. The proposal aims to answer these questions, with the goal of being able to accurately and efficiently predict complex physical behaviour in heated film flows. We focus specifically on two paradigm flows: gravity-driven falling films and gas-driven horizontal films. The analytical work will be complemented by detailed numerical simulations that will act to verify the efficacy of the developed flow models while both analysis and computations will be contrasted with advanced experiments. The work will be undertaken by a team from the Chemical and Mechanical Engineering Departments at Imperial College London with complementary skills and strengths: Kalliadasis (Analysis--Theory), Markides (Experimental Fluid Mechanics) and van Wachem (Multiphase Flow Modelling--Computations).

Our Hub research is driven by the societal need to produce medicines and materials for modern living through novel manufacturing processes. The enormous value of the industries manufacturing these high value products is estimated to generate £50 billion p.a. in the UK economy. To ensure international competitiveness for this huge UK industry we must urgently create new approaches for the rapid design of these systems, controlling how molecules self-assemble into small crystals, in order to best formulate and deliver these for patient and customer. We must also develop the engineering tools, process operations and control methods to manufacture these products in a resource-efficient way, while delivering the highest quality materials. Changing the way in which these materials are made, from what is called "batch" crystallisation (using large volume tanks) to "continuous" crystallisation (a more dynamic, "flowing" process), gives many advantages, including smaller facilities, more efficient use of expensive ingredients such as solvents, reducing energy requirements, capital investment, working capital, minimising risk and variation and, crucially, improving control over the quality and performance of the particles making them more suitable for formulation into final products. The vision is to quickly and reliably design a process to manufacture a given material into the ideal particle using an efficient continuous process, and ensure its effective delivery to the consumer. This will bring precision medicines and other highly customisable projects to market more quickly. An exemplar is the hubs exciting innovation partnership with Cancer Research UK. Our research will develop robust design procedures for rapid development of new particulate products and innovative processes, integrate crystallisation and formulation to eliminate processing steps and develop reconfiguration strategies for flexible production. This will accelerate innovation towards redistributed manufacturing, more personalisation of products, and manufacturing closer to the patient/customer. We will develop a modular MicroFactory for integrated particle engineering, coupled with a fully integrated, computer-modelling approach to guide the design of processes and materials at molecule, particle and formulation levels. This will help optimise what we call the patient-centric supply chain and provide customisable products. We will make greater use of targeted experimental design, prediction and advanced computer simulation of new formulated materials, to control and optimise the processes to manufacture them. Our talented team of scientists will use the outstanding capabilities in the award winning £34m CMAC National Facility at Strathclyde and across our 6 leading university spokes (Bath, Cambridge, Imperial, Leeds, Loughborough, Sheffield). This builds on existing foundations independently recognised by global industry as 'exemplary collaboration between industry, academia and government which represents the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain R&D framework'. Our vision will be translated from research into industry through partnership and co-investment of £31m. This includes 10 of world's largest pharmaceutical companies (eg AstraZeneca, GSK), chemicals and food companies (Syngenta, Croda, Mars) and 19 key technology companies (Siemens, 15 SMEs) Together, with innovation spokes eg Catapult (CPI) we aim to provide the UK with the most advanced, integrated capabilities to deliver continuous manufacture, leading to better materials, better value, more sustainable and flexible processes and better health and well-being for the people of the UK and worldwide. CMAC will create future competitive advantage for the UK in medicines manufacturing and chemicals sector and is strongly supported by industry / government bodies, positioning the UK as the investment location choice for future investments in research and manufacturing.

This proposal is to establish a Doctoral Training Centre embedded within the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation. The Centre tackles a core issue in the manufacture of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals - an important sector for the UK - and has strong support from industry including major companies from the Pharma sector (GSK, AstraZeneca, Novartis). We will enable manufacturers to shift their production processes from traditional batch methods, which can be expensive, inefficient and limited in their control, to continuous methods that offer solutions to each of these issues. The Centre can potentially make a huge impact on the UK's manufacturing efficiency in a £multi-billion sector. Although the EPSRC Centre does have a limited cohort of PhD students at the moment, there is no provision for 2012 onwards. As the largest of the current EPSRC Centres, achieving a critical mass of researchers across the core disciplines is a key goal as we establish a world class research activity. It is also important for our industry partners that the UK can meet their needs for trained people in this area and embed continuous processing in their manufacturing plants. We will establish a unique and tailored training and research programme that meets these needs. The proposed DTC will add an extra dimension to the EPSRC Centre, training 3 cohorts of PhD students with the skills, knowledge and understanding to help meet the challenges of continuous manufacturing. Recruiting 45 students over 3 intakes in 2012/13/14 the DTC will mark a step change in activity in this field. We will attract the very best PGR students and equip them to become future leaders who will be influential in implementing this transformational change. The research will contribute to opportunites for new products that can be brought more quickly to market, using more reliable, energy-efficient and profitable manufacturing routes. The Centre involves a multidisciplinary team across 7 universities who will contribute to the DTC including expertise in pharmaceutical sciences, chemical engineering, chemistry, operations management and manufacturing. Thus, the embedded DTC will provide students with a unique programme of training across disciplines, using a combination of modules and research activities. . Students will register in a host institution and will follow a 1+3 year model. Year 1 will comprise intensive formal training delivered in 10 residential courses across the universities, including transferable skills and group project work, allowing the cohort to gain identity and build team spirit and fellowship. Elective specialist elements will then develop knowledge in preparation for PhD research, along with exploratory cross-disciplinary mini-projects. Assessment of modules and projects will be by a combination of presentations and reports. Years 2-4 will focus on multidisciplinary, co-supervised PhD research projects, allowing the student to work with academics from across the Centre. Further transferable skills training and cohort building activities will include an annual two-week Summer School, and networking opportunities with other cohorts. The proposed DTC has captured the imagination of our industrial collaborators with 5 additional companies having added their support to the creation of this DTC. In addition to substantial cash contributions they are offering training, site visits, project input, mentoring and short-term industrial placements. We will create a national community of highly skilled researchers in continuous manufacturing and crystallisation, building the scale and quality of research to enhance the international reputation of our Centre and make a real difference to the manufacture of high-value products, such as pharmaceuticals. The training of 45 high quality DTC PhD students will make a major contribution towards this goal.