The proposed research program aims to study a number of transport processes in two-phase materials using a variety of theoretical techniques. Example of problems to be investigated include the effect of polydispersity on: (1) the thermocapillary migration of drops and bubbles in a gravity- free environment; 2) the effective shear viscosity of suspensions, and 3) the permeability of a packed bed. Calculations will be performed using both exact solutions, which are limited in their validity to small particle concentrations, as well as the effective medium technique developed by one of the PI's. In addition, an attempt will be made to place this method on a firmer foundation and to extend its scope so as to determine the pair probability function in flowing suspensions. Finally, it is proposed to develop a general kinetic model for computing the variation of the particle distribution functions in flowing suspensions.
