IUTAM Symposium on Lubricated Transport of Viscous Materials

The main objective of the First International Symposium on Lubricated Transport of Viscous Materials was to bring together scientists and engineers from academia and industryto discuss current research work and exchange ideas in this newly emerging field. It is an area offluid dynamics devoted to laying bare the principlesofthe lubricated transport of viscous materials such as crude oil, concentrated oil/water emulsion, slurries and capsules. It encompasses several types of problem. Studies of migration of particulates away from walls, Segre-Silverberg effects, lubrication versus lift and shear-induced migration belong to one category. Some of the technological problems are the fluid dynamics ofcore flows emphasizing studies ofstability, problems of start-up, lift-off and eccentric flow where gravity causes the core flow to stratify. Another category of problems deals with the fouling of pipe walls with oil, with undesirable increases in pressure gradients and even blocking. This study involves subjects like adhesion and dynamic contact angles. The topics ofshear-induced diffusion ofsmall particles and wall slip in slow flow are other appropriate subjects. Computer intensive studiesofflow-induced microstructures and moving interface problems are yet additional research directions. The general consensus was that the Symposium was a tremendous success, although the number of presentations fell below expectations. Scientists from the petroleum industry, and this includes INTEVEP (Venezuela), Schlumberger and Syncrude Canada Ltd. , and consultants to oil companies actively participated in the Symposium. The meeting produced new insights which should lead to further interesting research work and established contacts for possiblejoint investigations.