Fast and Accurate Analysis of Steam Condensing Flows Using Ideal Gas Equation

When the steam is used in fluid machinery, the phase-transition can occur and it affects not only the flow fields but also the machine performance. Therefore, to achieve accurate prediction on steam condensing flow using computational fluid dynamics, the phase-transition phenomena should be considered and the proper model which can reflect the non-equilibrium characterisic is required. In the previous study of us, a non-equilibrium condensation model was implemented in T-flow, and several cases on nozzles and cascades were under the consideration. The model showed quite good predictions on the pressure variations including condensation shock. However, the pressure discrepancies in downstream regions were found in all nozzle cases, and the use of ideal gas law as equation of state seemed to be responsible for them. Therefore, IAPWS-95 or IF97 are usually adopted for wet-steam codes, but it entails highly increased computational costs. In this study, the wet-steam model is modified to ensure the accuracy of pressure in nozzle’s downstream region while maintaining the usage of ideal gas equation, which has a benefit to solve the problem quickly. The numerical results of the nozzles are compared with those of the previous wet-steam model, and the results of equilibrium condensation model are also appended. As a result, the accurate predictions are feasible by using the modified non-equilibrium condensation model. In addition, the corrections on liquid surface tension and droplet growth rate are carried out for underestimated droplet sizes and enthalpy, entropy changes throughout the nozzles are investigated.

A Discrete Adjoint Method for Two-Phase Condensing Flows Applied to the Shape Optimization of Turbine Cascades

This paper presents a fully turbulent two-phase discrete adjoint method for metastable condensing flows targeted to turbomachinery applications. The method is based on a duality preserving algorithm and implemented in the open-source CFD tool SU2. The optimization framework is applied to the shape optimization of two canonical steam turbine cascades, commonly referred to as White cascade and Dykas cascade. The optimization were carried out by minimizing either the liquid volume fraction downstream of the cascade or the total entropy generation due viscous effects and heat transfer. In the first case, the amount of condensate turned out to be reduced by as much as 24%, but without reduction of the generated entropy, while the opposite resulted in the second case. The outcomes demonstrate the capability and computational efficiency of adjoint-based automated design for the shape optimization of turbomachinery operating with phase change flow.

Temporal changes of the flare activity of Proxima Centauri

Context. We study temporal variations of the emission lines of Hα, Hɛ, H and K CaII, D1 and D2 NaI, He4026, and He5876 in the HARPS spectra of Proxima Centauri across an extended time of 13.2 yr, from May 27, 2004 to September 30, 2017. Aims. We analyse the common behaviour and differences in the intensities and profiles of different emission lines in flare and quiet modes of Proxima activity. Methods. We compare the pseudo-equivalent widths (pEW) and profiles of the emission lines in the HARPS high-resolution (R ~ 115 000) spectra observed at the same epochs. Results. All emission lines show variability with a timescale of at least 10 min. The strength of all lines except He4026 correlate with Hα. During strong flares the “red asymmetry” appears in the Hα emission line indicating the infall of hot condensed matter into the chromosphere with velocities greater than 100 km s−1 disturbing chromospheric layers. As a result, the strength of the CaII lines anti-correlates with Hα during strong flares. The HeI lines at 4026 and 5876 Å appear in the strong flares. The cores of D1 and D2 NaI lines are also seen in emission. During the minimum activity of Proxima Centauri, CaII lines and Hɛ almost disappear while the blue part of the NaI emission lines is affected by the absorption in the extending and condensing flows. Conclusions. We see different behaviour of emission lines formed in the flare regions and chromosphere. Chromosphere layers of Proxima Cen are likely heated by the flare events; these layers are cooled in the “non-flare” mode. The self-absorption structures in cores of our emission lines vary with time due to the presence of a complicated system of inward and outward matter flows in the absorbing layers.

Condensation in Radial Turbines—Part II: Application of the Mathematical Model to a Radial Turbine Series

In the second part of this two part paper, the condensation process and the movement of the liquid phase near the impeller blades of a radial turbine are studied. The investigation methodology presented in part 1 is applied to a radial turbine type series used for waste heat recovery. First, the subcooling necessary for the beginning of the condensation process is examined and a relationship between the location of maximum subcooling and the onset of droplet deposition at the surfaces of the turbine impeller is determined. Thereafter, the movement of liquid films on the impeller blades is analysed and characterized. Correlations determining the movement of droplets originating from liquid film atomization on the edge of the impeller blade along the casing are derived. Finally, conclusions are drawn depicting the most important findings of condensing flows in radial turbines.

An Experimental Study of Nonequilibrium Carbon Dioxide/Oil Interactions

Summary In this study, we use a custom-designed visual cell to investigate nonequilibrium carbon dioxide (CO2)/oil interactions under high-pressure/high-temperature conditions. We visualize the CO2/oil interface and measure the visual-cell pressure over time. We perform five sets of visualization tests. The first three tests aim at investigating interactions of gaseous (g), liquid (l), and supercritical (sc) CO2 with a Montney (MTN) oil sample. In the fourth test, to visualize the interactions in the bulk oil phase, we replace the opaque MTN oil with a translucent Duvernay (DUV) light oil (LO). Finally, we conduct an N2(sc)/oil test to compare the results with those of CO2(sc)/oil test. We also compare the results of nonequilibrium CO2/oil interactions with those obtained from conventional pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) tests. Results of the first three tests show that oil immediately expands upon injection of CO2 into the visual cell. CO2(sc) leads to the maximum oil expansion followed by CO2(l) and CO2(g). Furthermore, the rate of oil expansion in the CO2(sc)/oil test is higher than that in CO2(l)/oil and CO2(g)/oil tests. We also observe extracting and condensing flows at the CO2(l)/oil and CO2(sc)/oil interfaces. Moreover, we observe density-driven fingers inside the LO phase because of the local increase in the density of LO. The results of PVT tests show that the density of the CO2/oil mixture is higher than that of the CO2-free oil, explaining the density-driven natural convection during CO2(sc) injection into the visual cell. We do not observe either extracting/condensing flows or density-driven mixing for the N2(sc)/oil test, explaining the low expansion of oil in this test. The results suggest that the combination of density-driven natural convection and extracting/condensing flows enhances CO2(sc) dissolution into the oil phase, leading to fast oil expansion after CO2(sc) injection into the visual cell.