Assume you want to move a solid object through a fluid over a given distance in a given time; what should be the velocity V(t) in order to spend the smallest amount of energy? Although this problem may seem trivial, no general analytical result is available.
This project will tackle this problem for a 2D circular cylinder. Numerical simulations (Comsol or Freefem++) and optimal control theory will be used to optimize the velocity toward the most energy-efficient motion.
Supervisors: Edouard Boujo and Shahab Eghbali
