Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation's Directorate for Engineering (CFDA 47.041) awarded $279,048 to SUNY at Binghamton, effective September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2029, to support collaborative research on the physics and population-balance modeling of oil-coated air bubbles in turbulent flows. The project integrates controlled laboratory experiments with high-fidelity computer simulations to identify the physical mechanisms governing bubble deformation, breakup frequency, and fragment formation. Researchers will quantify how coating thickness, fluid material properties, and turbulence intensity influence breakup behavior and the resulting distributions of daughter bubbles and droplets, producing physics-based predictive breakup models suitable for incorporation into larger-scale engineering simulations.

The research outcomes will advance applications ranging from drug delivery technologies and oil spill dispersion in marine environments to industrial separation processes. The project includes an educational component offering undergraduates hands-on research opportunities and K-12 students interactive demonstrations on fluid motion and scientific exploration. Deliverables include experimental data characterizing coated bubble behavior under varying conditions, validated computational models, and peer-reviewed publications supporting the broader engineering research community's understanding of multiphase flow dynamics in complex fluid systems.