On the Dynamics of the Polygonal Satellite Vortices

This paper deals with the dynamics of polygonal shapes resulting from the symmetry breaking of hollow-vortex core in a shallow water layer produced by a rotating disk near the bottom within a stationary cylindrical container. These polygonal shapes are investigated through image analysis. It is found that a given polygon rotates at the frequency close to one–third of the corresponding disk frequency and the flow dynamics around the apexes of the polygon is characterized by a frequency which is close to one–third of the frequency of the given polygonal pattern. The results also suggest a possible resonance between the satellite vortices at the apexes of the patterns and the bulk flow.

Two-Fluid CFD Model of Adiabatic Air-Water Upward Bubbly Flow Through a Vertical Pipe With a One-Group Interfacial Area Transport Equation

This paper describes in detail the assessment of the CFD code CFX to predict adiabatic liquid-gas two-phase bubbly flow. This study has been divided into two parts. In the first exercise, the effect of Lift Force, Wall Force and the Turbulent Diffusion Force have been assessed using experimental data from the literature for air-water upward bubbly flows through a pipe. The data used here had a characteristic near wall void peaking which was largely influenced by the joint action of the three forces mentioned above. The simulations were performed with constant bubble diameter assuming no bubble interactions. This exercise resulted in selection of the most appropriate closure form and closure coefficients for the above mentioned forces for the range of flow conditions chosen. In the second exercise, the One-Group Interfacial Area Transport equation was introduced in the two-fluid model of CFX. The interfacial area density plays important role in the correct prediction of interfacial mass, momentum and energy transfer and is affected by bubble breakup and coalescence processes in adiabatic flows. The One-Group Interfacial Area Transport Equation (IATE) has been developed and implemented for one-dimensional models and validated using cross-sectional area averaged experimental data over the last decade by various researchers. The original one-dimensional model has been extended to multidimensional flow predictions in this study and the results are presented in this paper. The paper also discusses constraints posed by the commercial CFD code CFX and the solutions worked out to obtain the most accurate implementation of the model.

Multi-Objective Design Optimization of a Mixed-Flow Pump

In most cases of high specific speed mixed-flow pump applications, it is necessary to satisfy more than one performance characteristic such as deign point efficiency, shut-off power/head and non-stall characteristic (no positive slope in flow-head curve). However, it is known that these performance characteristics are in relation of trade-offs. As a result, it is difficult to optimize these performance characteristics by conventional way such as trial and error approach by modifying geometrical parameters. This paper presents the results of the multi-objective optimization strategy of mixed-flow pump design by means of three dimensional inverse design approach, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Design of Experiments (DoE), response surface model (RSM) and Multi Objective Genetic Algorism (MOGA). The parameters to control blade loading distributions and meridional geometries for impeller and diffuser blades in inverse design were chosen as design variables of the optimization process. Pump efficiency, maximum slope in flow-head curve and shut-off power/head were selected as objective functions. Objective functions of pumps, designed by design variables specified in DoE, were evaluated by using CFD. Then, trade-off relations between objective functions were analyzed by using Pareto fronts obtained by MOGA. Some pumps which have specific performance characteristic (non-stall, low shut-off power, high efficiency etc.) designed along the Pareto front were numerically evaluated.

A Method to Optimize the Operation of Pumping System

There are many pumps working in generating plant for pumping water in the cooling system. The pumps consume a big amount of electricity especially in large generating plant which operates continuously for long time. Therefore, the electric power cost will increase with increasing of operation cost of the pumping system. It is very important to minimize the operation cost of the pumping system to optimize the use of generating plant assets. In order to optimize the operation of pumping system the method of adjusting pump rotation speeds are often adopted. The fundamental factor of optimizing pump operation is to obtain the operation performance. Theoretically the affinity law (special modeling Equation) of pumps can be applied to convert the performances of pumps under rated speeds to variable rotation speeds. However the affinity law can only be applied in the region of pump operation around Best Efficiency Point with an acceptable precision. Also the affinity law derived from the Modeling Equation can only be valid to pump or pump bowl rather than pumping system. In this paper a method was conducted to determine the performances of pumping system based on the computational and experimental results. The principle of optimizing the pumping system is discussed. Finally the optimizing operation alternative of the pumping system is presented.

Flow in Cavities With Curved Boundaries

Fluid dynamics for a Newtonian fluid in the absence of body forces in a two-dimensional cavity with top and bottom curved walls was studied numerically. The vertical walls are fixed and the curved walls are in motion. The Navier-Stokes equations were solved using the finite element method combined with the operator splitting scheme. We analyzed the behaviour of the velocity fields, the vorticity fields and the velocity profiles of the fluid inside the cavity. The analysis was carried out for two different Reynolds numbers of 50 and 500 with two ratios (R = 1, −1) of the top to the bottom curved lid speed. For these values of parameters the flow is characterized by vortex formation inside the cavity. The spatial symmetry on the flow patterns are also investigated. We found that when the velocities of the top and bottom walls have opposite direction only one cell is formed in the central part of the cavity; however when the velocities of the top and bottom walls have the same direction the vortex formation inside the cavity is more complex.

Simulation of Dendritic Growth Using a VOF Method

The volume of fluid (VOF) method is one of the most widely used methods to simulate interfacial flows using fixed grids. However, its application to phase change processes in solidification problems is relatively infrequent. In this work, preliminary results of the application of a new methodology to the simulation of dendritic growth of pure metals is presented. The proposed approach is based on a recent VOF method with PLIC (piecewise linear interface calculation) reconstruction of the interface. A diffused-interface method is used to solve the energy equation, which avoids the need of applying the thermal boundary conditions directly at the solid front. The thermal gradients at both sides of the interface, which are needed to accurately obtain the front velocity, are calculated with the aid of a distance function. The advection equation of a discretized solid fraction function is solved using the unsplit VOF advection method proposed by Lo´pez et al. [J. Comput. Phys. 195 (2004) 718–742] (extended to three dimensions by Herna´ndez et al. [Int. J. Numer. Methods Fluids 58 (2008) 897-921]). The interface curvature is computed using an improved height function (HF) technique, which provides second-order accuracy. The assessment of the proposed methodology is carried out by comparing the numerical results with analytical solutions and with results obtained by different authors for the formation of complex dendritic structures in two and three dimensions.

Flow Analysis of a Hydrocyclone Designed to High Oil Content Application

Development of small size and weight separation equipment are crucial for the petroleum off-shore exploration. Since centrifugal fields are several times stronger than the gravity field, cyclonic separation has became very important as a unit process for compact gas-liquid, liquid-liquid and solid-liquid separation. The major difference between the various cyclones is their geometry. Cyclone optimization for different uses is, every year, less based on experiments and more based on mathematical models. In the present work, the flow field inside high oil content hydrocyclones is numerically obtained with FLUENT. The performance of two turbulence models, Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES), to predict the flow inside a high oil content hydrocyclone, is investigated by comparing the results with experimental data available in the literature. All models overpredicted the tangential component, especially at the reverse cone region. However, the prediction of the tangential turbulent fluctuations with LES was significant better than the RSM prediction. The influences of the inlet flow rate and hydrocyclone length in the flow were also evaluated. RSM model was able to foresee correctly, in agreement with experimental data, the correct tendency of pressure drop reduction with decreasing inlet flow rate and increasing length.

Time-Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) Measurements in a Radial Diffuser Pump

The truly time-variant unsteady flow in a low specific speed radial diffuser pump stage has been investigated by time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements. The measurements are conducted at the midspan of the blades for the design condition and also for some severe part-load conditions. The instantaneous flow fields among different impeller channels are analyzed and compared in detail, and more attention has been paid to flow separations at part-load conditions. The analysis of the measured results shows that the flow separations at two adjacent impeller channels are quite different at some part-load conditions. The separations generally exhibit a two-channel characteristic.

Influence of the Pressure Load in the Efficiency of a Longitudinal Ventilation System in Road Tunnels

The longitudinal ventilation system (LVS) efficiency in road tunnels is conditioned by geometric and operational parameters. Typical geometric parameters are the length of the tunnel, its slope and the transversal section. All these factors are generally fixed and thus not modifiable in the regular operation of the facility. On the other hand, operational parameters, like the working fans layout, the environmental conditions or the traffic density are case-sensitive and susceptible to influence the baseline performance of the ventilation system. In the present study, different pressure gradients, established between inlet and outlet location of the jet fan influence, are analyzed. This static resistance is shown to have a significant impact on the momentum transfer established between the jet expansion and the bulk flow inside the tunnel. For moderate pressure gradients, the jet discharged from fan is relativity well-mixed, allowing to reach uniform flow conditions in the streamwise direction. When the adverse pressure gradients become severe, the high-velocity flow is blocked, unable to mix out in the inter fan spacing and losing spanwise uniformity. At critical conditions, large recirculation areas can be developed within primary flow structures, generating turbulence and important energy losses, and even inducing reverse flow at the tunnel exit. The extreme operating conditions of a longitudinal ventilation system in a road tunnel have been studied using a 3D numerical simulation. Preliminary analysis for grid sensitivity and election of an accurate turbulence closure were performed to guarantee a valuable modeling. Following, systematic computations over a cluster of PC’s were executed using the well-tested Fluent code. RANS modeling with RSM scheme allowed a satisfactory description of three-dimensional vortical structure in the recirculation zones, especially for adverse pressure gradients. At this point, numerical results have provided a comprehensive overview of the mechanism associated to the momentum transfer of the jet expansion, comparing the performance for zero-pressure gradients with those observed for adverse conditions. Also, this paper gives valuable information about practical limits of the LVS, advancing operational conditions that compromise the ventilation efficiency.

Effects of Blade Outlet Width on Flow Field and Characteristic of Centrifugal Pumps

The present deficiency about numerical simulation research on blade outlet width of centrifugal pumps is pointed out. In the case of different outlet widths, the flow field in six centrifugal pumps whose specific speed vary from 45 to 260 are simulated by using commercial code FLUENT and the characteristics are predicted. The standard k-ε turbulence model and SIMPLEC algorithm are chosen in FLUENT. The simulation is steady and moving reference frame is used to consider rotor-stator interaction. The research results show that the change of impeller outlet width has obvious impacts on characteristics at design point, flow field and the shape of performance curves. At nominal condition, the change of outlet width has more important effects on moderate specific speed centrifugal pumps. The flow field analysis indicates that blade outlet width change has an important effect on the location and area of low pressure region behind the blade inlet, jet-wake structure in impellers, the secondary flow in volute cross section and the back flow in impellers. The head-flow curve becomes more flat with the increase of outlet width. For moderate and low specific speed centrifugal pumps, the high efficiency area of efficiency-flow curve get bigger with the increase of outlet width and the area will be constant within certain outlet width change scope for high specific speed centrifugal pump. The research results agree well with experiment results.