Researcher biography
Dr. Travis Mitchell is a Lecturer within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland (UQ). Travis completed his PhD in multiphase computational fluid dynamics at UQ, as well as a dual degree including a BE(Hons) in mechanical engineering and BSc in Mathematics. During his PhD, he interned at the Helmholtz Institue for Renewable Energy Production in Nuremberg (Germany), presented invited talks at the Warsaw University of Technology, Massachusetts Institutte of Technology, and stayed with collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania. His doctoral research focused on the development of a simulation methodology for capturing liquid-gas interactions, which he applied in the context of resource extraction.
Dr Mitchell's research is focused on the development, implementation, and application of numerical models to study complex fluid flows, with a particular interest in porous media, multiphase, and multiphysics problems. Travis was recognised at the 18th International Conference for Mesoscopic Methods in Engineering and Science with the ICMMES-CSRC Award for his work in multiphase lattice Boltzmann methods. His current research applications include the development of gas diffusion electrodes for CO2 electrolysis, bubble-particle interaction in hydrogen formation for methane pyrolysis, particle propagation in the upper respiratory system, and multiphase transport in fractured media.
Within the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, Dr. Mitchell coordinates the second year course on Computational Engineering and Data Analysis (MECH2700) and lectures into Computational Mechanics (MECH3780) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (MECH6480). Travis is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and received an EAIT Citation for Excellence in Student Learning in 2023.
Journal Articles
Sashko, Dmytro, Mitchell, Travis R., Łaniewski-Wołłk, Łukasz and Leonardi, Christopher R. (2025). Phase field lattice Boltzmann method for liquid-gas flows in complex geometries with efficient and consistent wetting boundary treatment. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 186, 101-129. doi: 10.1016/j.camwa.2025.03.014
Hill, B. M., Mitchell, T. R., Łaniewski-Wołłk, Ł., Aminossadati, S. M. and Leonardi, C. R. (2024). Development and validation of a phase-field lattice Boltzmann method for non-Newtonian Herschel-Bulkley fluids in three dimensions. Computers and Mathematics with Applications, 176, 398-414. doi: 10.1016/j.camwa.2024.10.035
Holzer, Markus, Mitchell, Travis R., Leonardi, Christopher R. and Rüde, Ulrich (2024). Development of a central-moment phase-field lattice Boltzmann model for thermocapillary flows: droplet capture and computational performance. Journal of Computational Physics, 518 113337. doi: 10.1016/j.jcp.2024.113337
Okajima, Ryota, Mitchell, Travis R., Leonardi, Christopher R. and Smart, Simon (2024). Hydrodynamics of molten media bubble columns for hydrogen production through methane pyrolysis. Physics of Fluids, 36 (10) 103347. doi: 10.1063/5.0227299
Abraham, Jijo Derick, Shavik, Sheikh Mohammad, Mitchell, Travis R., Lee, Lik Chuan, Ray, Bahni and Leonardi, Christopher R. (2024). Computational investigation of the role of ventricular remodelling in HFpEF: The key to phenotype dissection. Computers in Biology and Medicine, 180 109019, 1-17. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.109019
Bhardwaj, Utsav, Ray, Bahni, Das, Dipayan, Mitchell, Travis R., Das, Apurba and Leonardi, Christopher R. (2024). Contextual existence of an optimum through-plane orientation and aspect ratio of a fiber-segment in fibrous air filters. Physics of Fluids, 36 (3) 033348, 1-20. doi: 10.1063/5.0192443
Mojumder, Juwel C., Mitchell, Travis, Aminossadati, Saiied M. and Leonardi, Christopher R. (2024). Numerical investigation of the effect of nanoparticle aggregation on the performance of concentrated photovoltaic-solar thermal collectors with spectral filtering. Applied Thermal Engineering, 239 121944, 1-17. doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121944
López, Paulo, Mitchel, Travis, Leonardi, Christopher and Onederra, Italo (2023). Assessment of capillary rise in rocks by Time Lapse Digital Imaging. Minerals Engineering, 204 108434, 108434. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2023.108434
Liu, Yaxin, Mitchell, Travis, Upchurch, Eric R., Ozbayoglu, Evren M. and Baldino, Silvio (2023). Investigation of Taylor bubble dynamics in annular conduits with counter-current flow. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 170 104626, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2023.104626
Roslin, A., Lebedev, M., Mitchell, T.R., Onederra, I.A. and Leonardi, C.R. (2023). Processing of micro-CT images of granodiorite rock samples using convolutional neural networks (CNN). Part III: Enhancement of Scanco micro-CT images of granodiorite rocks using a 3D convolutional neural network super-resolution algorithm. Minerals Engineering, 195 108028, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2023.108028
Roslin, A., Marsh, M., Provencher, B., Mitchell, T. R., Onederra, I. A. and Leonardi, C. R. (2023). Processing of micro-CT images of granodiorite rock samples using convolutional neural networks (CNN), Part II: Semantic segmentation using a 2.5D CNN. Minerals Engineering, 195 108027, 108027. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2023.108027
Schwarzmeier, Christoph, Holzer, Markus, Mitchell, Travis, Lehmann, Moritz, Häusl, Fabian and Rüde, Ulrich (2023). Comparison of free-surface and conservative Allen–Cahn phase-field lattice Boltzmann method. Journal of Computational Physics, 473 111753, 1-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jcp.2022.111753
Mitchell, T. R., Roslin, A., Łaniewski-Wołłk, , Onederra, I. and Leonardi, C. R. (2023). Quantifying the permeability enhancement from blast-induced microfractures in porphyry rocks using a cumulant lattice Boltzmann method. Transport in Porous Media, 146 (3), 587-615. doi: 10.1007/s11242-022-01875-4
Mitchell, T. R., Wang, Z., Araos, M., Leonardi, C. R., Gefken, P. R. and Onederra, I. A. (2023). Experimental and numerical investigation into the fracture patterns induced by blast-loading under unconfined and confined conditions. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 56 (4), 2433-2455. doi: 10.1007/s00603-022-03195-x
Roslin, A., Marsh, M., Piché, N., Provencher, B., Mitchell, T. R., Onederra, I. A. and Leonardi, C. R. (2022). Processing of micro-CT images of granodiorite rock samples using convolutional neural networks (CNN), Part I: Super-resolution enhancement using a 3D CNN. Minerals Engineering, 188 107748, 107748. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2022.107748
Zhong, Ruizhi, Mitchell, Travis, Johnson Jr., Raymond and Leonardi, Christopher (2022). Efficient implicit methods for wellbore shear failure analysis during drilling and production in coalbeds. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 155 105129, 105129. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2022.105129
Mitchell, T., Holzer, M., Schwarzmeier, C., Bauer, M., Rüde, U. and Leonardi, C. (2021). Stability assessment of the phase-field lattice Boltzmann model and its application to Taylor bubbles in annular piping geometries. Physics of Fluids, 33 (8) 083325, 1-22. doi: 10.1063/5.0061694
Mitchell, T. R., Majidi, M., Rahimian, M. H. and Leonardi, C. R. (2021). Computational modeling of three-dimensional thermocapillary flow of recalcitrant bubbles using a coupled lattice Boltzmann-finite difference method. Physics of Fluids, 33 (3) 032108, 1-23. doi: 10.1063/5.0038171
Mitchell, T. and Leonardi, C. (2020). On the rise characteristics of Taylor bubbles in annular piping. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 130 103376, 103376. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2020.103376
Mitchell, T. and Leonardi, C. (2020). Development of closure relations for the motion of Taylor bubbles in vertical and inclined annular pipes using high-fidelity numerical modeling. Physics of Fluids, 32 (6) 063306, 063306. doi: 10.1063/5.0011456
Gruszczyński, G., Mitchell, T., Leonardi, C., Łaniewski-Wołłk, Ł. and Barber, T. (2019). A cascaded phase-field lattice Boltzmann model for the simulation of incompressible, immiscible fluids with high density contrast. Computers & Mathematics with Applications, 79 (4), 1049-1071. doi: 10.1016/j.camwa.2019.08.018
Mitchell, T., Leonardi, C. and Fakhari, A. (2018). Development of a three-dimensional phase-field lattice Boltzmann method for the study of immiscible fluids at high density ratios. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 107, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2018.05.004
Fakhari, Abbas, Mitchell, Travis, Leonardi, Christopher and Bolster, Diogo (2017). Improved locality of the phase-field lattice-Boltzmann model for immiscible fluids at high density ratios. Physical Review E, 96 (5) 053301, 053301. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.96.053301
Wu, Benjamin, Firouzi, Mahshid, Mitchell, Travis, Rufford, Thomas E., Leonardi, Christopher and Towler, Brian (2017). A critical review of flow maps for gas-liquid flows in vertical pipes and annuli. Chemical Engineering Journal, 326, 350-377. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2017.05.135
Mitchell, Travis R. and Leonardi, Christopher R. (2016). Micromechanical investigation of fines liberation and transport during coal seam dewatering. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 35 (A), 1101-1120. doi: 10.1016/j.jngse.2016.09.038
Conference Papers
Paraskevas, Nicholas, Rufford, Thomas, Leonardi, Christopher and Mitchell, Travis (2024). Lattice-Boltzmann modelling of flooding in gas diffusion electrodes for stable electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO2R). 24th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference - AFMC2024, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 1 - 5 December 2024. Geneve, Switzerland: Zenodo. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.14213538
Mitchell, T., Sashko, D., Łaniewski-Wołłk, Ł. and Leonardi, C. (2023). Towards a statistical framework to upscale fracture flows with quantifiable uncertainty. 2nd EAGE Workshop on Fluid Flow in Faults and Fracture - Modelling, Uncertainty and Risk, Canberra, ACT Australia, 15-16 August 2023. Bunnik, Netherlands: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers. doi: 10.3997/2214-4609.202373012
Leonardi, C. R., Zhong, R., Mitchell, T. R., Chen, Z., Johnson, R. L., O'Hagan, D. and Flottmann, T. (2021). Analytical and numerical assessment of the influence of bulk coal strength on drilling operations in unconventional coal seam gas wells. 55th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Houston, TX USA, 20-23 June 2021. Alexandria, VA USA: American Rock Mechanics Association.
Zhong, Ruizhi, Leonardi, Christopher R., Mitchell, Travis R. and Johnson, Ray L. (2021). Wellbore stability analysis of horizontal drilling in Bowen and Surat coal seam gas wells. SPE/AAPG/SEG Asia Pacific Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Virtual, 16-18 November 2021. Tulsa, OK, United States: Unconventional Resources Technology Conference. doi: 10.15530/ap-urtec-2021-208399
Mitchell, Travis R., Zhong, Ruizhi, Johnson, Ray and Leonardi, Christopher R. (2021). Numerical evaluation of bulk geomechanical properties of fractured coal with changing net effective stress conditions. SPE/AAPG/SEG Asia Pacific Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Virtual, 16-18 November 2021. Tulsa, OK, United States: Unconventional Resources Technology Conference. doi: 10.15530/ap-urtec-2021-208346
Mitchell, Travis and Leonardi, Christopher (2020). Analysis of Taylor bubble dynamics via high-fidelity numerical modelling. 22nd Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference AFMC2020, Brisbane, Australia, 7-10 December 2020. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/4181c21
Hill, Bryce, Mitchell, Travis and Leonardi, Christopher (2020). Lattice Boltzmann modelling of a regularised Kuang-Luo fluid in a carotid artery. 22nd Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference AFMC2020, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 7-10 December 2020. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/cf18781
Mitchell, Travis, Hill, Bryce, Firouzi, Mahshid and Leonardi, Christopher (2019). Development and Evaluation of Multiphase Closure Models used in the Simulation of Unconventional Wellbore Dynamics. Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTEC), Brisbane, QLD Australia, 18 - 19 November 2019. Tulsa, OK United States: Unconventional Resources Technology Conference. doi: 10.15530/ap-urtec-2019-198239
Mitchell, Travis, Leonardi, Chris, Firouzi, Mahshid and Towler, Brian (2018). Towards closure relations for the rise velocity of Taylor bubbles in annular piping using phase-field lattice Boltzmann techniques. 21st Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 10 - 13 December 2018. Hawthorn, VIC, Australia: Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society.
Leonardi, Christopher , Regulski, Wojciech, McCullough, Jon W. S., Wang, Duo, Mitchell, Travis R., Jones, Bruce D. and Williams, John R. (2016). Characterising the Behaviour of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids via Direct Numerical Simulation. SPE Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition, Perth, Australia, 25-27 October 2016. Richardson, TX, United States: Society of Petroleum Engineers. doi: 10.2118/182458-MS
Research Report
Onederra, Italo, Leonardi, Christopher, Mitchell, Travis, Roslin, Alexandra, Araos, Miguel, Wang, Zi, Lopez, Paulo and Salazar, Felipe (2021). Targeted conditioning and extraction. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
Thesis
Mitchell, Travis (2019). Development of a multiphase lattice Boltzmann model for high-density and viscosity ratio flows in unconventional gas wells. PhD Thesis, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2020.78