Closed-loop Test Rig Research Articles

Heat Transfer of Aluminium-Oxide Nanofluids in a Compact Heat Exchanger

Experimental works were conducted to investigate the effect of Al2O3 sizes and volumeconcentration on the rate of nanofluids heat transfer in a compact heat exchanger. Two sizes ofAl2O3 nanoparticle, 40 nm and 100 nm, were mixed with demineralized water at 2% and 10%volume concentrations. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) powder was added to enhance the mixingprocess and stabilize the dispersion of the nanofluids. A custom-made closed loop test rig weredesigned, fabricated and tested for these experiments. The test rig was set-up to represent the actualapplication of the nanofluids in cooling of a compact heat exchanger. Experimental runs wereconducted which include the runs for water, 40 nm Al2O3-water and 100 nm Al2O3-water. Theresults indicate that Al2O3-water gave better heat transfer performance than water alone. Nanofluidswith 40 nm- Al2O3 gives better heat transfer performance as compared to 100 nm- Al2O3 nanofluids.The results of the current work generally indicate that nanofluids have the potential to enhance theheat transfer of a compact heat exchanger if properly designed. This superior performance of thenanofluids would only be produced if smaller diameter of nanoparticles were used (less than 100nm). No enhancement in heat transfer can be observed by using nanofluids with particle size of 100nm or at higher volume loading (more than 5%).

Unsteady Aerodynamics of a Low Aspect Ratio Turbine Stage: Modeling Issues and Flow Physics

In this paper the three-dimensional unsteady aerodynamics of a low aspect ratio, high pressure turbine stage are studied. In particular, the results of fully unsteady three-dimensional numerical simulations, performed with ANSYS-CFX, are critically evaluated against experimental data. Measurements were carried out with a novel three-dimensional fast-response pressure probe in the closed-loop test rig of the Laboratorio di Fluidodinamica delle Macchine of the Politecnico di Milano. An analysis is first reported about the strategy to limit the CPU and memory requirements while performing three-dimensional simulations of blade row interaction when the rotor and stator blade numbers are prime to each other. What emerges as the best choice is to simulate the unsteady behavior of the rotor alone by applying the stator outlet flow field as a rotating inlet boundary condition (scaled on the rotor blade pitch). Thanks to the reliability of the numerical model, a detailed analysis of the physical mechanisms acting inside the rotor channel is performed. Two operating conditions at different vane incidence are considered, in a configuration where the effects of the vortex-blade interaction are highlighted. Different vane incidence angles lead to different size, position, and strength of secondary vortices coming out from the stator, thus promoting different interaction processes in the subsequent rotor channel. However some general trends can be recognized in the vortex-blade interaction: the sense of rotation and the spanwise position of the incoming vortices play a crucial role on the dynamics of the rotor vortices, determining both the time-mean and the time-resolved characteristics of the secondary field at the exit of the stage.

Incipient Cavitation in a Bulb Turbine: Model Test and CFD Calculation

【For a certain operating point of a horizontal shaft bulb turbine (i.e. volume flow, net head, blade angle, guide vane angle) the efficiency for different pressure levels (i.e. different Thoma-coefficient ${\sigma}$ ) is calculated using a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD-)-code including two-phase flow and a cavitation model. The results are compared with experimental results achieved at a closed loop test rig for model turbines. The comparison of the experimentally and numerically obtained efficiency and the visual impression of the cavitation show a good agreement. Especially the drop in efficiency is calculated with satisfying accuracy. This drop in efficiency in combination with the visual impression is of high practical importance since it contributes to determine the admissible cavitation in a bulb-turbine. It is seen that the incipient cavitation in Kaplan type turbines has no major importance in determing this admissible amount of cavitation.】

Model test and CFD calculation of a cavitating bulb turbine

The flow in a horizontal shaft bulb turbine is calculated as a two-phase flow with a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD-)-code including cavitation model. The results are compared with experimental results achieved at a closed loop test rig for model turbines. On the model test rig, for a certain operating point (i.e. volume flow, net head, blade angle, guide vane opening) the pressure behind the turbine is lowered (i.e. the Thoma-coefficient σ is lowered) and the efficiency of the turbine is recorded. The measured values can be depicted in a so-called σ–break curve or η- σ-diagram. Usually, the efficiency is independent of the Thoma-coefficient up to a certain value. When lowering the Thoma-coefficient below this value the efficiency will drop rapidly. Visual observations of the different cavitation conditions complete the experiment. In analogy, several calculations are done for different Thoma-coefficients σand the corresponding hydraulic losses of the runner are evaluated quantitatively. For a low σ-value showing in the experiment significant efficiency loss, the the change of volume flow in the experiment was simulated. Besides, the fraction of water vapour as an indication of the size of the cavitation cavity is analyzed qualitatively. The experimentally and the numerically obtained results are compared and show a good agreement. Especially the drop in efficiency can be calculated with satisfying accuracy. This drop in efficiency is of high practical importance since it is one criterion to determine the admissible cavitation in a bulb-turbine. The visual impression of the cavitation in the CFD-analysis is well in accordance with the observed cavitation bubbles recorded on sketches and/or photographs.

Design and Experimental Analyses of Small-flow High-head centrifugal-vortex Pump for Gas-Liquid Two-phase Mixture

The design method of small-flow high-head centrifugal-vortex pump was presented. This pump, configured with inducer, complex-centrifugal impeller and open-vortex impeller, was put forward to deliver gas-liquid two-phase mixture. An HTB-5/60 type sample pump was developed and tested on a closed-loop test rig. Experimental studies on performance and cavitation tests for gas-liquid two-phase mixture were carried out compared with pure-water experimental results. Also the effect of gas phase on pump was analyzed and discussed. The experimental results show that performance and cavitation characteristics of the sample pump deteriorates progressively with increasing volume fraction of gas. When the total capacity Q m is between 4.5 m 3·h −1 and 6 m 3·h −1 and the gas flow rate q g below 0.66 m 3·h −1, or q g/ Q m is lower than 15%, the characteristic curves are approximately parallel to those in pure water test, but the performance deteriorates sharply until an abrupt flow-cutting at a critical volume fraction of gas. This pump is found suitable for transporting gas-liquid two-phase mixture when working around rated capacity of 5 m 3·h −1 with q g/ Q m below 15%.

Assessment of compact heat exchanger consisting entirely of tubes arranged in a turbulence generating mesh

The performance of a novel liquid-air heat exchanger is experimentally evaluated and compared with that of several commercial automotive radiators having louvre fins and flat tubes. The coils were assessed using a closed loop test rig which has the capability of simulating ambient conditions of any habitable place on earth. The prototype heat exchanger was designed to generate three dimensional vortical motion using an open mesh structure, to enhance heat transfer without incurring high pressure loss penalties. When compared with respect to the available heat transfer surface area, the heat transfer capacity, and the heat transfer coefficient were increased. Also the pressure drop was well below that of the conventional radiators. However, in a direct comparison the overall the heat transfer capacity fell short of expected commercial radiator requirements.

Effects of scaling on centrifugal blood pumps.

Experimental studies on the effects of scaling on the performance of centrifugal blood pumps were conducted in a closed-loop test rig. For the prototype, eight different impellers of the same outer diameter of 25 mm were tested at 1,500, 2,000, and 2,500 revolutions per minute (rpm) using blood analog as fluid medium. This corresponds to Reynolds numbers (Re) of 25,900, 34,500, and 43,200, respectively. The results indicated that the nondimensional pump characteristic is a function of Re. This is understandable since the typical operating Re for centrifugal blood pumps is less than 100,000. Thus, the effects of scaling cannot be ignored for centrifugal blood pumps. Experiments on a 5x scaled-up model have also indicated that the scaled-up model is more efficient than the prototype model. Our results showed that in the range of Re tested, the nondimensional head versus flow curve is a function of Re to the power of approximately 0.25. It is observed that the nondimensional head versus flow is a function of diameter ratio to the power of 0.2.

Reduction of Heat Transfer Fouling by the Addition of Wood Pulp Fibers

Heat transfer experiments with a saturated CaS04 solution were carried out in a closed-loop test rig containing an externally heated test section. Reproducible fouling curves were measured for the solution without fibers. The buildup of deposit was asymptotic, which implied that the fouling process was a combination of crystallization and particulate fouling. The addition of a small quantity (less than 0.05 mass percent) of softwood chemical pulp fiber to the bulk reduced the rate of fouling significantly. At 0.05 mass percent fiber addition, no fouling was measured in the test rig during 7 days of continuous running. The addition of fibers reduced the rate of deposit buildup and potentially offers a new method of fouling mitigation. Only a low concentration of fibers is needed, and the nontoxic fibers are easily removed.