Hot Flow Research Articles

Simulations With Compressible Multiphase Formulation on Heat Transfer Studies in a Rocket Thrust Chamber With Experimental Validation

Abstract In the combustor for rocket engines, liquid film cooling is a widely adopted technique for restricting the structural components to the acceptable bounds for the successful operation of the propulsion systems. Multiple cooling techniques for thrust chamber walls are favored along with the coolant film in propulsion systems operating at higher chamber pressures by incorporating an ablative cooling mechanism for the nozzle. The adoption of combination will result in challenges in simulation studies due to the presence of multiphase phenomenon in the system. The current article presents the effects of these two cooling methods on a thrust chamber wall studied through compressible multiphase formulations. A majority of the previous studies have used incompressible flow equations to model coolant film behavior and associated heat transfer. The present study utilizes an approach utilizing compressible multiphase flow to simulate the behavior of the compressible hot gas flow and the incompressible coolant liquid film accounting for phase change effects, vapor diffusion into hot gas, radiation effects on coolant surface, liquid entrainment, and blowing effects due to vapor formation at interface. Film-cooling effects on ablative nozzle accounting for pyrolysis phenomenon due to material decomposition governed by Arrhenius expression are also emphasized. The outcome of the numerical model showed good agreement with available test data in literature, and results from the tests done in-house. The model described in the present study was able to support the actual evidence of liquid film cooling being able to preserve the walls of the thrust chamber from severe internal thermal environment and prevent ablation on surface of nozzle.

Experimental study of the optimal mixing ratio of metallic additives for improving the performance of the solar activated carbon-methanol adsorption refrigeration system

An activated carbon–methanol system can run on low heat (70–100°C). Methanol is dependable and works well with activated carbon because of several benefits, including an appropriate latent heat of evaporation, a low freezing point, and negligible copper corrosion and steel at temperatures below 100 °C. An experimental study of the thermal performance by increasing the adsorption bed thermal conductivity was conducted. Using0 10 % 20 and %30 % of metallic copper powder with activated carbon to improve the bed thermal conductivity. A sample is prepared with 20 % copper powder to find out the improvement of heat transfer characteristics to the cooling effect. The temperature gradient has been tested with two flow rates to examine the coolant performance and increase. Solar energy can be effectively utilized based on low-grade temperature consumption in such systems. This work aims to make an experimental investigation of the thermal performance of an activated carbon-methanol adsorption refrigeration system to study the effect of the enhanced thermal conductivity of the adsorbing bed. Using 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 % of metallic copper powder with activated carbon to enhance the thermal conductivity of the bed, providing a significant improvement in the system efficiency, specific cooling power (SCP), and coefficient of performance of adsorption cooling. It is found that copper filing with a mass concentration of 20 % are appeared the optimal ratio metallic additive to enhance the thermal performance of the system. Moreover, the effect of the hot water flow rate is studied. Results indicated that the addition of 20 % metallic copper filings to the activated carbon lowered the evaporator temperature to reach -5 and -10 °C for heating water flow rates 3 and 2 LPM, respectively. Also, the addition of copper filing enhances the cycle COP of the system by 49 % and 46 % at hot water flow rates of 2and 3 LPM, respectively. The highest cycle COP of the current system reached was 0.92 for the condition 20 % additives at 3 LPM hot water flow rate. Owning the feature of great solar energy availability and the long daily sunny hours, solar-powered adsorption cooling systems have promising potential applications in Egypt. A mathematical model of the system performance is also studied.

Study on microstructure evolution mechanism and inhomogeneous characteristic of 2219 aluminum alloy in hot flow forming

In order to reveal the evolution mechanism of the deformation microstructure of 2219 aluminum alloy tube under compression-shear stress, in this paper, flow forming tests and their numerical simulations were carried out, respectively, at temperatures from 250 °C to 400 °C. Meanwhile, a midrange layer index was proposed to analyze the gradient of deformation microstructure. The results show that multiple recrystallization mechanisms of the 2219 aluminum alloy are presented simultaneously during hot flow forming. The shear stress during forming is the main factor that generated the microstructure gradient along the thickness direction, and the recrystallization level is higher with higher shear strain. In addition, it is beneficial to improve microstructure homogeneity and mechanical properties by increasing thickness reduction or decreasing the temperature. This study provides guidance for microstructure control of the 2219 aluminum alloy tube flow forming process.

Observational Evidence for Hot Wind Impact on Parsec Scales in Low-luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei

Supermassive black holes in galaxies spend the majority of their lifetime in the low-luminosity regime, powered by hot accretion flow. Strong winds launched from the hot accretion flow have the potential to play an important role in active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback. Direct observational evidence for these hot winds with temperatures around 10 keV, has been obtained through the detection of highly ionized iron emission lines with Doppler shifts in two prototypical low-luminosity AGNs, namely M81* and NGC 7213. In this work, we further identify blueshifted H-like O/Ne emission lines in the soft X-ray spectra of these two sources. These lines are interpreted to be associated with additional outflowing components possessing velocity around several 103 km s−1 and lower temperature (∼0.2–0.4 keV). Blueshifted velocity and the X-ray intensity of these additional outflowing components are hard to explain by previously detected hot wind freely propagating to larger radii. Through detailed numerical simulations, we find the newly detected blueshifted emission lines would come from circumnuclear gas shock-heated by the hot wind instead. Hot wind can provide a larger ram pressure force on the clumpy circumnuclear gas than the gravitational force from the central black hole, effectively impeding the black hole accretion of gas. Our results provide strong evidence for the energy and momentum feedback by the hot AGN wind.

What is the hard spectral state in X-ray binaries? Insights from GRRMHD accretion flows simulations and polarization of their X-ray emission

X-ray binaries are known to exhibit different spectral states which are often associated with different black hole accretion modes. The exact geometry and properties of these accretion modes is still uncertain. Recent IXPE measurements of linear polarization of X-ray emission in canonical X-ray binary system Cygnus X-1 allow us to test models for the hard spectral state of accretion in a unique way. We show that general relativistic radiative magnetohydrodynamic (GRRMHD) simulations of accreting stellar black hole in a hard X-ray state may be consistent with the new observational information. In the presented framework, where first-principle models have limited number of free parameters, the polarimetric X-ray observations put constraints on the viewing angle of the inner hot accretion flow.

Numerical analysis of alpha-beta brass by constitutive model for prediction of hot flow stress

Numerical analysis of alpha-beta brass by constitutive model for prediction of hot flow stress

Economic and Exergy Analysis of TiO2 + SiO2 Ethylene-Glycol-Based Hybrid Nanofluid in Plate Heat Exchange System of Solar Installation

This paper concerns an economic and exergetic efficiency analysis of a plate heat exchanger placed in a solar installation with TiO2:SiO2/DI:EG nanofluid. This device separates the primary circuit—with the solar fluid—and the secondary circuit—in which domestic hot water flows (DHW). The solar fluid is TiO2:SiO2 nanofluid with a concentration in the range of 0.5–1.5%vol. and T = 60 °C. Its flow is maintained at a constant level of 3 dm3/min. The heat-receiving medium is domestic water with an initial temperature of 30 °C. This work records a DHW flow of V˙DHW,in = 3–6(12) dm3/min. In order to calculate the exergy efficiency of the system, first, the total exergy destruction, the entropy generation number Ns, and the Bejan number Be are determined. Only for a comparable solar fluid flow, DHW V˙nf=V˙DHW 3 dm3/min, and concentrations of 0 and 0.5%vol. is there no significant improvement in the exergy efficiency. In other cases, the presence of nanoparticles significantly improves the heat transfer. The TiO2:SiO2/DI:EG nanofluid is even a 13 to 26% more effective working fluid than the traditional solar fluid; at Re = 329, the exergy efficiency is ηexergy = 37.29%, with a nanoparticle concentration of 0% and ηexergy(1.5%vol.) = 50.56%; with Re = 430, ηexergy(0%) = 57.03% and ηexergy(1.5%) = 65.9%.

Investigation of the Hot Deformation Behavior of 22Cr‐25Ni Austenitic Heat‐Resistant Steel by Combining Constitutive Model and Processing Map

The hot deformation behavior of 22Cr‐25Ni austenitic heat‐resistant steel at the temperatures of 950–1150 °C and strain rates of 0.01–10 s−1 is studied by isothermal compression test. It is found that the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) degree of the steel increases with the increase of temperature. The DRX degree decreases with the increase of the strain rate from 0.01 to 1 s−1, whereas the DRX degree increases with the increase of the strain rate from 1 to 10 s−1. The hot deformation activation energy is as high as 624.25 kJ mol−1 due to the addition of a large number of alloying elements. The typical strain compensation Arrhenius constitutive model established can be used to roughly predict the hot flow behavior of the steel. Furthermore, a modified model considering the influence of strain rate and deformation heat on the deformation process is proposed and showed higher accuracy (statistical parameters r = 0.994 and average absolute relative error = 4.59%). The DRX zone of the steel is determined to be 1080–1150 °C/0.01–0.1 s−1 through processing map analysis, representing the appropriate hot working zone. The microstructure corresponding to the instability zone in the processing map exhibits deformation concentration bands or necklace structures.

Multi-objective optimization of solar-driven hollow fiber membrane dehumidification system based on MOPSO

The solar-driven hollow fiber membrane dehumidification (SHFMD) system is a renewable, energy-saving, and highly effective dehumidification system. It provides an effective solution to the problem of air-entrained liquid droplets during the traditional solution dehumidification process. The system's mathematical model was established and the reliability of the mathematical model was verified by experimental data. To enhance the comprehensive performance of the system, the multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm is used in this paper to optimize the multi-objective parameters of the system. The objective function is the total exergy destruction of the system and the dehumidification capacity of the system. The optimization variables are cold water temperature, cold water flow rate, solution flow rate, air flow rate, and hot water flow rate. The optimization is performed using the multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm to obtain the Pareto front, and the points of the Pareto front are normalized. Finally, the optimal trade-off point of the Pareto frontier is obtained. Each operating parameter of the optimal point of the Pareto front is also analyzed. The results show that the air flow rate and cold water flow rate have the most influence on the conflict between the total exergy destruction of the system and the dehumidification capacity of the system.

Integration of two-stage membrane distillation and fenton-based process for landfill leachate treatment: Ammonia and water recovery and advancement towards zero liquid discharge

The recovery of resources from landfill leachate (LL) represents a more sustainable approach, as it combines meeting release standards with the valorization of raw materials and contributing to the circular economy. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the performance of a two-stage Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (2S-DCMD) for the recovery of water and ammonia from LFL integrated with the Fenton-based process for the treatment of the membrane concentrate generated in the second stage, aiming to obtain zero effluent discharge. In the first stage, the hot LFL flows through the shell side of the polypropylene hollow fiber membrane module, while the sulfuric acid solution passes through the lumen side·NH3 is recovered in the form of ammonium sulfate. In the second stage, the hot effluent from the first stage flows through the hot channel of the poly(tetrafluoroethylene) sheet membrane module, while the cooled distilled water flows through the other side in countercurrent. Despite the high efficiency of MD, disposing of the concentrate presents challenges, as pollutant concentrations can escalate by an additional 25 % to 50 % compared to the original contaminants in the raw feed. To address this issue, an advanced oxidative process of Fenton (AOP/Fenton) was optimized for treating the concentrate. In the first stage, NH3 removal reached 97.84 %, accompanied by a recovery rate of 79 %. In the second stage, a permeate with high quality was produced. Substantial removal rates were observed in this stage: colour (99.96 %), turbidity (99.89 %), COD (99.33 %), and Sulfates (90.08 %). The AOP/Fenton under optimal conditions (21.50 g/L of Fe2+ and 80 mL of H2O2) the removal of COD was 88.69 %. Thus, this route emerges as a viable alternative for landfill leachate treatment with the recovery of important resources.

Delineating the role of dynamic and static recrystallization during hot working of nickel-based superalloy (IN600)

In the presented research, the dynamic working of nickel-based (IN600) superalloy was performed and the micro-mechanisms affecting the deformation behaviour were closely monitored, particularly the role of static and dynamic recrystallization. Hot deformation flow stress response indicated an increase in the true stress value with an increase in strain rate and decrease in temperature. The constitutive calculations indicated that deformation progressed mainly due to dislocation climb motion. The hot workability map indicated a peak power dissipation efficiency (PDE) of 0.39 in two working domains. The microstructural evolution in the hot deformed specimens depicted a consistent increase in dynamic softening at temperature ≥ 1000 °C, whereas, a steady decline in the extent of dynamic softening is observed with increase in strain rate from 0.01 s−1 to 1 s−1. The mechanism for microstructural evolution in this range (0.01–1 s−1) was identified as discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX). Moreover, at the highest strain rate of 10 s−1, a sudden surge in the recrystallization fraction was observed, which was attributed to the combined effect of DDRX and static recrystallization (SRX). Additionally, this study shows that the presence of twin boundaries (TBs) contributes to dynamic softening by serving as sites for nucleation of strain-free grains.

Biochar production using a Flexible Counter Flow Multi-Baffle (F-COMB) reactor

Pyrogenic carbon capture and storage (PyCCS) based on biochar is considered a negative emission technology (NET) aimed at mitigating climate change, with the potential to reduce CO2 by 0.3–2 gigaton/yr at the cost of $30–120/ton-CO2. The annual biochar production needs a substantial scaling up of the current production rates (i.e., >150 million tons by 2050) to meet the above demand. However, current biochar production predominantly relies on a small-scale operation, which generally leads to high operational costs and limited control of the biochar properties. This work presents the operation of a state-of-the-art 1 ton/d pilot-scale Flexible Counter Flow Multi-Baffle (F-COMB) pyrolyzer designed for continuous biochar production, which is a prototype reactor for the scale-up. The F-COMB utilizes counter-flow and vortex mixing in a multi-baffle column structure to enable efficient contact of feedstock with hot gas. It boasts high energy efficiency and economic feasibility through a short residence time, reduced gas flow rate, and simple structure. It produces wood pellet biochar with accurate control of the reaction conditions such as temperature, retention time, hot gas flow rate, and feedstock loading. Moreover, continuous biochar production is done successfully with three flexible baffles configuration, demonstrating the significant potential for the scale-up.

Metallurgical insight of premature failure of a Blast Furnace copper stave

Present study investigates the premature failure (leakage) of copper (Cu) cooling staves placed at the lower stack region of a Blast Furnace (BF). This failure resulted in an increased frequency of make-up/ reserve water compensation every 10 h instead of average 24hrs. Detailed macro and microstructural analysis were carried out to understand the mechanism of failure in the Cu stave using phenomena observations, dial gauge measurements, metallographic investigation, and chemical analysis. Directional accretion of burden fines and puncture (leakage) profile were observed macroscopically. Puncture occurred from outer surface to inner surface of the channels of the stave. Micrographs of puncture location revealed non-uniform microstructure and grain deformation. Analysis suggested surface wear of the Cu stave due to a combined effect of continuous accretion of burden along with hot gas flow. Wear led to reduction in thickness and subsequent puncture/ leakage took place at the channel locations having a minimum cross-sectional thickness. With the help of this study, a failure mechanism of BF Cu Stave, a process critical component, has been explored. Recommendations such as insert modification, using more wear-resistant material or protective layer and conducting intermittent ultrasonic thickness measurements have been proposed to get an early warning of any untoward damages and process delays.

Study on the influence of κ-carbide on the high temperature flow behavior of the medium-Mn lightweight steel: Modeling and characterization

Isothermal compression tests were carried out on the Fe-11Mn-10Al-0.9C medium-Mn lightweight steel in the temperature range from 800 °C to 1100 °C and strain rate range from 0.001 s−1 to 10 s−1 to investigate the influence of κ-carbide on the hot flow behavior. The true stress-true strain curves were analyzed to evaluate the role of κ-carbide on the softening phenomena during straining. It's found flow stress drops more remarkably from the peak point to the end of deformation at low temperature and low strain rate, that condition is favorable for the precipitation of κ-carbide instead of the occurrence of DRX. The activation energy of hot deformation based on the peak stress was calculated as 454.517 kJ mol−1, but this typical strain-compensated Arrhenius-type constitutive equation was found inappropriate to model the flow behavior of the present steel, especially at the low temperature regime. By comparison, a physically-based constitutive model consisting of Bergström's equation (ε<εp) and Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami's equation (ε>εp) was developed and could predict the flow behavior of the steel accurately. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis revealed the formation of necklace structure at high strain rate and the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) proceeded more adequately with the decrease in strain rate and increase in the deformation temperature. The precipitation of κ-carbides in both austenite grain interior and boundaries (GI and GBs) were enhanced at relatively low deformation temperature (e.g., 800 °C) and greatly improved the peak stress by hindering the dislocation motion. With the increase of deformation, the GB κ-carbide gradually coarsened and induced the decomposition of deformed austenite via the eutectoid reaction (γ→α+κ) at lower strain rate (e.g., 0.001 s−1) due to the sufficient transformation time, consequently leading to the remarkable flow stress softening. The microstructure characterization result was in agreement with variations of parameters (i.e., U, Ω, ρp and nA) with different deformation condition.

Effect of finned configuration of circular tube based on fluid-structure coupling on hydrogen flow characteristics

Nuclear thermal propulsion has the characteristics of high specific impulse, large thrust, green and efficient, and is the primary choice of manned deep space exploration propulsion system. Because the circulating flow of propellant hydrogen in the internal pipeline of the engine is always affected by the harsh environment of high temperature and high pressure, it is very important to study the flow characteristics of hydrogen in the pipeline, the heat exchange characteristics of hydrogen and pipeline and the deformation characteristics of pipeline under heat stress. In this paper, the flow phenomena of hot hydrogen in round tubes in a laminar flow state were analyzed by numerical simulation with COMSOL Mulitiphisics6.0, and the fluid-structure coupling between hot hydrogen fluid and pipe was investigated by a multi-physics field. It is concluded that the smoother the inner wall of the pipeline is, the smaller the hydrogen flow velocity is, the smaller the surface pressure of the pipe wall is, and the smaller the fluid extrusion and impact deformation of the pipe in the typical pipe with the inner fin is. It inspires studying the application of hot hydrogen flow and pipeline configuration in nuclear thermal rocket engines, including improving heat transfer energy and uniformity.

Identifying the structure as a hot water outflow path using gravity in Jatimulyo, South Lampung

Abstract Geothermal manifestations have been utilized as a tourist attraction (geo-tourism) worldwide. Geothermal manifestation systems could be found in many forms such as hot springs. The path of the hot water flow is controlled by the existence of geologic structures such as faults as the medium. Geophysical methods in general have been used to image and characterize subsurface layers. The gravity method using the natural source has been employed to determine the geological structure, such as faults. This study aims to identify the structure related to the outflow path which is part of the geothermal system using gravity method in Jatimulyo Village, Jati Agung, South Lampung. The result shows the contrast anomaly indicating the existence of a fault that could be a hot water path. An outflow zone which is characterized by low temperatures because it is far from heat sources. The complete Bouguer Anomaly is used to create 2D forward modelling where the model is divided in 2 layers. The first layer is indicated as Lampung Formation (QTl) with density of 1.8 g/cc, and second layer recognized as bedrock with denser rock of 2.78 g/cc representing Tertiary Paleozoic (Pzg) Gunung Kasih Complex Formation.

Comparison of heat transfer characteristics of a heat exchanger with straight helical tube and a heat exchanger with coiled flow reverser

Vertical shell and coiled tube heat exchangers are an important aspect of numerous industrial processes and are renowned for their high heat transfer efficiency, versatility, compact design, easy manufacturability and maintenance. As a novel technique, a coiled flow reverser was used to enhance the thermal performance of shell and coiled tube heat exchangers. Therefore, the impact of employing a coiled flow reverser on the heat transfer characteristics and pressure drop in a counter-current shell and tube heat exchanger is investigated using both numerical and experimental approaches. The results are compared to a straight helical coiled tube heat exchanger. The numerical simulations were carried out by employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques, and the SIMPLE scheme was implemented through the second-order upwind discretization method. The laboratory device used for experimentation features a shell with an inner diameter of 15 cm, and the coil pitch and coil diameter of both coiled tubes are set at 3 cm and 12.1 cm, respectively. Results reveal that the overall heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger with a coiled flow reverser is 39.5 % to 49.9 % higher than that of the heat exchanger with a straight helical tube. The effectiveness ratio of the heat exchanger with coiled flow reverser to the straight helical tube heat exchanger ranges from 1.254 to 1.379. Optimal results are observed at a cold flow rate of 6 LPM and a hot flow rate of 1 LPM for both heat exchangers. Additionally, the coiled flow reverser enhances heat transfer performance at the cost of increased pressure drop. Numerical results are in good agreement with experimental findings, establishing the reliability of the study.

Coupling drying of wet and heat field of corn pile based on porous medium model

AbstractCorn that are not properly dried can result in a lot of waste. Therefore, in this study, the corn pile was used as porous medium for hot air drying, and the coupling method of multiple physical fields was used to simulate and analyze the corn air‐drying silo with different initial conditions and different sizes. The results show that increasing the temperature of hot air could increase the temperature gradient inside corns and promote the evaporation of water. The higher the wind speed, the better the convective heat transfer effect between corn and air, thus improving the drying efficiency. The smaller the ratio of height to diameter of air‐drying silo, the more corn dried in the direction of hot air flow, resulting in poor drying effect. Increasing the inner diameter of the air‐drying silo will reduce the heat transfer efficiency. The lower the bed of the air‐drying silo, the closer the corns are to the hot air inlet, the faster the heating rate and the better the drying effect. The model has good performance and can be used as a mathematical tool to predict the change of maize wet heat field.Practical applicationsIn order to solve the integral problem of corn drying, the model uses corn grain pile as porous medium for hot air drying. The model investigated the changes of temperature field and humidity field during the drying process of grain pile in corn air‐drying silo. In addition, the characteristics of the model introduced in this study may qualify it for automatic control of corn air‐drying silo and online prediction of drying times to achieve the desired drying effect.

Experimental study of a low-cost reversible thermal diode for advanced heat manipulation

A low-cost reversible thermal diode was fabricated by a copper tube loop incorporating a valve in the top channel for advanced thermal management. The inner surface of one vertical tube was treated to superhydrophobic, while that of the other vertical tube was modified to superhydrophilic and further loaded with a superhydrophilic copper mesh for water wicking. Furthermore, the valve in the top channel can behave as a switch to control the hot vapor flow between the two vertical tubes. Then, different heat powers from 5 W to 15 W were applied to investigate the rectification effect of the thermal diode under low (30 %), medium (50 %), and high (70 %) filling ratios (FR) of the working fluid. The results showed that its rectification ratio could exceed 2.8 with the help of the control valve at FR = 30 %. Furthermore, the rectification effect could be reversed by the valve without flipping the thermal diode. In reversible working mode, the reversed heat transport could reach twice of the forward heat transport at FR = 50 %. Therefore, owning to the reversible heat transfer capacity, this study can guide the advanced thermal diode design for unstable waste heat recovery, solar energy harvesting, building energy management, etc.

The diffusion process of different moisture sources in the radiant cooling room and the condensation risk assessment

The condensation phenomenon severely limits the widespread application of radiant cooling systems. Although a series of anti-condensation methods have been proposed, it is more important to explore the diffusion process of moisture sources that cause condensation in the radiant cooling room, only in this way can targeted anti-condensation measures be carried out. In this regard, the numerical simulation method is used to explore the diffusion process of additional moisture caused by the increase in occupancy rate and window opening behavior, while monitoring the state of the air on the surface of the radiant terminal (ASRT) to determine whether condensation occurs and evaluate the condensation risk. The results indicate that the moisture emitted by the increased personnel will diffuse along the direction of their surface hot air flow when the occupancy rate increases, and the moisture in the outdoor air will diffuse along its flow direction after the window is opened. However, the change of moisture is accompanied by the change of heat and the condensation phenomenon will not occur first in the place with a large humidity ratio, but rather in areas with lower surface air temperatures in these two situations. In addition, condensation will not occur in all cases after the occupancy rate increases, and the minimum condensation time is still more than 20 min when the occupancy rate is maximum, which has sufficient time for human intervention to avoid condensation. Condensation occurs in all cases after the window is opened, with a minimum condensation time of 68 s. Window opening behavior carries a high condensation risk and should be avoided during the operation of the radiant cooling system. This study can provide a basis for adopting corresponding anti-condensation strategies.