Small and Full-Scale Modeling for the Application of Wall Solar Chimneys

Author(s):  
David Park ◽  
Francine Battaglia

A solar chimney is a natural ventilation technique that has a potential to save energy consumption as well as to maintain the air quality in the building. However, studies of buildings are often challenging due to their large sizes. The objective of the current study was to determine relationships between small- and full-scale solar chimney system models. In the current work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was utilized to model different building sizes with a solar chimney system, where the computational model was validated with the experimental study of Mathur et al. The window, which controls entrainment of ambient air, was also studied to determine the effects of window position. Correlations for average velocity ratio and non-dimensional temperature were consistent regardless of window position. Buckingham pi theorem was employed to further non-dimensionalize the important variables. Regression analysis was conducted to develop a mathematical model to predict a relationship among all of the variables, where the model agreed well with simulation results with an error of 2.33%. The study demonstrated that the flow and thermal conditions in larger buildings can be predicted from the small-scale model.

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Park ◽  
Francine Battaglia

A solar chimney is a natural ventilation technique that has potential to save energy consumption as well as to maintain the air quality in a building. However, studies of buildings are often challenging due to their large sizes. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between small- and full-scale solar chimney system models. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was employed to model different building sizes with a wall-solar chimney utilizing a validated model. The window, which controls entrainment of ambient air for ventilation, was also studied to determine the effects of window position. A set of nondimensional parameters were identified to describe the important features of the chimney configuration, window configuration, temperature changes, and solar radiation. Regression analysis was employed to develop a mathematical model to predict velocity and air changes per hour, where the model agreed well with CFD results yielding a maximum relative error of 1.2% and with experiments for a maximum error of 3.1%. Additional wall-solar chimney data were tested using the mathematical model based on random conditions (e.g., geometry, solar intensity), and the overall relative error was less than 6%. The study demonstrated that the flow and thermal conditions in larger buildings can be predicted from the small-scale model, and that the newly developed mathematical equation can be used to predict ventilation conditions for a wall-solar chimney.


Author(s):  
Halvor Lie ◽  
Henning Braaten ◽  
Jamison Szwalek ◽  
Massimiliano Russo ◽  
Rolf Baarholm

For deep-water riser systems, Vortex Induced Vibrations (VIV) may cause significant fatigue damage. It appears that the knowledge gap of this phenomenon is considerable and this has caused a high level of research activity over the last decades. Small scale model tests are often used to investigate VIV behaviour. However, one substantial uncertainty in applying such results is scaling effects, i.e. differences in VIV response in full scale flow and small scale flow. To (partly) overcome this obstacle, a new innovative VIV test rig was designed and built at MARINTEK to test a rigid full scale riser model. The rigid riser model is mounted vertically and can either be elastically mounted or be given a forced motion. In the present version, the cylinder can only move in the cross-flow (CF) direction and is restricted in the in-line (IL) direction. The paper reports results from a drilling riser VIV experiment where the new rest rig has been used. The overall objective of the work is to study possible VIV suppression to improve operability of retrievable riser systems with auxiliary lines by adding riser fins. These fins are normally used as devices for protection of the auxiliary lines. The test program has recently been completed and analysis is an on-going activity. However, some results can be reported at this stage and more results are planned to be published. A bare riser model was used in a Reynolds number (Rn) scaling effect study. The riser model was elastically mounted and towed over a reduced velocity range around 4 – 10 in two different Rn ranges, 75 000 – 192 000 (subcritical regime) and 347 000 – 553 000 (critical regime). The difference in the displacement amplitude to diameter ratio, A/D, is found to be significant. The elastically mounted riser was also towed with various drilling riser configurations in order to study VIV/galloping responses. One configuration included a slick joint riser model with 6 kill & choke lines; another has added riser fins too. The riser model is based on a specific drilling riser and the kill and choke lines have various diameters and have a non-symmetrical layout. The various riser configurations have also been used in forced motion tests where the towed model has been given a sinusoidal CF motion. Forces have been measured. Determination of the force coefficients is still in progress and is planned to be reported later. Scaling effects appear to be a significant uncertainty and further research on the subject is recommended. The slick joint drilling riser configuration generally increased the displacements compared to displacements of the bare riser model. The drilling riser configuration with protection fins, kill and choke lines generally reduced the displacements compared to displacements of the bare riser model. For both riser systems, tests showed that the response is sensitive to the heading of the current.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Jin Kim ◽  
Sun Young Kim

Seakeeping performance of a planing boat should be sufficiently considered and evaluated at the design stage for its safe running in rough seas. Model tests in seakeeping model basins are often performed to predict the performance of full-scale planing boats. But, there are many limitations of tank size and wave maker capacity, in particular, for fast small planing boats due to small scale ratio and high Froude numbers of their scale models. In this research, scale model tests are tried in various test conditions, and results are summarized and analyzed to predict a 3 ton-class fast small planing boats designed. In a long and narrow tank, towing tests for a bare hull model are performed with regular head waves and long crested irregular head waves. Motion RAOs are derived from irregular wave tests, and they are in good agreements with RAOs in regular waves. Next, model ships with one water-jet propulsion system are built, and free running model tests are performed in ocean basins. Wave conditions such as significant heights, modal periods, and directions are varied for the free running tests. Motion RMS values, and RAOs are obtained through statistical approaches. They are compared with the results in captive tests for the bare hull model, and are used to predict the full-scale boat performances.


1974 ◽  
Vol 1 (14) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.H. Swart

The investigation reported herein covers two aspects of the schematization of coastal processes on sandy beaches in a direction perpendicular to the coastline, viz.: (1) the prediction of equilibrium beach profiles and (2) the corresponding offshore sediment transport due to wave action. A physically-based schematic model of the onshore-offshore profile development was tested on available small-scale and full-scale model tests and physically-based empirical relationships were derived to enable the application of the model to both small-scale and prototype conditions.


Author(s):  
Richard Villavicencio ◽  
Young-Hun Kim ◽  
Sang-Rai Cho ◽  
C. Guedes Soares

Numerical simulations are presented, on the dynamic response of a one-tenth scaled tanker double hull structure struck laterally by a knife edge indenter. The small stiffeners of the full-scale prototype are smeared in the small-scale model by increasing the thicknesses of the corresponding plates. The dynamic response is evaluated at an impact velocity of 7.22 m/s and the impact point is chosen between two frames to assure damage to the outer shell plating and stringers. The simulations are performed by LS-DYNA finite element solver. They aim at evaluating the influence of strain hardening and strain rate hardening on the global impact response of the structure, following different models proposed in the literature. Moreover, the numerical model is scaled to its full-scale prototype, summarizing the governing scaling laws for collision analysis and evaluating the effect of the material strain rate on the plastic response of large scaled numerical models.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noemí M. Subelza ◽  
Verónica A. Pedrozo ◽  
Rossana C. Jaca ◽  
Luis A. Godoy

The localized settlement of columns in large metal industrial buildings induces out-of-plane displacements of side walls of the same order as the settlement, which may affect service conditions in the building. For a structural configuration formed by frames, side-walls and wall-girts, this work reports results from testing a small-scale model together with computational modelling of the full-scale structure. Dimensional analysis was used to scale the geometry and properties from full-scale to small-scale, leading to an overall scale factor of 1:15. Differential settlements having a controlled amplitude were imposed at the central column, and displacements were monitored using mechanical devices. The computational model employed shell elements for side-walls and wall- girts. Good agreement was found between tests and computer modelling. The results at the full- scale level, indicate that, for settlements likely to occur in granular soils, the associated lateral displacements exceed those allowed by current US regulations. Stiffening the structure was investigated by use of stiffer girts, as well as by reducing their spacing. The influence of frame height was also investigated. The overall conclusion is that out-of-plane displacements of side- walls may easily exceed allowable values unless they are specifically considered at a design stage.


Author(s):  
J. Arce ◽  
J. P. Xaman ◽  
G. Alvarez ◽  
M. J. Jime´nez ◽  
M. R. Heras

Recently, new buildings are being designed considering natural sources such as natural ventilation as a passive technique. Solar chimneys are among those techniques of passive ventilation systems in buildings, to enhance the air quality and some times the thermal comfort. In this work, a numerical study of a solar chimney for forced ventilation is carried out. Also a parametric study varying the ambient air temperature, the solar irradiance and Reynolds number is considered. The dimensions of the solar chimney are 4.0 m high, and 0.35 m deep, the absorber surface of the solar chimney was 0.15 m thick of reinforced concrete. The conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy and two turbulence equations are solved under some simplifications such as: 2-D, incompressible, steady state turbulent air flow and conjugated heat transfer (conduction, forced convection and radiation). k-ω turbulent model was implemented and finite volume technique was applied to solve the conservation equations. In order to guarantee the right performance of the computer code, it was reduced to cases reported in the literature and verified; also, it was validated with an experiment. The variation of ambient temperature, solar irradiance and Reynolds number are analyzed in the parametric study. The heat transfer correlations for total Nusselt number (convective plus radiative) are introduced. From the results, it was found that the heat transfer increases as the Reynolds number increases for the hot surface of the solar chimney.


2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Park ◽  
Francine Battaglia

The solar chimney is a natural ventilation technique that has the potential to save energy use in buildings as well as maintain comfortable indoor quality. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of the wall-solar chimney on airflow distribution and thermal conditions in a room. In the current work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to model a solar chimney. The solar chimney was modeled three-dimensionally for a more realistic simulation of fluid and thermal conditions. Experimental and numerical data from literature were used to validate the current model, and the results agreed very well. The current study showed that the flow in the solar chimney system can be either laminar or turbulent depending on the parameters of the system, and that the effect of the chimney inlet was more significant than that of the chimney width (air gap between the glass and absorber) on the flow regime. This study also developed a new characteristic Rayleigh number (Ra*) relating the chimney inlet and width, which showed good consistency with the prediction of the flow regime. The investigations of Ra* and the flow regime indicated that the flow becomes turbulent for Ra* ∼ 0.8 × 108. Finally, the potential improvements of the designs were discussed by observing the flow and thermal conditions of the room.


Author(s):  
C. B. Baxi ◽  
N. G. Kodochigov ◽  
S. E. Belov ◽  
M. N. Borovkov

A power-generating unit with the high-temperature helium reactor (GT-MHR) has a turbomachine (TM) that is intended for both conversion of coolant thermal energy into electric power in the direct gas-turbine cycle, and provision of helium circulation in the primary circuit. The vertically oriented TM is placed in the central area of the power conversion unit (PCU). TM consists of a turbocompressor (TC) and a generator. Their rotors are joined with a diaphragm coupling and supported by electro-magnetic bearings (EMB). The complexity and novelty of the task of the full electromagnetic suspension system development requires thorough stepwise experimental work, from small-scale physical models to full-scale specimen. On this purpose, the following is planned within the framework of the GT-MHR Project: investigations of the “flexible” rotor small-scale mockup with electro-magnetic bearings (“Minimockup” test facility); tests of the radial EMB; tests of the position sensors; tests of the TM rotor scale model; tests of the TM catcher bearings (CB) friction pairs; tests of the CB mockups; tests of EMB and CB pilot samples and investigation of the full-scale electromagnetic suspension system as a part of full-scale turbocompressor tests. The rotor scale model (RSM) tests aim at investigation of dynamics of rotor supported by electromagnetic bearings to validate GT-MHR turbomachine serviceability. Like the full-scale turbomachine rotor, the RSM consist of two parts: the generator rotor model and the turbocompressor rotor model that are joined with a coupling. Both flexible and rigid coupling options are tested. Each rotor is supported by one axial and two radial EMBs. The rotor is arranged vertically. The RSM rotor length is 10.54 m, and mass is 1171 kg. The designs of physical model elements, namely of the turbine, compressors, generator and exciter, are simplified and performed with account of rigid characteristics, which are identical to those of the full-scale turbomachine elements.


Author(s):  
B. Phuoc Huynh

Abstract Solar chimney (thermal chimney) is a device which absorbs solar radiation to heat the air. The heated air, becoming buoyant, rises through the chimney’s passage and induces further air currents. When fitted to a building, solar chimney can thus induce fresh outside air to flow through the building for ventilation. Because only natural means (solar radiation here) are involved to cause the air flow, solar chimney is considered a natural-ventilation device. This work investigates computationally natural ventilation induced by a roof-mounted solar chimney through a real-sized 3-dimensional room, using a commercial CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software package which employs the Finite Volume Method. A LES (Large-Eddy Simulations) formulation with Smagorinsky SGS (Sub-Grid Scale) model is used. All fluid properties are assumed to be constant and corresponding to those of air at 300K (27°C, constant ambient temperature) and standard pressure at sea level (101.3kPa); but Boussinesq approximation (wherein temperature change affects only the fluid density pertaining to buoyancy force) is also assumed. Comparison is made with computational results obtained from a RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes) formulation. Agreement between LES and RANS results indicate the trustworthiness of CFD methods used.


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