Modelling interface-driven multiphase processes

Interface-driven processes occur in different applications, like in salinization at the interface soil/air, transport in fuel cells at the interface between porous layer and gas channels, in root systems in the soil with interfaces between vessel-like structures and porous media. It is similar in transport systems for therapeutic agents in the human body and many other fields. Very often, the problem is characterized by an interaction of free and porous-medium flow. The quantification of transfer fluxes of mass, momentum and energy is crucial for the above-mentioned applications. In the course of these processes, the flow dynamics in the porous domain and in the free flow exhibit a strong interdependency, which is often controlled by mechanisms at the common interface. This is key to an improved understanding and the development of appropriate models for applications like those mentioned above.