Numerical study of single bubble mobility in triangular and deltoid microchannels using the boundary element method

The study of bubbly liquid dynamics in microchannels of unconventional shapes is of great importance for different fields of science and industry. This work investigates the dynamics of the incompressible single bubbles in the slow periodic flow of viscous liquid in a triangular channel with a variable pressure gradient. The numerical approach used in this research is based on the boundary element method (BEM). This method is widely used for solving three-dimensional problems and problems in areas with complex geometry. The influence of the bubble’s initial position relative to the channel centerline on the bubble deformation, the relative velocity of the bubble, and its center of mass displacement in the channel are considered.

An Effect of Electrokinetics Phenomena on Nonlinear Wave Propagation in Bubbly Liquids

A study of nonlinear waves in liquid-gas mixtures with the consideration of internal effects is an important problem of both the fundamental and the applied fluid mechanics. Investigation of nonlinear waves in the gas-liquid mixtures with allowance for internal effects is an important task of both fundamental and applied fluid mechanics. These problems often arise in industrial processes such as oil and gas production, hydrocarbons pipeline transportation, gas-saturated fluids flow in pipelines, etc. In this work, we investigate the effect of the internal electric field on the nonlinear wave propagation in a bubbly liquid. Numerical simulations have been conducted to study the nonlinear waves described by the nonlinear Burgers-Korteweg-de Vries equation. The numerical simulations showed that the electrokinetic processes significantly affect the wave propagation process. The amplitude of the waves gradually decreases when the size of the gas bubble is decreasing and the electrical potential increases. A good agreement of obtained results with our previous predictions is found.

Vibration of a stiffened pipe filled with a bubbly liquid: analysis of resonance frequencies in function of bubble fraction

The characterization of the presence of bubbles in industrial fluid circuits may be extremely important for many safety issuses. It is well known that the acoustic properties of liquids can be drastically modified by a small amount of gaz content in the liquid. At sufficiently low frequencies, the speed of sound depends primarily on the gas volume fraction. The variation of the gas fraction may then induce some variations in the vibroacoustic behavior of the pipe transporting the liquid. Analysis of the pipe vibrations can then help in the monitoring of the bubble presence. In such a context, the aim of this study is to show how the the presence of bubbles in the liquid could affect the resonance frequencies of the pipe. A numerical vibroacoustical model has been developed to predict the vibroacoustical behavior of a stiffened cylindrical shell filled with a bubbly liquid exhibiting low frequency resonances. The model, experimentally verified with a well-characterized bubbly liquid, is then used to analyse the frequency shifts of the shell resonances in function of the bubble. Keywords : pipe, heavy fluid, numerical modelling, circumferential admittance approach, cylindrical shell, resonance frequency, void fraction

The effect of recuperator on the efficiency of ORC and TFC with very dry working fluid

Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) and Trilateral Flash Cycles (TFC) are very similar power cycles; ideally, they have a reversible adiabatic (isentropic) compression, an isobaric heating, an isentropic expansion and an isobaric cooling. The main difference is that for ORC, the heating includes the full evaporation of the working fluid (prior expansion); therefore, the expansion starts in a saturated or dry vapour state, while for TFC, the heating terminates upon reaching the saturated liquid states. Therefore, for TFT, expansion liquid/vapour state (in bubbly liquid or in vapour dispersed with droplets), requiring a special two-phase expander. Being ORC a more “complete” cycle, one would expect that its thermodynamic efficiency is always higher than for a TFC, between the same temperatures and using the same working fluids. Surprisingly, it was shown that for very dry working fluids, the efficiency of TFC can exceed the efficiency of basic (i.e. recuperator- and superheater-free) ORC, choosing sufficiently high (but still subcritical) maximal cycle temperature. Therefore in these cases, TFC (having a simpler heat exchange unit for heating) can be a better choice than ORC. The presence of a recuperator can influence the situation; by recovering the proper percentage of the remaining heat (after the expansion), the efficiency of ORC can reach and even pass the efficiency of TFC.