Analysis of Transport Phenomena: Fluid Mechanics
Graduate-level introduction to mathematical modeling of heat and mass transfer (diffusion and convection), fluid dynamics, chemical reactions, and phase transformations.
Course Information
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About this Course
Analysis of Transport Phenomena is a series of the following nine MOOC modules:
- 10.50.CH01x Models
- 10.50.CH02x Mathematical Formulation
- 10.50.CH03x Scaling
- 10.50.CH04x Asymptotics
- 10.50.CH05x Series Expansions
- 10.50.CH06x Fluid Mechanics
- 10.50.CH07x Convection
- 10.50.CH08x Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics
- 10.50.CH09x Electrochemical Transport
In these MOOCs, you will learn to formulate mathematical models of transport phenomena based on partial differential equations and to solve them by pencil and paper. You will also learn the art of approximation—how to obtain useful solutions by simplifying a model without sacrificing the key physics. Applications include heat and mass transfer, fluid flow, waves, hydrodynamic instabilities, convection, phase transformations and electrochemical transport.
At MIT, 10.50 is a required subject for all first-year graduate students in chemical engineering, but it also attracts students from other departments. This online course is suitable for anyone interested in learning the principles of continuum modeling. Although the examples are mostly from chemical engineering, no prior knowledge is assumed, beyond basic undergraduate applied mathematics.
The engineering applications and mathematical methods you learn in this course will advance your career in industry or academics. While your friends and co-workers may be able to run an experiment or computer simulation, you will also be able to formulate models, make scaling estimates, and derive simple analytical approximations. There is growing demand for such mathematical skills in most technical careers and graduate programs today.
What you'll learn
- Unidirectional Couette and Poiseuille flows
- Lubrication approximation and the Reynolds lubrication equation
- Linear and nonlinear waves and the method of characteristics
- Tensor algebra and calculus for continuum mechanics
- Navier–Stokes equations
- Creeping flow at low Reynolds number
- Inertial flow at high Reynolds number; turbulence
- Interfacial tension, wetting, and thin films
- Linear stability analysis
Prerequisites
Required: multivariable calculus and ordinary differential equations
Recommended: undergraduate-level exposure to partial differential equations, heat and mass transfer, and fluid dynamics; previous modules of 10.50x as needed.
Meet your instructors
Martin Bazant
Professor of Chemical Engineering & Mathematics
After a PhD in Physics at Harvard University (1997), Professor Bazant first joined the MIT faculty in Mathematics (1998) and then in Chemical Engineering (2008), where he has served as Executive Officer (2016-2020) and now as the first Digital Learning Officer. His online teaching innovations in 10.50.1x have been recognized by the MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning in MOOCs and a finalist for the Edx Prize. His research combines mathematical theory with computation and experiments in electrochemical systems, electrokinetics, and transport phenomena. His honors and awards include the 2015 Alexander Kuznetsov Prize in Theoretical Electrochemistry (ISE), the 2018 Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering (AIChE), numerous distinguished lectureships and chairs, and Fellow status in the American Physical Society, the International Electrochemical Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He also consults extensively for industry and serves as the Chief Scientific Advisor for Saint Gobain North America.
