Three-dimensional Transient Model Research Articles

Sealing Contact Transient Thermal-Structural Coupling Analysis of the Subsea Connector

Taking the subsea collect connector as an example, the sealing characteristics of the sealing structure of the subsea connector under transient thermal–structural coupling were studied. Based on Airy’s thermal stress function, the mathematical model was established, the complex stress function was used to solve the problem, and a three-dimensional transient thermal stress model of the core sealing parts was obtained. The transient thermal–structural coupling stress model of the core seal was obtained by linear superposition principle. The transient temperature field of the subsea collet connector under different working conditions was analyzed. It was found that the larger the temperature difference between the components was, the greater the difference of expansion rate was, and the greater the impact on the sealing performance of LSG was in the process of temperature variation from transient to steady distribution. Numerical simulations of various working conditions under the transient temperature field were carried out. The results showed that sudden change of the temperature and oil–gas pressure will bring about large fluctuations of the maximum contact stress and equivalent stress of the seal, which was easy to fatigue wear, and thus affect the reliability of the sealing performance. Finally, the experiment proves that the sealing ring can maintain sealing performance under the conditions of temperature-cyclic loading. The coupled mathematical model proposed in this paper could be used for the transient thermal–structural coupling theoretical analysis of similar subsea equipment.

Prediction of Temperature Distribution in Concrete under Variable Environmental Factors through a Three-Dimensional Heat Transfer Model.

Temperature distribution in concrete is significant to the concrete structure’s macro properties and different factors affect the heat transfer in concrete, and therefore influence the temperature distribution. This work established a three-dimensional transient heat transfer model coupled with various environmental factors, using the finite element method for calculating the results and real-measured data for testing accuracy. In addition, a sensitivity evaluation of various factors was conducted. Due to various environmental factors, the results revealed that the prediction of temperature distribution in concrete by the three-dimensional model had great accuracy with an error of less than 4%. A particular hysteresis effect of temperature response in the concrete existed. Considering heat transfer in different spatial directions, the model can predict the temperature change of each spatial point instead of the spatial surface in different depths, proving the shortcomings of a one-dimensional heat transfer model. A greater solar radiation intensity caused a more significant temperature difference on the concrete surface: the surface temperature difference in July was twice as significant as that in December. Wind speed had a cooling effect on the concrete surface, and stronger wind speed accompanied with a stronger cooling effect made the surface temperature closer to the ambient temperature. Material properties had different effects on the temperature distribution of the surface part and internal part: the specific heat capacity determined the speed of the outer layer temperature change while the thermal conductivity determined the speed of the inner layer temperature change.

Experimental and Numerical Simulation of a Radiant Floor System: The Impact of Different Screed Mortars and Floor Finishings.

The radiant floor system market is growing rapidly because Europe is moving toward a low-carbon economy and increased awareness about environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, stimulated by the ambitious EU Energy Efficient Directive and nZEB challenge. The high growth rate of the market share is due to the involvement of homeowners in the specifications of their living commodities, so they are thus willing to invest more at the initial stage to obtain long-term benefits and lower energy exploration costs. We performed an experimental campaign over three slabs with a hydronic radiant floor system of equal dimensions, shape, and pipe pitch with different screed mortar formulations to assess their performance throughout a heating/cooling cycle. The temperature at different heights within the interior of the screed mortars and at the surface were monitored. The results revealed that an improved screed mortar has a relevant impact on the efficiency of the system. Moreover, a three-dimensional transient heat transfer model was validated using the experimental data. The model was used to evaluate the impact of different finishing materials, namely wood, cork, ceramic, and linoleum, on the floor surface temperatures. The results showed differences of 15% in the surface temperature when using different floor finishing solutions.

Numerical Investigation on the Effects of Impeller Structures in Hot Metal Desulfurization Processes by Mechanical Stirring

With the increasing demand for high-quality steel, the requirements for the efficiency and stability of deep desulfurization are increasing too. The Kanbara Reactor (KR) is widely accepted around the world because of its high efficiency and economy. In order to destroy the rigid motion of molten iron in this area, two kinds of blade structures are designed and compared with traditional blades. In this study, a three-dimensional transient coupling mathematical model was established by using volume of fluid (VOF) and discrete phase model (DPM) to simulate the KR desulfurization process. The turbulence intensity of the molten iron, main vortex size and desulfurizing agent (DA) particle distributions for the three impeller models were investigated in detail. Model results showed that the staggered blade structure may improve the desulfurization efficiency of the KR process, and the desulfurization rate increases from 95.7% to 97.1% when compared with ordinary blades. The main reason for this can be attributed to the enhanced turbulence intensity of the molten iron, larger main vortex size and more uniform DA particle distributions. Plant tests also showed that the desulfurizer consumption per 1 ppm sulfur for the staggered blades was reduced by approximately 8.6%.

Study on the temperatures of railway tunnel side ditches in high-latitude cold regions based on the effects of wind

Tunnel side ditches in the high-latitude cold regions of China experience severe freezing-induced damage. In this paper, a three-dimensional transient temperature calculation model for tunnel in cold area is proposed, and the reliability of the temperature calculation model is verified by the field test results. The characteristics of tunnel temperature distribution under the influence of many factors, especially tunnel section and tunnel length, which are ignored in the existing research, are studied. The influence of tunnel design parameters on temperature field under different railway tunnel types (single-track and double-track tunnel) was also studied. The results show that the length with a temperature below 0 °C of single-track tunnel increases with the increase of tunnel length, while that of double-track tunnel decreases. No matter what type of tunnel, increasing the train frequency and train speed can significantly increase the freezing range of the tunnel. However, the influence of piston wind on temperature distribution in single-track tunnel and double-track tunnel is very different. For single-track tunnel, the growth rate of the length with a temperature below 0 °C decreases with the increase of train speed; However, for double-track tunnel, the growth rate of the length with a temperature below 0 °C increases with train speed. The frost damage of double-track tunnel in cold area is more serious than that of single-track tunnel. Under the same conditions, the antifreezing length of double-track tunnel is much longer than that of single-track tunnel. Based on the calculation results, a prediction model for the freezing length of cold-region tunnel side ditches was proposed, thereby providing a reference for the prevention and control of freezing-induced damage in the side ditches of cold-region tunnels.

Three-Dimensional Transient Cfd Modeling of Multiple Aluminumfoam and Pin Fin Heat Sinks in a Horizontal Channel

Three-Dimensional Transient Cfd Modeling of Multiple Aluminumfoam and Pin Fin Heat Sinks in a Horizontal Channel

Modeling and optimization of a honeycombed adsorbent bed for efficient moisture capture

Adsorption-based atmospheric water harvesting has received significant interest owing to its promise of decentralized water supply and a wide applicability. In this study, the adsorbent bed is specially designed and optimized for efficient moisture capture. A transient three-dimensional non-equilibrium model has been developed that takes both internal and external mass transfer resistances into account. It is found that the simulation results agree better with the experimental results, which indicates the reliability of the model. Then this model was applied to investigate the influence of the adsorbent bed structure, and the operating parameters on the transient distributions of the adsorbent temperature, adsorption kinetics, dynamic up-taken moisture capture, mass transfer resistance and relative capture efficiency of the adsorbent bed. ASLi30 (Activated carbon fiber + Silica gel + 30 wt% LiCl)-vapor is selected as the working pair. It has been found that generally, the effects of the air channel aspect ratio on the investigated indexes are negligibly small. A thinner layer thickness and a smaller air channel length characterize an excellent moisture capture, small vapor transport resistance and faster adsorption kinetics. By considering different parametric variations for performance optimization and the effect of operating conditions, these results provide important insights and design guidelines of adsorbent bed for efficient moisture capture.

Numerical Investigation on a Twin-Screw Multiphase Pump Under low IGVF

A three-dimensional transient numerical model was developed to obtain the two-phase flow characteristics in a twin-screw multiphase pump based on dynamic mesh technology and the multiphase flow model. The pump performance under different inlet gas volume fractions (IGVF) was predicted by the numerical model and was tested. Then, the numerical model was validated after comparing the simulation and experimental results. After that, the flow field in the pump under 10% IGVF was analyzed. When the IGVF is 10%, the pressure increases step by step and is symmetrical from both ends to the middle of the screw rotors. The pressure distribution through a single working chamber is uniform. It falls rapidly at the inlet of the tooth tip gap and then drops linearly in the gap channel. At the outlet of the tip gap, the pressure temporarily falls due to the high-speed jet. The GVF distribution in the working chamber is uneven. The leakage flow is laminar in the tip gap, and the liquid concentrates on the top of the gap. When the last working chamber connects with the discharge chamber, the discharge jet flow causes the vortices in the discharge pipe. The gas gradually moves to the center of the vortices, forming four gas-phase aggregation regions. The velocity of the interlobe leakage is the largest. The maximum velocity appears at the second cross-section and reaches 35m/s. This research can be used to improve the performance of the twin-screw multiphase pump under two-phase working conditions.

Study on the transient temperature distribution of new conical friction plate under sliding friction

Conical friction surface is a novel configuration for friction plate in transmission. Numerical FEA models for transient heat transfer and distribution of conically grooved friction plate have been established to investigate the thermal behavior of the conical surface with different configurations. The finite element method is used to obtain the numerical solution, the temperature test data of conical surface are obtained by the friction test rig. In order to study and compare the temperature behavior of conically grooved friction plate, several three-dimensional transient temperature models are established. The heat generated on the friction interface during the continuous sliding process is calculated. Two different pressure conditions were defined to evaluate the influence of different load conditions on temperature rise and the effects of conical configuration parameters on surface temperature distribution are investigated. The results show that the radial temperature gradient on conical friction surface is obvious. The uniform pressure condition could be used when evaluating the temperature rise of conically grooved friction plate. The increase of the cone height could improve the radial temperature gradient of the conically grooved friction plate.

Mixing performance enhancement and parametric investigation of swirl-inlets split-and-recombine micromixer with pulsatile flow

The current study develops a pulsatile flow micromixing model, and investigates the performance of swirl-inlets split-and-recombine micromixer. A three-dimensional transient flow numerical model solving Navier-Stokes and diffusion equation is prepared to model the species mixing in a microchannel. The effect of pulsatile flow parameters, i.e., Strouhal number, amplitude ratio, and phase difference, on mixing performance is investigated along with the nature and extent of performance enhancement. A significant improvement in the mixing index is observed with the application of pulsatile flow. The pulse phase difference was found to be the more effective parameter to enhance the mixing index compared to Strouhal number and amplitude ratios investigated in the present study.

Numerical research on melt pool dynamics of oscillating laser-arc hybrid welding

The melt pool dynamics of oscillating laser-arc hybrid welding (O-LAHW) remains unclear, slowing its process development and application. In this study, a three-dimensional transient numerical model considered the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics is established to clarify the melt pool dynamics in O-LAHW, and the physical processes such as melt pool morphology, temperature field, and melt flow are investigated and analyzed. The results show that beam oscillation creates a small depth-to-width ratio and flat weld, the dynamic keyhole alleviates the heat accumulation and suppresses spatter and porosity. The temperature field is significantly improved by the energy coupling between the oscillating beam and arc and the dynamic keyhole-induced convection/vortex. The vortex is the common flow pattern in melt pool with beam oscillation and depends on the competition of driving forces. The mathematical model of oscillating shear force is proposed to quantify the beam stirring effect. At 150 Hz, the oscillating shear force drives a powerful vortex of 0.7 m/s flow velocity dominating the flow field and stabilizing the melt pool. The results clarify the physics aspects of melt pool dynamics and contribute to the development of O-LAHWs.

Study on the transition behavior of the bulging effect during deep penetration laser beam welding

The present work is devoted to the study of the transition behavior of the recently confirmed widening of the weld pool, known as the bulging effect, during high-power deep penetration laser beam welding of thick unalloyed steel sheets. A three-dimensional transient multi-physics numerical model is developed, allowing for the prediction of the bulge formation and the study of its temporal behavior. The model is generalized to account automatically for the transition from partial to complete penetration. Several experimental measurements and observations, such as drilling period, weld pool length, temperature, efficiency, and metallographic cross-sections are used to verify the model and assure the plausibility of the numerical results. The analysis of the calculated temperature and velocity distributions, as well as the evolution of the keyhole geometry, shows that the formation of a bulging region strongly depends on the penetration depth of the weld. Based on the numerical results, the bulge is found to occur transiently, having its transition from a slight bulge to a fully developed bulging between penetration depths of 6 mm and 9 mm, respectively.

CFD Modelling of the Thermal Performance of Fruit Packaging Boxes—Influence of Vent-Holes Design

The shelf life of perishable products depends mainly on the conservation of air temperature. Packaging boxes are usually used to accommodate food products during cold storage and transport and/or display. The design of the vent-holes of the packaging box must promote cold airflow and remove the field heat of the produce after harvest at a short time. This study describes the influence of the vent-holes design and its performance during cold storage. The cooling performance of the different packaging boxes is evaluated experimentally and numerically using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Three new packaging box configurations with the same size but different vent-holes design (size, shape and position) and a reference box are modelled. The transient three-dimensional CFD model predicts the airflow pattern and temperature distribution within the different packaging boxes. The best thermal performance packaging achieved a fruit model temperature 1.5 K to 5 K lower than the other configurations at the end of 8 h of cooling. These predictions allow the development of new packaging box designs that promote the shelf-life extension of perishable products.

Heat transfer behavior in ultrahigh-speed continuous casting mold

AbstractThe growth rate of the shell thickness in the funnel mold for ultrahigh-speed continuous casting of steel has a significant effect on the shell surface quality. By using the node temperature inheritance algorithm, a three-dimensional transient thermal conductivity model of the liquid steel solidification inside the mold was established, and the effects of casting temperature and speed on the heat transfer behavior of the thin slab were investigated. The results show that with an increase in the casting speed from 4.0 to 6.0 m·min−1, the maximum thickness of the shell at mold exit was reduced from 26 to 12.8 mm, and the maximum temperature of the slab surface at mold exit increased from 1,210 to 1,305°C. However, the increase of casting temperature from 1,550 to 1,560°C had little effect on the surface temperature and thickness of the slab shell.

Thermal Modeling of the Port on a Refining Furnace to Prevent Copper Infiltration and Slag Accretion.

Fire refining of blister copper is a singular process at very high temperatures (~1400 K), which means the furnace is exposed to heavy thermal loads. The charge is directly heated by an internal burner. The impurities in the charge oxidize with the flux of hot gases, creating a slag layer on the top of the molten bath. This slag is periodically removed, which implies liquid metal flowing through the furnace port. To address its malfunction, a re-design of the furnace port is presented in this work. Due to the lack of previous technical information, the convective heat transfer coefficient between the slag and the furnace port was characterized through a combination of an experimental test and a three-dimensional transient model. Finally, the original design of the furnace port was analyzed and modifications were proposed, resulting in a reduction of the average temperature of the critical areas up to 300 K. This improvement prevents the anchoring of the accretion layer over the port plates and the steel plate from being attacked by the copper.

Numerical Investigation of the Effects of the Beam Scanning Pattern and Overlap on the Temperature Distribution during the Laser Dopant Activation Anneal Process

Laser thermal annealing (LTA) has played an important role in the fabrication of scaled semiconductor devices by reducing the heat budget of the dopant activation process. During the laser annealing of entire wafer areas, the beam scanning pattern and overlap ratio have significant effects on uniform heating during the process. In this study, a numerical simulation of the LTA process was carried out using a three-dimensional transient heat transfer model. The temperature distribution produced by different laser scan paths and beam overlap ratios was analyzed. Additionally, the behavior of the dopant (phosphorus) diffusion induced under the multipath and beam overlapping conditions was numerically investigated. According to the simulation result, a zig-zag pattern generated hot spots around the corner areas of the beam path due to the greater heat accumulation per unit area; however, a bidirectional pattern induced cold spots due to the absence of laser heating around the corner areas. It was also found that the maximum temperature reachable in the beam overlapped region was much lower than that obtained along the beam scanning path, and the most uniform heating could be obtained when the zig-zag pattern and a 50% overlap ratio were used. According to the dopant diffusion and concentration distribution predicted for the case of the zig-zag pattern and 50% overlap ratio, the difference in the dopant diffusion length was approximately thirty times within the scanned area.

The Marangoni Convection Effect on Melt Pool Formation during Selective Laser Melting Process

In order to predict the effect of the Marangoni convection and the morphology of melted stainless steel powder, during the selective laser melting (SLM) process, a transient three-dimensional numerical model is developed at the mesoscale. The evolution of the temperature and velocity fields’ is then studied. The initial powder bed distribution is obtained by the discrete element method (DEM) calculation, and the temperature distribution and the molten pool shape deformation are calculated and analyzed by the Ansys-Fluent commercial code. The molten pool shape is obtained by considering the influence of Marangoni convection on the internal flow behavior. The recoil force was not considered in our calculation. As main results, a slight deviation between the position of the maximum temperature of the molten pool and the center of the laser spot is observed. The direction of the heat diffusion is more likely to be horizontal and the flow centrifugal, which causes the melt track to be wide. Finally, the Marangoni convection is the main driver of the flow.

Analysis of temperature rapid rise phenomenon during damper-off cycle in side-by-side frost-free refrigerator

The temperature rapid rise phenomenon often happens in the side-by-side frost-free refrigerators during the damper-off cycle, which leads to a decrease in damper-off duration and an increase in energy consumption. A three-dimensional transient model of natural convection during the damper-off cycle is established and experimentally validated to analyze the refrigerating compartment (RC) temperature rapid rise phenomenon. The results show that the violent natural convection airflow driven by the non-uniform temperature distribution will lead to the significant variation of RC temperature. The hot air rises from bottom into top layer along the three passages, which include the front gap (FG) between shelves and door boxes, the side gap (SG) between the right-side wall and door boxes and the rear gap (RG) between shelves and the rear wall. The air enthalpy along FG into the first layer is the dominant factor of the temperature rapid rise, accounting for almost 64.4% of the total inflow air enthalpy. The net air enthalpy flow along FG is larger than other passages in the first 15 s and decreases rapidly as the temperature distribution becomes uniform.

Modeling and characterization of the biochar electrodes for vanadium redox flow battery

A three-dimensional transient model of a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) with biochar electrode was developed in this study. The model was built to simulate the microscopic particle accumulation that is applicable to the biochar electrode. The electrode assembly was constructed using the classical mass transfer theory of porous media. The charge/discharge curves, cell efficiency, local current density distribution and species concentration distribution at various moments of time were investigated using this model. The results showed that the particle accumulation model of biochar electrode is both a realistic and reasonable approximation of events in the electrode. Analysis of the charg/discharg process and electrochemical reaction rates in the cell found that when the average particle radius of 1 × 10−6 m, an electrode porosity of 0.3, an electrode thickness of 0.003 m and the average current density of 40 A/m2, the charging voltage of the battery was lower and the discharging voltage was higher.

Dynamics and temperature field analysis of piezoelectric driven three-stator multi-degree-of-freedom ultrasonic motor

Since the temperature has a great effect on the service behavior of the ultrasonic motor, high temperature will affect its mechanical characteristics and service life. This article is on a model of a piezoelectric driven three-stator multi-degree-of-freedom ultrasonic motor. Firstly, the motion mechanism is analyzed, and the main causes of temperature rise are determined to be friction heat generation and vibration heat generation. Then, the theoretical model of temperature rise is built, and the temperature rise characteristics of the ultrasonic motor are simulated and analyzed by establishing a three-dimensional transient temperature field model. Finally, it is verified by temperature test experiment. The results show that the simulation analyses are consistent with the experimental results, and this analysis can correctly reflect the temperature rise characteristics of the motor. It provides a reference for further seeking the effect of the body temperature rise on the service behavior of the ultrasonic motor and improving the operating characteristics of the ultrasonic motor.