Physicists will convene to share potential climate solutions at the 75th annual meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics online and in person in Indianapolis Nov. 20-22.
Registered journalists interested in new advancements in firefighting measures, hurricane-resilient building ventilation and environmentally-safe, soundwave-based air conditioning are invited to attend a press conference online or in person in room 210 of the Indiana Convention Center on Nov. 22 at 9:30 a.m. EST.
Complimentary registration for news media with valid APS press credentials is required to attend the press conference and meeting. To request press credentials, visit APS’ online press room.
Additional details, including instructions for joining the press conference remotely, will be sent via email to registered journalists. The press conference will be recorded and available upon request.
Descriptions of the presentations that will be featured in the press conference are below.
Fuel Ladders Transform Prescribed Burns Into Unmanageable Wildfires
Prescribed burns are an important part of fire management in Southern California. But these burns sometimes escalate from controlled surface fires designed to clear flammable detritus to untamable wildfires that spread from treetop to treetop in a phenomenon known as crown fires.
Now, Sanika Nishandar and her colleagues will reveal insights from a laboratory-scale experiment and fire dynamics simulator. Their research examines how controlled fire on dry surfaces sneakily climbs up living shrubs, using this vegetation as both a fuel source and ladder to reach tree crowns and spread. This data on fuels specific to California’s environment could be applied to improve firefighting tactics as fire seasons in the United States and around the world continue to worsen due to climate change.
Airflow Modeling Makes Buildings Resilient Against Hurricanes and Extreme Heat
Two other consequences of unaddressed climate change are the growing frequency of Category Five hurricanes and the growing frequency of heat waves. Hurricanes are equipped with heavy, house-flattening winds like those of Hurricane Ivan, while heat waves can expose building residents to dangerously high indoor temperatures.
Here, Catherine Gorlé and colleagues will describe how they designed new modeling frameworks to efficiently predict external wind loading and indoor ventilation and cooling, under changing wind conditions like speed, direction and temperature. The models’ efficacy was tested using measurements in real buildings and in wind tunnels. The researchers suggest that these simulations can play a vital role in improving the sustainability and resiliency of the built environment.
Sound-Wave Cooling Provides an Option for Sustainable Air Conditioning
As the climate warms, frequent heat waves pose a growing threat to human health. But current air conditioning devices, which emit pollutants and greenhouse gasses, are themselves contributors to climate change. So, scientists have been exploring other air conditioning techniques, like thermoacoustic cooling, or the process of cooling through sound waves.
During the meeting, Nathan Blanc will describe he and his colleagues’ new model for a phase change thermoacoustic heat pump. Their analyses and initial experiments suggest that this model could easily outperform other proposed thermoacoustic cooling systems. He will also evaluate what remaining obstacles may prevent implementation of domestic thermoacoustic cooling.
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The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings and education, outreach, advocacy and international activities. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories and industry in the United States and throughout the world.