Sensitivity Analysis of Hydraulic Transient Simulations Based on the MOC in the Gravity Flow

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of input parameters to output results when using the method of characteristics (MOC) for hydraulic transient simulations. Based on a gravity flow water delivery project, we selected six main parameters that affect the hydraulic transient simulation and selected maximum pressure as the output parameter in order to perform a parameter sensitivity analysis. The Morris sensitivity analysis (Morris) and the partial rank correlation coefficient method based on Latin hypercube sampling (LHS-PRCC) were both adopted. The results show that the sensitivity of each parameter is the same except for the friction factor. The flow rate and Young’s modulus are positively correlated with the maximum pressure, whereas the pipe diameter, valve closing time, and wall thickness are negatively correlated. It is discussed that the variability of the friction factor comes from the function of the flow and pressure regulating valve. When other conditions of the gravity flow project remain unchanged, the maximum pressure increases with the increase in the friction factor. The flow rate, pipe diameter, and valve closing time are the key parameters that affect the model. Meanwhile, Morris and LHS-PRCC proved to be effective methods for evaluating parameter sensitivity in hydraulic transient simulations.

Influence of saturation levels on transformer equivalent circuit model

This paper presents a modelling approach for a transformer with different saturation levels. First, the magnetic field distributions at different saturation levels in the transformer are analyzed by using numerical simulations. Then, the characteristics of the leakage magnetic flux are analyzed, and the magnetic circuits with varying leakage reluctance topologies are modeled. Finally, based on the mature duality relationship between electric and magnetic circuits, the equivalent electric circuit models are obtained. These kinds of models embody the effect of different saturation levels on the connection points of the leakage flux branches, and it can fully reflect the various working states of the transformer. The accuracy of the models is verified by comparing the circuit simulation results with those of FEM transient simulations.

Calendar effects on surface air temperature and precipitation based on model-ensemble equilibrium and transient simulations from PMIP4 and PACMEDY

Numerical modelling enables a comprehensive understanding not only of the Earth's system today, but also of the past. To date, a significant amount of time and effort has been devoted to paleoclimate modeling and analysis, which involves the latest and most advanced Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project phase 4 (PMIP4). The definition of seasonality, which is influenced by slow variations in the Earth's orbital parameters, plays a key role in determining the calculated seasonal cycle of the climate. In contrast to the classical calendar used today, where the lengths of the months and seasons are fixed, the angular calendar calculates the lengths of the months and seasons according to a fixed number of degrees along the Earth's orbit. When comparing simulation results for different time intervals, it is essential to account for the angular calendar to ensure that the data for comparison is from the same position along the Earth's orbit. Most models use the classical "fixed-length" calendar, which can lead to strong distortions of the monthly and seasonal values, especially for the climate of the past. Here, by analyzing daily outputs from multiple PMIP4 model simulations, we examine calendar effects on surface air temperature and precipitation under mid-Holocene, last interglacial, and pre-industrial climate conditions. We conclude that: (a) The largest cooling bias occurs in autumn when the classical calendar is applied for the mid-Holocene and last interglacial. (b) The sign of the temperature anomalies between the Last Interglacial and pre-industrial in boreal autumn can be reversed after the switch from classical to angular calendar, particularly over the Northern Hemisphere continents. (c) Precipitation over West Africa is overestimated in boreal summer and underestimated in boreal autumn when the "fixed-length" seasonal cycle is applied. (d) Finally, correcting the calendar based on the monthly model results can reduce the biases to a large extent, but not completely eliminate them. In addition, we examine the calendar effects in 3 transient simulations for 6–0 ka by AWI-ESM, MPI-ESM, and IPSL. We find significant discrepancies between adjusted and unadjusted temperature values over ice-free continents for both hemispheres in boreal autumn. While for other seasons the deviations are relatively small. A drying bias can be found in the summer monsoon precipitation in Africa (in the "fixed-length" calendar), whereby the magnitude of bias becomes smaller over time. Overall, our study underlines the importance of the application of calendar transformation in the analysis of climate simulations. Neglecting the calendar effects could lead to a profound artificial distortion of the calculated seasonal cycle of surface air temperature and precipitation. One important fact to be noted here is that the discrepancy in seasonality under different calendars is an analysis bias and is highly depends on the choice of the reference position/date (usually the vernal equinox, which is set to 31th March) on the Earth's ellipse around the sun. Different model groups may apply different reference dates, so ensuring a consistent reference date and seasonal definition is key when we compare results across multiple models.

Competing influences of the ocean, atmosphere and solid earth on transient Miocene Antarctic ice sheet variability

Benthic δ18O levels vary strongly during the warmer-than-modern early- and mid-Miocene (23 to 14 Myr ago), suggesting a dynamic Antarctic ice sheet (AIS). So far, however, realistic simulations of the Miocene AIS have been limited to equilibrium states under different CO2 levels and orbital settings. Earlier transient simulations lacked ice-sheet-atmosphere interactions, and used a present-day rather than Miocene Antarctic bedrock topography. Here, we quantify the effect of ice-sheet-atmosphere interactions, running IMAU-ICE using climate forcing from Miocene simulations by the general circulation model GENESIS. Utilising a recently developed matrix interpolation method enables us to interpolate the climate forcing based on CO2 levels (between 280 and 840 ppm) as well as ice sheet configurations (between no ice and a large ice sheet). We furthermore implement recent reconstructions of Miocene Antarctic bedrock topography. We find that the positive albedo-temperature feedback, partly compensated by the negative ice-volume-precipitation feedback, increases hysteresis in the relation between CO2 and ice volume (V). Together, these ice-sheet-atmosphere interactions decrease the amplitude of AIS variability caused by 40-kyr forcing CO2 cycles by 21 % in transient simulations. Thereby, they also diminish the contribution of AIS variability to benthic δ18O fluctuations. Furthermore, we show that under equal atmospheric and oceanic forcing, the amplitude of 40-kyr transient AIS variability becomes 10 % smaller during the early- and mid-Miocene, due to the evolving bedrock topography. Lastly, we quantify the influence of ice shelf formation around the Antarctic margins, by comparing simulations with Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) basal melt conditions, to ones in which ice shelf growth is prevented. Ice shelf formation increases hysteresis in the CO2-V relation, and amplifies 40-kyr AIS variability by 19 % using LGM basal melt rates, and by 5 % in our reference setting.

The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the hygrothermal environment of our homes

In 2020 the residential sector witnessed a complete transformation of the way people live and occupy the spaces. Indeed, different Countries introduced total lockdowns as a measure to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19, forcing people to stay at home. These measures impact the indoor hygrothermal environment: higher internal thermal loads and moisture generation rate may create the perfect situation to support mould growth. This project aims to understand the impacts of increased work-from-home practices on the hygrothermal performance of residential buildings. The assessment uses a two-step methodology: firstly, whole building transient simulations (software trnsys) are used to generate the indoor temperature and humidity profiles, secondly hygrothermal transient simulations (software WUFI) are used to quantify the risk of mould growth. This research reveals the inadequacy of current design and construction practices to support flexible occupation patterns.

Efficient Thermal Analysis of Lab-Grown Diamond Heat Spreaders

Lab-grown diamond heat spreaders are becoming attractive solutions compared to traditional copper heat spreaders due to their high thermal conductivity, the ability to directly bond them on silicon, and allow for an ultra-thin silicon layer. Researchers have developed various thermal models and prototypes of lab-grown diamond heat spreaders to evaluate their cooling performance and heat spreading ability. The majority of existing thermal models are built using finite-element method (FEM) based simulators such as COMSOL and ANSYS. However, such commercial simulators are computationally expensive and lead to long solution times along with large memory requirements. These limitations make commercial simulators unsuitable for evaluating numerous design alternatives or runtime scenarios for real-world high-performance processors. Because of this modeling challenge, none of the existing works have evaluated the thermal behavior of lab-grown diamond heat spreaders on real-world high-performance processors running realistic application benchmarks. Recently, we have developed a parallel compact thermal simulator, PACT, that is able to carry out fast and accurate steady-state and transient thermal simulations and can be extended to support emerging integration and cooling technologies. In this paper, we use PACT to evaluate the steady-state and transient cooling performance of lab-grown diamond heat spreaders against traditional copper heat spreaders on various real-world high-performance processors (e.g., Intel i7 6950X, IBM Power9, and PicoSoC). By using PACT with architectural performance and power simulators such as Sniper and McPAT, we are able to run transient simulations with realistic benchmarks. Simulation results show that lab-grown diamond heat spreaders achieve maximum temperature and thermal gradient reductions of up to 26.73 °C and 13.75 °C when compared to traditional copper heat spreaders, respectively. The maximum steady-state and transient simulation times of PACT for the real-world high-performance chips and realistic applications used in our experiments are 259 s and 22 min, respectively.

Comparison of Newtonian and Non-newtonian Fluid Models in Blood Flow Simulation in Patients With Intracranial Arterial Stenosis

BackgroundNewtonian fluid model has been commonly applied in simulating cerebral blood flow in intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) cases using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, while blood is a shear-thinning non-Newtonian fluid. We aimed to investigate the differences of cerebral hemodynamic metrics quantified in CFD models built with Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid assumptions, in patients with ICAS.MethodsWe built a virtual artery model with an eccentric 75% stenosis and performed static CFD simulation. We also constructed CFD models in three patients with ICAS of different severities in the luminal stenosis. We performed static simulations on these models with Newtonian and two non-Newtonian (Casson and Carreau-Yasuda) fluid models. We also performed transient simulations on another patient-specific model. We measured translesional pressure ratio (PR) and wall shear stress (WSS) values in all CFD models, to reflect the changes in pressure and WSS across a stenotic lesion. In all the simulations, we compared the PR and WSS values in CFD models derived with Newtonian, Casson, and Carreau-Yasuda fluid assumptions.ResultsIn all the static and transient simulations, the Newtonian/non-Newtonian difference on PR value was negligible. As to WSS, in static models (virtual and patient-specific), the rheological difference was not obvious in areas with high WSS, but observable in low WSS areas. In the transient model, the rheological difference of WSS areas with low WSS was enhanced, especially during diastolic period.ConclusionNewtonian fluid model could be applicable for PR calculation, but caution needs to be taken when using the Newtonian assumption in simulating WSS especially in severe ICAS cases.