Optimization Of Flow Control Devices Research Articles

Computational Methods for Modelling and Optimization of Flow Control Devices

Over the last few years, the advances in size and weight for wind turbines have led to the development of flow control devices. The current work presents an innovative method to model flow control devices based on a cell-set model, such as Gurney flaps (GFs). This model reuses the cells which are around the required geometry and a wall boundary condition is assigned to the generated region. Numerical simulations based on RANS equations and with Re = 2 × 10 6 have been performed. Firstly, a performance study of the cell-set model on GFs was carried out by comparing it with a fully mesh model of a DU91W250 airfoil. A global relative error of 1.13% was calculated. Secondly, optimum GF lengths were determined (from 0% to 2% of c) for a DU97W300 airfoil and an application of them. The results showed that for lower angles of attack (AoAs) larger GFs were needed, and as the AoA increased, the optimum GF length value decreased. For the purpose of studying the effects generated by two flow control devices (vortex generators (VGs) and optimum GF) working together, a triangular VG based on the jBAY model was implemented. Resulting data indicated, as expected, that when both flow control devices were implemented, higher CL and lower CD values appeared.

A Workflow for Optimization of Flow Control Devices in SAGD

In McMurray Formation, steam assisted gravity drainage is used as the primary in-situ recovery technique to recover oil sands. Different geological reservoir settings and long horizontal wells impose limitations and operational challenges on the implementation of steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). The dual-string tubing system is the conventional completion scheme in SAGD. In complex reservoirs where dual-string completion cannot improve the operation performance, operators have adopted flow control devices (FCDs) to improve project economics. FCDs secure more injection/production points along the horizontal sections of the SAGD well pairs, hence, they maximize ultimate bitumen recovery and minimize cumulative steam-oil ratio (cSOR). This paper will focus on the optimization of outflow control devices (OCDs) in SAGD reservoirs with horizontal wellbore undulations. We present the detailed optimization workflow and show the optimization results for various scenarios with well pair trajectory undulation. Comparing the results of the optimized OCDs case with a dual-string case of the same SAGD model shows improvements in steam distribution, steam chamber growth, bitumen production, and net present value (NPV).

On Subcool Control in SAGD Producers—Part II: Localized-Hot-Spots Effects and Optimization of Flow-Control Devices

Summary At the base of a steam-assisted-gravity-drainage (SAGD) steam chamber, a liquid pool is developed, which is a key component for bitumen production. A producer is placed in the liquid pool, and its production is mainly controlled by its liquid level and the temperature gradient across its depth. A “subcool control” or “thermodynamic steam-trap control” is a typical operating strategy to control steam coning to the producer. Part I of this study (Irani 2018) presented a methodology to evaluate the production rate for a given pressure drawdown and subcool in a SAGD liquid pool; and Part III (Irani and Gates 2018) modified such a formulation for a stability analysis of the Nsolv™ (Nenniger and Nenniger 2000, 2001) process that contained a large fraction of liquid butane. In this study, first, the effect of localized hot spots on well control is formulated as a virtual skin factor in the liquid-pool deliverability equation. The results of this work suggest that a longer hot spot will yield to lower differential pressure and make it more challenging to control the steam breakthrough by choking the well at a given rate. Another key finding is that the steam coning becomes less controllable for higher-permeability reservoirs. Flow-control devices (FCDs) have been used extensively in horizontal wells for conventional oil and gas production to prevent early water breakthrough or gas coning. Although FCDs are commonly installed to prevent steam coning after steam breakthrough and to manage hot spots as retrofit completions by SAGD operators, in recent years, FCDs have been often installed to improve SAGD well-pair performance as part of the initial completion. The benefits associated with this technology in the SAGD industry have been studied with reservoir simulations and validated with field experience, but a theoretical study that discusses the main factors for a correct FCD selection on the basis of operational conditions and reservoir heterogeneity is required. In this study, the liner-deployed FCD and liquid-pool systems are coupled, and two criteria are suggested for a design of liner-deployed FCDs on the basis of the pressure-drop ratio of the FCD relative to the liquid pool (ΔPFCD/ΔPpool) and the coefficient of variation (CoV) of inflow for the liner-deployed-FCD wellbore (CoVFCD). The results of this study show that in higher-permeability reservoirs, the ideal FCD design should have more ports to reduce the differential pressure to flow response. While FCDs will improve inflow conformance relative to completions without FCDs, the effect of permeability in this improvement is minimal. This improvement is larger in applications operating at lower target subcool values. Reducing the target-wellbore subcool value can improve well deliverability twofold: First, FCD-completed wells produce more at lower subcools and, second, reducing the subcool value helps to improve inflow uniformity along the length of the lateral. By effectively removing the fluids available to the producer, the growth of the steam chamber can be maximized through accelerated injection rates.

Optimization of flow control devices in a ten-strand billet caster tundish

The physical model of a ten-strand billet caster tundish was established to study the effects of various flow control devices on the melt flow. Before and after the optimization of the melt flow, the inclusion removal in the tundish was evaluated by plant trials. The physical modeling results show that when combined with a baffle, the turbulence inhibitor, instead of the impact pad, can significantly improve the melt flow. A turbulence inhibitor with a longer length of inner cavity and without an extending lip at the top of the sidewall seems to be efficient in the improvement of the melt flow. Various types and designs of baffles all influence the flow characteristics significantly. The “V” type baffles are better than the straight baffles for flow control. The “V” type baffle with four inclined holes at the sidewall away from the stopper rods is better in melt flow control than the one with one inclined hole at each sidewall. The combination of a well-designed turbulence inhibitor and an appropriate baffle shows high efficiency on improving the melt flow and an optimal proposal was presented. Plant trials indicate that, compared with the original tundish configuration in prototype, the inclusions reduce by 42% and the inclusion distribution of individual strands is more similar with the optimal one. The optimal tundish configuration effectively improves the melt flow in the ten-strand billet caster tundish.

Experimental investigation on flow improvement in compressor cascades

There is no general rule in the literature to help choose a correct flow control device for any given case of turbomachinery applications. This suggests individual optimization of flow control devices for each specific case. The objective of this study is to prove experimentally the benefits of passive control methods in improving the compressor performance. This allows to reduce the fuel consumption, leading to energy saving and reduction of atmospheric pollution. Two features have been controlled in this study: flow separation over the blade surfaces and the secondary flow over the cascade endwalls. Vortex generator ribs are tested on the blade suction side for flow reattachment on the blade surfaces, and low-profile vortex generators are tested on the side walls of the compressor cascade against secondary flow losses. Different vortex generator designs are compared for total pressure recovery, flow turning, boundary layer characteristics, and pressure distributions over the endwalls. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Optimization of flow control devices for a T-type five-strand billet caster tundish: water modeling and numerical simulation

The optimization of flow control devices (FCDs) for a T-type five-strand billet caster tundish was carried out by water modeling and numerical simulation. In water modeling experiments, flow characteristics of the bare tundish and tundish configurations with designed U-type baffles and a round turbulence inhibitor were analyzed using residence time distribution (RTD) curves. Mathematical models for liquid steel in the real plant tundish were established using the fluid dynamics software package Fluent. The flow field, the temperature field, and the RTD curves of liquid steel in the proposed tundish configurations were obtained. The results of numerical simulation and water modeling were validated with each other by the predicted and experimental RTD curves. The results of flow field and temperature field were used to reflect the actual state of a real plant tundish and to choose the optimal FCD. Finally, from the whole performance of the multi-strand tundish, the optimal scheme was determined by combining the results of water modeling and numerical simulation. With the optimal tundish equipped with U-type baffle with deflector holes and round turbulence inhibitor, not only was the flow characteristic of each strand improved, but also the difference of flow characteristics between multiple strands was smaller.

Optimization of Flow Control Devices in a Stainless Steel Tundish

Optimization of FCD design in a single strand slab tundish producing stainless steel is carried out by physical modelling using a 0.4 scale water model and mathematical modelling study. Reducing the residual metal volume at the end of casting, promoting the near-surface plug flow for inclusions removal and improving the transient slab quality are concerned, the optimized FCD is two dams and an impact pad, among them the dam1 (close to ladle shroud) with two 30 degrees upward inclined drain holes, another dam2 (close to tundish exit) is bottom rectangular-grooved which is beneficial for reducing the residual metal volume. Besides, the height of impact pad and drain holes must be concerned simultaneously, in the present study the height is 20mm and 60mm, respectively. Compared with turbulence inhibitors, impact pad will decrease the melt exposed to air at the steady state of casting. The holes at the higher level of dam may cause slag entrapment during the refilling process of ladle change operation.

Improvement of tundish shape and optimization of flow control devices for sequence casting heavy steel ingots

The metallurgical effect of a round tundish used to cast heavy steel ingots in machine works at present was evaluated through water modeling experiments. The flow control devices of the improved oval tundish, which was used instead of the round tundish, had been optimized. The results show that the residence time of the round tundish is short, its inclusion removal efficiency is too low, and it has more dead zones and an unreasonable flow field. Compared with the round tundish, the improved oval tundish with the optimized weir and dam has a better effect: its minimum residence time is prolonged by 38.1 s, the average residence time is prolonged by 233.4 s, its dead volume fraction decreases from 26% to 15%, and the ratio of plug volume fraction to dead volume fraction increases from 0.54 to 1.27. The inclusion removal efficiency also increases by 17.5%.

Kriging‐based optimization applied to flow control

SUMMARYThe automatic optimization of flow control devices is a delicate issue because of the drastic computational time related to unsteady high‐fidelity flow analyses and the possible multimodality of the objective function. Thus, we experiment in this article the use of kriging‐based algorithms to optimize flow control parameters because these methods have shown their efficiency for global optimization at moderate cost. Navier–Stokes simulations, carried out for different control parameters, are used to build iteratively a kriging model. At each step, a statistical analysis is performed to enrich the model with new simulation results by exploring the most promising areas, until optimal flow control parameters are found. This approach is validated and demonstrated on two problems, including comparisons with similar studies: the control of the flow around an oscillatory rotating cylinder and the reduction of the intensity of a shock wave for a transonic airfoil by adding a bump to the airfoil profile. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Optimization of flow control devices in a single-strand slab continuous casting tundish

The optimization of flow control devices in a single-slab continuous casting tundish was carried out by physical modeling, and the optimized scheme was presented. With the optimal tundish configuration, the minimum residence time of liquid steel was increased by 1.4 times, the peak concentration time was increased by 97%, and the dead volume fraction was decreased by 72%. A mathematical model for molten steel in the tundish was established by using the fluid dynamics package Fluent. The velocity field, concentration field, and the residence time distribution (RTD) curves of molten steel flow before and after optimization were obtained. Experimental results showed that the reasonable configuration with flow control devices can improve the fluid flow characteristics in the tundish. The results of industrial application show that the nonmetallic inclusion area ratio in casting slabs is decreased by 32% with the optimal tundish configuration.

Orthogonal analysis of water model study on the optimization of flow control devices in a six-strand tundish

Improper flow control devices in a multi-strand tundish can cause some problems, for example, liquid steel cannot reach every nozzle at the same time and the liquid steel in nozzles far away from the entry zone has a lower temperature. The water model experiment of a six-strand tundish of Tianjin Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. was performed, a new "U" type baffle was obtained, and its parameters were defined by perpendicular analysis. The "U" baffle can not only improve those imperfections, but also prolong the residence time of nonmetallic inclusions, which is good for their flotation and separation.