A New Device for Gas-Liquid Flow Measurements Relying on Forced Annular Flow

A new measurement device,consisting of swirling blades and capsule-shaped throttling elements,is proposed in this study to eliminate typical measurement errors caused by complex flow patterns in gas-liquid flow.The swirling blades are used to transform the complex flow pattern into a forced annular flow.Drawing on the research of existing blockage flow meters and also exploiting the single-phase flow measurement theory,a formula is introduced to measure the phase-separated flow of gas and liquid.The formula requires the pressure ratio,Lockhart-Martinelli number(L-M number),and the gas phase Froude number.The unknown parameters appearing in the formula are fitted through numerical simulation using computational fluid dynamics(CFD),which involves a comprehensive analysis of the flow field inside the device from multiple perspectives,and takes into account the influence of pressure fluctuations.Finally,the measurement model is validated through an experimental error analysis.The results demonstrate that the measurement error can be maintained within±8%for various flow patterns,including stratified flow,bubble flow,and wave flow.

Socio-scientific quantification of the comprehensive benefits of debris flow mitigation measures for villages in western Sichuan, China

Debris flow hazards seriously threaten thesafety and sustainable development of mountainousareas. Numerous debris flow mitigation measures havebeen implemented worldwide;however, acomprehensive assessment of the specific disasterreduction effects of these measures and their economic,social and ecological benefits is yet to be performed.The western region of Sichuan Province frequentlysuffers from geohazards such as debris flow, and thegovernment has adopted many mitigation measures.This study assessed the benefits of debris flowmitigation measures and identified the key influencingfactors via a field-based study conducted in 81 villagesin western Sichuan province, China. A framework forthe evaluation of the benefits of rural debris flowmitigation measures was constructed andquantitatively evaluated using a survey. Snowballsampling was performed to recruit 81 village leadersand 468 farmers. The results showed that managementand engineering measures were the main methodsused to mitigate debris flow;ecological measures wereauxiliary. The average satisfaction scores of farmers forthese three types of measures were 4.07, 3.90, and 3.56,respectively (as measured on a five-point Likert scale).In contrast, in terms of the benefits of these mitigationmeasures, only a small proportion of villages (11.11%)obtained a high level of comprehensive benefits fromthe debris flow mitigation measures, while the majority(88.89%) received medium to low-level benefits. Toimprove this situation, we further studied and foundthat the main factors that restricted villages fromachieving high-level comprehensive benefits were theunpredictable nature of debris flows, labour forceoutflow and remoteness. Effective control measures, agood economic environment and strong governmentassistance were reported as crucial factors forimproving these comprehensive benefits. This studyprovides socio-scientific references for decisionmakingon rural debris flow mitigation measures while keeping villages at the centre of economic development.

Phase-Based Optical Flow Method with Optimized Parameter Settings for Enhancing Displacement Measurement Adaptability

To enhance the applicability and measurement accuracy of phase-based optical flow method using complex steerable pyramids in structural displacement measurement engineering applications, an improved method of optimizing parameter settings is proposed. The optimized parameters include the best measurement points of the Region of Interest (ROI) and the levels of pyramid filters. Additionally, to address the issue of updating reference frames in practical applications due to the difficulty in estimating the maximum effective measurement value, a mechanism for dynamically updating reference frames is introduced. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to representative image gradient-based displacement measurement methods, the proposed method exhibits higher measurement accuracy in engineering applications. This provides reliable data support for structural damage identification research based on vibration signals and is expected to broaden the engineering application prospects for structural health monitoring.

Simultaneous measurement of velocity profile and liquid film thickness in horizontal gas–liquid slug flow by using ultrasonic Doppler method

Horizontal gas-liquid two-phase flows widely exist in chemical engineering,oil/gas production and other important industrial processes.Slug flow pattern is the main form of horizontal gas-liquid flows and characterized by intermittent motion of film region and slug region.This work aims to develop the ultrasonic Doppler method to realize the simultaneous measurement of the velocity profile and liquid film thickness of slug flow.A single-frequency single-channel transducer is adopted in the design of the field-programmable gate array based ultrasonic Doppler system.A multiple echo repetition technology is used to improve the temporal-spatial resolution for the velocity profile.An experiment of horizontal gas-liquid two-phase flow is implemented in an acrylic pipe with an inner diameter of 20 mm.Considering the aerated characteristics of the liquid slug,slug flow is divided into low-aerated slug flow,high-aerated slug flow and pseudo slug flow.The temporal-spatial velocity distributions of the three kinds of slug flows are reconstructed by using the ultrasonic velocity profile measurement.The evolution characteristics of the average velocity profile in slug flows are investigated.A novel method is proposed to derive the liquid film thickness based on the instantaneous velocity profile.The liquid film thickness can be effectively measured by detecting the position and the size of the bubbles nearly below the elongated gas bubble.Compared with the time of flight method,the film thickness measured by the Doppler system shows a higher accuracy as a bubble layer occurs in the film region.The effect of the gas distribution on the film thickness is uncovered in three kinds of slug flows.

Measuring the Internal Velocity of Debris Flows Using Impact Pressure Detecting in the Flume Experiment

Measuring the internal velocity of debris flows is very important for debris flow dynamics research and designing debris flow control works. However, there is no appropriate method for measuring the internal velocity because of the destructive power of debris flow process. In this paper, we address this problem by using the relationship between velocity and kinetic pressure, as described by surface velocity and surface kinetic pressure data. Kinetic pressure is the difference of impact pressure and static pressure. The former is detected by force sensors installed in the flow direction at the sampling section. Observations show that static pressure can be computed using the formula for static water pressure by simply substituting water density for debris flow density. We describe the relationship between surface velocity and surface kinetic pressure using data from seven laboratory flume experiments. It is consistent with the relationship for single phase flow, which is the measurement principle of the Pitot tube.

A Novel Method for Wet Gas Flow Measurements Based on an Over-Reading Principle

A novel method to measure the flow rate in a wet gas is presented.Due to the presence of liquid,there is a deviation in the measurement of the gas volume flow rate obtained with standard vortex flow-meters.The proposed method is based on a correction factor determined through the application of an over-reading approach to a bluff body in mist flow.The correction factor is obtained from the slip velocity ratio,i.e.,the ratio of droplet velocity to gas velocity,based on the analysis of the fluid velocity distribution in the pipeline section.It also takes into account relevant theoretical arguments.It is shown that the predicted results fit the experimental results well.

Comparison of Rheometric Devices for Measuring the Rheological Parameters of Debris Flow Slurry

Soil samples with clay content ranging from 15% to 31%, were taken from three debris flow gullies in Southwest China. Three debris flow slurry samples were prepared and tested with four measuring systems of an Anton Paar Physica MCR301 rheometer, including the concentric cylinder system,the parallel-plate system, the vane geometry, and the ball measuring system. All systems were smoothwalled. Flow curves were plotted and yield stress was determined using the Herschel-Bulkley model,showing differences among the different systems.Flow curves from the concentric cylinder and parallelplate systems involved two distinct regions, the low shear and the high shear regions. Yield stresses determined by data fitting in the low shear region were significantly lower than the values from the inclined channel test which is a practical method for determining yield stress. Flow curves in the high shear region are close to those from the vane geometry and the ball measuring system. The fitted values of yield stress are comparable to the values from the inclined channel test. The differences are caused by wall-slip effects in the low shear region.Vane geometry can capture the stress overshoot phenomenon caused by the destruction of slurry structure, whereas end effects should be considered in the determination of yield stress. The ball measuring system can give reasonable results, and it is applicable for rheological testing of debris flow slurries.

A seismic elastic moduli module for the measurements of low-frequency wave dispersion and attenuation of fluid-saturated rocks under different pressures

Knowledge about the seismic elastic modulus dispersion,and associated attenuation,in fluid-saturated rocks is essential for better interpretation of seismic observations taken as part of hydrocarbon identification and time-lapse seismic surveillance of both conventional and unconventional reservoir and overburden performances.A Seismic Elastic Moduli Module has been developed,based on the forced-oscillations method,to experimentally investigate the frequency dependence of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio,as well as the inferred attenuation,of cylindrical samples under different confining pressure conditions.Calibration with three standard samples showed that the measured elastic moduli were consistent with the published data,indicating that the new apparatus can operate reliably over a wide frequency range of f∈[1-2000,10^(6)]Hz.The Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of the shale and the tight sandstone samples were measured under axial stress oscillations to assess the frequency-and pressure-dependent effects.Under dry condition,both samples appear to be nearly frequency independent,with weak pressure dependence for the shale and significant pressure dependence for the sandstone.In particular,it was found that the tight sandstone with complex pore microstructure exhibited apparent dispersion and attenuation under brine or glycerin saturation conditions,the levels of which were strongly influenced by the increased effective pressure.In addition,the measured Young's moduli results were compared with the theoretical predictions from a scaled poroelastic model with a reasonably good agreement,revealing that the combined fluid flow mechanisms at both mesoscopic and microscopic scales possibly responsible for the measured dispersion.

Design on Improving Efficiency for Measuring System Integrated Test of A Space Vehicle

Measuring system is the core part of a space vehicle, and its integrated test is the important means of conducting system-level verification. For the integrated test items and flow, the solution featuring the automatic test method, the combination of different test items, and the electronic data record is proposed in this paper. Applying the above-mentioned solution, the test efficiency could be improved by more than 30% and the safety of test operation could be also exalted. At the same time, the solution has good universality and could provide reference for other similar integrated tests.

An experimental study:Integration device of Fiber Bragg grating and reinforced concrete beam for measuring debris flow impact force

The impact effect of boulder within debris flow is the key factor contributing to peak impact as well as to the failure of debris flow control work. So accurate measuring and calculating the impact force of debris flow can ensure the engineering design strength. However, limited to the existing laboratory conditions and piezoelectric sensor performance, it is impossible, based on the conventional measurements, to devise a computing method for expressing a reliable boulder impact force. This paper has therefore designed a new measurement device according to the method of integrating Fiber Bragg grating(FBG) and reinforced concrete composite beam(RCB) for measuring the impact force of debris flows, i.e. mounting FBG on the axially stressed steel bar in the composite beam at regular intervals to monitor the steel strain. RCB plays the role of contacting debris flow and protecting FBG sensors. Taking this new device as the experimental object, drop testing is designed for simulating and reflecting the boulder impact force. In a series of impacting tests, the relationship between the peak dynamic strain value of the steel bar and the impact force is analyzed, and based on which, an inversion model that uses the steel bar strain as the independent variable is established for calculating the boulder impact force.The experimental results show that this new inversion model can determine the impact force value and its acting position with a system error of 18.1%, which can provide an experimental foundation for measuring the impact force of boulders within the debris flow by the new FBG-based device.

The Measuring System for Estimation of Power of Wind Flow Generated by Train Movement and Its Experimental Testing

The measuring system for estimation of power of wind flow generated by the train movement has been created. The advantages of the proposed system are the cheapness and simple design. With its simplicity of design and easy build-up of channels, designed measuring system can be used for a wide range of technical problems. This paper describes the design process, validation and conducting the first field test of this measuring system.

Application of Nano Technique in Measuring Supersonic/Hypersonic Flow

Turbulence, universally exist in nature and human activities, is a kind of three-dimensional, irregular, unsteady flow. Ever since 19th century when people started to investigated turbulent flow technically, they have never dropped the po-tent and intuitionistic experimental method. Recently, with the development of aviation and aerospace industry, espe-cially with the increase desire of supersonic and hypersonic flight, the mechanism of high speed and compressible flow has become hot topic of fluid research, resulting in development of measurement method and technique. When encoun-tering compressible high flow, traditional techniques, such as schilieren, shadow and interference, cannot measure fine flow structures. Fortunately, multiple-discipline integration of nano technique, laser technique and imaging technique provides a new design for fluid measurement。Nano-tracer planar laser scattering (NPLS) is a new flow visualization technique, which was developed by the authors’ group in 2005, and it can visualize time correctional flow structure in a cross-section of instantaneous 3D supersonic flow at high spatiotemporal resolution. Many studies have demonstrated that NPLS is a powerful tool to study supersonic turbulence.

Re-measuring International Short-term Capital Flow into China with Varying Methods

This paper.fi＇rst conducts a systematic review of domestic and foreign scholars＇ approaches to predicting short-term capital flows, then employs a combination of both direct and indirect methods to carry out its analysis. Three kinds of indicators, both specific and general, are applied in both methods. Thorough consideration is given to short-term international capital inflow from trade, other current account items, capital account, and errors and omissions, as well as other channels through which short term capital might accrue to a nation＇s balance. Based on a comprehensive comparison of year-on-year data, this paper also estimates monthly data using a simplified, indirect calculation approach. Estimates show that, despite a degree of difference in results between methods, most estimates are highly consistent for a given period. Based on monthly estimates, we conclude that turbulence in international financial markets （i.e., the United States subprime mortgage crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis） has had a major impact on China ＇s short-term capital flow.

Asian flow measuring center successfully completed

Emerson Process Management Company (EPMC)announced on April 7th that the world advanced AsianFlow MeasuringCenter, invested and constructed byEPMC,was successfully completed in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.Despite the severe snowstorm during the construction,

Uncertainty analysis of flow rate measurement for multiphase flow using CFD

The venturi meter has an advantage in its use,because it can measure flow without being much affected by the type of the measured fluid or flow conditions.Hence,it has excellent versatility and is being widely applied in many industries.The flow of a liquid containing air is a representative example of a multiphase flow and exhibits complex flow characteristics.In particular,the greater the gas volume fraction（GVF）,the more inhomogeneous the flow becomes.As a result,using a venturi meter to measure the rate of a flow that has a high GVF generates an error.In this study,the cause of the error occurred in measuring the flow rate for the multiphase flow when using the venturi meter for analysis by CFD.To ensure the reliability of this study,the accuracy of the multiphase flow models for numerical analysis was verified through comparison between the calculated results of numerical analysis and the experimental data.As a result,the Grace model,which is a multiphase flow model established by an experiment with water and air,was confirmed to have the highest reliability.Finally,the characteristics of the internal flow Held about the multiphase flow analysis result generated by applying the Grace model were analyzed to find the cause of the uncertainty occurring when measuring the flow rate of the multiphase flow using the venturi meter.A phase separation phenomenon occurred due to a density difference of water and air inside the venturi,and flow inhomogeneity happened according to the flow velocity difference of each phase.It was confirmed that this flow inhomogeneity increased as the GVF increased due to the uncertainty of the flow measurement.

Machine Vision Based Measurement of Dynamic Contact Angles in Microchannel Flows

When characterizing flows in miniaturized channels, the determination of the dynamic contact angle is important. By measuring the dynamic contact angle, the flow properties of the flowing liquid and the effect of material properties on the flow can be characterized. A machine vision based system to measure the contact angle of front or rear menisci of a moving liquid plug is described in this article. In this research, transparent flow channels fabricated on thermoplastic polymer and sealed with an adhesive tape are used. The transparency of the channels enables image based monitoring and measurement of flow variables, including the dynamic contact angle. It is shown that the dynamic angle can be measured from a liquid flow in a channel using the image based measurement system. An image processing algorithm has been developed in a MATLAB environment. Images are taken using a CCD camera and the channels are illuminated using a custom made ring light. Two fitting methods, a circle and two parabolas, are experimented and the results are compared in the measurement of the dynamic contact angles.

Flow measurement and parameter optimization of right-angled flow passage in hydraulic manifold block

This study was conducted to investigate the flow field characteristics of right-angled flow passage with various cavities in the typical hydraulic manifold block.A low-speed visualization test rig was developed and the flow field of the right-angled flow passage with different cavity structures was measured using 2D-PIV technique.Numerical model was established to simulate the three-dimensional flow field.Seven eddy viscosity turbulence models were investigated in predicting the flow field by comparing against the particle image relocimetry(PIV)measurement results.By defining the weight error function K,the S-A model was selected as the appropriate turbulence model.Then,a three-factor,three-level response surface numerical test was conducted to investigate the influence of flow passage connection type,cavity diameter and cavity length-diameter ratio on pressure loss.The results show that the Box-Benhnken Design(BBD)model can predict the total pressure loss accurately.The optimal factor level appeared in flow passage connection type II,14.64 mm diameter and 67.53%cavity length-diameter ratio.The total pressure loss decreased by 11.15%relative to the worst factor level,and total pressure loss can be reduced by 64.75%when using an arc transition right-angled flow passage,which indicates a new direction for the optimization design of flow passage in hydraulic manifold blocks.

Field Measurements of Influence of Sand Transport Rate on Structure of Wind-sand Flow over Coastal Transverse Ridge

The structure of wind-sand flow under different total sand transport rates was measured with field vertical anemometer and sand trap on the crest of typical coastal transverse ridge in Changli Gold Coast of Hebei Province, which is one of the most typical coastal aeolian distribution regions in China and famous for the tall and typical coastal transverse ridges. The measurement results show that, on the conditions of approximate wind velocities and same surface materials and environments, some changes happen to the structure of wind-sand flow with the increase of total sand transport rate on the crest of coastal transverse ridge. First, the sand transport rates of layers at different heights in the wind-sand flow increase, with the maximum increase at the height layer of 4-8cm. Second, the ratios of sand trans-port rates of layers at different heights to total sand transport rate decrease at the low height layer (0-4cm), but increase at the high height layer (4-60cm). Third, the distribution of the sand transport rate in the wind-sand flow can be expressed by an exponential function at the height layer of 0-40cm, but it changes from power function model to ex-ponential function model in the whole height layer (0-60cm) and changes into polynomial function model at the height layer of 40-60cm with the increase of total sand transport rate. Those changes have a close relationship with the limit of sand grain size of wind flow transporting and composition of sand grain size in the wind-sand flow.

Liquid holdup measurement with double helix capacitance sensor in horizontal oil-water two-phase flow pipes

This paper presents the characteristics of a double helix capacitance sensor for measurement of the liquid holdup in horizontal oil–water two-phase flow. The finite element method is used to calculate the sensitivity field of the sensor in a pipe with 20 mm inner diameter and the effect of sensor geometry on the distribution of sensitivity field is presented. Then, a horizontal oil–water two-phase flow experiment is carried out to measure the response of the double helix capacitance sensor, in which a novel method is proposed to calibrate the liquid holdup based on three pairs of parallel-wire capacitance probes. The performance of the sensor is analyzed in terms of the flow structures detected by mini-conductance array probes.

Mitigation measures of debris flow and landslide risk carried out in two mountain areas of North-Eastern Italy

The design of remediation works for the mitigation and prevention of the associated risk is needed where these geological hazards affect anthropized areas. Remedial measures for landslides commonly include slope reshaping, plumbing, drainage, retaining structures and internal slope reinforcement, while debris flow control works consist in open or closed control structures. The effectiveness of the remedial works implemented must be assessed by evaluating the reduction of the risk over time. The choice of the most appropriate and cost-effective intervention must consider the type of hazard and environmental issues, and selects, wherever possible, naturalistic engineering operations that are consequently implemented according to the environmental regulations or the design and specification standards imposed by the competent public administrations. The mitigation procedures consist of five basic steps:(a) acquisition of the knowledge of the hazard process;(b) risk assessment with identification of possible disaster scenarios;(c) planning and designing of specific remedial measures to reduce and/or eliminate the potential risk;(d) slope monitoring after application of remedial measures,(e) transfer of knowledge to the stakeholders. This paper presents two case studies describing the practice for the design of the mitigation measures adopted for debris flow and active landslide sites in North-Eastern Italy. The first case study is a debris flow site, for which, based on observation of past events and numerical simulations using the software FLOW-2D, the most suitable mitigation measures were found to be the construction of a debris basin, barriers and breakers. The second case study deals with an active landslide threatening a village. Based on the landslide kinematics and the results of numerical simulations performed with the code FLAC, hard engineering remedial works were planned to reduce the driving forces with benching and by increasing the available resisting forces using jet grout piles and deep drainage.