Challenges and Opportunities for Machine Learning in Fluid Mechanics

TL;DR

This paper reviews how machine learning can be integrated into fluid mechanics, highlighting challenges, opportunities, and applications such as turbulence modeling, flow prediction, and flow control, to enhance research and data analysis.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of applying machine learning techniques to fluid mechanics, emphasizing integration with traditional methods and exploring practical applications.

Findings

Machine learning can model complex fluid dynamics problems.

Integration of ML with classical methods offers new research avenues.

Several applications demonstrate ML's potential in fluid mechanics.

Abstract

Big data and machine learning are driving comprehensive economic and social transformations and are rapidly re-shaping the toolbox and the methodologies of applied scientists. Machine learning tools are designed to learn functions from data with little to no need of prior knowledge. As continuous developments in experimental and numerical methods improve our ability to collect high-quality data, machine learning tools become increasingly viable and promising also in disciplines rooted in physical principles. These notes explore how machine learning can be integrated and combined with more classic methods in fluid dynamics. After a brief review of the machine learning landscape, we show how many problems in fluid mechanics can be framed as machine learning problems and we explore challenges and opportunities. We consider several relevant applications: aeroacoustic noise prediction, turbulence modelling, reduced-order modelling and forecasting, meshless integration of (partial) differential equations, super-resolution and flow control. While this list is by no means exhaustive, the presentation will provide enough concrete examples to offer perspectives on how machine learning might impact the way we do research and learn from data.