Rear Chamber Research Articles

Numerical investigation of flow characteristics in the front and rear chambers of centrifugal pump and pump as turbine

To investigate the flow characteristics in front chamber and rear chamber in pump mode and pump as turbine mode, a 3D computational model of a centrifugal pump was established, including the front and rear chamber. Based on Realizable k-ε turbulence model, numerical calculations of incompressible flow were carried out for internal viscous flow in two operating modes. Further analysis was conducted on the flow stability and hydraulic losses under two modes using energy gradient theory and entropy production theory. The numerical simulation results are within reasonable error compared to the experimental results in pump operation mode, which ensures the reliability of the numerical calculation method. The results indicate that the volumetric efficiency in both two modes is on an upward trend with increasing flow, but the volumetric efficiency of the pump mode is more significantly affected by changes in flow; the distribution patterns of dimensionless circumferential velocity and dimensionless radial velocity in the front and rear chambers under two operating modes are similar, but the distribution pattern of dimensionless radial velocity in the front chamber in turbine mode is significantly different from other operating conditions; flow instability is most likely to occur at the outlet of impeller, and the energy loss in clearance of wear-rings is greater than that in the pump chamber.

Research on the Influence of Characteristics of the Annular Connecting Pipe on the Transmission Loss of the Expanded Exhaust Muffler

In order to broaden the muffler frequency band in the low-frequency range of the exhaust muffler and to achieve the purpose of broadband noise reduction, in this paper, a model of an annular connecting pipe muffler is proposed using the finite element method (FEM) to simulate the nonreflection boundary condition and to solve the transmission loss (TL). In addition, the experimental value is obtained by the spatial five-point measurement method and compared with the simulated value, and the validity and reliability of the solution model are verified. Compared with a simple expansion muffler, the average TL of the annular connecting pipe muffler is increased by 11.86 dB, and the maximum TL is increased by 18.31 dB, effectively widening the muffler frequency area, and the overall performance is effectively improved. Finally, the influence of structural factors is analyzed, including the width (W) of the annular connecting pipe, the length (L) of the annular connecting pipe, and the length ratio (m) of the front and rear chambers on the TL and on the width of the anechoic frequency band. The results reveal that the width and length of the annular connecting pipe and front-to-back cavity length ratio are the most significant factors to influence the TL, muffler frequency band, and elimination or reduction of the passing frequency, respectively.

An Investigation of Modular Composable Acoustic Metamaterials with Multiple Nonunique Chambers.

To make the sound absorber easy to fabricate and convenient for practical application, a modular composable acoustic metamaterial with multiple nonunique chambers (MCAM-MNCs) was proposed and investigated, which was divided into a front panel with the same perforated apertures and a rear chamber with a nonunique grouped cavity. Through the acoustic finite element simulation, the parametric studies of the diameter of aperture d, depth of chamber T0, and thickness of panel t0 were conducted, which could tune the sound absorption performances of MCAM-MNCs-1 and MCAM-MNCs-2 for the expected noise reduction effect. The effective sound absorption band of MCAM-MNCs-1 was 556 Hz (773-1329 Hz), 456 Hz (646-1102 Hz), and 387 Hz (564-951 Hz) for T = 30 mm, T = 40 mm, and T = 50 mm, respectively, and the corresponding average sound absorption coefficient was 0.8696, 0.8854, and 0.8916, accordingly, which exhibited excellent noise attenuation performance. The sound absorption mechanism of MCAM-MNCs was investigated by the distributions of the total sound energy density (TSED). The components used to assemble the MCAM-MNCs sample were fabricated by additive manufacturing, and its actual sound absorption coefficients were tested according to the transfer matrix method, which demonstrated its feasibility and promoted its actual application.

Steady and Unsteady Flow Characteristics inside Short Jet Self-Priming Pump

Due to their great efficiency and minimal loss, self-priming jet pumps are frequently employed in a variety of sectors for sustainable development. A short jet self-priming pump’s steady and unsteady flow characteristics are investigated numerically in this study using a standard k-ε turbulence model. The precision and dependability of the numerical calculations used in this work are demonstrated by the less than 2% difference between the pump performance data from the numerical calculation and the external characteristics test results for each flow condition. It was found that due to the perpendicularity of the nozzle axis to the impeller axis, the high-flow velocity zone in the nozzle gradually deviates to the side away from the impeller under high-flow conditions. Backflow is generated on the side close to the impeller, where eccentric vortices are created. As time progresses, the asymmetry of the low-pressure zone within the impeller becomes more pronounced under high-flow conditions, and the fluid is unable to form a stable vortex structure at a specific location. This is an important cause of impeller vibration and noise. The nonlinear vibration at the impeller inlet is less periodic, while the increase in flow rate can make the nonlinear vibration generated within the impeller more regular and stable. This reflects the fact that the fluid flow at small flow rates is more likely to be affected by the blade configuration and the shape of the flow channel, which leads to fluid instability and discontinuity. For various flow rates, the main frequency of the pressure pulsation is higher at the impeller intake (W1) than it is in the impeller channel (W2~7). Additionally, the pressure pulsation is more frequent before 10 times the rotational frequency, with no significant regularity. This suggests that the impeller and injector rear chamber dynamic and static interference impacts may have some bearing on the pressure pulsation. The pressure pulsation coefficients (W2~7) in the impeller at different flow rates show an exponentially decreasing trend with the increase of multiples of five in the rotation frequency. The equations for the relationship between CP and 5NF were obtained, respectively: CP-Q1 = 0.07044 × exp(−0.2372NF), CP-Q3 = 0.06776 × exp(−0.2564 NF), CP-Q5 = 0.07005 × exp(−0.2884 NF). The findings of this study contribute to understanding the flow inhomogeneities inside the pump as well as the analysis of the internal pump vibration, enhancing the jet pump’s efficiency and lifespan.

Modeling and experimental study of the cushion lift dynamics system of a polar hovercraft

This paper investigates the cushion lift dynamics of a polar hovercraft. The motion of the flexible skirt on the ice surface is simplified and a mathematical model is established to study the dynamic response characteristics of the hovercraft in the process of lifting and moving over ice. This model considers the pressure/flow characteristics, skirt pressure, air cushion pressure, and flow rate of the fan of the hovercraft, and establishes a simulation using a C++program. When the hovercraft is pushed by the propeller, a thrust of 10 kN will cause a pressure difference of about 450 Pa between the front and rear chambers, 0.06 m in the height of the upstream and downstream discharge flows, and a decrease of about 0.4° in the longitudinal inclination angle. Changing the pitch angle to 0.5° creates a pressure difference of about 500 Pa between the chambers and a height difference of 0.07 m between the discharge. When the hovercraft speed is low, the wind speed has a small impact on the air cushion pressure of the lift system. The results of this research provide important technical and experimental foundations for further studies on the ice surface kinematics and safety control strategy of polar hovercraft.

Experimental study on hydrodynamic behavior and energy conversion of multiple oscillating-water-column chamber in regular waves

An oscillating water column (OWC) device is a promising wave energy converter that uses ocean wave energy resources. The OWC chamber absorbs the energy of ocean waves and significantly affects energy conversion performance. In this study, the hydrodynamic performance of a multiple OWC chamber was investigated experimentally, emphasizing its hydrodynamic behavior and energy conversion characteristics. A series of regular wave tests were conducted for single-, triple-, and asymmetric triple OWC chambers in a two-dimensional wave tank. The same orifice ratio was applied to the single and triple chambers to induce an equivalent turbine-chamber interaction owing to the pressure drop. It was found that the triple OWC chamber contributes to an increase in the converted pneumatic power compared to the single OWC chamber due to reducing the sloshing motion of the internal fluid. Moreover, the temporal fluctuation of the overall output power was reduced because of the water column motion of each triple OWC chamber with a phase difference. The rear chamber of the asymmetric triple chamber traps the wave energy and contributes to not only increasing the output power but also the variability. Therefore, it can be observed that multiple OWC chambers improve energy conversion performance by increasing the mean power output and reducing temporal fluctuation.

Performance of large-diameter pneumatic down-the-hole (DTH) hammers: A focus on influences of the hammer structure

Pneumatic down-the-hole (DTH) hammer has been extensively used in air drillings through hard and ultra-hard geological formations. Numerical modeling can offer close observation on the working behaviors by visualizing internal pressure status as well as provide reliable performance predictions for large-diameter DTH hammers to which conventional empirical and experimental approaches cannot be applied. In this study, CFD simulations coupled with dynamic meshing are utilized to simulate the air flow and piston movement inside the large-diameter DTH hammers. The numerical modeling scheme is verified against a theoretical model published in literature. Effects of structural parameters on hammer performance, including piston mass, piston upper-end diameter, piston groove diameter, and lengths of intake and exhaust stroke in both front and rear chambers, are analyzed in detail by virtue of sets of numerical simulations. The simulations suggest that changing the intake stroke of front chamber has a negligible influence on hammer performance while increasing the piston groove would lower all the four indicators of hammer performance, including impact energy, impact frequency, maximum stroke, and air consumption rate. Changing the other structural parameters demonstrates mixed effects on the performance indicators. Based on the numerical simulations, a large GQ-400 DTH hammer has been designed for reduced air consumption rate and tested in a field drilling practice. The air drilling test with the designed hammer provided a penetration rate 1.7 times faster than that of conventional mud drilling.

Effect of effuser throat diameter on the internal flow structure and energy characteristics of the jet pump

The jet pump is one of the most popular types of fluid machinery in agriculture, industry and environmental engineering and many other fields. However, its internal flow structure is complex, showing obvious unsteady characteristics. The effect of throat diameter size on jet pump performance and energy property was investigated in this study based on numerical calculation and test verification, in order to improve the performance and internal flow field stability of jet pump. Five models with different throat diameters were obtained by adjusting the assembly structure and simulated by the computational fluid dynamics software to solve the Navier–Stokes equations for three-dimensional steady flow. The accuracy of numerical methods was verified by comparison with the experimental results. The compact jet pump performance under different throat diameters was then compared and analysed. The backflow at effuser outlet of different throat diameters causes the changes of vortex structure inside the injector rear chamber. The vortex diffuses downstream to the impeller inlet, making the flow structure of the impeller inlet show obvious circumferential inhomogeneity. This forms different vortex structures at different impeller flow channels, changing the distribution of entropy production within the impeller, ultimately leading to a decrease of pump efficiency. Therefore, this study found that selecting a reasonable throat diameter of the injector can improve the performance of the jet pump impeller, and thus improve the overall efficiency of the system. For the research object in this paper, the recommended range of throat diameter of injector is 16 mm–17 mm. This finding could provide useful insights for the improvement of the hydraulic performance and operational stability of compact jet pumps.

Numerical investigation of hydrodynamic performance and efficiency of a dual-chamber oscillating water column under different damping and chamber breadth ratio combination

The dual-chamber oscillating water column (OWC) is a modified wave energy converter that has received considerable attention owing to its high capture efficiency and adaptability to wave conditions. In this study, the hydrodynamic performance of a land-based dual-chamber OWC was numerically investigated, focusing on the effect of damping combinations and chamber breadth on hydrodynamic efficiency. The commercial software ANSYS Fluent was employed to solve the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation, and the solution was verified through a comparison with experimental data. The variations in water surface elevation, pressure, and efficiency of a dual-chamber OWC with different orifices and chamber breadth ratios were investigated. The results indicate that an OWC with different opening ratios is more efficient and offers advantages in adapting to variable wave environments compared with an OWC comprising two chambers with the same orifice dimensions. Furthermore, it was found that incident waves with a high frequency result in a higher absorption efficiency for the combination of smaller damping of the front chamber and larger damping of the rear chamber; by contrast, waves at lower frequencies have higher absorption efficiencies with the opposite combination. The breadth ratio has different effects on the hydrodynamic efficiency for different damping conditions. The findings can serve as a reference for the practical application of dual-chamber OWCs.

Inverse Determination of Acoustic Properties of Acoustic Ventilation Cloth (Woven and Non-Woven) by Particle Swarm Optimization and Estimation of Its Effect on the Frequency Response of the Microspeaker

In this work, microspeaker frequency response was determined based on measurement and simulation. The vents after the rear chamber of the microspeaker were covered with ventilation cloths. Two types of ventilation cloths (acoustic cloths) are commonly used in electroacoustic products, non-woven and woven. Non-woven cloths (5 nos.) consist of irregular meshes and woven cloths (5 nos.) consist of regular meshes. The equivalent circuit model of the microspeaker was formulated by considering five types each of non-woven and woven ventilation cloths. The acoustic properties of the ventilation cloths were estimated from the measured frequency response of the microspeaker and by subsequent use of particle swarm optimization algorithm. Estimated value of the acoustic impedances of the ventilation cloths were used in an equivalent circuit model of the microspeaker for the simulated frequency responses and subsequently compared with the anechoic chamber measurements. Based on the results, the equivalent circuit adequately simulated the measured frequency response of the microspeaker and the estimations of the acoustic impedances of the ventilation cloths were in good agreement with the measured frequency responses of the microspeaker.

Improvement to Calculation Method of Flood Force on T-Girder Considering Entrapped Air in Chambers

Entrapped air in the chambers of a T-girder bridge generates a considerably large vertical force which is harmful to the safety of the bridge superstructure. The contribution of the entrapped air is not considered when calculating flood force in the related specifications, and also it has not been taken into account by researchers. Two-dimensional, scaled-down models at a 1:40 scale are selected as the research object. Analytical and numerical methods are employed to investigate the contribution of entrapped air in T-girder chambers to flood forces. Results show that the entrapped air in the rear chambers could escape easier than that in the front chambers and the compressibility of entrapped air has a small influence on drag force and vertical force (generated by dynamic pressure) coefficients, but it reduces the buoyancy of the T-girder. Considering the entrapped air compressibility and entrapped air escape, the calculation method of the buoyancy of entrapped air is proposed to improve the precision of the existing flood force calculation method.

Experimental investigation of a novel OWC wave energy converter

Wave energy, one of the safest and currently growing forms of renewable energy, requires the development of the appropriate wave energy converters (WECs). This study presents a recently patented WEC; and proves the feasibility of this concept using a series of experiments. To achieve this, two rectangular chambers of an oscillating water column (OWC) system were arranged in series, and the wave with a propagation direction that forms a relatively small angle of 30° with the front walls was referred to as obliquely incident wave. The effects of the wave amplitude, front wall draughts, and opening ratios were investigated in relation to the overall hydrodynamic performance and the respective performances of the two sub-chambers. It was found that the overall efficiency of the system was greatly reduced as the front wall draught in the high-frequency zone increased. Furthermore, the opening ratios of the individual chambers significantly affected the overall hydrodynamic performance for all frequency bandwidths under obliquely incident waves, and the optimal efficiency achieved at the opening ratio of ε = 1%. The rear chamber is inferior to the front chamber for most of the wave frequencies.

Formation Principle and Characteristics of Self-Supercharging Pulsed Water Jet

High-pressure pulsed water jet technology has considerable development potential in the field of rock fragmentation. To overcome the shortcomings of existing pulsed jets, a self-supercharging pulsed water jet (SSPWJ) generation method is proposed, which is based on the theory of the pulsed water jet and the principle of hydraulic boosting. The proposed method changes the flow direction of the fluid medium through the valve core to make the piston reciprocate in the cylinder and relies on the effective area difference between the front and rear chambers in the stroke stage of the piston to realize the organic combination of “pulse” and “supercharging” of the jet, thus forming an SSPWJ. On the basis of the formation principle of the SSPWJ, a SSPWJ testing platform was constructed, and tests were performed on the jet pressure acquisition, morphology capture, and granite erosion. Both the jet pressure and the jet morphology exhibited periodic changes, and a higher pulse pressure was obtained at lower inlet pressure. The error of the pressure ratio calculated according to the experimental results was <3% relative to the theoretical design value, confirming the feasibility of the method. The pulse pressure and pulse frequency are controllable; that is, as the inlet flow rate increases in the stroke stage of the piston, the pulse pressure and pulse frequency increase, and the pulse duration decreases. As the inlet flow rate increases in the backward-stroke stage of the piston, the pulse frequency increases, and the pulse pressure and pulse duration remain unchanged. Under the combined action of the water-hammer pressure, high-speed lateral flow, and high-frequency dynamic load of the SSPWJ, local flaky exfoliation was observed when the granite surface was eroded. The results of this study lay the foundation for enriching the theory of pulsed jet generation and expanding its application range.

Effects of the Balance Hole Diameter on the Flow Characteristics of the Rear Chamber and the Disk Friction Loss in the Centrifugal Pump

This paper studies the flow characteristics and disk friction loss of the rear chamber in a centrifugal pump at a design flow condition with six values of the balance holes at diameters from 0 to 12 mm. The results show that the turbulent boundary layer in the rear chamber is greatly affected by the leakage flow. When the balance hole diameter increases, the flow characteristics of the rear chamber is mainly restricted by the mainstream flow field of the volute. However, when the balance hole diameter is larger than the design value, the disk friction loss of the rear chamber remains basically unchanged. On the contrary, when the balance hole diameter is smaller than the design value, the larger the balance hole diameter the smaller the friction loss of the disk in the rear chamber area. The results of this paper provide a reference for reducing axial force and stable operation of a centrifugal pump.

A novel dual-chamber oscillating water column system with dual lip-wall pitching motions for wave energy conversion

The topic focusing on the dual-chamber Oscillating Water Column (OWC) system is still in its infancy. To improve energy extraction within a wider wave frequency regime, the concept of a dual-chamber OWC device with pitching front and mid lip-walls simultaneously is proposed. Its performance in wave energy capturing is analytical investigated based on potential flow theory. The matching conditions in terms of the pressure and velocity continuity along the adjacent interfaces are employed, and the power take-off model and the motion response of pitching lip-walls are incorporated into the procedure for solving a set of linear matrix equations. Factors, including the lip-wall drafts and the angle spring stiffness are explored to analyze the influences on the interested parameters. Results show that an intermediate lip-wall drafts condition is of more benefit for improving power extraction. There exists a certain range of angle spring stiffness determining the optimal power extraction performance. Most predominantly, the inclusion of dual pitching motions provides the possibility of making full use of the both chambers in absorbing wave power, and the supplement function by the rear chamber can be greatly strengthened. In addition, the extension of the novel offshore model to an onshore device illustrates the necessity and superiority of including the lip-wall pitching motions for a land-based structure as well, as remarkable improvement can be achieved especially excited by short-period waves under relatively deeper drafts.

Inclusion of a pitching mid-wall for a dual-chamber oscillating water column wave energy converter device

The concept of a dual-chamber oscillating water column (OWC) device consisting of a pitching mid-wall (restrained by an angle spring stiffness) is proposed and the corresponding theoretical model is established under the framework of potential flow theory. By employing the matched eigenfunction method along the common interfaces in terms of the velocity and pressure continuity, the present model can be numerically solved. A numerical strategy of successive approximation is utilized to determine the optimal turbine parameters for the optimal energy extraction. Some potential influential factors, including the linear density, installed location and draft of the mid-wall, chamber breadth and angle spring stiffness, are explored to analyze their impacts on the power extraction performance. It is found that the mid-wall in the dual-chamber structure with a relatively larger linear density and smaller draft is more beneficial for energy extraction. Under the condition that the dual-chamber structure is designed with a relatively wider size, an asymmetry configuration with a narrower front but a wider rear chamber is more recommended. In addition, a relatively smaller angle spring stiffness is advisable due to the occurrence of more satisfactory peak efficiency.

Study on Micro Recoil Mechanism of the Weapon with a Nozzle and Two Chambers Separated by a Partition

In order to improve the recoil reduction ability of the weapon without reducing the projectile velocity, the weapon with a nozzle and two chambers separated by a partition is proposed. Taking the 35 mm caliber grenade launcher as the research object, the physical model of its launching process is proposed, and the one-dimensional two-phase flow interior ballistic model is established. MacCormack difference scheme is used to calculate the coupling of multiple physical fields formed by front and rear chambers and nozzles. Compared with the calculation results obtained by using the classical interior ballistic model, the correctness of the two-phase flow interior ballistic model is verified. The effects of the charge amount in the rear chamber and the size of the air guide hole in the barrel on the internal ballistic performance of the weapon with a nozzle and two chambers separated by a partition. The calculation results show that compared with conventional weapons, the recoil impulse can be reduced with maintaining muzzle velocity, and the recoil reduction efficiency can reach 72.27%, which is of great significance for improving weapon performance.

HYDRODYNAMICS OF A DUAL-CHAMBER OWC WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER IN HEAVING MOTION

The oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy conversion device have been recognized as the most promising wave energy conversion technology due to the advantages of its simple structure, convenient assembly and easy maintenance. A heave-only dual-chamber OWC device was numerically investigated by a well-developed open source software OpenFOAM coupled with a wave generation and absorption toolbox Waves2Foam. The volume of fluid (VOF) method tracking the water-air interface and the six-degree-freedom (6DOF) Dynamic Mesh solver duplicating the heave motion of the OWC device were employed to examine the influences of the relative width of the front and rear chambers and the spring elastic coefficient on the energy capture width ratio and hydrodynamic characteristics of the device under the actions of different incident regular waves. Through comparing the present results with the existing ones of a fixed dual-chamber OWC wave energy converter, and examining the free-decay motion of a cylinder, the rationality and effectiveness of the present numerical model has been revealed. The results show that the wider rear chamber can make for the extraction of wave energy of the dual-chamber OWC in heave motion. The heave-only dual-chamber OWC device can improve the device performance as the relative width ratio of the front and rear chambers is 1/2, and the rear chamber has larger capture width ratio in the middle and high frequency wave bands, compared with that of the fixed one. Multiple-peak values of the relative water surface elevation and the relative pressure occur in the whole test wave frequency bands due to the phase gap between the dual-chamber OWC device and the water columns in the front and rear chambers. In addition, it is found that by adjusting the spring stiffness coefficient, the wave-frequency bandwidth of high-efficiency can be significantly broadened and larger energy capture width ratio can be achieved.

Design Optimization and Performance Analysis of the Pneumatic DTH Hammer with Self-Propelled Round Bit

Although pneumatic down-the-hole (DTH) hammers have good performance of high penetration rate and minimal deviation tendency in the vertical section of oil and gas wells, they have not been successfully used in directional drilling due to drill tool wear and wellbore disturbance. Herein, we developed a novel type of pneumatic DTH hammer with a self-propelled round bit to overcome the technical difficulties of directional drilling. Nonlinear dynamic modeling developed by the authors was used to analyze the working principle and performance of the novel DTH hammer. The kinematics and dynamics simulation of this hammer were carried out using MATLAB language, and the motion law of the piston was revealed. The performance of the novel hammer was numerically simulated and evaluated by considering fluctuations of the front and rear chamber pressure, impact energy, acceleration, and frequency. The results show that our novel DTH hammer’s working principle is feasible and has an adequate structural design. The simulation results demonstrate reasonable design parameters. Compared to the numerical results for conventional DTH hammers, the velocity and acceleration of the piston of the novel hammer changed smoothly. The frequency was slightly higher than that of conventional hammers, while other parameters were nearly equal. The novel DTH hammer can be used in directional drilling, trenchless drilling, and seabed sampling drilling.

Experimental investigation on the hydrodynamic performance of a new type floating Oscillating Water Column device with dual-chambers

A comprehensive experimental study is carried out to investigate the efficiency of a novel floating dual-chamber Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter device in terms of converting the energy of the waves to pneumatic power. The influence of the power take-off damping as well as the wave characteristics on the hydrodynamic performance is investigated. The significant hydrodynamic performance of the introduced novel concept has been proven in the wide range of wave frequencies for both regular and random wave conditions. It is found that the fore and rear chambers of the device have the dominant role in absorbing energy of the waves in a specific range of wave periods. Their mutual interactions have a significant effect on the enhancement of the overall hydrodynamic performance.