Biosketch
Mohammad Hashemi obtained his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in summer 2013. Pursuing an M.Sc. degree, his background directed him to the research activities of Dr. Felicelli and Dr. Eshraghi on the numerical modeling of dendritic solidification at the University of Akron, OH, USA (winter 2014 to summer 2016). Besides his graduate studies, he gained unique research experiences in turbulent reacting flows, stochastic models, and atomization processes at the University of Pittsburgh and Concordia University. He could achieve the Graduate Fellowship D ENCS award from Concordia University between 2017 to 2020. Mohammad joined CACT in fall 2021 as a research assistant and Ph.D. student under the supervision of Dr. Dolatabadi. He conducted a numerical study on the atomization mechanisms involved in thermal spray processes. His main research interest is developing new computational models for the simulation of interfacial phenomena, combustion, and dendritic solidification.
Research
My research focuses on the liquid jet in crossflow (LJIC) process, a method used to disperse liquid into a gaseous medium, with applications ranging from fuel injection to advanced plasma spraying. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), I investigate how gas viscosity and density influence jet breakup mechanisms, particularly under conditions dominated by Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability. The study employs incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, a geometric volume-of-fluid (VOF) method for interface capturing, and adaptive mesh refinement to achieve detailed simulations. A key focus is on the role of vorticity, as KH vortices significantly impact liquid/gas interface deformation and surface breakup dynamics. Vorticity analysis, performed using the λ² method, reveals that vertical vortices along the liquid column are critical to droplet and ligament formation. The findings show that KH instability governs jet breakup in ultra-high density ratios and low gaseous Reynolds numbers, contrasting with Rayleigh-Taylor instability commonly observed in similar conditions. These insights advance the understanding of vorticity-driven atomization, contributing to the optimization of industrial processes like fuel injection and plasma spraying.