Outlet Velocity Research Articles

Physical and Numerical Simulation Study on Structure Optimization of the Inner Wall of Submerged Entry Nozzle for Continuous Casting of Molten Steel

The submerged entry nozzle (SEN) plays an important role in the continuous casting production process. It is a cast refractory pipe fitting installed in the lower part of the tundish and inserted below the molten steel level of the mold. It not only affects the speed of molten steel flow, but is also prone to nodules and affects production. In the present work, the flow behavior of molten steel in a traditional nozzle and that in a new type of nozzle whose inner wall was distributed with arrays of hemispherical crowns were studied by means of both physical simulation (using a water model) and numerical simulation (using ANSYS CFX) based on the prototype of a production continuous casting slab mold. Both experimental and numerical simulation results show that, compared with the traditional nozzle, the impact depth generated by the new-type nozzle in the mold is reduced by 21.06–26.03 cm, the impact angle is reduced by 14–17 degrees, and swirl flow was generated inside the new-type nozzle, which not only improves the flow characteristics inside the submerged entry nozzle and changes the dead zone size in the submerged entry nozzle, but also improves the velocity distribution at the outlet of the nozzle and minimizes the possibility of nodulation. In addition, in contrast to the traditional nozzle that generates flat body-shaped jets of molten steel flow, the new-type nozzle produces baseball glove-shaped jets that penetrate shallower into the molten steel bath in the mold, which significantly reduces the outlet velocity and is conducive to the floating of inclusions.

Understanding the effects of inhaler resistance on particle deposition behaviour – A computational modelling study

Background and objectiveUnderstanding the impact of inhaler resistance on particle transport and deposition in the human upper airway is essential for optimizing inhaler designs, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the therapeutic efficacy of inhaled drug delivery. This study demonstrates the potential effects of inhaler resistance on particle deposition characteristics in an anatomically realistic human oropharynx and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) throat using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). MethodMagnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed on a healthy volunteer biting on a small mockup inhaler mouthpiece. Three-dimensional geometry of the oropharynx and mouthpiece were reconstructed from the MR images. CFD simulations coupled with discrete phase modelling were conducted. Inhaled polydisperse particles under two different transient flow profiles with peak inspiratory flow rates (PIFR) of 30 L/min and 60 L/min were investigated. The effect of inhaler mouthpiece resistance was modelled as a porous medium by varying the initial resistance (Ri) and viscous resistance (Rv). Three resistance values, 0.02 kPa0.5minL−1, 0.035 kPa0.5minL−1 and 0.05 kPa0.5 minL−1, were simulated. The inhaler outlet velocity was set to be consistent across all models for both flow rate conditions to enable a meaningful comparison of models with different inhaler resistances. ResultThe results from this study demonstrate that investigating the effect of inhaler resistance by solely relying on the USP throat model may yield misleading results. For the geometrically realistic oropharyngeal model, both the pressure and kinetic energy profiles at the mid-sagittal plane of the airway change dramatically when connected to a higher-resistance inhaler. In addition, the geometrically realistic oropharyngeal model appears to have a resistance threshold. When this threshold is surpassed, significant changes in flow dynamics become evident, which is not observed in the USP throat model. Furthermore, this study also reveals that the impact of inhaler resistance in a geometrically realistic throat model extends beyond the oral cavity and affects particle deposition downstream of the oral cavity, including the oropharynx region. ConclusionResults from this study suggest that key mechanisms underpinning the working principles of inhaler resistance are intricately connected to their complex interaction with the pharynx geometry, which affects the local pressure, local variation in velocity and kinetic energy profile in the airway.

Investigating the influence of induced charge and surface charge heterogeneity on electrokinetic micromixing: A comparative analysis

This paper investigates the performance of a micromixer by considering the combined effects of surface charge heterogeneity and the induced charge electrokinetic (ICEK) phenomenon. With the applied electric field, surface charge heterogeneity generates a recirculation zone within the microchannel, while conductive links induce micro-vortices. The main objective is to explore the influence of various control parameters on the mixing efficiency, including zeta potential, the number and orientation of conductive links, and applied electrical potential. The generated recirculation zone and induced micro vortices introduce chaotic perturbations within the microchannel, improving mixing performance. The results demonstrate that increasing the zeta potential on heterogeneously charged patches enhances the mixing performance, albeit at the expense of a reduced average outlet velocity. Additionally, a higher number of conductive links leads to increased mixing efficiency. The combination of mounting a conductive link inside the channel and applying a heterogeneous zeta potential patch on the wall substantially increased mixing efficiency. The influence of fluid rheology on mixing performance is also investigated, revealing that pseudoplastic fluids exhibit better mixing than dilatant fluids. Finally, the combined effects of all parameters are evaluated using the Taguchi method, resulting in an optimized mixing performance for the proposed micromixer. Micromixing efficiency exceeding 98% is achieved for all types of non-Newtonian fluids under optimal parametric conditions.

Analysis of vortex combustion flow in a chamber of guide ring coupling with swirl flow

To investigate the impact of different vortex structure on the combustion stability in a chamber, this paper evaluates the performance of a vortex combustion chamber coupled with a swirler and a guide ring. The simulated cases include different guide ring angles of 95°, 105°, 115°, 125° and 135°, in addition to a control case without coupling the guide ring. The distributions of velocity, vorticity, temperature, outlet temperature distribution factor ( OTDF), reaction rate, turbulent kinetic energy ( k), synergy angle ( β), and NO emission are numerically analyzed. Results show that the coupling of the swirler and guide ring changes the vortex structure and significantly influences the chamber performance. The increase of the guide ring angles ( α) enhances the interaction between the swirl flow and the direct jet, which intensifies heat and mass transfer, as well as turbulence. The application of the guide ring induces external entrainment of the jet, leading to the formation of a large central recirculation zone compared to that without a guide ring. With increasing the α from 95° to 135°, both average outlet velocity and tangential velocity ( Vt) at the coaxial line position decrease, while the flame length decreases by 286 mm. And the OTDF variation among all cases is less than 0.065. The β of the central section decreases from 76.18° to 70.17°. Furthermore, combustion chamber without the guide ring exhibits higher temperature and OTDF.

A Study on the Responses Effect of the Flow Field and Temperature on Hybrid Micro-Channel Heat Sink (H-MCHS)

Research on the microchannel and its flow and heat transfer properties has received much attention. This study employed Autodesk Inventor software to build the model, and the Computational Fluid Dynamics software (Ansys Fluent 14) was used for numerical simulation. Taguchi analysis methods, ANOVA, and Minitab statistics testing were used. The results obtained for single response analysis for temperature, pressure, and velocity values are reasonable. With the optimal model for temperature difference () being W2H1S2 and the temperature difference across the model (), the pressure difference across the model (), maximum velocity in the channel (), and maximum outlet velocity () are W3H1S3, W1H1S3, W3H2S1, and W1H1S2, respectively. The analysis results for multi-response between the two values of velocity and pressure also achieved reasonable results with precisely defined parameters with response optimization for and , and the optimal model achieved is W(0.8mm), H(0.3mm), S(2.91), W(0.4mm), H (0.3mm), S(1.67), respectively. Analysis for , , , , and , the results are W(0.65mm), H(0.3mm), S(1), and W(0.4mm), H(0.3mm), S(1).

Thermal Performance of Double-Skin Roof with Inclined Upper Plate for Grain Depot: Modeling and Experimental Investigation

The double-skin roof has been applied in the design of modern granaries for energy saving. Compared with the ordinary parallel double plate, the double skin composed of an inclined upper plate can effectively improve the situation of a “hot roof” through an air exhaust, thus having better thermal performance. To study the advantages of a double-skin roof with an inclined upper plate and the effects of physical parameters on convective heat transfer, an experimental and numerical study was carried out in this work. According to the actual size of the grain depot in the application, an experimental setup was established based on the similarity theory with a scale of 1:28 to the real one. The double-skin roof consists of two plates: the lower one was used as the original surface of the depot, and the other was suspended above. For comparison, the two flat plates were arranged to be parallel or inclined. Changeable parameters included the flow rate through the air gap between the double plates, the thickness of the air gap, and the reducing ratio. Other parameters, such as the air temperature, were the same, and the influence of the above factors on the performance of the double-skin roof was studied. The results showed that both the flow rate and the air gap’s thickness can affect the roof’s thermal performance. Under the optimal working conditions in the parallel mode (with an air gap of 0.07 m and a flow rate of 60 m3/h), the temperature increment at the surface of the grain bulk was 1.88 °C, which was lower than the mode without a suspended upper plate. Moreover, the inclined design of the upper plate increased the air velocity along the flowing direction, which strengthened the convection at the outlet and, thus, improved the average thermal performance of the opened roof. The inclined mode controlled the temperature at the grain bulk surface within 24 °C, which dropped by 1 °C compared with the parallel mode under the same working conditions. In addition, a geometric model of the experimental setup was created, and the grid was divided through the software ANSYS ICEM 15.0 The convection term in the conservation equation was discretized with the QUICK scheme, and the solution for the flow field was obtained using the SIMPLE algorithm. The experimental data were used as the input profile for the model, and the numerical results were compared with the experimental results to verify the accuracy of the model. The average and the maximum errors were between 3% and 8.9%, respectively. The simulation results indicated the effects of the reducing ratio on the roof thermal performance with the analysis of the Rayleigh number and the Nusselt number. In the inclined mode, a smaller reducing ratio was beneficial to air convection. With a reducing ratio of about 0.5, the outlet velocity of the roof was higher by 30.6%, resulting in a larger local Nu number and better thermal performance. When the dimensionless length was in a range of 0.34~0.37, the Nu number was increasing. Near the inlet of the double-skin roof, the Nu number increased with the Ra number, given a dimensionless length of below 0.15. Therefore, the ventilated double-skin roof with an inclined upper plate is recommended for roof reconstruction design because of its advanced air convection.

Effect of Hole Geometry Shape in Vortex Generators on Fluid Output Temperature: Computational Fluids Dynamics Validation

<p>Several methods to enhance heat transfer can be classified into three categories: active, passive, or hybrid. Among these methods, Vortex Generators (VGs) are one passive heat transfer enhancement device widely used in heat exchangers. This study aims to explore the geometric shapes of VGs equipped with longitudinal holes and examine their influence on the outlet temperature of the fluid. For the analysis in this research, a three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation using ANSYS Fluent software was employed. The increased heat transfer and flow resistance in the VG geometry were evaluated based on previous research for validation. The study results demonstrate that the simulation produces fluid outlet temperature values and velocity contours that closely resemble the results obtained from the reference study. The validation error of this research was found to be only 0.02%, indicating high-quality and accurate simulation results. Furthermore, the study compared various geometries of the VG holes in the system. Among these geometries, hexagonal-shaped VG holes exhibited high-velocity contours on the VG side while achieving the lowest fluid outlet temperature at approximately 303.53 K. The findings of this study serve as a basis for further developments in enhancing the efficiency and performance of heat exchangers using VGs.</p>

A Simple Design Approach of Two-Phase Ejectors for CO2 Transcritical Heat Pumps

Integrating a two-phase ejector in mechanical vapor compression heat pumps is a practical and low-cost solution for improving performance and reducing energy consumption. Typically, using an ejector to recover part of the important pressure expansion losses in CO2 systems may improve the operating conditions of the compressor. One of the prerequisites for the success of such an application is the proper design of the ejector. This study is mainly dedicated to developing a simple approach for CO2 ejector design. The advantage of using the ejector as an expander in a transcritical CO2 heat pump is first introduced. Compressor operation is particularly improved. The development of an ejector design model for CO2 expanding from transcritical to two-phase conditions is presented. Validation of the thermodynamic model with experimental results from the literature shows the predictions to be within an acceptable range of discrepancy. The primary nozzle throat diameter calculations do not exceed ±8% of error for transcritical conditions. The error of the predicted pressure at the outlet of the ejector is in the limit of -15% to +3%. A practical design example for estimating the transcritical CO2 ejectors geometry integrated in a heat pump is presented. The results show the important decrease of primary nozzle diameters with the drop of Tevap, especially for the throat. A decrease of Dmix also occurs with Tevap and an optimal diameter is obtained for each condition considered. The design of the diffuser is based on a compromise between the outlet velocity and the length of the diffuser. The detailed design procedure with the proposed model, complemented with data from the literature, is a valuable tool for rapidly generating useful results and obtaining preliminary designs transcritical CO2 ejector.

Mixing performance of an expansive mixer on viscoelastic solutions under alternating current electric field

Development of effective technologies for mixing viscoelastic solutions with reagents is still a challenge, which plays an important role in the fields of disease diagnosis, water desalination, and immunoassay. The purpose of this paper is to numerically study the mixing performance of an expansive mixer on the viscoelastic solution under the impact of an alternating current (AC) electric field through the analyzation of mixing efficiency, the concentration distribution, and average outlet velocity. A poly acrylic acid (PAA) water solution with different concentrations characterized by the Oldroyd-B constitutive model is used as a mixed medium, and an open-source toolbox called rheoTool based on finite volume algorithm is applied to solve the governing equations. We quantitatively determine the mixing efficiency for different PAA concentrations, AC electric field strengths, and frequencies and compare the mixing efficiency created by AC and direct current (DC) electric fields. Our investigation indicates that the mixing efficiency of the mixer diminishes with the PAA concentrations but enhances with the AC electric field strengths for a relatively high polymer concentration, and AC electric fields with different frequencies lead to a larger mixing efficiency than DC electric fields for a low polymer concentration. Additionally, the influence of the model parameters on the average outlet velocity and concentration distribution is discussed at length. Our numerical simulation results show that the mixer has an excellent mixing performance for both Newtonian and viscoelastic solutions, with a mixing efficiency of more than 99% at a low polymer concentration and a stable outflow velocity.

Study on the structure of energy‐saving bend pipes in a decanter centrifuge

AbstractDecanter centrifuges are widely used in solid–liquid separation, and saving their energy consumption is very important. In this paper, a bend pipe installed at the end of the decanter centrifuge was designed to save energy, and the effect of different structural parameters of the energy‐saving bend pipes on the outlet velocity and the reaction torque was investigated. The results revealed that the outlet velocity and the reaction torque were reduced with the increase in the number of pipes, outlet area, and pipe length. Increasing the radial position had little effect on the outlet velocity, but increased the reaction torque. Decreasing the outlet area and increasing the radial position both weaken the separation performance of the decanter centrifuge. The best separation performance and reaction torque effect were achieved in a suitable structure. Furthermore, the turbulent intensity was reduced from 143% to 135% in the new machine installed with bend pipes. The energy‐saving efficiency dropped with the increase of the rotational speed and the value was 13.1% under 2500 rpm. The separation performance of the new machine was similar to that of the original machine, and the dewatering speed was increased with the increase of the axial position.

Latent heat thermal energy storage in a shell-tube design: Impact of metal foam inserts in the heat transfer fluid side

The improvement of heat transfer in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system is a crucial task. In the current study, the impact of diverse metal foam (MF) layer arrangements on heat transfer fluid (HTF) within a shell-tube LHTES is explored. Six distinct cases (A-F) with varied MF coverage percentages and layer dimensions were assessed. The local thermal non-equilibrium model was utilized to take into account the PCM and MF temperatures. The finite element method was used for solving the partial differential equations. The impact of MF configurations and inlet pressures (250 Pa, 500 Pa, and 750 Pa) on the thermal energy storage/release was addressed. Cases A-C, featuring a 50 % MF concentration, exhibit shorter melting times than Cases DF, with decreasing MF concentrations. A higher MF concentration improves the melting process due to increased thermal conductivity and lower thermal resistance on the HTF side. Cases DF, with a centralized MF layer and decreasing concentrations from 25 % to 6.25 %, display progressively shorter melting times, suggesting that a lower MF concentration leads to more efficient melting. Solidification times also decrease with increasing inlet pressures across all cases. Reynolds numbers, influenced by average HTF tube outlet velocity, vary substantially across cases and inlet pressure differences. Cases A-C demonstrate similar Reynolds numbers for each inlet pressure difference, while Cases DF show a more pronounced increase in Reynolds numbers as the MF layer is reduced and flow resistance drops. Cases A (50 % MF layer) and F (6.5 % MF layer) provide the quickest charging and discharging times due to their unique combination of MF layer properties and inlet pressures. The study highlights the need to consider MF layer composition and inlet pressure when designing optimal LHTES systems for efficient energy storage/release.

Development of mechanistic-artificial intelligence model for simulation of numerical data of water flow in porous materials

Fluid dynamics of water flow through porous metallic media is significant for cooling and heating applications. The prediction of the velocity of fluid flowing inside the porous media could provide useful data for pressure drop calculations. This prediction is usually performed by a mathematical modeling approach like computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The computational method is a powerful means of precision calculation, although it could take more time and expenditure for more complex geometries or more complex fluid flow regimes. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms could learn and map CFD data under several conditions. AI algorithms could continue the prediction of physical data, saving computing time and performance. The present study focuses on CFD modeling of water flow inside a pipe filled with copper porous media. For the first time, the fuzzy bee algorithm (BAFIS) maps the generated CFD data to inlet velocities of 0.5, 0.7, 1.1, and 1.3 m/s. The BAFIS intelligence assessment for accurate convective flow prediction in porous media is not available in the literature. Additionally, the reliability of this method for missing CFD data prediction has not been considered yet. The results showed that the maximum intelligence (regression=0.97) is for a bee number of 140. Using the most intelligent BAFIS, the outlet velocity can be predicted by the artificial intelligence method for further nodes and inlet velocities without CFD modeling. BAFIS could precisely predict the outlet velocity for missing data with an inlet velocity of 0.91 m/s based on previously mapped data. A comparison was made between BAFIS and the fuzzy neural network (ANFIS) for CFD data predictions. The mean-square error and the root-mean-square error of ANFIS were slightly more than BAFIS (i.e., 0.1% and 3%, respectively).

Transient cooling experiment of laminar jet impacting on cylinder

Liquid jet impact cooling is found in many industrial applications. In transient process of liquid jet impacting on surface, there are correlations among liquid film flow, heat transfer regime and surface temperature when phase transition is involved. Aiming at application scenarios of laminar jet impacting on cylindrical cooling targets, an experiment of laminar jet impacting on cylinder was performed to investigate transient cooling characteristics featured by temperature dropping curves. Liquid film evolutions were acquired by high-speed camera, while surface temperatures were monitored by thermocouples, and effects of jet outlet velocity u (outlet Reynolds number Re) and impact height H were explored. Results reveal that, transient process of jet impact is categorized into non-wetted (film boiling, duration of τ1), developing wetted (mainly transition boiling and nucleate boiling, duration of τ2) and fully wetted stages (mainly non-phase transition convection). Among them, τ1 and τ2 are decreased with rising of Re. Jet exhibits steady, perturbed and fractured states at different H. When u = 0.44 m/s (Re = 680), for steady state jet, τ1 decreases from 119 s to 103 s, while variation of τ2 is insignificant as H increases from 27 mm to 37 mm. When jet is unstable (H = 42–47 mm), τ1 drops remarkably while τ2 rises with increasing H. Effect of H on temperature dropping curves is weakened with increasing Re. Unlike cases of liquid impacting on flat surface, there are clear distinctions in durations of each transient stage, and there is a secondary inflection point for surface temperature variation in present experiment due to secondary mixing of liquid film.

Complexity analysis of multiscale flow field of dynamic impinging stream based on chaos theory and Stockwell transform

The complexity analysis of the flow field is of great significance for studying the flow mechanism and strengthening the mixing. The multiscale flow field of dynamic impinging stream reactors is studied by experimental and theoretical methods. The chaotic characteristic parameters (correlation dimension, K entropy, the largest Lyapunov exponent) are investigated under different nozzle spacing L, different outlet velocity difference vd, and different outlet average velocity vp. The flow mechanism of dynamic impinging stream mesoscale flow field is revealed. The results show that the flow field of dynamic impinging stream reactor presents chaotic characteristics, and the chaotic characteristic parameters firstly increases and then decreases with the increase of nozzle spacing L. With the increase of outlet velocity difference and average outlet velocity, the chaotic characteristic parameters show an increasing trend. The time-frequency analysis of the microscale flow field in the dynamic impinging stream reactor is carried by Stockwell transform to obtain the energy evolution, the flow mechanism is further revealed. With the increase of outlet velocity difference and average outlet velocity, the energy of flow field gradually accumulates to the low frequency region, and the flow field energy enlarges. The radial flow field of dynamic impinging stream impact center is divided into radial jet region and radial vortex region by the energy characteristic. According to the analysis of chaotic characteristics and energy evolution of dynamic impinging stream, the optimal working condition is that nozzle spacing L=4d, outlet velocity difference is 1m/s, and outlet average velocity is 1.7m/s.

Flow Pattern and Mixing Performance of a Dynamic Impinging Stream Reactor

AbstractThe mixing process of a dynamic impinging stream reactor was measured by planar laser induced fluorescence. The fluid flow pattern and mixing characteristics were studied under different conditions. The flow field was divided into the following regions by flow pattern: free jet region, impingement region, radial jet region, and radial vortex region. The mixing characteristics were analyzed under different operational conditions. The mixing time first decreased and then increased with increasing nozzle spacing. The mixing time decreased with increasing outlet velocity difference and outlet average velocity, and the optimal working conditions were nozzle spacing L = 4d, where d is nozzle diameter, outlet velocity difference vd = 1 m s−1, and outlet average velocity vp = 1.7 m s−1.

Effects of control volume outlet variation on axial air cooling of lithium-ion batteries

This paper addresses cylindrical lithium-ion cells' heating and non-uniform cooling by simulating a simple battery pack design with 24 cells and axial airflow. Cooling a battery pack using forced air convection in a rectangular container causes non-homogeneous temperature distribution. The middle cells and the second half of the battery pack (near the exit) get less cooling compared to the cells near the inlet. To solve this issue of non-uniform cooling, in this paper, we propose an optimized Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) which allows higher amounts of turbulent kinetic energy to be generated near the cells closer to the exit and farther away from the inlet. We attempted to create a narrow region in the middle of the pack which leads to an increase in mixing and turbulence in the airflow. This directs the flow precisely, hence getting rid of dead air flow zones behind the cells. The convergence functions like a nozzle, propelling the air flow into the second half of the battery pack. Using COMSOL Multiphysics, the mixing and turbulence of the airflow, as well as the temperature increase and homogeneity inside the battery pack, are investigated. Three separate investigations are conducted in order to determine the optimal shape for the BTMS control volume as well as to determine the effect of system's inlet pressure and outlet velocity on the cooling performance. Results indicated that the system's temperature decreased significantly by lowering the outlet dimensions and introducing convergence to the BTMS's central area. Increasing outlet velocity increased cooling in a case with a single fan significantly, whereas increasing pressure in a case with two fans increased cooling slightly.

Velocity Slip in a Deep-sea Slurry Pump and Its Effect on Particle Transportation

The slurry pump, which forms the core equipment of the deep-sea mining (DSM) system, provides lifting power for the ore from the seabed to the sea level, which is crucial for the safety of coarse ore particle transportation. Velocity slip plays a significant role in revealing the migration of the pump particles. Therefore, this study analyzes the velocity slip in a slurry pump using the computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD-DEM) for the first time. The relationship between the pump head and velocity slip was proposed and verified in this study based on the velocity triangle and Euler equation of the solid-liquid two-phase flow in the impeller. The effects of different particle sizes on the velocity slip are compared in detail. According to the computational results, the head depends on the larger velocity slip of the impeller outlet and lower velocity slip at the inlet. The peak value of the velocity slip was significantly reduced, and the peak position of the velocity slip and zero-point position moved backward for particle sizes ranging between 5-15 mm. This study provides a reference for the problems of particle migration and velocity slip in slurry pumps.

Development and validation of cfd model for compost barn with artificial ventilation

Computer simulation can provide reliable information about fluid flow behavior, including ventilation, in animal production systems. The ventilation system is essential for thermal conditioning, as it favors animal comfort and enhance productivity. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model to analyze the ventilation system in a compost barn. A mesh with greater refinement was used near the air inlet and outlet and the floor, that is, in these regions the mesh number of cells was larger, which makes a denser mesh. For the validation, data on air velocity were collected in the barn to compare with the results of the simulation. Dead zones of ventilation were identified in the barn, there was an increase in the average air velocity at the air outlet, and temperatures and air velocity were found below the optimal recommended by the literature. However, the adjusted model showed good fit with the values measured, indicating that is a good tool to predict the behavior of air velocity. In addition, the detection of ventilation dead zones inside the barn demonstrates the need for a supplementary ventilation system.

Design and Analysis of a Vertical Electric Ducted Fan for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Several types of multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used in various industrial activities. UAVs with electric ducted fans (EDFs) have been developed to mitigate the risks associated with rotary blades, which are installed on the exterior structure of conventional UAVs and exposed to the ambient environment. Particularly, vertical EDFs have become a focus in the field of UAV design because they require less space for the flow channel compared with horizontal EDFs. In this study, a vertical EDF UAV model was developed. Structural and flow field analysis was performed in Ansys software to determine the optimal design configuration. The results confirmed that the designed model facilitated smooth air flow with favorable inlet and outlet velocity. The vehicle structure required minor adjustment to reduce the frequency of occurrence of vortices. Overall, this study made two research contributions. First, an EDF UAV model was developed to mitigate the risk of rotary blades being exposed to the ambient environment. Second, a vertical EDF system was proposed to reduce the flow channel space and maintain the outlet velocity, thereby improving the takeoff, landing, and thrust performance of UAVs.

Influence of nozzle structure and process parameters for 3D printing HTPB-based propellant

This paper studies the influence of nozzle structure and process parameters on the solid propellant 3D printing process, so as to better guide nozzle structure optimization and process improvement, and realize continuous extrusion and molding of solid propellant. Four characteristic parameters such as nozzle diameter, nozzle shrinkage angle, process temperature, and wall slip coefficient are selected, and the influence of these four parameters on the extrusion speed and pressure of solid propellant slurry in the nozzle is discussed by using the orthogonal test principle and ANSYS/POLYFLOW. The results show that the most significant factor affecting the outlet velocity uniformity index and outlet pressure is the wall slip coefficient, followed by the nozzle diameter, and the influence of temperature and contraction angle is small.