Commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics Code Research Articles

Modeling and simulation of dense cloud dispersion in urban areas by means of computational fluid dynamics

The formation of toxic heavy clouds as a result of sudden accidental releases from mobile containers, such as road tankers or railway tank cars, may occur inside urban areas so the problem arises of their consequences evaluation.Due to the semi-confined nature of the dispersion site simplified models may often be inappropriate.As an alternative, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has the potential to provide realistic simulations even for geometrically complex scenarios since the heavy gas dispersion process is described by basic conservation equations with a reduced number of approximations.In the present work a commercial general purpose CFD code (CFX 4.4 by Ansys®) is employed for the simulation of dense cloud dispersion in urban areas. The simulation strategy proposed involves a stationary pre-release flow field simulation followed by a dynamic after-release flow and concentration field simulations.In order to try a generalization of results, the computational domain is modeled as a simple network of straight roads with regularly distributed blocks mimicking the buildings. Results show that the presence of buildings lower concentration maxima and enlarge the side spread of the cloud. Dispersion dynamics is also found to be strongly affected by the quantity of heavy-gas released.

A preliminary CFD study of the gas–solid flow fields in multizone circulating polymerization reactors

A Eulerian–Eulerian model incorporating the kinetic theory of granular flow is adopted to describe the gas–solid two-phase flows in a multizone circulating propylene polymerization reactor. Corresponding simulations are carried out in a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code Fluent. First, the model is validated by comparing simulation results with the experimental data. Entire fields in the reactor composed of a riser and a downer are also obtained numerically. Furthermore, the model is used to distinguish the flow behaviors in the riser and the downer. The effects of riser-outlet configuration and operation gas velocity on the flow behaviors in the reactor are also investigated numerically. The simulated results show that the flow behaviors in the riser of MZCR are different from those in the downer of MZCR. In addition, the simulation results also show that both the exit configuration of the riser and the operation gas velocity can significantly affect the flow behaviors in the MZCR.

Parametric study of efficient thermal dissipation in an LED back light unit

PurposeThermal management under high heat flux is crucial to developing high‐power light‐emitting diode (LED) applications. The purpose of this paper is to propose an efficient thermal dissipation technique for an LED back light unit (BLU) system.Design/methodology/approachA typical BLU system includes an LED package (GaN on sapphire, cathode/anode, silicone encapsulant, resin plus phosphor) on a printed circuit board (PCB), a light guide panel, and an aluminum cover frame. The temperature distribution of this system has been simulated and the thermal behavior within a 3D model has been investigated using a commercial computational fluid dynamic code (FLUENT 6.3).FindingsThe authors examined the heat‐spreading effect of cover lengths ranging from 6 to 300 mm and also observed the effect of back cover thickness on the junction temperature and cover frame temperature and investigated the influence of the air gap between the package and the cover frame. Removing the air gap lowers the maximum temperature by about 6 percent. It was found that the addition of a copper layer covering the external surfaces of the LED chip enhanced the cooling efficiency. Finally, the maximum junction temperature can be decreased by more than 21 percent in the range of parameters considered by removing the air gap, adding a heat spreader, and using a thick cover frame.Originality/valueIn this paper, thermal management for efficient heat spreading through a typical BLU system without using any additional devices is investigated. Several parameters that increase the system's temperature are examined, and a combination of design features that attenuate the junction temperature is proposed.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Cooling Tower Inlets

Cooling tower inlet losses are the flow losses or viscous dissipation of mechanical energy affected directly by the cooling tower inlet design, which according to the counterflow natural draft wet-cooling tower performance analysis example given in Kröger (Kröger, 2004, Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers and Cooling Towers: Thermal-Flow Performance Evaluation, Pennwell Corp., Tulsa, OK), can be more than 20% of the total cooling tower flow losses. Flow separation at the lower edge of the shell results in a vena contracta with a distorted inlet velocity distribution that causes a reduction in effective fill or heat exchanger flow area. In this paper, a two-dimensional (axi-symmetric) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model is developed using the commercial CFD code ANSYS FLUENT, to simulate the flow patterns, loss coefficients and effective flow diameter of circular natural draft cooling tower inlets under windless conditions. The CFD results are compared with axial velocity profile data, tower inlet loss coefficients and effective diameters determined experimentally by Terblanche (Terblanche, 1993, “Inlaatverliese by Koeltorings,” M. Sc. Eng. thesis, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa) on a cylindrical scale sector model as well as applicable empirical relations found in Kröger, determined using the same experimental apparatus as Terblanche. The validated CFD model is used to investigate the effects of Reynolds number, shell-wall thickness, shell wall inclination angle, fill loss coefficient, fill type, inlet diameter to inlet height ratio and inlet geometry on the flow patterns, inlet loss coefficient and effective diameter of full-scale cooling towers. Ultimately, simple correlations are proposed for determining the cooling tower inlet loss coefficient and inlet effective flow diameter ratio of full-scale cooling towers excluding the effect of rain zones and the structural supports around the cooling tower entrance.

Computational analysis of frictional drag over transverse grooved flat plates

Skin-friction coefficient of turbulent boundary layer flow over a smooth-wall with transverse square grooves is investigated for four grooved-wall cases. The four grooved-wall configurations is like‘d’ type rough wall, which is characterized by regularly spaced two-dimensional square cavities (grooves) placed normal to the flow. This is made up of 5 mm square grooved-wall, where square grooves are spaced 10, 20 and 40 element widths apart in the streamwise direction. A commercial CFD code-‘Fluent 6.3’ is used for the mean velocity and turbulence intensity calculation. Hexahedral meshing is used to mesh the domain, with the first grid point placed at a height of 0.001 mm till the dimensionless wall distance, y+ = 10 and afterwards the grid spacing was increased by aspect ratio of 1.1 to get a structured mesh. A steady state renormalized group (RNG) k-e model is used for turbulence modeling with non-equilibrium wall functions for near wall treatment. CFD code is validated against the experimental data reported by Stuardi and Ching. The skin-friction coefficient determined from the velocity profile increases sharply just downstream of the groove. This overshoot is followed by an undershoot and then relaxation back to the smooth-wall value. This behavior is observed in most grooved-wall cases. Integrating the skin-friction coefficient in the streamwise direction indicates that there is an increase in the overall drag with maximum to be 3.54% for the single groove case. Keywords: Turbulent boundary layer, transverse groove, skin-friction, drag reduction, computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) for Flow Measurement

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) produces a three dimensional spatial distribution of positron-electron annihilations within an image volume. Various positron emitters are available for use in aqueous, organic and liquid metal flows. Preliminary experiments at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) injected small flows of PET tracer into a bulk water flow in a four rod bundle. The trajectory and diffusion of the tracer in the bulk flow were then mapped using a PET scanner. A spatial resolution of 1.4 mm is achieved with current preclinical Micro-PET imaging equipment resulting in 200 MB 3D activity fields. A time resolved 3-D spatial activity profile was also measured. The PET imaging method is especially well suited to complex geometries where traditional optical methods such as LDV and PIV are difficult to apply. PET methods are uniquely useful for imaging in opaque fluids, opaque pressure boundaries, and multiphase studies. Several commercial and shareware Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes are currently used for science and engineering analysis and design. These codes produce detailed three dimensional flow predictions. The models produced by these codes are often difficult to validate. The development of this experimental technique offers a modality for the comparison of CFD outcomes with experimental data. Developed data sets from PET can be used in verification and validation exercises of simulation outcomes.

Large eddy simulation of oxy-coal combustion in an industrial combustion test facility

Abstract Oxy-fuel combustion is considered as one of the most promising technologies for carbon capture and storage (CCS). In this study, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code has been employed for the simulation of an air-fired coal combustion and an oxy-fired coal combustion with recycled flue gas in a 1 MW th combustion test facility. Reynolds–averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solutions have been obtained for both cases. Results indicate that the CFD code with existing physical sub-models can provide a reasonable prediction for the air-fired combustion. However, the prediction for the oxy-fired case has not been as satisfactory as expected. In order to assess the impact of the turbulence treatment in CFD on the predictions, large eddy simulation (LES) has been performed for oxy-fired case and compared with the results from the RANS simulation and the available experimental data. Although the results suggest that LES can provide a more realistic prediction of the shape and the physical properties of the flame, there has not been significant improvement in the prediction of the temperature. In addition, the complexity of the problem requires more detailed experimental data for the validation of the LES. In order to improve the validity of numerical simulations for design purposes, further modelling improvements for oxy-coal combustion that are necessary for more accurate predictions are addressed. Based on this study, it is envisaged that the complexity in the oxy-coal combustion process requires more detailed analyses of the available physical sub-models.

냉이온수기 냉각시스템에 관한 열유동 해석

ABSTRACT Medicated water electrolysis apparatus, which electrolyzes water into acidic water and alkaline water, was in the spotlight as becoming known the effect of alkaline water. It is known as good for health as removing active oxygen in the human’sbody and promoting digestion. But, the customers could not get that desired water temperature because these apparatuses are directly connected with a water pipe. So, the cooling system was developed for controlling the temperature of the alkaline water. One of the typical way is to store water in water tank and control the temperature. But, in this way, storing water can be polluted impurities coming from outside. For protecting this pollution, the cooling system based on indirect heat exchange method through phase change between water and ice was developed. In this study, we have calculated efficiency of the cooling system with phase change by experiment and commercial CFD(Computational Fluid Dynamics) code, ANSYS CFX. To consider the effect of latent heat that is generated by melting ice, we have simulated two phase numerical analyses used enthalpy method and found the temperature, velocity, and ice mass distribution for calculating the efficiency of cooling. From the results of numerical analysis, we have obtained the relationship between the cooling efficiency and each design factor.

Improved thermal performance of a hydronic radiant panel heating system by the optimization of tube shapes

The thermal performance enhancement of the hydronic radiant floor heating system by tube shape refinements is investigated in this paper. Both analytical and detailed numerical modelings are carried out to predict the performance of the radiant system. While the simple analytical model briefly investigates the possibility of the effect of the tube shape improvement with the parametric analysis, the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code (Ansys/CFX) is used to perform the detailed 3D analysis under different tube shape conditions. The fin thickness, the number of fins, and the tube thermal conductivity turn out to have significant effects on the radiant system performance. The potential energy saving impacts of the tube shape refinements are also discussed. The tube shape improvement turns out to increase the floor surface temperature and to decrease the hot water temperature drop across the system, resulting in heating energy savings.

A coupled CFD-population balance approach for nanoparticle synthesis in turbulent reacting flows

This paper investigates the first part of a two-stage methodology for the detailed fully coupled modelling of nanoparticle formation in turbulent reacting flows. We use a projected fields (PF) method to approximate the joint composition probability density function (PDF) transport equation that describes the evolution of the nanoparticles. The method combines detailed chemistry and the method of moments with interpolative closure (MoMIC) population balance model in a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. We show details of the implementation and present an extensive set of numerical experiments and validation. We consider the example of the chloride process for the industrial synthesis of titania. We show good agreement with experimental data and present fully coupled detailed chemistry CFD simulations of nanoparticle formation in a representative ‘slot’ reactor geometry. The simulations show that inception occurs in a mixing zone near the reactor inlets. Most of the nanoparticle mass is due to surface growth downstream of the mixing zone with a narrower size distribution occurring in the regions of higher surface growth. The predicted temperature and particle properties are compared to a perfect mixing case. The implications for the second part of the methodology, where it is proposed to post-process the data using a more detailed particle model, are discussed critically.

Limitations of quadrature-based moment methods for modeling inhomogeneous polydisperse fluidized powders

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is extensively used to investigate the behavior of dense fluidized suspensions. Often modelers assume that these are formed by few solid phases of particles with constant size. But real powders are continuously distributed over the particle size, and their distribution functions change continuously in time and space reflecting the physical and chemical phenomena occurring within the system. To account for this key feature, models have to include a population balance equation (PBE), which needs to be solved in place of or along with the customary fluid dynamic transport equations. The recently developed quadrature method of moments (QMOM) and direct quadrature method of moments (DQMOM) permit to solve PBEs in commercial CFD codes at relatively low computational cost. These methods, however, still need testing in the context of multiphase flows. Investigating a simple problem, namely the dynamics of two inert polydisperse fluidized suspensions initially segregated, we highlight an important limitation of these methods, which fail to properly model diffusion in real space. We explain where the problem originates and comment on a possible way to overcome it. To conclude the work, we discuss some simulations based on the original and revised formulations of the methods, describing how the code numerics affects the results.

Validation of a loss of vacuum accident (LOVA) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model

Intense thermal loads in fusion devices occur during plasma disruptions, Edge Localized Modes (ELM) and Vertical Displacement Events (VDE). They will result in macroscopic erosion of the plasma facing materials and consequent accumulation of activated dust into the ITER Vacuum Vessel (VV). A recognized safety issue for future fusion reactors fueled with deuterium and tritium is the generation of sizeable quantities of dust. In case of LOVA, air inlet occurs due to the pressure difference between the atmospheric condition and the internal condition. It causes mobilization of the dust that can exit the VV threatening public safety because it may contain tritium, may be radioactive from activation products, and may be chemically reactive and/or toxic (Sharpe et al. [1]; Sharpe and Humrickhouse [2]). Several experiments have been conducted with STARDUST facility in order to reproduce a low pressurization rate (300 Pa/s) LOVA event in ITER due to a small air leakage for two different positions of the leak, at the equatorial port level and at the divertor port level, in order to evaluate the velocity magnitude in case of a LOVA that is strictly connected with dust mobilization phenomena. A two-dimensional (2D) modelling of STARDUST, made with the CFD commercial code FLUENT, has been carried out. The results of these simulations were compared against the experimental data for CFD code validation. For validation purposes, the CFD simulation data were extracted at the same locations as the experimental data were collected. In this paper, the authors present and discuss the computer-simulation data and compare them with data collected during the laboratory studies at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” Quantum Electronics and Plasmas lab.

CFD analysis of passive autocatalytic recombiner interaction with atmosphere

Abstract In water cooled power reactors, significant quantities of hydrogen could be produced following a severe accident (loss-of-coolant-accident along with non availability of Emergency Core Cooling System) from the reaction between steam and zirconium at high fuel clad temperature. In order to prevent the containment and other safety relevant components from incurring serious damage caused by a detonation of the hydrogen/air-mixture generated during a severe accident in water cooled power reactors, passive autocatalytic recombiners (PAR) are used for hydrogen removal in an increasing number of French, German and Russian plants. These devices make use of the fact that hydrogen and oxygen react exothermally on catalytic surfaces generating steam and heat. Numerous tests and simulations have been conducted in the past to investigate passive autocatalytic recombiners behaviour in situations representative of severe accidents. Numerical models were developed from the experimental data for codes like COCOSYS or ASTEC in order to optimise the passive autocatalytic recombiners location and to assess the efficiency of passive autocatalytic recombiners implementation in different scenarios. However, these models are usually simple (black-box type) and based on the manufacturer's correlation to calculate the hydrogen depletion rate. Recently, uses of enhanced CFD models have shown significant improvements towards modeling such phenomenon in complex geometry. The work presents CFD analysis of interaction of a representative nuclear power plant containment atmosphere with passive autocatalytic recombiners simulated using the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics code for PAR Interaction Studies (PARIS benchmarks) exercise. A two-dimensional geometrical model of the simulation domain was used. The containment was represented by an adiabatic rectangular box with two PAR located at intermediate elevations near opposite walls. The flow in the simulation domain was modelled as single-phase. The results of the simulations are presented and analysed.

Numerical Study of Large Diameter Butterfly Valve on Flow Characteristics

A numerical approach was used to investigate the flow characteristics around a butterfly valve with the diameter of 2108 mm by the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT6.3. The simulation was carried out to predict flow field structure, flow resistance coefficient, hydrodynamics torque and so on, when the large diameter butterfly valve operated at various opening degrees. The three-dimensional simulation results shown that there are vortexes presented near valve back region as the opening degree smaller than 40 degree; the flow resistance coefficient reduces rapidly with the increasing of opening degree and the resistance coefficient is quite small as the angle larger than 50 degree; the hydrodynamic torque reduces with the increasing of opening degree and the hydrodynamic torque is smaller than 20% of maximum torque; the torque ratio and the pressure drop ratio are reduce with the increasing of opening degree, the pressure drop ratio reduces rapidly as the opening degree is smaller than 50 degree.

An adjusted temperature wall function for turbulent forced convective heat transfer for bluff bodies in the atmospheric boundary layer

Accurate convective heat transfer predictions are required in building engineering and environmental studies on urban heat islands, building energy performance, building-envelope durability or conservation and (natural) ventilation of buildings. When applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for these computationally-expensive studies at high-Reynolds numbers, wall functions are mostly used to model the boundary-layer region. In this study, an adjustment to the standard temperature wall function is proposed for forced convective heat transfer at surfaces of typical wall-mounted bluff bodies in turbulent boundary layers, such as the atmospheric boundary layer, at moderate to high Reynolds numbers. The methodology to determine this customised temperature wall function (CWF) from validated numerical data of CFD simulations using low-Reynolds number modelling (LRNM) is explained, where a logarithmic- law behaviour is found. The performance of this CWF is evaluated for several bluff-body configurations. Standard wall functions (SWFs) yield deviations of about 40% for the convective heat transfer coefficient, compared to LRNM. With the CWF however, these deviations are reduced to about 10% or lower. The CWF therefore combines increased (wall-function) accuracy for convective heat transfer predictions with the typical advantage of wall functions compared to LRNM, being a lower grid resolution in the near-wall region, which increases computational economy and facilitates grid generation. Furthermore, this CWF can be easily implemented in existing CFD codes, and is implemented in the commercial CFD code Fluent in this study.

An improved modeling for Collection Efficiency prediction of electrostatic precipitators under the applied magnetic field

This paper describes a strongly coupled calculation procedure for the particle dynamics in electrostatic precipitators (ESP) subjected to the applied magnetic field with the statistical particle size distribution taken into account. The turbulent gas flow and the particle motion under external forces are modeled by using the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. Numerical calculations for the gas flow are carried out by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and turbulence is modeled using the k−e turbulence model. An additional source term, which is obtained by solving a coupled system of the electromagnetic field and charge transport equations, is added to the gas flow equation to capture the effect of electromagnetic field. Discrete Phase Model (DPM) is employed to achieve the simulation of the particle phase. Different kinds of particles which follow Rosin-Rammler distribution were simulated under different conditions, and the influence of magnetic field density on the capture of fine particle was investigated. In order to show the dust removal effect, the collection efficiency and the escaped particle size distribution were discussed in case of different applied magnetic fields. The particles trajectories inside the ESP were also given under the effects of both aerodynamic and electromagnetic forces. Numerical results indicate that the collection efficiency increases with the increase of applied magnetic field, that the particles trajectory are more visible to the direction of dust collection plate, and that the collection efficiency varies smoothly when the applied magnetic field is up to a certain value. Furthermore, the average diameter of escaping particles decreases and the dispersion for dust particles in different size increases with applied magnetic field increasing, and particle sizes is linearly decreasing with magnetic field before the particle reaches a certain size.

Unsteady Elbow Pipe Flow to Develop a Flow-Induced Vibration Evaluation Methodology for Japan Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

This paper describes the current status of flow-induced vibration evaluation methodology development for primary cooling pipes in the Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor (JSFR), with particular emphasis on recent research and development activities that investigate unsteady elbow pipe flow. Experimental efforts have been made using 1/3-scale and 1/10-scale single-elbow test sections for the hot-leg pipe. The 1/10- scale experiment simulating the hot-leg pipe indicated no effect of pipe scale in comparison with the 1/3- scale experiment under inlet-rectified-flow conditions. The next experiment using the 1/3-scale test section was performed to investigate the effect of swirl flow at the inlet. Although the flow separation region was deflected at the downstream from the elbow, the experiment clarified a less significant effect of swirl flow on pressure fluctuation onto the pipe wall. An additional experiment was intended to study the effect of elbow curvature. The experiments with water revealed no clear flow separation in a larger curvature elbow case than that of the JSFR. Since the interference of multiple elbows should be investigated to understand turbulent flow in the cold-leg pipe geometry, 1/15-scale experiments with double elbows were carried out to clarify that flow in the first elbow influenced a flow separation behavior in the second elbow. Simulation activities include Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equation (URANS) approach with a Reynolds stress model using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach using an in-house code. A hybrid approach that combined with RANS and LES was also applied using a CFD code. Several numerical results appear in this paper, focusing on its applicability to the hot-leg pipe experiments. These simulations reasonably agreed with the experimental data using the 1/3-scale test section.

Computational Analysis of Mixing and Scale‐Up in Emulsion Polymerization Reactors

AbstractSummary: A hybrid multi‐zonal/computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework is currently being developed to aid in the scale‐up of high solid content latex production and processing. Poly3D, a commercial laminar CFD code tailored to modelling the mixing of non‐Newtonian fluids, has been coupled to a population balance model via a customized interface. CFD is used to generate flow fields inside a series of reactors; this information is then transferred to a multi‐zone population balance model to assess the impact of non‐homogenous mixing on the evolution of the latex particle size distribution (PSD) when concentrated latex suspension is altered via the addition of a coagulant. The rheological properties of high solid content latexes are sensitive to changes in the PSD, so the flow field is periodically updated if significant changes in the rheological properties of the latex are detected in any of the zones. The details of the models comprising the framework are presented and the utility of the framework is demonstrated.

Design Optimization of Mixed-flow Pump in a Fixed Meridional Shape

Abstract In this paper, design optimization for mixed-flow pump impellers and diffusers has been studied using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code and DOE (design of experiments). We also discussed how to improve the performance of the mixed-flow pump by designing the impeller and diffuser. Geometric design variables were defined by the vane plane development, which indicates the blade-angle distributions and length of the impeller and diffusers. The vane plane development was controlled using the blade-angle in a fixed meridional shape. First, the design optimization of the defined impeller geometric variables was achieved, and then the flow characteristics were analyzed in the point of incidence angle at the diffuser leading edge for the optimized impeller. Next, design optimizations of the defined diffuser shape variables were performed. The importance of the geometric design variables was analyzed using 2 k factorial designs, and the design optimization of the geometric variables was determined using the response surface method (RSM). The objective functions were defined as the total head and the total efficiency at the design flow rate. Based on the comparison of CFD results between the optimized pump and base design models, the reason for the performance improvement was discussed.

Numerical analysis of spontaneously condensing phenomena in nozzle of steam-jet vacuum pump

The primary fluid in a steam-jet vacuum pump is not assumed as a perfect gas as general research in the present study. A mathematic model based on the wet steam model for transonic flow is proposed to investigate the flow behaviours of primary fluid in the nozzle of a steam-jet vacuum pump. The simulation based on a wet steam model was carried out to predict the flow characteristics of primary fluid along the nozzle axis by a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code (FLUENT6.3). The simulation results showed that there was spontaneous condensation as the supersonic flow passing through the nozzle and the simulation results had a good agreement with the experimental data. It is found from the numerical simulation results that the steam flow characteristics in nozzle are quite different from a wet steam model and a perfect gas assumption: the outlet pressure of the nozzle predicted in the present study is higher than that as the primary fluid assumed as perfect gas, the outlet velocity is about 10% lower than that as the primary fluid assumed as a perfect gas, and the temperature at the outlet of the nozzle is much higher than that as the primary fluid assumed as a perfect gas. The simulation results demonstrate that the thermo-positive process due to steam condensation would hinder the supersonic expanding flow process in nozzle and depress the efficiency of the nozzle which would affect the pumping performance of steam-jet pump.