Advances of Multiphase Flow in Hydraulic and Marine Engineering

Dear Colleagues,

Multiphase flow phenomena, involving the simultaneous movement of materials with different phases or chemical composition, are ubiquitous in hydraulic and marine environments. Understanding these complex flows—whether air–water free-surface flows, sediment-laden currents, oil–gas–water mixtures, or cavitating flows—is fundamental to addressing some of the most pressing challenges in engineering and environmental science. This Special Issue, titled "Advances of Multiphase Flow in Hydraulic and Marine Engineering," aims to collate high-quality research that deepens our theoretical understanding, improves numerical modeling capabilities, and introduces innovative experimental techniques in this dynamic field. By providing a dedicated platform, we seek to foster interdisciplinary dialog and accelerate technological breakthroughs. 

The study of multiphase flows sits at the intersection of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and materials science. In hydraulic engineering, multiphase flow dynamics are critical for the design and operation of spillways, energy dissipators, and pumping systems, where air entrainment can significantly affect structural loads and efficiency. Similarly, sediment transport in rivers and reservoirs represents a classic liquid–solid flow problem with direct implications for watershed management, infrastructure sustainability, and flood risk assessment. 

In marine engineering, the challenges are equally profound. The exploration and production of subsea oil and gas resources rely on accurately predicting multiphase flow behavior in pipelines and wellbores to ensure safety and optimize recovery. Marine hydrodynamics must account for wave–structure interactions, often involving air entrapment and spray (gas–liquid flows), which impact the stability of offshore platforms, ships, and renewable energy installations like tidal and wave energy converters. Furthermore, cavitation (the formation of vapor cavities in a liquid) remains a critical issue for propellers and hydraulic turbines, affecting performance, noise, and material erosion.

This Special Issue will explore these topics and more, highlighting the latest advances in both fundamental research and practical applications. We are particularly interested in contributions that bridge the gap between theoretical models and real-world engineering solutions. 

We invite the submission of original research articles and comprehensive review papers that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Experimental Techniques and Measurements: Advanced instrumentation (e.g., PIV, LDA, high-speed imaging), scale modeling, and full-scale field measurements for multiphase flows.
• Numerical Modeling and Simulation: Developments in CFD, including Eulerian–Eulerian and Eulerian–Lagrangian approaches, DNS, LES, and RANS modeling of turbulent multiphase flows.
• Sediment Transport and River Dynamics: Erosion, deposition, scour around structures, hyperconcentrated flows, and their ecological and geomorphological impacts.
• Air–Water Flows: Aeration, whitewater, jets, plunging flows, and the role of free-surface dynamics in hydraulic structures.
• Cavitation and Phase Change: Nucleation, bubble dynamics, supercavitation, and their effects on the performance and integrity of hydraulic machinery and marine propulsors.
• Particle-Laden and Granular Flows: Debris flows, slurry transport in pipelines, and industrial applications involving solid–liquid mixtures.
• Oil–Gas–Water Flows in Subsea Systems: Flow assurance, slug flow, hydrate formation, and multiphase pumping in offshore oil and gas production.
• Wave–Structure Interaction: Breaking waves, slamming, green water on decks, and the associated loads on fixed and floating structures.
• Environmental and Ecological Aspects: Transport of pollutants, microplastics, and nutrients in aquatic systems; bubble-mediated gas transfer across the air–sea interface.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in JMSE.

Dr. Wei Liu
Dr. Ling Zhou
Prof. Dr. Yuquan Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• multiphase flow
• CFD modeling
• air–water flow
• cavitation
• sediment transport
• wave–structure interaction
• subsea oil–gas–water flow
• hydraulic structures
• marine engineering