Chair of Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics

University of Ljubljana | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Mission:

The Department performs tasks that contribute to the development of fundamental knowledge in the field of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, with special emphasis on multiphase systems and transport phenomena.

Objectives:

Education at all three levels of the Bologna programme at the University of Ljubljana and development contributions to technological competitiveness of industry, conservation of energy reserves and protecting the natural environment.

Courses

Bachelor's degree courses (R&DP/POAP)

Thermodynamics

(Research & Development Programme)

Lecturer:

Prof. Božidar Šarler, PhD
📧 bozidar.sarler@fs.uni-lj.si

Teaching assistants:

Asst. Prof. Umut Hanoglu, PhD
📧 umut.hanoglu@fs.uni-lj.si

Tch. Asst. Jure Dolinar
📧 jure.dolinar@fs.uni-lj.si

Full Course Description

About the Course

  • Introduction and Motivation
  • Classification of thermodynamics
  • Thermodynamic concepts
  • Laws of thermodynamics
  • Thermodynamic variables
  • Fundamentals of description of closed and open systems
  • Fundamentals of description of single constituent single phase and multiphase systems
  • Fundamentals of description of multi-constituent single-phase systems
  • Fundamentals of description of multi-constituent multi-phase systems
  • Fundamentals of description of complicated systems
  • Statistical thermodynamics
  • Thermodynamic analysis of heat engines
  • Thermodynamic analysis of cooling devices
  • Fundamentals of description of atmospheric air
  • Combustion

Thermofluidics

(Project Oriented Applied Programme)

Lecturer:

Asst. Prof. Boštjan Mavrič, PhD
📧 bostjan.mavric@fs.uni-lj.si

Teaching assistants:

Tch. Asst. Gašper Vuga, PhD
📧 gasper.vuga@fs.uni-lj.si

Tch. Asst. Jure Dolinar
📧 jure.dolinar@fs.uni-lj.si

Full Course Description

About the Course

  • Introduction and Motivation
  • Structure of thermodynamics
  • Thermodynamic variables and functions
  • Experimental variables
  • Process variables
  • Thermodynamic laws
  • Thermodynamic processes
  • Important thermodynamic cycles
  • Mixtures
  • Hydrostatics
  • Fluid dynamics fundamentals - incompressible flow
  • Fluid dynamics fundamentals - compressible flow
  • Fluid dynamics fundamentals - flow around bodies
  • Fundamentals of fluid dynamics – channel flow
  • Fundamentals of two-phase flow

Fluid Statics and Dynamics

(Research & Development Programme)

Lecturer:

Prof. Božidar Šarler, PhD
📧 bozidar.sarler@fs.uni-lj.si

Teaching assistant:

Tch. Asst. Bor Zupan
📧 bor.zupan@fs.uni-lj.si

Full Course Description

About the Course

  • Introduction and Motivation
  • Kinematics
  • Concept of stress
  • Conservation laws in Lagrange and Euler system of description
  • Navier-Stokes equations
  • Elementary fluid statics and dynamics
  • Dimensional analysis, similarity and modelling
  • Viscous flow in ducts
  • Flow around immersed bodies
  • Flow in open channels
  • Compressible flow
  • Turbulent flow
  • Microfluidics and nanofluidics
  • Fluids under influence of external fields
  • Conclusion

Master's degree courses (MAG)

Computational Fluid Dynamics

(Masters Programme)

Lecturers:

Prof. Božidar Šarler, PhD
📧 bozidar.sarler@fs.uni-lj.si
Asst. Prof. Boštjan Mavrič, PhD
📧 bostjan.mavric@fs.uni-lj.si

Teaching assistant:

Tch. Asst. Krištof Kovačič, PhD
📧 kristof.kovacic@fs.uni-lj.si

Full Course Description

About the Course

  • Introduction and Motivation
  • Overview of the governing equations which are tackled in the framework of computational fluid dynamics and their specifics from the numerical point of view
  • Elemens of computational fluid dynamics
  • Basics of solution procedures for fluid dynamics equations
  • Space discretization of scalar and vector fields of fluid dynamics, shape and weighting functions
  • Time discretisation of scalar and vector fields of fluid dynamics
  • Finite volume method for steady diffusion problems
  • Finite volume method for steady convection-diffusion problems
  • Coupling of velocity and pressure in finite volume method
  • Specifics of computation of systems of equations in computational fluid dynamics
  • Finite volume method for transient problems
  • Numerical implementation of boundary conditions
  • Errors and uncertainties in computational fluid dynamics
  • Coupling of computational fluid dynamics simulations with other simulations
  • Specifics of simulation of complicated systems with computational fluid dynamics

Multiphase systems

(Masters Programme)

Lecturer:

Prof. Božidar Šarler, PhD
📧 bozidar.sarler@fs.uni-lj.si

Teaching assistants:

Tch. Asst. Tadej Dobravec, PhD
📧 tadej.dobravec@fs.uni-lj.si
Tch. Asst. Gašper Vidic
📧 gasper.vidic@fs.uni-lj.si

Full Course Description

About the Course

  • Introduction and Motivation
  • Multiphase systems in engineering
  • Specific multiphase systems
  • Governing equations
  • Interphase conditions
  • Averaging of governing equations
  • Solid-liquid-gas phenomena
  • Numerical simulation I
  • Numerical simulation II
  • Coupling of phenomena on different levels
  • Flow patterns
  • Showers, flows with a breakup, atomisation
  • Droplet collision, impact and splashing
  • Selection of proper formulation and numerical solution for different multiphase systems
  • Nano and micro multiphase systems

Extracurricular Courses with ECTS (R&DP/MAG)

Numerical modelling of fluid flows in engineering and natural sciences with open-source tools

(Extracurricular Course with 3 ECTS points)

Lecturers:

Prof. Božidar Šarler, PhD
📧 bozidar.sarler@fs.uni-lj.si
Asst. Prof. Boštjan Mavrič, PhD
📧 bostjan.mavric@fs.uni-lj.si

Teaching assistant:

Asst. Prof. Rizwan Zahoor, PhD
📧 rizwan.zahoor@fs.uni-lj.si

Full Course Description

About the Course

    Lectures: 10 hours
    Seminar: 20 hours
    Tutorial: 15 hours
    Individual work: 30 hours
    ECTS: 3
  • Introduction
  • Overview of governing equations and boundary Conditions of fluid flow and their specifics from the point of view of numerical solution
  • Elements of computer simulation of fluids
    Structure of the simulation system
    Hardware for computational fluid dynamics
  • Design of a solution procedure based on the control volume method for solving fluid dynamics equations
  • Errors and uncertainties of numerical solution and procedures for verification and validation
  • Overview of the open-source OpenFOAM code for numerical fluid flow simulation
  • Practical examples
  • Modifications of the OpenFOAM code and coupling of OpenFOAM code with other simulation systems – general guidelines
  • Instructions for further, more in-depth study of the presented bases

Registration for the 2025/26 study year is now closed. It will reopen for the 2026/27 study year in October of 2026.

Supplementary materials

Links

Final Works

The LFDT laboratory is available for experimental and numerical Level I (Bachelor's), Level II (Master's), and Level III (Doctoral) final assignments.

  • Numerical assignments:
    For numerical simulations, the laboratory uses an in-house-developed meshless model in Fortran and C#, as well as the open-source OpenFOAM software and ANSYS Fluent. These tools are used when students are involved in laboratory research and projects; other tools may also be used when required, for example, in collaboration with a company.
  • Experimental assignments:
    In experimental assignments, the work is designed as a stand-alone work or to validate numerical simulations. It may involve using LabView, Arduino, Python, etc. and the associated visualisation and measurement equipment.

For further information, please contact our staff during teaching hours, during office hours or by e-mail.


Diploma theses supervised by the LFDT department:


Master's theses supervised by the LFDT department::


Doctoral dissertations supervised by the LFDT department: