NUMERICAL PREDICTION OF AIRCRAFT HYDRAULIC SYSTEM BASED ON THERMAL DYNAMIC ANALYSIS

A mathematical model of principal elements of the aircraft hydraulic system is presented based on the heat transfer theory. The dynamic heat transfer process of the hydraulic oil and the pump shells within an aircraft hydraulic system are analyzed by the difference method. A kind of means for the prediction to variational trends of the aircraft hydraulic system temperature is provided during operation. The numerical prediction and simulation under the operational conditions are presented for ground trial running and the decelerated operation in flight. Computational results show that there is a good coincidence between the experimental data and the numerical predictions.

A review of reservoir damage during hydraulic fracturing of deep and ultra-deep reservoirs

Deep and ultra-deep reservoirs have gradually become the primary focus of hydrocarbon exploration as a result of a series of significant discoveries in deep hydrocarbon exploration worldwide.These reservoirs present unique challenges due to their deep burial depth(4500-8882 m),low matrix permeability,complex crustal stress conditions,high temperature and pressure(HTHP,150-200℃,105-155 MPa),coupled with high salinity of formation water.Consequently,the costs associated with their exploitation and development are exceptionally high.In deep and ultra-deep reservoirs,hydraulic fracturing is commonly used to achieve high and stable production.During hydraulic fracturing,a substantial volume of fluid is injected into the reservoir.However,statistical analysis reveals that the flowback rate is typically less than 30%,leaving the majority of the fluid trapped within the reservoir.Therefore,hydraulic fracturing in deep reservoirs not only enhances the reservoir permeability by creating artificial fractures but also damages reservoirs due to the fracturing fluids involved.The challenging“three-high”environment of a deep reservoir,characterized by high temperature,high pressure,and high salinity,exacerbates conventional forms of damage,including water sensitivity,retention of fracturing fluids,rock creep,and proppant breakage.In addition,specific damage mechanisms come into play,such as fracturing fluid decomposition at elevated temperatures and proppant diagenetic reactions at HTHP conditions.Presently,the foremost concern in deep oil and gas development lies in effectively assessing the damage inflicted on these reservoirs by hydraulic fracturing,comprehending the underlying mechanisms,and selecting appropriate solutions.It's noteworthy that the majority of existing studies on reservoir damage primarily focus on conventional reservoirs,with limited attention given to deep reservoirs and a lack of systematic summaries.In light of this,our approach entails initially summarizing the current knowledge pertaining to the types of fracturing fluids employed in deep and ultra-deep reservoirs.Subsequently,we delve into a systematic examination of the damage processes and mechanisms caused by fracturing fluids within the context of hydraulic fracturing in deep reservoirs,taking into account the unique reservoir characteristics of high temperature,high pressure,and high in-situ stress.In addition,we provide an overview of research progress related to high-temperature deep reservoir fracturing fluid and the damage of aqueous fracturing fluids to rock matrix,both artificial and natural fractures,and sand-packed fractures.We conclude by offering a summary of current research advancements and future directions,which hold significant potential for facilitating the efficient development of deep oil and gas reservoirs while effectively mitigating reservoir damage.

Evaluating the stability and volumetric flowback rate of proppant packs in hydraulic fractures using the lattice Boltzmann-discrete element coupling method

The stability and mobility of proppant packs in hydraulic fractures during hydrocarbon production are numerically investigated by the lattice Boltzmann-discrete element coupling method(LB-DEM).This study starts with a preliminary proppant settling test,from which a solid volume fraction of 0.575 is calibrated for the proppant pack in the fracture.In the established workflow to investigate proppant flowback,a displacement is applied to the fracture surfaces to compact the generated proppant pack as well as further mimicking proppant embedment under closure stress.When a pressure gradient is applied to drive the fluid-particle flow,a critical aperture-to-diameter ratio of 4 is observed,above which the proppant pack would collapse.The results also show that the volumetric proppant flowback rate increases quadratically with the fracture aperture,while a linear variation between the particle flux and the pressure gradient is exhibited for a fixed fracture aperture.The research outcome contributes towards an improved understanding of proppant flowback in hydraulic fractures,which also supports an optimised proppant size selection for hydraulic fracturing operations.

Thermal–hydraulic analysis of space nuclear reactor TOPAZ-Ⅱ with modified RELAP5

With the advantages of high reliability, power density, and long life, nuclear power reactors have become a promising option for space power. In this study, the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program 5(RELAP5), with the implementation of sodium–potassium eutectic alloy(NaK-78) properties and heat transfer correlations, is adopted to analyze the thermal–hydraulic characteristics of the space nuclear reactor TOPAZ-Ⅱ.A RELAP5 model including thermionic fuel elements(TFEs), reactor core, radiator, coolant loop, and volume accumulator is established. The temperature reactivity feedback effects of the fuel, TFE emitter, TFE collector,moderator, and reactivity insertion effects of the control drums and safety drums are considered. To benchmark the integrated TOPAZ-Ⅱ system model, an electrical ground test of the fully integrated TOPAZ-Ⅱ system, the V-71 unit,is simulated and analyzed. The calculated coolant temperature and system pressure are in acceptable agreement with the experimental data for the maximum relative errors of 8 and 10%, respectively. The detailed thermal–hydraulic characteristics of TOPAZ-Ⅱ are then simulated and analyzed at the steady state. The calculation results agree well with the design values. The current work provides a solid foundation for space reactor design and transient analysis in the future.

Estimation of the anisotropy of hydraulic conductivity through 3D fracture networks using the directional geological entropy

With an extension of the geological entropy concept in porous media,the approach called directional entrogram is applied to link hydraulic behavior to the anisotropy of the 3D fracture networks.A metric called directional entropic scale is used to measure the anisotropy of spatial order in different directions.Compared with the traditional connectivity indexes based on the statistics of fracture geometry,the directional entropic scale is capable to quantify the anisotropy of connectivity and hydraulic conductivity in heterogeneous 3D fracture networks.According to the numerical analysis of directional entrogram and fluid flow in a number of the 3D fracture networks,the hydraulic conductivities and entropic scales in different directions both increase with spatial order(i.e.,trace length decreasing and spacing increasing)and are independent of the dip angle.As a result,the nonlinear correlation between the hydraulic conductivities and entropic scales from different directions can be unified as quadratic polynomial function,which can shed light on the anisotropic effect of spatial order and global entropy on the heterogeneous hydraulic behaviors.

Extreme massive hydraulic fracturing in deep coalbed methane horizontal wells:A case study of the Linxing Block,eastern Ordos Basin,NW China

Deep coal seams show low permeability,low elastic modulus,high Poisson’s ratio,strong plasticity,high fracture initiation pressure,difficulty in fracture extension,and difficulty in proppants addition.We proposed the concept of large-scale stimulation by fracture network,balanced propagation and effective support of fracture network in fracturing design and developed the extreme massive hydraulic fracturing technique for deep coalbed methane(CBM)horizontal wells.This technique involves massive injection with high pumping rate+high-intensity proppant injection+perforation with equal apertures and limited flow+temporary plugging and diverting fractures+slick water with integrated variable viscosity+graded proppants with multiple sizes.The technique was applied in the pioneering test of a multi-stage fracturing horizontal well in deep CBM of Linxing Block,eastern margin of the Ordos Basin.The injection flow rate is 18 m^(3)/min,proppant intensity is 2.1 m^(3)/m,and fracturing fluid intensity is 16.5 m^(3)/m.After fracturing,a complex fracture network was formed,with an average fracture length of 205 m.The stimulated reservoir volume was 1987×10^(4)m^(3),and the peak gas production rate reached 6.0×10^(4)m^(3)/d,which achieved efficient development of deep CBM.

Effects of temperature and thermally-induced microstructure change on hydraulic conductivity of Boom Clay

Boom Clay is one of the potential host rocks for deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive nuclear waste in Belgium. In order to investigate the mechanism of hydraulic conductivity variation under complex thermo-mechanical coupling conditions and to better understand the thermo-hydromechanical(THM) coupling behaviour of Boom Clay, a series of permeability tests using temperaturecontrolled triaxial cell has been carried out on the Boom Clay samples taken from Belgian underground research laboratory(URL) HADES. Due to its sedimentary nature, Boom Clay presents acrossanisotropy with respect to its sub-horizontal bedding plane. Direct measurements of the vertical(Kv)and horizontal(Kh)hydraulic conductivities show that the hydraulic conductivity at 80℃ is about 2.4 times larger than that at room temperature(23℃), and the hydraulic conductivity variation with temperature is basically reversible during heatingecooling cycle. The anisotropic property of Boom Clay is studied by scanning electron microscope(SEM) tests, which highlight the transversely isotropic characteristics of intact Boom Clay. It is shown that the sub-horizontal bedding feature accounts for the horizontal permeability higher than the vertical one. The measured increment in hydraulic conductivity with temperature is lower than the calculated one when merely considering the changes in water kinematic viscosity and density with temperature. The nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) tests have also been carried out to investigate the impact of microstructure variation on the THM properties of clay. The results show that heating under unconstrained boundary condition will produce larger size of pores and weaken the microstructure. The discrepancy between the hydraulic conductivity experimentally measured and predicted(considering water viscosity and density changes with temperature) can be attributed to the microstructural weakening effect on the thermal volume change behaviour of Boom Clay. Based on the experimental results, a hydraulic conductivity evolution model is proposed and then implemented in ABAQUS. Three-dimensional(3D) numerical simulation of the admissible thermal loading for argillaceous storage(ATLAS) Ⅲ in situ heating test has been conducted subsequently, and the numerical results are in good agreement with field measurements.

Core and blanket thermal-hydraulic analysis of a molten salt fast reactor based on coupling of OpenMC and OpenFOAM

In the core of a molten salt fast reactor(MSFR),heavy metal fuel and fission products can be dissolved in a molten fluoride salt to form a eutectic mixture that acts as both fuel and coolant.Fission energy is released from the fuel salt and transferred to the second loop by fuel salt circulation.Therefore,the MSFR is characterized by strong interaction between the neutronics and the thermal hydraulics.Moreover,recirculation flow occurs,and nuclear heat is accumulated near the fertile blanket,which significantly affects both the flow and the temperature fields in the core.In this work,to further optimize the conceptual geometric design of the MSFR,three geometries of the core and fertile blanket are proposed,and the thermal-hydraulic characteristics,including the three-dimensional flow and temperature fields of the fuel and fertile salts,are simulated and analyzed using a coupling scheme between the open source codes OpenMC and OpenFOAM.The numerical results indicate that a flatter core temperature distribution can be obtained and the hot spot and flow stagnation zones that appear in the upper and lower parts of the core center near the reflector can be eliminated by curving both the top and bottom walls of the core.Moreover,eight cooling loops with a total flow rate of0.0555 m3 s-1 ensur an acceptable temperature distribusure an acceptable temperature distribution in the fertile blanket.

Thermal Analysis of Vehicular Twin-Tube Hydraulic Gas-Precharged Shock Absorbers

In this study of temperature rising in vehicular twin-tube hydraulic gas-precharged shock absorbers,thermodynamic analyses were conducted via simulations.Equations on heat conduction,heat convection as well as radiation were derived by applying certain laws governing heat transfer;an equivalent thermal resistance network model of a shock absorber undergoing heat transfer was established innovatively;moreover,the shock absorber’s thermodynamic model of control volume system was built by using the first law of thermodynamics;and finally,time required for shock absorber to reach thermal equilibrium and corresponding value of steady temperature were calculated by programming.In this way,a lower thermal equilibrium temperature will be achieved,hence help to improve reliability of shock absorbers in work by offering low ambient temperature,by reducing amplitudes and frequencies of external incentives exerted on them and by increasing flow rate of ambient air passing around them.

Thermal-hydraulic modeling and analysis of spool valve with sloping U-shape notch by bond graph

To increase the efficiency and reliability of the thermodynamics analysis of the spool valve, the precise function expression of the flow area for the sloping U-shape notch orifice versus the spool stroke and thermal-hydraulic bond graph based on the conservation of mass and energy were introduced. Subsequently, the connection rule for the bond graph elements and the method to construct the complete thermal-hydraulic system model were proposed. On the basis of heat transfer analysis of a typical hydraulic circuit containing the spool valve, the lumped parameter for mathematical model of the system was given. At last, the reliability of the mathematical model of the flow area and the thermal-hydraulic system for the sloping U-shape notch orifice on the spool were demonstrated by the test. The good agreement between the simulation results and experimental data demonstrates the validity of the modeling method.

Thermal Hydraulic Design and Analysis of a Water-Cooled Ceramic Breeder Blanket with Superheated Steam for CFETR

The water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket（WCCB） is one of the blanket candidates for China fusion engineering test reactor（CFETR）.In order to improve power generation efficiency and tritium breeding ratio,WCCB with superheated steam is under development.The thermal-hydraulic design is the key to achieve the purpose of safe heat removal and efficient power generation under normal and partial loading operation conditions.In this paper,the coolant flow scheme was designed and one self-developed analytical program was developed,based on a theoretical heat transfer model and empirical correlations.Employing this program,the design and analysis of related thermal-hydraulic parameters were performed under different fusion power conditions.The results indicated that the superheated steam water-cooled blanket is feasible.

Thermal-hydraulic Modeling and Simulation of Piston Pump

This paper presents a kind of modeling approach to the study of the thermal-hydraulic piston pump which is used in the airplane comprehensively. A set of lumped parameter mathematical models are developed which are based on conservation of energy. Heat transfer analysis for the piston pump is also given in the paper in which the heat flow inside the piston pump is described precisely. The theoretical basis and modeling stratagy are applied in a typical thermal-hydraulic circuit containing the piston pump. Simulation results are presented which show a comparison of model/rig performance and the agreement obtained demonstrates the validity of the modeling approach.

Hydraulic properties and drought response of a tropical bamboo (Cephalostachyum pergracile)

Bamboo plants are an essential component of tropical ecosystems,yet their vulnerability to climate extremes,such as drought,is poorly understood due to limited knowledge of their hydraulic properties.Cephalostachyum pergracile,a commonly used tropical bamboo species,exhibited a substantially higher mortality rate than other co-occurring bamboos during a severe drought event in 2019,but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.This study investigated the leaf and stem hydraulic traits related to drought responses,including leaf-stem embolism resistance(P50leaf;P50stem) estimated using optical and X-ray microtomography methods,leaf pressure-volume and water-releasing curves.Additionally,we investigated the seasonal water potentials,native embolism level(PLC) and xylem water source using stable isotope.We found that C.pergracile exhibited strong resistance to embolism,showing low P50leaf,P50stem,and turgor loss point,despite its rapid leaf water loss.Interestingly,its leaves displayed greater resistance to embolism than its stem,suggesting a lack of effective hydraulic vulnerability segmentation(HVS) to protect the stem from excessive xylem tension.During the dry season,approximately 49% of the water was absorbed from the upper 20-cm-deep soil layer.Consequently,significant diurnal variation in leaf water potentials and an increase in midday PLC from 5.87±2.33% in the wet season to 12.87±4.09%in the dry season were observed.In summary,this study demonstrated that the rapid leaf water loss,high reliance on surface water,and a lack of effective HVS in C.pergracile accelerated water depletion and increased xylem embolism even in the typical dry season,which may explain its high mortality rate during extreme drought events in 2019.

Stress tensor determination by modified hydraulic tests on pre-existing fractures:Method and stress constraints

The hydraulic testing of pre-existing fractures(HTPF)is one of the most promising in situ stress measurement methods,particularly for three-dimensional stress tensor determination.However,the stress tensor determination based on the HTPF method requires at least six tests or a minimum of 14-15 tests(under different conditions)for reliable results.In this study,we modified the HTPF method by considering the shear stress on each pre-existing fracture,which increased the number of equations for the stress tensor determination and decreased the number of tests required.Different shear stresses were attributed to different fractures by random sampling;therefore,the stress tensors were obtained by searching for the optimal solution using the least squares criterion based on the Monte Carlo method.Thereafter,we constrained the stress tensor based on the tensile strength criterion,compressive strength criterion,and vertical stress constraints.The inverted stress tensors were presented and analyzed based on the tensorial nature of the stress using the Euclidean mean stress tensor.Two stress-measurement campaigns in Weifang(Shandong Province,China)and Mercantour road tunnel(France)were implemented to highlight the validity and efficiency of the modified HTPF(M-HTPF)method.The results showed that the M-HTPF method can be applied for stress tensor inversion using only three to four tests on pre-existing fractures,neglecting the stress gradient.The inversion results were confined to relatively small distribution dispersions and were significantly reliable and stable due to the shear stresses on the fractures and the stress constraints employed.The M-HTPF method is highly feasible and efficient for complete stress tensor determination in a single borehole.

Influences of clean fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on hydraulic fracture propagation and morphology in coal seam

The viscosity of fracturing fluid and in-situ stress difference are the two important factors that affect the hydraulic fracturing pressure and propagation morphology. In this study, raw coal was used to prepare coal samples for experiments, and clean fracturing fluid samples were prepared using CTAB surfactant. A series of hydraulic fracturing tests were conducted with an in-house developed triaxial hydraulic fracturing simulator and the fracturing process was monitored with an acoustic emission instrument to analyze the influences of fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on coal fracture propagation. The results show that the number of branched fractures decreased, the fracture pattern became simpler, the fractures width increased obviously, and the distribution of AE event points was concentrated with the increase of the fracturing fluid viscosity or the horizontal in-situ stress difference. The acoustic emission energy decreases with the increase of fracturing fluid viscosity and increases with the increase of horizontal in situ stress difference. The low viscosity clean fracturing fluid has strong elasticity and is easy to be compressed into the tip of fractures, resulting in complex fractures. The high viscosity clean fracturing fluids are the opposite. Our experimental results provide a reference and scientific basis for the design and optimization of field hydraulic fracturing parameters.

Thermal hydraulic characteristics of helical coil once-through steam generator under ocean conditions

Owing to its advantages of high heat transfer efficiency and compactness, the helical coil once-through steam generator(HCOTSG) can be used in floating nuclear power plants and has been widely used in the design of small modular reactors. The helical tubular geometric structure of the HCOTSG allows heat transfer and local flow changes to occur under complex ocean conditions. In this study, theoretical models of ocean conditions are added to the RELAP5/MOD3.3 code and verified. Using the modified RELAP5 code, the thermal–hydraulic characteristics of the HCOTSG under ocean conditions are simulated. The results show that under rolling conditions, the flow oscillation amplitudes of the single liquid-phase, twophase flow, and single gas-phase regions are different. A circular change in the horizontal position of the helical tube causes the fluctuation of the parameters to change periodically. A phase difference of approximately 3.9 s at a flow rate of 23 kg/s is observed in the flow fluctuation along the axial direction. The driving force, period, and amplitude of rolling significantly affect the flow fluctuation in the HCOTSG. In natural circulation, the flow in the HCOTSG is complex, and the primary-side flow fluctuation can reduce the trough of the flow oscillation at the helical tube by approximately 24.3%.

Influence of Blade Number on the Performance of Hydraulic Turbines in the Transition Stage

To analyze the effect of blade number on the performance of hydraulic turbines during the transient stage in which theflow rate is not constant,six hydraulic turbines with different blade numbers are considered.The instantaneous hydraulic performance of the turbine and the pressure pulsation acting on the impeller are investigated numerically by using the ANSYS CFX software.The ensuing results are compared with the outcomes of experimental tests.It is shown that thefluctuation range of the pressure coefficient increases with time,but the corresponding range for the transient hydraulic efficiency decreases gradually when theflow velocity transits to larger values.During the transition to smallflow velocity,thefluctuation range of the pressure coefficient gradually decreases as time passes,but the correspondingfluctuation range of its transient hydraulic efficiency gradually becomes larger.Thefluctuation range in the Z9 case is small during the transition.The main frequency of transient hydraulic efficiency pulsation is equal to the blade frequency.At the main frequency,Z7 has the largest amplitude of the hydraulic efficiency pulsation,Z10 has the smallest amplitude,and the difference between Z7 and Z9 is limited.As the number of blades grows,the pressure pulsation during the transition process gradually decreases,but the pressure pulsation of Z10 at the volute tongue is larger.In the steady state,Z9 has the highest efficiency and in the transient stage,the pressure coefficientfluctuation range is small.Accordingly,for the hydraulic turbine Z9,the performance is optimal.

Hydraulic fracturing behaviors of shale under coupled stress and temperature conditions simulating different burial depths

Fracture propagation in shale under in situ conditions is a critical but poorly understood mechanical process in hydraulic fracturing for deep shale gas reservoirs. To address this, hydraulic fracturing experiments were conducted on hollow double-wing crack specimens of the Longmaxi shale under conditions simulating the ground surface(confining pressure σ_(cp)=0, room temperature(Tr)) and at depths of 1600 m(σ_(cp)=40 MPa, Ti=70 ℃) and 3300 m(σ_(cp)=80 MPa, high temperature Ti=110 ℃) in the study area.High in situ stress was found to significantly increase fracture toughness through constrained microcracking and particle frictional bridging mechanisms. Increasing the temperature enhances rather than weakens the fracture resistance because it increases the grain debonding length, which dissipates more plastic energy and enlarges grains to close microdefects and generate compressive stress to inhibit microcracking. Interestingly, the fracture toughness anisotropy in the shale was found to be nearly constant across burial depths, despite reported variations with increasing confining pressure. Heated water was not found to be as important as the in situ environment in influencing shale fracture. These findings emphasize the need to test the fracture toughness of deep shales under coupled in situ stress and temperature conditions rather than focusing on either in situ stress or temperature alone.

Pumping-induced Well Hydraulics and Groundwater Budget in a Leaky Aquifer System with Vertical Heterogeneity in Aquitard Hydraulic Properties

In groundwater hydrology,aquitard heterogeneity is often less considered compared to aquifers,despite its significant impact on groundwater hydraulics and groundwater resources evaluation.A semi-analytical solution is derived for pumping-induced well hydraulics and groundwater budget with consideration of vertical heterogeneity in aquitard hydraulic conductivity(K)and specific storage(S_(s)).The proposed new solution is innovative in its partitioning of the aquitard into multiple homogeneous sub-layers to enable consideration of various forms of vertically heterogeneous K or S_(s).Two scenarios of analytical investigations are explored:one is the presence of aquitard interlayers with distinct K or S_(s) values,a common field-scale occurrence;another is an exponentially depth-decaying aquitard S_(s),a regional-scale phenomenon supported by statistical analysis.Analytical investigations reveal that a low-K interlayer can significantly increase aquifer drawdown and enhance aquifer/aquitard depletion;a high-S_(s) interlayer can noticeably reduce aquifer drawdown and increase aquitard depletion.Locations of low-K or high-S_(s) interlayers also significantly impact well hydraulics and groundwater budget.In the context of an exponentially depth-decaying aquitard S_(s),a larger decay exponent can enhance aquifer drawdown.When using current models with a vertically homogeneous aquitard,half the sum of the geometric and harmonic means of exponentially depth-decaying aquitard S_(s) should be used to calculate aquitard depletion and unconfined aquifer leakage.

Experimental Investigation on Vertical Hydraulic Transport of Ores in Deepsea Mining

Deepsea mining has been proposed since the 1960s to alleviate the lack of resources on land.Vertical hydraulic transport of collected ores from the seabed to the sea surface is considered the most promising method for industrial applications.In the present study,an indoor model test of the vertical hydraulic transport of particles was conducted.A noncontact optical method has been proposed to measure the local characteristics of the particles inside a vertical pipe,including the local concentration and particle velocity.The hydraulic gradient of ore transport was evaluated with various particle size distributions,particle densities,feeding concentrations and mixture flow velocities.During transport,the local concentration is larger than the feeding concentration,whereas the particle velocity is less than the mixture velocity.The qualitative effects of the local concentration and local fluid velocity on the particle velocity and slip velocity were investigated.The local fluid velocity contributes significantly to particle velocity and slip velocity,whereas the effect of the local concentration is marginal.A higher feeding concentration and mixture flow velocity result in an increased hydraulic gradient.The effect of the particle size gradation is slight,whereas the particle density plays a crucial role in the transport.