Title: Exploring Fluid-Structure Interactions Toward Enhanced Green Energy Solutions

Abstract: Structures immersed in fluid flow inevitably undergo flow-induced forces and vibrations. Traditionally, engineering designs meticulously avoid detrimental flow-induced instabilities such as buckling and flutter. However, in modern engineering applications, particularly those related to green energy, these instabilities can be leveraged to reach a higher level of performance. In this talk, I will outline ongoing research in my lab focused on developing theoretical and computational models to understand the interaction between fluids and structures. I will begin by establishing a link between apparently diverse responses of energy systems, wherein fluid-structure interaction and interfacial dynamics play key roles. Then, I’ll delve into two specific areas: geometrical flow control of morphing bodies and offshore energy harvesting from waves and wind. For the first topic, I’ll introduce the embedded geometrical immersion technique for analyzing morphing bodies and discuss the formulation of a fast linearized model-based flow control framework for shape-changing systems. These techniques have applications in future air vehicles and versatile wind turbine blades, enabling them to adapt continuously to unsteady flow conditions while maintaining stability and performance. Following this, I’ll address the challenges associated with energy harvesting from ocean wind, waves, and currents and discuss our research and future vision about integrated modeling and control of wind and wave floating power systems aiming for optimal power production.

Bio: Dr. Kourosh Shoele is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University. His research interests include fluid-structure interaction,  model reduction techniques, multiphase instabilities and unsteady vortex dynamics. His research explains the role the fluid and solid interaction plays in improving or hindering the performance of diverse engineering applications such as airfoils, skin panels, animal locomotion, and energy systems. He was a research scientist at Johns Hopkins University and received his doctoral degree from the University of California San Diego.  He is the recipient of NSF Career Award in Fluid Dynamics, DARPA Young Faculty Award, DARPA YFA-director fellowship and Florida State University COE Rising Star Faculty Award. His research has been sponsored by NSF, DARPA, NASA, DOE, ONR, ARO, AFOSR and several national labs and private companies.