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The vortex-induced vibrations of two side-by-side flexible cylinders in a uniform flow were studied using a three-dimensional direct numerical simulation at Reynolds number Re = 350 with an aspect ratio of 100, and a center-to-center spacing ratio of 2.5. A mixture of standing-traveling wave pattern was induced in the in-line (IL) vibration, while the cross-flow (CF) vibration displayed a standing-wave characteristic. The ninth vibration mode prominently occurred in both IL and CF directions, along with competition between multiple modes. Proximity effects from the neighboring cylinder caused the primary frequency to be consistent between IL and CF vibrations for each cylinder, deviating from the IL to CF ratio of 2:1 in isolated cylinder conditions. Repulsive mean lift coefficients were observed in both stationary and vibrating conditions for the two cylinders due to asymmetrical vortex shedding in this small gap. Comparatively, lift and drag coefficients were notably increased in the vibrating condition, albeit with a lower vortex shedding frequency. Positive energy transfer was predominantly excited along the span via vortex shedding from the cylinder itself and the neighboring one, leading to increasing lower-mode vibration amplitudes. The flip-flopping (FF) wake pattern was excited in the stationary and vibrating cylinders, causing spanwise vortex dislocations and wake transition over time, with the FF pattern being more regular in the stationary cylinder case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber-reinforced composites (FRPs) are characterized by their lightweight nature and superior mechanical characteristics, rendering them extensively utilized across various sectors such as aerospace and automotive industries. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms governing the interaction between the fibers present in FRPs and the polymer melt during industrial processing, particularly the manipulation of the flow–fiber coupling effect, remain incompletely elucidated. Hence, this study introduces a geometrically symmetrical 1 × 4 multi-cavity mold system, where each cavity conforms to the ASTM D638 Type V standard specimen. The research utilizes theoretical simulation analysis and experimental validation to investigate the influence of runner and overflow design on the flow–fiber coupling effect. The findings indicate that the polymer melt, directed by a geometrically symmetrical runner, results in consistent fiber orientation within each mold cavity. Furthermore, in the context of simulation analysis, the inclusion of the flow–fiber coupling effect within the system results in elevated sprue pressure levels and an expanded core layer region in comparison to systems lacking this coupling effect. This observation aligns well with the existing literature on the subject. Moreover, analysis of fiber orientation in different flow field areas reveals that the addition of an overflow area alters the flow field, leading to a significant delay in the flow–fiber coupling effect. To demonstrate the impact of overflow area design on the flow–fiber effect, the integration of fiber orientation distribution analysis highlights a transformation in fiber arrangement from the flow direction to cross-flow and thickness directions near the end-of-fill region in the injected part. Additionally, examination of the geometric dimensions of the injected part reveals asymmetrical geometric shrinkage between upstream and downstream areas in the end-of-fill region, consistent with microscopic fiber orientation changes influenced by the delayed flow–fiber coupling effect guided by the overflow area. In brief, the introduction of the overflow area extends the duration in which the polymer melt exerts control in the flow direction, consequently prolonging the period in which the fiber orientation governs in the flow direction (A11). This leads to the impact of fiber orientation on the flow of the polymer melt, with the flow reciprocally affecting the fibers. Subsequently, the interaction between these two elements persists until a state of equilibrium is achieved, known as the flow–fiber coupling effect, which is delayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical calculations were performed to study the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a circular cylinder, which was elastically supported by springs of linear and cubic terms. These simulations were conducted at high Reynolds numbers ranging from 4200 to 42,000. To simulate the cylinder's motion and the associated aerodynamic forces, Computational Fluid Dynamics were employed in conjunction with dynamic mesh capabilities. The numerical method was initially verified by testing it with various grid resolutions and time steps, and subsequently, it was validated using experimental data. The response of cubic nonlinearities was investigated using insights gained from a conventional linear vortex-induced vibration (VIV) system. This 2D study revealed that both the amplitude and frequency of vibrations are contingent on the flow velocity. The highest output was achieved within the frequency lock-in region, where internal resonance occurs. In the case of a hardening spring, the beating response was observed from the lower end of the initial branch to the upper end of the initial branch. The response displacement amplitude obtained for the linear spring case was 27 mm, whereas in the cubic nonlinear case, the value was 31.8 mm. More importantly, the results indicate that the inclusion of nonlinear springs can substantially extend the range of wind velocities in which significant energy extraction through vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is achievable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The engineering of tubes with surface corrugations is recognized as an effective method for enhancing heat transfer within the tube. Yet the impact of surface corrugation on the flow and heat transfer around the tube's exterior remains inadequately explored. This study investigates the crossflow and heat transfer characteristics in banks of periodically inward-corrugated tubes using computational fluid dynamics. Numerical simulations were performed for both in-line and staggered tube arrangements, covering Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 10,000. The aim was to examine how various corrugation parameters affect heat transfer and flow dynamics in tube banks configured in both in-line and staggered layouts. The results show that the heat transfer and the pressure drop in crossflow across tube banks are substantially influenced by changes in corrugation parameters. Specifically, in the in-line arrangement, both the Nusselt number and Euler number decrease significantly as the corrugation height increases. In contrast, in the staggered arrangement, the Nusselt number and Euler number exhibit less variation in response to surface corrugation. A comparative analysis of performance criteria suggests that a staggered arrangement is more advantageous for improving thermal–hydraulic efficiency in crossflow through corrugated tube banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-Flow Fans (CFFs) have been widely applied in the automotive and domestic air conditioning industries in recent decades. They are high-pressure coefficient turbomachines compacted diametrically, and thus, the complex interactions of these fans require thorough evaluation. Their innovation has opened up new directions in turbomachinery, and both academic research and industry have seen numerous efforts to develop these types of fans. Despite extensive work, optimizing and improving their performance remains a challenge. Enhancing their efficiency necessitates improvements in structural characteristics, aerodynamic features, and acoustic properties. In this review, we aim to demonstrate the essential aspects of CFFs by introducing their fundamentals and primary characteristics. Furthermore, we delve into a discussion on the acoustic performance of these fans. We also summarize the flow characteristics and different flow-field patterns in CFFs and their impact on aeroacoustic behavior. The main objective of this review paper is to provide an overview of the research in this field, summarizing the critical factors that play a significant role in studying CFFs' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to analyze the fluid dynamics and combustion characteristics of a non-premixed flame burning a fuel mixture derived from ammonia partial decomposition injected in an air crossflow. Nominal pressure (5 bar) and inlet air temperature (750 K) conditions are typical of micro-gas turbines. The effects of strain on the maximum flame temperature and NO generation in laminar non-premixed counter-flow flames are initially explored. Then, the whole three-dimensional fluid dynamic problem is investigated by setting up a numerical experiment: it consists of a Direct Numerical Simulation, based on accurate transport, chemical, and numerical models. The flow topology of the specific reacting jet in crossflow configuration is described in terms of its main turbulent structures, like shear layers, ring, and horse-shoe vortices, as well as of its leeward recirculation region anchoring the flame. The reacting region is characterized by providing instantaneous spatial distributions of temperature, heat release, and some transported chemical species, including NO , and calculating the Flame Index to identify non-premixed and premixed combustion local conditions. The latter is quantified by looking at the distribution of the volume fraction associated with a certain Flame Index versus the Flame Index and at the distribution of the average values of both the Heat Release Rate and NO versus the Flame Index and the mixture fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been some studies conducted about the single factor viscoelasticity of polymer solution or wettability effect on the micro-flow mechanism of polymer flooding. In this paper, the flow mechanism of polymer solution in dual heterogeneous reservoir considering the wettability and gravity was studied. The influences of wettability and rock particle shape on flow characteristics were studied based on the characteristics of saturation and pressure distribution. Compared with the simulation results of polymer flooding in three different rock particle shapes porous media, the oil displacement efficiency of the circular particle model is the highest at 91.57%, which is 3.34% and 11.48% higher than that in the hexagonal and diamond models, respectively. The influence of wettability was studied by the circular particle model. The oil displacement efficiency under water-wet conditions was higher than that under oil-wet conditions. The displacement process considering gravity was affected by the crossflow caused by gravity and viscous force, and the micro-oil displacement efficiency was 9.87% lower than that of non-gravity. Considering the wettability, vertical crossflow will be formed. The oil displacement efficiency under water-wet conditions was 3.9% higher than in oil-wet conditions. The research results can not only expand and enrich the micro-flow mechanism of viscoelastic polymer solution, but also provide reference and guidance for polymer flooding scheme design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both scientific and industrial communities have a growing interest in marine renewable energies. There is a wide variety of technologies in this domain, with different degrees of maturity. This study focuses on two models of a mast-free vertical axis Darrieus tidal turbine with the objective of characterizing the effect of vertical confinement, rotor configuration, and fluid–structure interactions on their performances in free-surface flows. The first model comprised four straight rigid blades maintained by circular flanges on both ends of the rotor and the second model is equipped with free-ended interchangeable blades attached to a single upper flange. Two configurations of the second model mounted with either rigid or flexible blades were used, first for comparison with the dual-flange turbine, then in order to address the effect of fluid–structure interactions on the turbine performances. While the single-flange models exhibit a significantly lower efficiency at all operating points, it is observed that the use of flexible blades tends to enhance turbine performances at low Reynolds numbers. The flow topology obtained from PIV measurement at selected operating points is discussed with respect to the performance of each turbine model in order to highlight the role of the dynamic stall and blade–vortex interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of naval exhaust funnels has to take into account the interaction between the hot gases and topside structures, which usually includes critical electronic devices. Being able to predict the propagation trajectory, shape and temperature distribution of an exhaust gas plume is highly strategic in different industrial sectors. The propagation of a stack plume can be affected by different uncertainty factors, such as those related to the wind flow and gas flow conditions at the funnel exit. The constant growth of computational resources has allowed simulations to gain a key role in the early design phase. However, it is still difficult to model all the aspects of real physical problems in actual applications and, therefore, to completely rely upon the quantitative results of numerical simulations. One of the most important aspects is related to input variable uncertainty, which can significantly affect the simulation result. With this aim, the discipline of Uncertainty Quantification provides several methods to evaluate uncertainty propagation in numerical simulations. In this paper, UQ procedures are applied to a CFD simulation of a single plume in a crossflow. The authors test the influence of the uncertainty propagation of the chimney exit velocity and the main flow angle on the plume flow development. Two different UQ methods are applied to the analysis: the surrogate-based approach and the polynomial chaos expansion method. A comparison of the two methods is performed in order to find their pros and cons, focusing on the different and detailed quantities of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors observed that the turbine equipped with the lift-drag composite blade provided higher-energy performances than the turbine equipped with the NACA blades based on lift force. Tidal turbines generate energy from tidal currents. Contrarily to wind turbines, which provide energy over a long period of time depending on the wind conditions, tidal stream turbines can provide energy for four periods per day. Moreover, three types of turbines were considered: a Savonius-shaped turbine based on drag force, a NACA hydrofoil turbine based on lift force, and a thin-walled foil turbine based on lift and drag forces. [Extracted from the article]

The fluid–structure interaction is one of the most important coupled problems in mechanics. The topic is crucial for many high-technology areas. This work considers the interaction between an elastic obstacle and rarefied gas flow, seeking specific problems that arise during this interaction. The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method was used to model the rarefied gas flow and the linear Euler–Bernoulli beam theory was used to describe the motion of the elastic obstacle. It turned out that the vibrations caused by the gas flow could provoke a resonance-like phenomenon when the frequency of vortex shedding of the flow was close to the natural frequency of the beam. This phenomenon could be useful in certain high-technology applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is a process that wind energy converts to the mechanical energy of the bluff body. Enhancing VIV to harvest wind energy is a promising method to power wireless sensor nodes in the Internet of Things. In this work, a VIV-driven square cylinder triboelectric nanogenerator (SC-TENG) is proposed to harvest broadband wind energy. The vibration characteristic and output performance are studied experimentally to investigate the effect of the natural frequency by using five different springs in a wide range of stiffnesses ( 27   N / m < K < 90   N / m ). The square cylinder is limited to transverse oscillation and experiments were conducted in the Reynolds regime ( 3.93 × 10 3 – 3.25 × 10 4 ). The results demonstrate the strong dependency of VIV on natural frequency and lock-in observed in a broad range of spring stiffness. Moreover, the amplitude ratio and range of lock-in region increase by decreasing spring stiffness. On the other hand, the SC-TENG with higher spring stiffness can result in higher output under high wind velocities. These observations suggest employing an adjustable natural frequency system to have optimum energy harvesting in VIV-based SC-TENG in an expanded range of operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freestream turbulence intensity is an important parameter for Tollmien–Schlichting waves and is also used as one of the key variables for the local- and transport-equation-based transition model in the simulations. To obtain the similar turbulence level in the vicinity to the aircraft as the turbulence intensity measured in a wind tunnel or in free-flight conditions, the sustaining turbulence term can be used for the transition model. It is important to investigate the model behavior when the sustaining turbulence is coupled with the frequently used SST-variants for transitional flows. Additionally, it is essential to obtain a nearly independent solution using the same transition model for different users on different meshes with similar grid resolution for purposes of verification and validation. So far, the relevant work has not been performed sufficiently and the sustaining turbulence technology introduces non-independent results into the freestream values. Thus, a modified sustaining turbulence approach is adopted and investigated in several test cases, including a computational effort on NACA0021 test case at 10 angles of attack. The results indicate that the modified sustaining turbulence in conjunction with the SST-2003 turbulence model yields results nearly independent to the freestream value of ω for the prediction of both streamwise and crossflow transition for two-dimensional flows without increasing computational effort too much. For three-dimensional flow, the sensitivity to initial value of ω is reduced significantly as well in comparison to the SST-based transition model, and it is highly recommended to use present sustaining turbulence technology in conjunction with the SST-2003-based transition model for engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A membrane-based enthalpy exchanger is a device used for heat and humidity recovery in ventilated buildings. The energy-saving potential of such a device is dependent on the parameters responsible for heat and moisture recovery. The trend is toward composite membranes, which are custom produced, and their parameters can be adjusted for a given application; therefore, the diffusion and sorption characteristics of such membranes are unknown. In order to obtain the values of the water vapor diffusivity of three investigated handmade membranes, a serial resistance model using a Field and Laboratory Emission Cell (FLEC) is proposed. Experiments were conducted to identify the resistance in each step of the moisture transfer process to extract the moisture diffusivity in the membranes. The calculated moisture diffusivities in the membranes were 8.99 × 10−12 (m2/s) for the membranes from cellulose acetate, 1.9 × 10−10 (m2/s) for the microporous PE/PUR membranes, and 1.53 × 10−11 (m2/s) for the PET/PUR microfibrous membranes. The obtained membrane diffusivities were then used in the proposed effectiveness-NTU-based model of an exchanger with a cross-flow arrangement to predict performance under various operating conditions. The results show that the highest latent effectiveness was found for the exchanger core made from the PE/PUR membrane and the lowest was for the one with the PE/PUR membrane core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of a turbulent, spatially developing crossflow with a transverse jet possesses several engineering and technological applications such as film cooling of turbine blades, exhaust plumes, thrust vector control, fuel injection, etc. Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of a jet in a crossflow under different streamwise pressure gradients (zero and favorable pressure gradient) is carried out. The purpose is to study the physics behind the transport phenomena and coherent structure dynamics in turbulent crossflow jets at different streamwise pressure gradients and low/high-velocity ratios (0.5 and 1). The temperature was regarded as a passive scalar with a molecular Prandtl number of 0.71. The analysis is performed by prescribing accurate turbulent information (instantaneous velocity and temperature) at the inlet of a computational domain. The upward motion of low-momentum fluid created by the "legs" of the counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP) encounters the downward inviscid flow coming from outside of the turbulent boundary layer, inducing a stagnation point and a shear layer. This layer is characterized by high levels of turbulent mixing, turbulence production, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and thermal fluctuations. The formation and development of the above-mentioned shear layer are more evident at higher velocity ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large scale simulations of polymer flow through porous media provide an important tool for solving problems in enhanced oil recovery, polymer processing and biological applications. In order to include the effects of a wide range of velocity and density fluctuations, we base our work on a coarse-grain particle-based model consisting of polymers following Brownian dynamics coupled to a background fluid flow through momentum conserving interactions. The polymers are represented as Finitely Extensible Non-Linear Elastic (FENE) dumbbells with interactions including slowly decaying transient forces to properly describe dynamic effects of the eliminated degrees of freedom. Model porous media are constructed from arrays of parallel solid beams with circular or square cross-sections, arranged periodically in the plane perpendicular to their axis. No-slip boundary conditions at the solid–fluid interfaces are imposed through interactions with artificial particles embedded within the solid part of the system. We compare the results of our simulations with those of standard Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics simulations for Newtonian flow through the same porous media. We observe that in all cases the concentration of polymers at steady state is not uniform even though we start the simulations with a uniform polymer concentration, which is indicative of shear-induced cross-flow migration. Furthermore, we see the characteristic flattening of the velocity profile experimentally observed for shear-thinning polymer solutions flowing through channels as opposed to the parabolic Poiseuille flow profile for Newtonian fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental investigation of sonic air, CO2 and Helium transverse jets in Mach 5 cross flow was carried out over a flat plate. The jet to freestream momentum flux ratio, J, was kept the same for all gases. The unsteady flow topology was examined using high speed schlieren visualisation and PIV. Schlieren visualisation provided information regarding oscillating jet shear layer structures and bow shock, Mach disc and barrel shocks. Two-component PIV measurements at the centreline, provided information regarding jet penetration trajectories. Barrel shocks and Mach disc forming the jet boundary were visualised/quantified also jet penetration boundaries were determined. Even though J is kept the same for all gases, the penetration patterns were found to be remarkably different both at the nearfield and the farfield. Air and CO2 jet resulted similar nearfield and farfield penetration pattern whereas Helium jet spread minimal in the nearfield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical analyses of environmental discharges are commonly conducted on pre-generated numerical grids with refinements implemented in regions of interest or influence on the flow field. This approach to problem formulation relies on insights into the flow specifics so that appropriate attention is given to relevant segments of the domain. In this paper we investigated the applicability of adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) on a commonly considered environmental problem—a jet in crossflow. The assessment was made using the OpenFOAM toolbox. Several RANS turbulence models and grid generation approaches were compared in terms of accuracy to previous studies and experimental results. Main emphasis is given to the computational efficiency of the methodology with a focus on load distribution. Our findings indicate that the results are acceptable in terms of accuracy with load balancing providing significant computational savings thus enabling AMR methodology to outperform the conventional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed for an anode-supported planar SOFC from the Chinese Academy of Science Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering (NIMTE). The simulation results of the developed model are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained under the same conditions. With the simulation results, the distribution of temperature, flow velocity and the gas concentrations through the cell components and gas channels is presented and discussed. Potential and current density distributions in the cell and overall fuel utilization are also presented. It is also found that the temperature gradients exist along the length of the cell, and the maximum value of the temperature for the cross-flow is at the outlet region of the cell. The distribution of the current density is uneven, and the maximum current density is located at the interfaces between the channels, ribs and the electrodes, the maximum current density result in a large over-potential and heat source in the electrodes, which is harmful to the overall performance and working lifespan of the fuel cells. A new type of flow structure should be developed to make the current flow be more evenly distributed and promote most of the TPB areas to take part in the electrochemical reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the void fraction of a two-phase flow outside of tubes is essential to evaluate the thermohydraulic behaviour in steam generators. Indeed, it determines two-phase mixture properties and affects two-phase mixture velocity, which enable evaluating the pressure drop of the system. The two-fluid model for the numerical simulation of two-phase flows requires interaction laws between phases which are not known and/or reliable for a flow within a tube bundle. Therefore, the mixture model, for which it is easier to implement suitable correlations for tube bundles, is used. Indeed, by expressing the relative velocity as a function of slip, the void fraction model of Feenstra et al. and Hibiki et al. developed for upward cross-flow through horizontal tube bundles is introduced and compared. With the method suggested in this paper, the physical phenomena that occur in tube bundles are taken into consideration. Moreover, the tube bundle is modelled using a porous media approach where the Darcy–Forchheimer term is usually defined by correlations found in the literature. However, for some tube bundle geometries, these correlations are not available. The second goal of the paper is to quickly compute, in quasi-real-time, this term by a non-intrusive parametric reduced model based on Proper Orthogonal Decomposition. This method, named Bi-CITSGM (Bi-Calibrated Interpolation on the Tangent Subspace of the Grassmann Manifold), consists in interpolating the spatial and temporal bases by ITSGM (Interpolation on the Tangent Subspace of the Grassmann Manifold) in order to define the solution for a new parameter. The two developed methods are validated based on the experimental results obtained by Dowlati et al. for a two-phase cross-flow through a horizontal tube bundle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane foaming is a promising alternative to conventional foaming methods to produce uniform bubbles. In this study, we provide a fundamental study of a cross-flow membrane foaming (CFMF) system to understand and control bubble formation for various process conditions and fluid properties. Observations with high spatial and temporal resolution allowed us to study bubble formation and bubble coalescence processes simultaneously. Bubble formation time and the snap-off bubble size ( D 0 ) were primarily controlled by the continuous phase flow rate ( Q c ); they decreased as Q c increased, from 1.64 to 0.13 ms and from 125 to 49 µm. Coalescence resulted in an increase in bubble size ( D c o a l > D 0 ), which can be strongly reduced by increasing either continuous phase viscosity or protein concentration—factors that only slightly influence D 0 . Particularly, in a 2.5 wt % whey protein system, coalescence could be suppressed with a coefficient of variation below 20%. The stabilizing effect is ascribed to the convective transport of proteins and the intersection of timescales (i.e., μs to ms) of bubble formation and protein adsorption. Our study provides insights into the membrane foaming process at relevant (micro-) length and time scales and paves the way for its further development and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the attachment of microcapsules on the membrane surface and its influence on the flow field for a cross-flow membrane setup are investigated. The microcapsules were placed on the top layer of the membrane. The overall purpose of this modification was the prevention of membrane biofouling. Therefore, in a first step, the influence of such a combination on the fluid flow was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Here, different properties, which are discussed as indicators for biofouling in the literature, were considered. In parallel, different fixation strategies for the microcapsules were experimentally tested. Two different methods to add the microcapsules were identified and further investigated. In the first method, the microcapsules are glued to the membrane surface, whereas in the second method, the microcapsules are added during the membrane fabrication. The different membrane modifications were studied and compared using CFD. Therefore, virtual geometries mimicking the real ones were created. An idealized virtual geometry was added to the comparison. Results from the simulation were fed back to the experiments to optimize the combined membrane. For the presented setup, it is shown that the glued configuration provides a lower transmembrane pressure than the configuration where microcapsules are added during fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiltration membrane technology is an effective method for secondary treated sewage purification. However, membrane fouling, which is inevitable in the membrane-separation process, can reduce membrane performance and shorten membrane life. Installing a turbulence promoter is a promising means of improving the hydraulic conditions inside the membrane chamber. In this study, the effect of turbulence promoter on prolonging membrane life was studied for the first time. Flat-sheet polyethersulfone nanofiltration membrane was used to filter humic acid solution, used for simulating secondary treated sewage. By comparing photographs and SEM images of the membrane before and after the simulated secondary treated sewage filtration, it was found that humic acid tended to be deposited on the low-velocity region, which was reflected by COMSOL simulation. After incorporating a turbulence promoter, the reduction of the humic acid deposition area and membrane fouling resistance indicated that the turbulence promoter could reduce membrane fouling due to the improved hydraulic conditions. Additionally, the turbulence promoter also increased the flux and reduced the flux decay rate. The turbulence promoter was then place in the crossflow flat-sheet membrane filtration module, and the variation of flux with time was tested in simulated secondary treated sewage with different concentrations. The results showed that the membrane life for the filtration of simulated secondary treated sewage comprising 50, 250, and 500 ppm humic acid increased by 23.1%, 80.4%, and 85.7%, respectively. The results of this article can serve as a reference for the prediction of membrane life and the performance enhancement mechanism of membranes containing a turbulence promoter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the effects of the deteriorating affinity-related properties of membranes due to leaching and erosion on their rejection capacity were studied via computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The function of affinity-enhancing agents is to modify the wettability state of the surface of a membrane for dispersed droplets. The wettability conditions can be identified by the contact angle a droplet makes with the surface of the membrane upon pinning. For the filtration of fluid emulsions, it is generally required that the surface of the membrane is nonwetting for the dispersed droplets such that the interfaces that are formed at the pore openings provide the membrane with a criterion for the rejection of dispersals. Since materials that make up the membrane do not necessarily possess the required affinity, it is customary to change it by adding affinity-enhancing agents to the base material forming the membrane. The bonding and stability of these materials can be compromised during the lifespan of a membrane due to leaching and erosion (in crossflow filtration), leading to a deterioration of the rejection capacity of the membrane. In order to investigate how a decrease in the contact angle can lead to the permeation of droplets that would otherwise get rejected, a CFD study was conducted. In the CFD study, a droplet was released in a crossflow field that involved a pore opening and the contact angle was considered to decrease with time as a consequence of the leaching of affinity-enhancing agents. The CFD analysis revealed that the decrease in the contact angle resulted in the droplet spreading over the surface more. Furthermore, the interface that was formed at the entrance of the pore opening flattened as the contact angle decreased, leading the interface to advance more inside the pore. The droplet continued to pass over the pore opening until the contact angle reached a certain value, at which point, the droplet became pinned at the pore opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oscillating hydrofoils were installed in a water tunnel as a surrogate model for a hydrokinetic cross-flow tidal turbine, enabling the study of the effect of flexible blades on the performance of those devices with high ecological potential. The study focuses on a single tip-speed ratio (equal to 2), the key non-dimensional parameter describing the operating point, and solidity (equal to 1.5), quantifying the robustness of the turbine shape. Both parameters are standard values for cross-flow tidal turbines. Those lead to highly dynamic characteristics in the flow field dominated by dynamic stall. The flow field is investigated at the blade level using high-speed particle image velocimetry measurements. Strong fluid–structure interactions lead to significant structural deformations and highly modified flow fields. The flexibility of the blades is shown to significantly reduce the duration of the periodic stall regime; this observation is achieved through systematic comparison of the flow field, with a quantitative evaluation of the degree of chaotic changes in the wake. In this manner, the study provides insights into the mechanisms of the passive flow control achieved through blade flexibility in cross-flow turbines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-flow microfiltration is a broadly accepted technique for separation of microbial biomass after the cultivation process. However, membrane fouling emerges as the main problem affecting permeate flux decline and separation process efficiency. Hydrodynamic methods, such as turbulence promoters and air sparging, were tested to improve permeate flux during microfiltration. In this study, a non-recurrent feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) with one hidden layer was examined as a tool for microfiltration modeling using Bacillus velezensis cultivation broth as the feed mixture, while the Kenics static mixer and two-phase flow, as well as their combination, were used to improve permeate flux in microfiltration experiments. The results of this study have confirmed successful application of the ANN model for prediction of permeate flux during microfiltration of Bacillus velezensis cultivation broth with a coefficient of determination of 99.23% and absolute relative error less than 20% for over 95% of the predicted data. The optimal ANN topology was 5-13-1, trained by the Levenberg–Marquardt training algorithm and with hyperbolic sigmoid transfer function between the input and the hidden layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pump intake structure design is one area where physical models still remain as the only acceptable method that can provide reliable engineering results. Ensuring the amount of turbulence, entrained air vortices, and swirl are kept within acceptable limits requires site-specific, expensive, and time-consuming physical model studies. This study aims to investigate the viability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as an alternative tool for pump intake design thus reducing the need for extensive physical experiments. In this study, a transient multiphase simulation of a 530 mm wide rectangular intake sump housing a 116 m3/h pump is presented. The flow conditions, vortex formation and inlet swirl are compared to an existing 1:10 reduced scaled physical model test. For the baseline test, the predicted surface and submerged vortices agreed well with those observed in the physical model. Both the physical model test and the numerical model showed that the initial geometry of the pump sump is unacceptable as per ANSI/HI 9.8 criteria. Strong type 2 to type 3 submerged vortices were observed at the floor of the pump and behind the pump. Consequently, numerical simulations of proposed sump design modification are further investigated. Two CFD models with different fillet-splitter designs are evaluated and compared based on the vortex formation and swirl. In the study, it was seen that a trident-shaped splitter design was able to prevent flow separation and vortex suppression as compared to a cross-baffle design based on ANSI/HI 9.8. CFD results for the cross-baffle design showed that backwall and floor vortices were still present and additional turbulence was observed due to the cross-flow caused by the geometry. Conversely, CFD results for the trident-shaped fillet-splitter design showed stable flow and minimized the floor and wall vortices previously observed in the first two models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pump intake structure design is one area where physical models still remain as the only acceptable method that can provide reliable engineering results. Ensuring the amount of turbulence, entrained air vortices, and swirl are kept within acceptable limits requires site-specific, expensive, and time-consuming physical model studies. This study aims to investigate the viability of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as an alternative tool for pump intake design thus reducing the need for extensive physical experiments. In this study, a transient multiphase simulation of a 530 mm wide rectangular intake sump housing a 116 m3/h pump is presented. The flow conditions, vortex formation and inlet swirl are compared to an existing 1:10 reduced scaled physical model test. For the baseline test, the predicted surface and submerged vortices agreed well with those observed in the physical model. Both the physical model test and the numerical model showed that the initial geometry of the pump sump is unacceptable as per ANSI/HI 9.8 criteria. Strong type 2 to type 3 submerged vortices were observed at the floor of the pump and behind the pump. Consequently, numerical simulations of proposed sump design modification are further investigated. Two CFD models with different fillet-splitter designs are evaluated and compared based on the vortex formation and swirl. In the study, it was seen that a trident-shaped splitter design was able to prevent flow separation and vortex suppression as compared to a cross-baffle design based on ANSI/HI 9.8. CFD results for the cross-baffle design showed that backwall and floor vortices were still present and additional turbulence was observed due to the cross-flow caused by the geometry. Conversely, CFD results for the trident-shaped fillet-splitter design showed stable flow and minimized the floor and wall vortices previously observed in the first two models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate pressure performance of multiple fractured horizontal wells (MFHWs) penetrating heterogeneous unconventional reservoir and avoid the high computational cost of numerical simulation, a semi-analytical model for MFHWs combining Green function solution and boundary element method has been obtained, where the reservoir is divided into different homogeneous substructures and coupled at interface boundaries by plane source function in a closed rectangular parallelepiped. Hydraulic fractures are assumed uniform flux and dual porosity model is used for natural fractures system. Then the model is validated by compared with analytical solution of MFHWs in a homogeneous reservoir and trilinear flow model, which shows that this model can achieve high accuracy even with a small interface discretization number, and it can consider the radial flow around each hydraulic fractures. Finally, the pressure responses with heterogeneous parameters of reservoirs are discussed including heterogeneous permeability, non-uniform block-length and fracture half-length distribution as well as dual porosity parameters like elastic storage ratio and crossflow ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on establishing a surrogate model based on machine learning techniques to predict the time-averaged spatially distributed behaviors of vaporizing liquid jets in turbulent air crossflow for momentum flux ratios between 5 and 120. This surrogate model extends a previously developed Gaussian-process-based framework applicable to laminar flows to accommodate turbulent flows and demonstrates that in addition to detailed fields of primitive variables, second-order turbulence statistics can also be predicted using machine learning techniques. The framework proceeds in 3 steps—(1) design of experiment studies to identify training points and conducting high-fidelity calculations to build the training dataset; (2) Gaussian process regression (supervised training) for the range of operating conditions under consideration for gaseous and dispersed phase quantities; and (3) error quantification of the surrogate model by comparing the machine learning predictions with the truth model for test conditions (i.e., conditions not used for training). The framework was trained using data generated by high-fidelity large eddy simulation (LES)-based calculations (also referred to as the truth model), which solves the complete set of conservation equations for mass, momentum, energy, and species in an Eulerian reference frame, coupled with a Lagrangian solver that tracks the dispersed phase. Simulations were conducted for the range of momentum flux ratios between 5 and 120 for liquid water injected into crossflowing air at a pressure of 1 atm and temperature of 600 K. Results from the machine-learned surrogate model, also called emulations, were compared with the truth model under testing conditions identified by momentum flux ratios of 7 and 40. L1 errors for time-averaged field quantities, including velocity magnitudes, pressure, temperature, vapor fraction of the evaporated liquid, and turbulent kinetic energy in the gas phase, and spray penetration and Sauter mean diameters in the dispersed phase are reported. Speedup of 65 was achieved with this emulator when compared against LES simulation of the same test conditions with errors for all quantities below 14%, thus demonstrating the potential benefits of using machine learning techniques for design space exploration of devices that are based on turbulent multiphase fluid flows. This is the first effort of its kind in the literature that demonstrates the application of machine learning techniques on turbulent multiphase flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transverse jet in the supersonic crossflow is one of the most promising injection schemes in scramjet, where the control or enhancement of jet mixing is a critical issue. In this paper, the effect of the backward facing step on the characteristics of jet mixing was investigated by three-dimensional large eddy simulation (LES). The simulation in the flat plate configuration (step height of 0) was performed as the baseline case to verify the computation framework. The distribution of the velocity and pressure obtained by the LES agreed well with the experiment, which shows the reliability of the LES code. Then, two steps with a height of 1.0D and 1.58D (D is the injector diameter) were numerically compared to the non-step baseline case. The comparison of the three cases illustrates the effect of the large-scale recirculation region on the variable distribution, and shock and vortex structures in the flow field. In the windward region, the shear layers become thicker, and the convection velocity of the shear vortexes reduces. In the leeward region, the wake vortices almost disappear while the counterrotating vortex pairs (CVPs) expand in the spanwise direction. In the area upstream of the jet, the separation bubble works with the upstream large-scale recirculation zone to entrain the jet into the upstream near-wall zone. At last, a comparison of the overall mixing performance of the three cases revealed that the penetration depth and mixing efficiency increased with the step height increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat source tower (HST), as a cleaner energy production, which can absorb the low-grade energy from ambient air to drive the heat pump unit without emissions has attracted more and more interest. In addition, HST has excellent economic applicability by using cooling tower equipment, which was idle in winter. However, there are few studies on comparative analysis of thermal behavior between counter-flow and cross-flow HST. A mathematical model suitable for both HST types was developed to identify the performance discrepancies between them. Then a parametric study was carried out in order to investigate the impact of solution and air as well as packing material properties on energy transfer of HSTs. Finally, the characteristics of solution dilution and dehumidification were investigated. As the inlet solution temperature increases, increases first, then decreases gradually, but a transition point occurs in the solution at −5 °C. Moreover, the transition section of moisture transfer direction for counter-flow HST was located in the 0.78 m and 0.26–1.56 m of packing material height, under the condition that the air relative humidity was 50%. In summary, this work intuitively indicates the thermal performance difference between counter-flow and cross-flow HST, also could assist the selection of proper operating conditions in HSTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new strategy for fast, approximate analyses of fluid flow and heat transfer is presented. It is based on Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and is intended for large yet structurally fairly simple heat transfer equipment commonly used in process and power industries (e.g., cross-flow tube bundle heat exchangers), which can be described using sets of interconnected 1-D meshes. The underlying steady-state model couples an FEA-based (linear) predictor step with a nonlinear corrector step, which results in the ability to handle both laminar and turbulent flows. There are no limitations in terms of the allowed temperature range other than those potentially stemming from the usage of fluid physical property computer libraries. Since the fluid flow submodel has already been discussed in the referenced conference paper, the present article focuses on the prediction of the tube side and the shell side temperature fields. A simple cross-flow tube bundle heat exchanger from the literature and a heat recovery hot water boiler in an existing combined heat and power plant, for which stream data are available from its operator, are evaluated to assess the performance of the model. To gain further insight, the results obtained using the model for the heat recovery hot water boiler are also compared to the values yielded by an industry-standard heat transfer equipment design software package. Although the presented strategy is still a "work in progress" and requires thorough validation, the results obtained thus far suggest it may be a promising research direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical jet in flowing water is a common phenomenon in daily life. To study the flow and turbulent characteristics of different jet orifice shapes and under different velocity ratios, the realizable k-ε turbulent model was adopted to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) flow, turbulence, and vortex characteristics using circular, square, and rectangular jet orifices and velocity ratios of 2, 5, 10, and 15. The following conclusions were drawn: The flow trajectory of the vertical jet in the channel exhibits remarkable 3D characteristics, and the jet orifice and velocity ratio have a significant influence on the flow characteristics of the channel. The heights at which the spiral deflection and maximum turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) occur for the circular jet are the smallest, while those for square jets are the largest. As the shape of the jet orifice changes from a circle to a square and then to a rectangle, the shape formed by the plane of the kidney vortices and the region above it gradually changes from a circle to a pentagon. With the increase in the velocity ratio, the 3D characteristics, maximum TKE, and kidney vortex coverage of the flow all gradually increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]