3D printed manifolds for improved flow management in electrodialysis operation for desalination

Numerical modeling of the thermal plasma process was carried out based on the thermal plasma reactor in our lab and confirmed using experimental data. The inlet boundary conditions of a non-transferred DC arc thermal plasma reactor were used in modeling the temperature and fluid flow distribution in the reactor. Different mesh grid sizes were used to confirm the model is independent of grid size. Temperature profile and gas flow distribution in the thermal plasma reactor were developed by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with ANSYS Fluent. The predicted temperatures are in good agreement with the experimentally measured temperatures in the reactor. The influence of plasma torch input power as well as the plasma gas flux on the temperature distribution was investigated using this model. The influence of power input and gas flow rate on temperature and velocity distributions are not independent. Generally, higher power input and lower gas flow rate will give rise to the temperature increase in the reactor.

Pressure drop and flow distribution in a mini-hydrocyclone group: UU-type parallel arrangement

Design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) has enabled the creation of complex lattice structures using selective laser melting (SLM) in additive manufacturing (AM). This study focuses on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), specifically the split P lattice, which optimizes fluid flow in gas-solid contacting systems for carbon capture applications. The TPMS design enhances gas interaction with large surface areas, crucial for improving mass transfer in chemical processes. Despite significant research on TPMS structures, comprehensive fluid flow analysis for split P lattices in direct air capture (DAC) systems remains limited. This study investigates the effects of varying wall thicknesses (0.4 mm, 0.8 mm, and 1.2 mm) under laminar flow conditions in 5 mm unit cells, across Reynolds numbers (Re) ranging from 25 to 125. Results show that the TPMS structure increases the surface area by 35% and boosts inlet velocity up to fourfold. Thicker walls lead to higher pressure drops and localized acceleration, resulting in a higher velocity profile within smaller pores. The 0.8 mm wall thickness demonstrated the best balance, offering superior area-averaged velocity and uniform flow distribution. Compared to previous TPMS studies, the split P lattice design achieves a more uniform distribution and improved permeability, making it a promising solution for DAC reactor performance.

More accurate modelling of heat and fluid flow distribution in apparatuses grows in importance due to ever-increasing demands on process and power heat transfer equipment such as heat exchangers, tubular furnaces, or steam boilers. The paper gives an overview of the currently available calculation methods and approaches to predicting and analysing flow behaviour and heat distribution in the most important types of process and power equipment. Properties, possibilities, and limitations of the individual calculation methods are discussed. Based on the analysis, the main findings from the development of the heat and fluid flow distribution modelling system for analysis of process and power equipment with multiple-distributed designs are presented. The proposed modelling conception is illustrated by employing an industrial case of an operated steam superheater with a specific multiple-distributed design. Additionally, future development of the intended fast yet accurate-enough modelling system for prediction of fluid flow and heat distribution is suggested.

A 3-D mathematical model was developed for the batch reactor of low temperature aluminum electrowinning using ionic liquid electrolytes. This model describes the deposition process by incorporating the mass transport of participating ionic species, homogeneous chemical reactions within the diffusion layer, and the associated electrochemical kinetics. Processing parameters, current and potential distribution, species concentration, fluid flow distribution, and electrode spacing were evaluated for the optimal reactor performance. The results indicated that the electrode spacing significantly affects the electrolyte fluid flow and current density distribution. The parallel electrode configuration (in line with electrolyte inlet) improved the convection and resulted in uniform current density distribution and electrolyte fluid flow. However, for this electrode configuration, electroactive species distribution was most favorable between the electrodes. Perpendicular configuration of electrodes resulted in a more non-uniform fluid flow within electrolyte domain, and it has a potential to cause non-uniform deposits. Aluminum electrowinning experiments were conducted using batch reactor at 80 °C, electrolyte flow rate of 5–20 ml/min, and applied cell voltage of 3–3.5 V. Good agreement was obtained between the model and the batch aluminum electrowinning experimental results.

The effects of surface roughness at low Reynolds numbers are more pronounced and critical in microchannels due to the relative size of roughness to channel dimensions. Surface roughness in microfluidic channels originates from the machining process during fabrication. This review examines how surface roughness, resulting from various manufacturing processes, influences the performance of microfluidic devices. Different patterns of surface roughness generated through techniques such as photolithography, etching, precision machining, and 3D printing are highlighted. These techniques yield distinct surface characteristics that affect critical microchannel properties, including fluid flow, pressure drop, and stress distribution. In addition to that, specific fabrication methods can minimize surface roughness, enhancing the performance of microchannels for applications in diagnostics, lab-on-a-chip systems, and small-scale heat exchangers are addressed. The review provides insights into selecting optimal fabrication techniques to achieve desired performance characteristics in microfluidic devices.

Numerical Simulation for Effect of Inlet Cooling Rate on Fluid Flow and Temperature Distribution in Tundish

Pressure drop and flow distribution in a group of parallel hydrocyclones: Z-Z-type arrangement

Analytical and numerical evaluation of an oil–water heat exchanger applied on power transformer considering the mineral/vegetable insulating oil replacement

A semi-analyticalmethod for determining the productivity of a radial system of horizontal wells in an anisotropic reservoir is proposed. Calculation results for the productivity and distribution of fluid flow along the length of the wellbores of the radial system of horizontal wells using the proposed method are compared with the data of experimental studies based on electrolytic simulation and engineering formulas. The effects of the number of wellbores, their location in the reservoir, and the hydraulic pressure loss on the distribution of the fluid flow along the length of horizontal wellbores are investigated.

The branching topology of tree networks has a considerable influence on the distribution of fluid flow inside them. Fluid flow asymmetry (an unequal distribution of fluid flow between the daughter tubes) can arise in geometrically symmetric branches. It is important to be able to pinpoint the reason for this, which is still not fully understood. This study compares tree flow network designs with the same number of tubes of equal sizes but attached to one another in various directions, i.e., network isomers. The flow resistance and fluid flow distribution assessment within the networks are calculated based on the computational fluid dynamics results. This study shows, among other results, that the flow asymmetries are more noticeable at higher bifurcation levels, and the performance of tree designs is highly dependent on how the tubes are arranged in the network, especially how they are aligned at different levels of bifurcation. Practical guidelines that can immediately produce significant insights into the relationship between the incidence of asymmetry in the flow and alignments of the tubes between levels are defined. The findings of this study will be useful to designers in improving the design and management of these networks.

The influences of the conventional header configuration used in industry at present on the fluid flow distribution in plate-fin heat exchanger were numerically investigated. The numerical results showed that the fluid flow maldistribution is very serious in the heat exchanger. The header configuration with perforated plate was brought forward for the first time. The computational results indicated that the improved header configuration can effectively improve the performance of fluid flow distribution in the heat exchanger. The fluid flow distribution for the header configuration with curving perforated plate is more uniform than for the header configuration with plane perforated plate. The absolute degree of fluid flow nonuniformity in plate-fin heat exchanger has reduced from 3.47 to 0.32 by changing the header configuration. The numerical results are compared with the experimental results. They are basically consistent which indicates that the mathematical model and the calculating method are reliable.

Although previous studies have demonstrated the potential of a hydraulic barrier in draft tube spout-fluid bed (DTSFB) systems to reduce gas bypassing under fixed operating conditions, a systematic understanding of how design and operating parameters influence bypass behavior, pressure drop, and spouting requirements in DTSFB systems with a barrier is still lacking. A modified DTSFB with a hydraulic barrier was experimentally investigated in this study to obtain fundamental hydrodynamic data essential for understanding, optimizing, and applying this type of gas–solid contactor. To this end, spherical glass particles were used in the experiments, and air was used as a spouting and aeration fluid. The effect of the aeration fluid flow rate, draft tube diameter, and height of the entrainment zone on the pressure drop, minimum spouting flow rate, and fluid distribution between the annulus and draft tube was investigated. The results indicated that the hydraulic barrier effectively avoided the aeration fluid from bypassing into the draft tube over a wide range of operating conditions, with only a minor bypass observed at the maximum aeration fluid flow rate. The amount of aeration fluid bypassing into the draft tube increased with increasing draft tube diameter and decreasing height of the entrainment zone. This behavior contrasted with conventional systems without a barrier, wherein the aeration fluid strongly affected spouting behavior. The study identified the optimal design and operating conditions for completely suppressing the bypassing of aeration fluid, thereby demonstrating that this configuration offers stable operation and considerable potential for practical applications.

An experimental study of flow distribution and separation performance in a UU-type mini-hydrocyclone group

This data article provides two dataset types for total pressure drop and parallel-flow distribution in a Z-type flat-plate solar thermal absorber with water as the working fluid. The first dataset consists of high-resolution pressure drop measurements at different temperatures under laminar and turbulent flow conditions obtained experimentally using a state-of-the-art hydraulic test rig. The second dataset comprises analytical data on flow distribution in the absorber. Conducting high-resolution pressure measurements, essential for evaluating thermo-hydraulic models, is a sensitive and time-demanding process requiring a relatively elaborated test rig to accurately measure pressure drop at different temperatures and flow rates in the presence of thermal equilibrium. In this context, engineers and researchers can use these datasets to compare and verify developed numerical models for thermo-hydraulic evaluation of pressure drop and flow distribution in flat-plate solar collectors under both laminar and turbulent flow regimes. The article also comprises analytical data for flow distribution in the absorber for several header configurations presented by dimensionless-flow-rate and non-uniformity. This data article is related to the research article (Shantia et al., 2022 ). The datasets are accessible in the supplementary files accompanied by the online version of this article and in the Mendeley Data repository.