From rotorcraft operating in dense urban environments to spacecraft navigating the atmosphere of another world, researchers in Embry-Riddle’s Computational Fluids and Aerodynamics Lab (CFAL) are tackling complex flow challenges across air, space and extreme environments.
CFAL develops advanced computational and experimental tools to study aerospace and multiphysics flow problems, particularly in environments where conventional aerodynamic models are difficult to apply. Researchers combine high-performance computing, experimental diagnostics, advanced simulation and emerging artificial intelligence methods to better understand how vehicles and systems interact with the environments around them.
Rotorcraft and Advanced Air Mobility
CFAL researchers study rotor aerodynamics and the complex environments in which next-generation aircraft operate. Research includes ship airwakes, urban operations, vertiports, rotor outwash and real-time computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for flight simulation.
Space and Planetary Aerodynamics
Research extends beyond Earth to examine aerodynamic challenges associated with planetary exploration and spaceflight. Areas of study include aerodynamics supporting NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Titan, low-gravity flows, rotorcraft operations in extraterrestrial atmospheres, landing environments and very-low-Earth-orbit aerodynamics.
Hypersonics and Reentry
CFAL investigates the extreme aerodynamic and thermal environments encountered by high-speed vehicles. Research includes hypersonic vehicle aerodynamics, lateral and divert jets, thermal protection systems and CFD validation using advanced experimental diagnostics, including Schlieren imaging.
Multiphase and Extreme-Environment Flows
Aircraft and spacecraft do not always operate in clean, predictable environments. CFAL researchers model complex interactions involving rain, droplets, dust, debris, cavitation, icing, saltation and shock-droplet interactions to better understand how these conditions affect aerodynamic systems.
Atmospheric and Environmental Flows
Research explores how the built and natural environments influence airflow, including atmospheric boundary layers, winds around buildings and terrain, wind-energy applications, and interactions between vehicles and their surrounding environments.
Real-Time and AI-Accelerated Modeling
CFAL is advancing faster approaches to complex simulation through GPU-based CFD, lattice-Boltzmann methods, reduced-order models, machine learning, physics-informed models and digital twins. These capabilities support near-real-time prediction for applications ranging from vehicle design to flight simulation.
Multidisciplinary Design
Aerodynamics is one part of a larger engineering system. CFAL research connects CFD with structures, controls, thermal analysis, optimization and systems engineering to support integrated aerospace vehicle design.
Lab Director
Associate Professor and Interim Associate Dean
- Department of Aerospace Engineering
- College of Engineering
Related Resources
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Dr. Michael KinzelS Building, Rms. 110 and 111
Daytona Beach, FL 32114