Fluid Science Global Research and Education Hub
Purpose of the Center
As human life unfolds along the axes of time and space, it is naturally affected by a wide range of flow phenomena on many spatial and temporal scales. The purpose of this Center is to bring together experts from a variety of disciplines, both from Japan and overseas, to promote fundamental research on these types of flow phenomena and to utilize the findings of basic research as a foundation for interdisciplinary collaboration with other advanced scientific fields, and for applied research on high-priority technologies. Our aim is to contribute to human welfare by conducting world-class theoretical and practical research on a diverse range of flow phenomena and by training the next generation of young researchers and engineers.
Policy on collaborative research
Since the restructuring of our research system in 1998, the Fluid Science Research Center has become a major center of research in the field of fluid science. In response to the needs of the research community, as well as to trends in related academic disciplines, and to the needs of society as a whole, we have developed collaborative research projects with scientists from Japan and overseas focusing on fluid phenomena in five specific areas: 1) aerospace, 2) energy, 3) life sciences, 4) nanotechnology, and 5) fundamental research.
In the field of aerospace, the Center boasts one the most sophisticated low-turbulence wind tunnels in the world, and shock tube facilities that make it possible to study a wide range of shock wave phenomena. Moreover, all experimental equipment is linked directly to a supercomputer to create a next-generation interdisciplinary research system. This system facilitates both basic and applied research in fluid dynamics in the aerospace field, with a particular focus on development of next-generation aircraft that are significantly safer, quieter and more energy efficient.
In the energy field, the Center's next-generation interdisciplinary research system utilizes a variety of experimental equipment designed to clarify ultra high speed, high temperature, and high pressure flow phenomena, as well as extremely low temperature, low pressure flows under cryogenic conditions. Basic and applied research in this field is important for the improvement of the safety and efficiency of both natural (renewable) energy and nuclear energy, and for the development of micro-combustors and other new technologies with ultra-high energy conversion efficiency.
In the field of life science, we use a variety of experimental equipment and our next-generation transdiscipIinary research system to study flow phenomena in living organisms. By conducting basic and applied research from the perspective of fluid science on such things as the dynamics of blood flow, we are helping to clarify the mechanisms of circulatory system diseases. This is expected to lead to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, and new types of medical devices.
In the field of nanotechnology, our laboratories are equipped with experimental devices for the study of nano-scale processes and plasma phenomena, which together with our next-generation interdisciplinary research system enable us to carry out basic and applied research on fluid science as related to nano/micro technologies. This will lead to the development of next-generation fabrication technologies for ultra small-scale and ultra energy-efficient semiconductors, more highly efficient fuel cells, and plasma-based medical treatments.
In the field of fundamental research, a wide range of advanced experimental facilities, including our low-turbulence wind tunnel and shock wave facilities, in combination with our next-generation interdisciplinary research system, are being used to clarify basic phenomena related to turbulent flows and shock wave behavior. We are also involved in the development of new numerical analytical approaches and new measurement techniques, as well as the construction of databases. This fundamental research in fluid science will provide a common foundation for a wide range of applied research.
