Bio-inspired Fluid Dynamic Energy Conversion

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This project aims to develop and demonstrate novel experimental and analytical methods for the integration of biological inspiration in the design of small-scale fluid dynamic energy conversion systems. Previous investigations of energy conversion from natural aero- and hydrodynamic power sources have relied on simplified engineering models of the fluid physics, which are limited in validity to flows of a lesser spatial and temporal complexity than those observed in nature. Consequently, the associated design methodologies exhibit inherent limits in the efficiency and versatility of fluid dynamic energy conversion that can be achieved. By extracting the fundamental physics underlying the successful manipulation of fluid-structure interactions by animals, we will possess the tools necessary to develop engineering technologies that can be similarly effective when energy storage is the functional aim instead of locomotion. The objective of this project is to extend previous progress by the PI in determining the mechanisms of conversion to fluid dynamic energy, to address the problem of energy extraction from natural aero- and hydrodynamic power sources. Intellectual Merit: The proposed research will resolve the physics governing the manipulation of fluid energy via multi-scale interactions with solid structures. Furthermore, the scientific methods demonstrated in this project can lead a transformation of the rapidly growing practice of "bio-inspired engineering" from a qualitative art to a rigorous, quantitative engineering tool. The combined framework will enhance our ability to apply fluid dynamics principles in the analysis and improvement of existing fluid-based energy systems, and to optimize the design of new energy technologies that incorporate fluid transport. In the process, the physical principles that govern the unsteady (time-dependent) transport and conversion of energy during biological and environmental fluid-structure interactions will be identified. The specific hypothesis to be tested here is that kinetic energy can be extracted from incident vortices by manipulating the first moment of vorticity. This hypothesis and the associated research questions will be investigated by combining unique, multi-scale laboratory experiments, recently developed theoretical concepts in vortex dynamics, and quantitative studies of free-swimming jellyfish in the laboratory and in the field. Broader Impact: A suite of research tools developed will be developed, which enable application of what is learned about jellyfish dynamics to problems ranging from heart disease (via analogous vortex dynamics) to bio-sensor technology (via analogous fluid chemotaxis). Education and outreach will be facilitated by an existing partnership between the PI and a local marine education center. This relationship will be leveraged to provide students in K- 12 education with a "hands-on" introduction to science as a means of improving our quality of life while preserving our natural resources. Finally, the PI will maintain a leadership role in a campus mentoring program that introduces underrepresented incoming freshmen to the research environment at Caltech.