Numerical Simulation Of Flow Research Articles

Interaction of a Dense Layer of Solid Particles with a Shock Wave Propagating in a Tube

A numerical simulation of an unsteady gas flow containing inert solid particles in a shock tube is carried out using the interpenetrating continuum model. The gas and dispersed phases are characterized by governing equations that express the concepts of mass, momentum, and energy conservation as well as an equation that shows the change of the volume fraction of the dispersed phase. Using a Godunov-type approach, the hyperbolic governing equations are solved numerically with an increased order of accuracy. The working section of the shock tube containing air and solid particles of various sizes is considered. The shock wave structure is discussed and computational results provide the spatial and temporal dependencies of the particle concentration and other flow quantities. The numerical simulation results are compared with available experimental and computational data.

Numerical simulation of multiphase flow and prediction of sediment wear in a large Pelton turbine

AbstractThe problem of sediment wear presents a significant challenge for hydraulic turbines operating in sediment‐rich rivers, particularly for high‐head Pelton turbines. In this study, the VOF model, SST k–ω model, and DPM model were employed to simulate the gas–liquid–solid three‐phase flow within a large Pelton turbine, which operates under a rated water head of 671 m and has a single capacity of 500 MW, at a hydropower station situated on a sediment‐laden river. The sediment wear prediction model, derived from the sediment wear test of the model turbine, was utilized to forecast the sediment wear on the flow components of the Pelton turbine at the hydropower station. The results show that there are obvious pressure and velocity gradients near the nozzle outlet of the Pelton turbine in the power station, and the wear of the nozzle surface is gradually increasing, and the wear in the downstream area of the nozzle is more serious. The wear rate at the needle tip surface reached 1.372 μm/h, while the socket ring surface exhibited a wear rate of 3.175 μm/h. he highest wear rate recorded for the water bucket is 0.940 μm/h. After a year of continuous operation, the maximum erosion observed was 5.62 mm on the runner bucket made of stainless steel and wear‐resistant metal, 8.23 mm on the spray needle, and 19.05 mm on the nozzle mouth ring, highlighting the severity of sediment wear on the Pelton turbine. It is recommended that surface treatment technology be applied to the flow‐through components of the Pelton turbine at this hydropower station to enhance the wear resistance of the turbine and extend the operational life of the unit.

Research Progress of Three-dimensional Geological Modeling and Multi-field Coupling of Fractured Oil and Gas Reservoirs

Fractured oil and gas reservoirs play an important role in oil and gas exploration and development due to their complex fracture network structure. As the main fluid channel in the reservoir, fractures have a significant impact on the migration, accumulation and exploitation efficiency of oil and gas. This paper summarizes the key geological characteristics of fractured reservoirs, including fracture types, distribution rules and main controlling factors of fracture development, and discusses the influence of fractures on reservoir physical properties. Furthermore, the deterministic and stochastic modeling methods of three-dimensional geological modeling of fractured reservoirs and the latest progress of discrete fracture network modeling technology are introduced in detail. In addition, this paper also discusses in detail the application of multi-field coupling model in the numerical simulation of fluid flow in fractured reservoirs, including continuous medium model and discrete medium model, and their advantages and disadvantages in simulating fluid flow in fractured reservoirs. Finally, this paper summarizes the research progress of multi-physics coupling model of fractured reservoirs, and points out the direction and challenges of future research. Through these studies, it can provide theoretical support and technical guidance for oil and gas exploration and development, in order to achieve more effective development and management of fractured reservoirs.

The influence of vortex structures on the aerothermodynamics of aerospace vehicles

Numerical simulation of supersonic flow around sequentially arranged wings, which include a vortex generator wing and a downstream main wing, have been conducted. Aerodynamic configurations of this type can be found on various re-entry spacecraft. This study investigates the influence of vortex structures on the magnitude and distribution of pressure, temperature, and heat fluxes on the surface of the main wing. The supersonic incoming flow at Mach number M∞ = 3 and Reynolds number ReL = 1∗107 with different attack angles (10° - 20°) of the generator wing and the main wing is considered. It has been established that under certain parameter values, there is a reduction in the drag experienced by the main wing and a decrease in temperature on its surface.

A numerical simulation of the unsteady MHD nanofluid flow over a rotating disk in a porous medium with uniform suction and convective effects

The current article focuses on permeability, uniform suction, and Joules heating as key convective effects influencing heat transmission characteristics in nanofluid magnetohydrodynamics flow on a rotating disk. In contrast to a standard Newtonian fluid, Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle water-based nanofluids are employed. The surface of the disk is also taken as convective. Following the implementation of similarity transformations, the leading equations are converted into a series of ordinary differential equations, which are subsequently solved numerically through the utilisation of the bvp4c MATLAB solver. The behavioural research on heat transmission for different parameter dominance is assessed using graphs. As the permeability parameter increases, the dominance of convective effects leads to increased fluid flow away from the disk, which reduces the radial velocity. Also, on the disk surface, the rate of heat transfer shows a direct relation with the permeability of the disk.

Numerical simulation of open channel basaltic lava flow through topographical bends

In this study, we utilised computational fluid dynamics to investigate the behaviour of open-channel basaltic lava flows navigating bends on shield volcanoes. Our focus was on understanding the relationship between flow velocity, rheology, and bend geometry. Employing a simple Force Balance Model (FBM), which considers the equilibrium between hydrostatic pressure and centrifugal force, we accurately approximated the changes in the height of the lava’s free surface through various bend geometries. Our analysis includes examining the influence of channel depth, width, and bend radius on the flow, revealing that variations in these parameters significantly affect the flow’s vertical displacement. Additionally, the bend sector angle emerged as a critical factor, indicating a minimum angle necessary for the flow to fully develop before exiting the bend.Further, we assessed the applicability of the Shallow Water Equations (SWE) for modelling the inertial displacement of the lava flow in bends, finding a good fit. The study extended to comparing the FBM’s predictions of the tilt angle of the flow’s free surface with the SWE results, showing notable agreement under specific conditions, particularly at a bend angle of 90 degrees. The impact of fluid density was also considered, revealing that density is a contributing factor to the development of the wetted line in the bend, a factor that is not captured by the simple FBM model. Finally, we explored different rheologies akin to natural lava flows, such as viscoplastic flow, and determined that factors like yield stress, consistency index, and power law index have a small impact on the flow behaviour in a steady-state condition within a bend.

Estimation of added effects and their frequency dependence in various fluid–structure interaction problems

This paper focuses on a fluid–structure interaction topic—the determination of added effects caused by fluid forces acting on a body, considering the standard linear equation of motion. We present various problems that assume small-displacement oscillations of single and multiple bodies in inviscid irrotational (potential) flow or viscous incompressible flow in both closed domain and external flow. For inviscid flow, effects of geometric parameters on the added effects were studied. The presented results extend results known from the literature. For viscous flow, frequency dependence of the added effects was studied for a wide range of frequency. The added effects were computed from data from numerical simulations of fluid flow, where the body oscillations were modeled using the dynamic mesh approach. Effects of the phase shift caused by the dynamic mesh were addressed. The added mass was compared with the corresponding value determined for inviscid flow where applicable. The results show strong dependence of the added effects on many parameters, making their proper computation challenging even for simplified cases.

Numerical analysis of gas-solid flow erosion in different geometries as alternatives to a standard pipe elbow

This study was conducted with the aim of replacing different geometric fittings instead of the standard 90° elbow and trying to change the flow pattern to reduce erosion damage. Among fittings, the elbows are at a more serious risk. Numerical investigation of the present erosion with the novelty of research on non-spherical particles and changes in the impact angle of particles along with fluid flow using eight new proposed fittings, including two miter fittings, three blinded fittings, one reducer elbow fitting, and two spherical elbows fittings in comparison with the standard 90° elbow was controlled. The numerical simulation of the gas-solid two-phase flow of non-spherical particles was studied using the Euler-Lagrange approach. To carry out the study numerical, first, the gas flow was modeled by the Navier-Stokes equations and the turbulent Reynolds stress model, and then the solid particles were injected using Newton's equation. Finally, the erosion was calculated using Grant and Tabakoff model of the restitution of particles of after hitting the wall and the erosion model of Oka. The amount of erosion caused by changes in the flow pattern was investigated to evaluate the performance of the new proposed fittings. Numerical results for the most critical mode (Vin = 27 m/s and DP = 300 μm) showed that the new proposed fittings increase the erosion resistance by 22.5 % to 39.6 % compared to the standard 90° elbow. Also, in this research, the effect of different parameters including flow velocity, particle diameter size, particle input rate, and particle rotation on erosion were investigated.

Adaptability analysis of flow and heat transfer multi-scale numerical method for printed circuit heat exchanger

The printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is a high-efficiency and compact mini-channel heat exchanger. Due to the large number of fine channels, it is difficult to conduct the flow and heat transfer numerical simulation of the entire heat exchanger based on the actual channels, which requires a lot of computational resource and time. In this paper, a simplified multi-scale numerical method with a non-equilibrium porous media model (NOPM) is proposed to study the flow and heat transfer performance of PCHE at high temperature and pressure. The pressure field, velocity field and temperature field of NOPM and actual multi-channel model (MC) under different working conditions are compared to study the adaptability of NOPM for the PCHE. The results indicate that the NOPM can accurately predict the flow and heat transfer performance under PCHE configurations with a large number of channels. However, as the channel number decreases, the relative errors in the temperature and pressure prediction significantly increase due to the increased flow maldistribution. Similarly, the NOPM can well predict the overall temperature distribution of the PCHE solid when the channel number is numerous. This work could support accurate thermal design, and provide accurate temperature field for the thermal stress analysis of PCHE.

Two-group interfacial area concentration model for dispersed gas-liquid flows in large-diameter pipes

Interfacial area concentration (IAC) plays a critical role in heat and mass transfers between gas and liquid phases through the interfaces. As interfacial area increases, mass and heat transfers between phases increase. Hence, a reliable IAC estimation is important for two-phase flow numerical simulations to conduct engineering designs and safety analyses. Gas bubbles show different behavior according to their shapes and sizes. Based on the size, gas bubbles can be classified into two groups that show different characteristics, such as IAC. Hence, two-group modeling helps to achieve a general approach for estimating the IAC in bubbly to beyond-bubbly flow regimes. Available models in the literature use empirical correlations to obtain group one and group two void fractions. These empirical approaches are not reliable for different flow conditions. In addition, these models are usually complex with several empirical constants. This study aims to develop a two-group area-averaged IAC model for upward vertical dispersed flows through large-diameter pipes. In addition, this study proposes using a general approach based on the two-group drift-flux model to calculate two-group void fractions rather than applying empirical correlations. The models are evaluated using 156 two-group measured data points in dispersed flow conditions through large-diameter pipes. The resulting prediction errors for group one and group two IAC models are 24.1 % and 34.2 %, and the errors for group one and group two void fraction predictions are 22.8 % and 25.6 %, respectively.

Influence of multimodal fiber distribution on the permeability of fibrous media

This article deals with the impact of fiber size distribution on the permeability of nonwoven fibrous media, a major issue in the general field of filtration. The conventional method to determine the permeability of nonwoven fibrous media involves equating complex fibrous media with structures composed of a single equivalent fiber diameter. Based on numerical simulations of flow through tridimensional structures with polymodal and polydisperse fiber size distributions, we proposed a new equivalent diameter. In conjunction with a packing density function, the approach is compared to experimental data and simulations available in the scientific literature and shows better permeability predictions than other existing models for a wide range of solid volume fractions (1 % to 20 %) and fiber diameters (1.5 µm to 30 µm). This predictive model of permeability is an essential step in developing a decision-making tool for the design of fibrous media.

Flow around triangular prisms with varying vertex angle at low Reynolds numbers

The present work investigates the unsteady flow around triangular prisms with vertex angles of 30°,45°,60°, and 90° for shedding Reynolds number between 50 and 150. The numerical simulations of flow around triangular prisms at different vertex angles and Reynolds number has been carried out using the open-source code OpenFOAM. The wake of the prisms in different cases has been examined using instantaneous and time-averaged velocity and vorticity fields. The energy dynamics in the wake are demonstrated using enstrophy. The paper explains the shedding around a prism and reports the differences in the wake due to the different vertex angles of the prisms employed in the present work. Strouhal number and force coefficients have been obtained and compared for different prisms. The coefficient of lift and drag phase plot indicates a higher spread for prisms with larger vertex angles at higher Reynolds number. The shedding frequency has a linear variation with Reynolds numbers for the prisms. The obtained results were compared with earlier works on square cylinders and 45° oriented square cylinder.

Numerical simulation of complex slope dike overtopping wave flow under isolated wave action based on OpenFOAM

Abstract In recent years, a significant number of compound slope dikes have been developed, but research on the over-wave flow of their viewing platforms remains relatively sparse. In this paper, isolated waves are selected to simulate storm surges. Numerical flumes are constructed based on OpenFOAM to explore the thickness and flow velocity of overtopping wave flow impacts and the thickness and flow velocity of backwash flow on viewing platforms on a compound slope dike with three different foreslope gradients. The study finds that both the impact thickness and return thickness of the cross-wave flow show a tendency to decay along the course, and the smaller the relative wave height is, the slower the impact thickness decays along the course, and the faster the return thickness decays along the course.

Pore-scale simulation of two-phase flow in biporous media

Enhancing both permeability and capillary pumping in porous structures has emerged as a key focus for researchers, leading to the development of biporous media. While experimental studies on these structures have been conducted recently, there is a lack of numerical simulations due to difficulties in describing the geometry. To address this gap, the present study explores pore-scale numerical simulation of two-phase capillary flow in biporous media. A new simplified biporous structure is proposed, featuring a staggered arrangement of clusters, with each cluster composed of closely packed solid particles. For comparison, a monoporous media case is contrasted and represented using a conventional staggered arrangement of solid particles. Both passive and active capillary flow modes are considered in the present study. The numerical results align well with previous experimental findings on biporous media, indicating that the proposed biporous geometry effectively models two-phase flow in complex structures at a reasonable computational cost. The results show that capillary effects in biporous media are up to two times more effective than in monoporous structures. Simultaneously, permeability is enhanced by a factor of four in biporous media under similar circumstances, with most of the mass flow rate (more than 95%) passing through the larger pores between clusters. This combined impact of increased capillary action and higher permeability leads to enhanced wicking performance in biporous structures. The outcomes can help to understand two-phase flow physics in the biporous structure and develop reliable models for the simulation of biporous media on a macroscopic scale. Numerical modeling and comprehension of capillary structures play a crucial role in designing optimized geometries to enhance their performance.

Numerical simulation of multiphase flow induced by bottom blowing limestone powder in converter steelmaking

A full-scale three-dimensional model of a 120 t steel converter was established to evaluate the effects of bottom-blown limestone particle injection speed, diameter, and nozzle location on the particle distribution and molten metal flow field using numerical simulations. The results indicated that a particle injection speed of 6 m/s, particle diameter of 0.5 mm, and injection nozzle location at 1/2 of the converter bottom radius provided the longest particle residence time and largest quantity of particles in the molten metal. Furthermore, the use of these parameters produced within the molten metal an obvious particle concentration along the centerline of the converter, the fastest average liquid metal–particle flow velocity, and moderate splashing. These optimal injection parameters created favorable kinetic conditions for the dephosphorization reaction essential to steelmaking. This study provide a theoretical basis for realizing the improved efficiency associated with the use limestone instead of lime in practical steel production.

Numerical reconstruction of atmospheric boundary layer seasonal turbulent wind field over a complex forest terrain

The wind characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over complex forest terrains are inherently intricate, influenced by the interplay of rugged topography, seasonal climatic fluctuations, and periodic vegetation dynamics. These effects are especially evident in the near-ground wind field, which exhibits substantial seasonal variability. Conventional wind characterization methods, as outlined in current standards, often fail to accurately capture these seasonal variations, thereby complicating the reconstruction of the near-ground ABL turbulent wind field in complex forest terrains. Accordingly, we employ the narrow band synthetic random flow generation (NSRFG) technique within large eddy simulation (LES) to generate inflow turbulence representing the growing and baldness seasons in a complex forest terrain by adjusting parameter equations for seasonal adaptation and introducing new empirical equations for the turbulent spectrum. Subsequently, we verified the seasonal turbulent flow's statistical characteristics and flow structure to assess its feasibility and validity, ultimately establishing a ‘seasonal numerical wind field’ model. Finally, the seasonally modified LES-NSRFG method was applied to the numerical simulation of turbulent flow around the Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Research Council (CAARC) standard high-rise building model. A comprehensive comparison of wind effects was conducted for the CAARC model under varying incoming flow conditions. The results indicate that seasonal winds in a complex forest terrain significantly affect the building's vortex wake, increasing the irregularity and complexity of the structural wind pressure and base moment coefficients. Thus, the seasonal wind effect must be considered when designing wind-resistant engineering structures in forest regions moving forward.

Internal flow analysis and design optimization of a membrane oxygenator

Abstract The membrane oxygenator is an essential component in the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) system to offer temporary support to the respiratory system. This study aims to optimize the hemodynamic performance and reduce the thrombosis risk of a membrane oxygenator prototype using computational fluid dynamics. Numerical simulations of steady laminar flow in a full-scale oxygenator prototype (model 1) and two optimized structure Models 2 and 3 at flow rates of 5∼7L/min are carried out using the porous media model. Flow-field-based hydraulic performance indicators and the thrombus risk indicator of the three models are compared extensively. Detailed internal flow analysis revealed that adverse flow states such as insufficient flow circulation in the inlet shunt cone zone, large flow separations at the top corners of heat exchangers, and intensive flow impingement at the exit elbow tube are notably improved in the optimized model 2 and 3. The improvement is more significant at high flow rates. Performance parameters quantitatively validate the effect of optimized configurations. Specifically, at a flow rate of 7L/min, the flow uniformity indexes for the original model at the shunt cone exit increase from 0.884 to 0.923 and 0.890 in the two modified models. The total pressure loss is reduced by over 14%, and maximum wall shear stress is notably reduced from 241.46Pa to 135.9Pa. Additionally, the optimized models exhibited lower thrombus risk. The optimized designs emphasize the importance of smooth transitions between cross-sections and minimizing abrupt changes in flow direction. The employment of flow-field-based parameters allows for the establishment of the relationship between geometric and performance parameters to guide effective design optimization and ensure the safe clinical operation of oxygenator prototypes.

An adaptive learning strategy for surrogate modeling of high-dimensional functions - Application to unsteady hypersonic flows in chemical nonequilibrium

Many engineering applications rely on the evaluation of expensive, non-linear high-dimensional functions. In this paper, we propose the RONAALP algorithm (Reduced Order Nonlinear Approximation with Adaptive Learning Procedure) to incrementally learn, on-the-fly as the application progresses, a fast and accurate reduced-order surrogate model of a target function. First, a combination of nonlinear auto-encoder, community clustering, and radial basis function networks allows us to learn an efficient and compact surrogate model with limited training data. Secondly, an active learning procedure overcomes any extrapolation issues during the online stage by adapting the surrogate model with high-fidelity evaluations that fall outside its current validity range. This approach results in generalizable, fast, and accurate reduced-order models of high-dimensional functions. The method is demonstrated on three direct numerical simulations of hypersonic flows in chemical nonequilibrium. Accurate simulations of these flows rely on detailed thermochemical gas models that dramatically increase the cost of such calculations. Using RONAALP to learn a reduced-order thermodynamic model surrogate on-the-fly, the cost of such simulations was reduced by up to 75% while maintaining an error of less than 10% on relevant quantities of interest.

Non-monotonic dependence of the bow shock stand-off distance on the velocity of a CO2 flow about a sphere

A non-monotonic dependence of the bow shock stand-off distance around a spherical body recently observed in ballistic range experiments in CO2 is explained by a qualitative theoretical analysis and confirmed numerically. The analysis is based on the estimation of the average density in the shock layer with the Rankine–Hugoniot relations on the normal shock for chemically frozen and chemically equilibrium limits using a simplified chemistry model. The analysis reveals that a maximum of the density ratio across the shock and, therefore, a minimum of the stand-off distance as functions of the flight velocity are normally observed in CO2 and other gases, such as additionally considered N2, both in frozen and equilibrium flows. The low dissociation energy of CO2 results in relatively low flight velocities (around 5 km/s) at which the extrema are observed. It makes the effect more readily detectable in experiments in CO2 than in the Earth's atmosphere gases. The results of numerical simulations of the CO2 flow by solving the Navier–Stokes equations agree well with the ballistic range experiments and fully support the results of the theoretical analysis.

A multivariate piecewise interpolation model for viscosity representation and its application to the numerical simulation of non-isothermal polymer melt flow

In this study, a multivariate piecewise interpolation model is introduced to represent melt viscosity based on temperature and shear rate. The model does not require a predefined functional form for the entire data range, instead finding a suitable line between adjacent measured viscosity data points to obtain viscosity as a function of shear rate and temperature. To assess the effect of viscosity representation on polymer melt flow, a two-dimensional (2D) flow past a cylinder problem and a three-dimensional (3D) single screw extruder problem are numerically solved using different viscosity models. The pressure drop (ΔP) from the shift-factor model deviates by more than 10% at an average velocity (Uav) of 1 m/s due to overestimation of viscosity in the high shear rate region. The dimensionless thicknesses of the thermal boundary layer near the channel wall (δT/H) at wall temperature (Tw) of 210 °C are also misevaluated by more than 4% using both the shift-factor model and the Klein model, reflecting their poor viscosity evaluation. It is noteworthy that in all viscosity models, a high Tw leads to the formation of a thin thermal boundary layer, which adversely affects the heat transfer. In single screw extruder applications, viscosity misevaluation in high shear rate regions causes issues in pure drag flow cases, while misevaluation in low shear rate regions causes issues in pure back-pressure flow cases. These analyses highlight the accuracy and versatility of our multivariate piecewise interpolation model compared to existing viscosity models.