Piston-type Generator Research Articles

Transformation of Long Waves in a Canal of Variable Section

Abstract The paper deals with long water waves propagating in a straight canal of constant depth and variable section. In the formulation of this problem, a simplified, one-dimensional model is considered that is based on the assumption of a “columnar” fluid motion. To this end, a system of material coordinates is employed as independent variables in the description of this phenomenon. The main attention is focused on transient solutions corresponding to a fluid motion starting from rest.With respect to the initial value problem considered,we confine our attention to a finite domain fluid motion induced by a piston-type generator placed at the beginning of the canal. For a finite elapse of time, measured from the starting point, the solution in the finite fluid area mimics a solution within an infinite domain, inherent for wave propagation problems. The main goal of our investigations is to describe the evolution of the free surface (the wave height) at the smallest section of the canal. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the model formulation developed in this paper. The accuracy of this approximate description is assessed by comparing its results with data obtained in hydraulic experiments performed in a laboratory flume.

Modeling of Water Flows around a Circular Cylinder with the SPH Method

Abstract The paper describes the SPH modeling of a plane problem of fluid flow around a rigid circular cylinder. In the model considered, the cylinder is placed in a rectangular fluid domain at a certain distance from a horizontal plane boundary, and it is subjected to fluid flow forces. The fluid motion is induced by a piston type generator. The generator - fluid system starts to move from rest at a certain moment of time. The work aims at a discrete description of the fluid flow around the cylinder and, at the same time, calculation of the pressure distribution along the circumference of the cylinder and the resultant of the pressure on the cylinder. In order to solve the initial value problem considered, a new SPH formulation of boundary conditions on the cylinder surface is proposed which match the physical condition for the fluid velocity at this boundary. For a viscous fluid, an approximate description of the stress tensor is formulated which allows to reduce the differentiation of field functions to the first order in calculating the shear forces in the SPH approach.

High-pressure instrument for small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering. II. Time-resolved experiments

An instrument to facilitate small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering measurements of samples under elevated hydrostatic pressures or exposed to pressure jumps is described. Pressure from atmospheric up to 0.35 GPa is produced by a motor-driven, piston-type generator and transferred through a network containing pressurizing liquid to a sample cell. The cell, with the optical path length of 1.6 mm, has two Beryllium windows with a total transmission of 0.4 (for x rays of λ=0.154 nm) and low background scattering. Scattering can be observed at angles up to 30°. Samples can be solid or liquid with a minimal volume less than 30 μl and the irradiated volume up to 3 μl. Separation of the samples from the pressurizing medium is accomplished by Teflon pistons. The high-pressure network has two sections separated by a pneumatic valve. The inner section is connected permanently to the cell and the outer one to the pressure generator. For pressure jumps, the outer section is brought to a different pressure level than the inner one and the jumps are accomplished by opening fast the connection between both sections. At the same time a trigger signal is sent to the data acquisition electronics. All functions of the instrument are PC controlled. To illustrate the performance characteristics of the instrument, time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering measurements of phase transitions in liquid crystalline phospholipid, dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine are shown. Pressure-jump experiments with 5 ms time resolution as well as temperature scans at a constant elevated pressure are presented.