Simulation and Optimization for Thermally Coupled Distillation Using Artificial Neural Network and Genetic Algorithm

In this paper, a new approach using artificial neural network and genetic algorithm for the optimization of the thermally coupled distillation is presented. Mathematical model can be constructed with artificial neural network based on the simulation results with ASPEN PLUS. Modified genetic algorithm was used to optimize the model. With the proposed model and optimization arithmetic, mathematical model can be calculated, decision variables and target value can be reached automatically and quickly. A practical example is used to demonstrate the algorithm.

A Novel Thermally Coupled Reactive Distillation Column for the Hydrolysis of Methyl Acetate

A different pressure thermally coupled reactive distillation column(DPT-RD) for the hydrolysis of methyl acetate(Me Ac) is developed, and its design and optimization procedures are investigated. The sensitivity analysis is carried out to minimize the energy consumption, which is associated with the total annual cost(TAC). The influence of the proposed DPTRD scheme on energy consumption and economic efficiency are evaluated in comparison with the conventional reactive distillation column(CRD). Both the DPT-RD and CRD are simulated with the Aspen Plus?, and it can be observed that for the DPT-RD the energy consumption and the TAC are reduced, and the thermodynamic efficiency is increased as compared with the CRD process.

Novel Control Structure Design of Differential Pressure Thermally Coupled Reactive Distillation for Methyl Acetate Hydrolysis

In this paper, the novel control structures of differential pressure thermally coupled reactive distillation process for methyl acetate hydrolysis were proposed. The RadFrac module of Aspen Plus was adopted in the steady-state simulation. Sensitive analysis was applied to find the stable intial value and provide a basis for the improved control structure design. The Aspen Dynamics software was adopted to study the process dynamic behaviors, and two novel control structures provided with feed ratio controllers and sensitive tray temperature controllers were proposed. The reflux ratio controllers were applied in the improved novel control structures. Both control structures abandoned the composition controllers that were replaced by simpler controllers with which the product purity could meet the specification requiring under a ± 20% disturbance to the total feed flowrate / MeAc composition.

Thermodynamic Analysis,Simulation and Optimization on Energy Savings of Ideal Internal Thermally Coupled Distillation Columns

Internal thermally coupled distillation columns (ITCDIC) are the frontier of distillation energy saving research. In this paper, a novel energy saving model of ideal ITCDIC and a simulation algorithm are presented,upon which a series of comparative studies on energy savings with conventional distillation columns are carried out. Furthermore, we present an optimization model of ideal ITCDIC, which can be used to achieve the maximum energy saving and find the optimal design parameters directly. The binary system of benzene-toluene is adopted for the illustrative example of simulation and optimization. The results show that the maximum energy saving of ITCDIC is 52.25% (compared with energy consumption of conventional distillation under the minimum reflux ratio operation); the optimal design parameters are obtained, where the rectifying section pressure and the feed thermal condition are Pr=0.3006 MPa and q=0.5107 respectively.

32×32 NbN SNSPD array based on thermally coupled row-column multiplexing architecture

We report a superconducting nanowire single‐photon detector(SNSPD)array aiming for a near‐infrared 1550‐nm wavelength that consists of 32×32 nanowire pixels and an area of 0.96 mm×0.96 mm.Unlike most reported large‐scale SNSPD arrays with amorphous films,NbN superconducting nanowires are employed in our array,which allows the detector operation at 2.3 K provided by a compact two‐stage Gifford–McMahon cryocooler.Thermally coupled row–column multiplexing is employed in our arrays to avoid current redistribution and loss of electrical signal occurring in the electrically coupled row–column architecture.The fabricated detector array shows a pixel yield of 94%and maximal intrinsic efficiencies of 77%and 96%at 1550 nm and 405 nm,respectively.The timing jitter and the thermal coupling probability are also investigated.

Anisotropic strength,deformation and failure of gneiss granite under high stress and temperature coupled true triaxial compression

The anisotropic mechanical behavior of rocks under high-stress and high-temperature coupled conditions is crucial for analyzing the stability of surrounding rocks in deep underground engineering.This paper is devoted to studying the anisotropic strength,deformation and failure behavior of gneiss granite from the deep boreholes of a railway tunnel that suffers from high tectonic stress and ground temperature in the eastern tectonic knot in the Tibet Plateau.High-temperature true triaxial compression tests are performed on the samples using a self-developed testing device with five different loading directions and three temperature values that are representative of the geological conditions of the deep underground tunnels in the region.Effect of temperature and loading direction on the strength,elastic modulus,Poisson’s ratio,and failure mode are analyzed.The method for quantitative identification of anisotropic failure is also proposed.The anisotropic mechanical behaviors of the gneiss granite are very sensitive to the changes in loading direction and temperature under true triaxial compression,and the high temperature seems to weaken the inherent anisotropy and stress-induced deformation anisotropy.The strength and deformation show obvious thermal degradation at 200℃due to the weakening of friction between failure surfaces and the transition of the failure pattern in rock grains.In the range of 25℃ 200℃,the failure is mainly governed by the loading direction due to the inherent anisotropy.This study is helpful to the in-depth understanding of the thermal-mechanical behavior of anisotropic rocks in deep underground projects.

Thermally Induced Vibration Analysis of Flexible Beams Based on Isogeometric Analysis

Spacecraft flexible appendages may experience thermally induced vibrations(TIV)under sudden heating loads,which in consequence will be unable to complete their intended missions.Isogeometric analysis(IGA)utilizes,in an isoparametric concept,the same high order and high continuity non-uniform rational B-splines(NURBS)to represent both the geometry and the physical field of the structure.Compared to the traditional Lagrange polynomial based finite element method where only C0-continuity across elements can be achieved,IGA is geometrically exact and naturally fulfills the C1-continuity requirement of Euler–Bernoulli(EB)beam elements,therefore,does not need extra rotational degrees-of-freedom.In this paper,we present a thermally induced vibration analysis framework based on the isogeometric method where thermal and structural behaviors are coupled.We fully exploited the higher order,higher continuous and geometric exactness of the NURBS basis with both benchmarks and sophisticated problems.In particular,we studied the thermally induced vibrations of the Hubble Space Telescope(HST)solar panel where main factors influencing thermal flutters are studied,and where possible improvements of the analytical reference methods are discussed.Additionally,thermally induced vibrations of the thin-walled lenticular tubes are studied and two new configurations of the tube are proposed to effectively suppress the thermally induced vibrations.Numerical examples of both benchmarks and sophisticated problems confirm the accuracy and efficiency of the isogeometric analysis framework for thermally induced vibration analysis of space structures.

Analysis of influence of heat exchangerfouling on heat transfer performancebased on thermal fluid coupling

A study on heat transfer performance by thermal fluid coupling simulation for the fouling in a shell-tube heat exchanger used in engineering was presented. The coupling simulation was performed in a fluid and solid domains under three different fouling conditions: fouling inside the tube, fouling outside the tube, and fouling inside the shell. The flow field, temperature, and pressure distributions in the heat exchanger were solved numerically to analyze the heat transfer performance parameters, such as thermal resistance. It is found that the pressure drop of the heat exchanger and the thermal resistance of the tube wall increase by nearly 30% and 20%, respectively, when the relative fouling thickness reaches 10%. The fouling inside the tube has more impact on the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger, and the fouling inside the shell has less impact.

A Precise Model for Simulation of Temperature Distribution in Power Modules

The interaction between the active chips mounted and the same base plate is considered as a thermoelectrical coupling effect.An approach to coupling effect analysis of a multi-chip system is presented with IGBT as a sample.Finite element method is used to evaluate the temperature distribution in power modules.The precise electrothermal model is obtained by fitting the curve of transient thermal impedance with a finite series of exponential terms,in which,the thermal-coupling effect among chips is considered as a prediction of the highest transient temperature of the chips.This model can be used in many thermal monitoring systems.Both ANSYS and PSPICE si- mulation software have been employed,and the simulation results agree with the experimental ones very well.

Peridynamic modeling and simulation of thermo-mechanical de-icing process with modified ice failure criterion

De-icing technology has become an increasingly important subject in numerous applications in recent years.However,the direct numerical modeling and simulation the physical process of thermomechanical deicing is limited.This work is focusing on developing a numerical model and tool to direct simulate the de-icing process in the framework of the coupled thermo-mechanical peridynamics theory.Here,we adopted the fully coupled thermo-mechanical bond-based peridynamics(TM-BB-PD)method for modeling and simulation of de-icing.Within the framework of TM-BB-PD,the ice constitutive model is established by considering the influence of the temperature difference between two material points,and a modified failure criteria is proposed,which takes into account temperature effect to predict the damage of quasi-brittle ice material.Moreover,thermal boundary condition is used to simulate the thermal load in the de-icing process.By comparing with the experimental results and the previous reported finite element modeling,our numerical model shows good agreement with the previous predictions.Based on the numerical results,we find that the developed method can not only predict crack initiation and propagation in the ice,but also predict the temperature distribution and heat conduction during the de-icing process.Furthermore,the influence of the temperature for the ice crack growth pattern is discussed accordingly.In conclusion,the coupled thermal-mechanical peridynamics formulation with modified failure criterion is capable of providing a modeling tool for engineering applications of de-icing technology.

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.

Cast-rolling force model in solid-liquid cast-rolling bonding(SLCRB) process for fabricating bimetal clad strips

Based on twin-roll casting, a cast-rolling force model was proposed to predict the rolling force in the bimetal solid-liquid cast-rolling bonding(SLCRB) process. The solid-liquid bonding zone was assumed to be below the kiss point(KP). The deformation resistance of the liquid zone was ignored. Then, the calculation model was derived. A 2D thermal-flow coupled simulation was established to provide a basis for the parameters in the model, and then the rolling forces of the Cu/Al clad strip at different rolling speeds were calculated. Meanwhile, through measurement experiments, the accuracy of the model was verified. The influence of the rolling speed, the substrate strip thickness, and the material on the rolling force was obtained. The results indicate that the rolling force decreases with the increase of the rolling speed and increases with the increase of the thickness and thermal conductivity of the substrate strip. The rolling force is closely related to the KP height. Therefore, the formulation of reasonable process parameters to control the KP height is of great significance to the stability of cast-rolling forming.

Seepage-heat transfer coupling process of low temperature return water injected into geothermal reservoir in carbonate rocks in Xian County,China

Fracture seepage and heat transfer in the geothermal reservoir of carbonate rocks after the reinjection of low temperature geothermal return water is a complex coupling process,which is also the frontier of geothermal production and reinjection research.Based on the research of cascade comprehensive development of geothermal resources in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(Xian County),the carbonate geothermal reservoir of Wumishan formation in the geothermal field in Xian County is investigated.With the development of the discrete fracture network model and the coupling model of seepage and heat transfer,the numerical solution of seepage field and temperature field with known fracture network is reached using the finite element software COMSOL,and the coupling process of seepage flow and heat in carbonate rocks is revealed.The results show that the distribution of temperature field of fractured rocks in geothermal reservoir of carbonate rocks has strong non-uniformity and anisotropy.The fracture network is interpenetrated,which constitutes the dominant channel of water conduction,and along which the fissure water moves rapidly.Under the influence of convective heat transfer and conductive heat transfer,one of the main factors to be considered in the study of thermal breakthrough is to make the cold front move forward rapidly.When the reinjection and production process continues for a long time and the temperature of the geothermal reservoir on the pumping side drops to a low level,the temperature of bedrocks is still relatively high and continues to supply heat to the fissure water,so that the temperature of the thermal reservoir on the pumping side will not decrease rapidly to the water temperature at the inlet of reinjection,but will gradually decrease after a long period of time,showing an obvious long tail effect.The distribution of fractures will affect the process of seepage and heat transfer in carbonate reservoirs,which should be considered in the study of fluid thermal coupling in carbonate reservoirs.

Novel design of lubricant-type vacuum distillation process for lube base oils production from hydrocracking tail oil

Dividing-wall columns(DWCs)are widely used in the separation of ternary mixtures,but rarely seen in the separation of petroleum fractions.This work develops two novel and energy-efficient designs of lubricant-type vacuum distillation process(LVDP)for the separation of hydroisomerization fractions(HIF)of a hydrocracking tail oil(HTO).First,the HTO hydroisomerization reaction is investigated in an experimental fixed-bed reactor to achieve the optimum liquid HIF by analyzing the impact of the operating conditions.A LVDP used for HIF separation is proposed and optimized.Subsequently,two thermal coupling intensified technologies,including side-stream(SC)and dividing-wall column(DWC),are combined with the LVDP to develop side-stream vacuum distillation process(SC-LVDP)and dividing-wall column vacuum distillation process(DWC-LVDP).The performance of LVDP,SC-LVDP,and DWC-LVDP are evaluated in terms of energy consumption,capital cost,total annual cost,product yields,and stripping steam consumption.The results demonstrates that the intensified processes,SC-LVDP and DWC-LVDP significantly decreases the energy consumption and capital cost compared with LVDP.DWC-LVDP further decreases in capital cost due to the removal of the side stripper and narrows the overlap between the third lube oils and fourth lube oils.This study attempts to combine DWC structure into the separation of petroleum fractions,and the proposed approach and the results presented provide an incentive for the industrial implementation of high-quality utilization of HTO through intensified LVDP.

Thermal stability improvement of a multiple finger power SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor under different power dissipations using non-uniform finger spacing

A method of non-uniform finger spacing is proposed to enhance thermal stability of a multiple finger power SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor under different power dissipations. Temperature distribution on the emitter fingers of a multi-finger SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor is studied using a numerical electro-thermal model. The results show that the SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor with non-uniform finger spacing has a small temperature difference between fingers compared with a traditional uniform finger spacing heterojunction bipolar transistor at the same power dissipation. What is most important is that the ability to improve temperature non-uniformity is not weakened as power dissipation increases. So the method of non-uniform finger spacing is very effective in enhancing the thermal stability and the power handing capability of power device. Experimental results verify our conclusions.

MD simulation of a copper rod under thermal shock

In this paper, thermoelastic problem of onedimensional copper rod under thermal shock is simulated using molecular dynamics method by adopting embedded atom method potential. The rod is on axis x, the left outermost surface of which is traction free and the right outermost surface is fixed. Free boundary condition is imposed on the outermost surfaces in direction y and z. The left and right ends of the rod are subjected to hot and cold baths, respectively. Temperature, displacement and stress distributions are obtained along the rod at different moments, which are shown to be limited in the mobile region, indicating that the heat propagation speed is limited rather than infinite. This is consistent with the prediction given by generalized thermoelastic theory. From simulation results we find that the speed of heat conduction is the same as the speed of thermal stress wave. In the present paper, the simulations are conducted using the large-scale atomic/molecular massively parallel simulator and completed visualization software.

Thermal-Fluid-Structure Coupling Analysis of Flexible Corrugated Cryogenic Hose

This work presents a numerical investigation of the thermal–fluid–structure coupling behavior of the liquid natural gas(LNG)transported in the flexible corrugated cryogenic hose.A three-dimensional model of the corrugated hose structure composed of multiple layers of different materials is established and coupled with turbulent LNG flow and heat transfer models in the commercial software ANSYS Workbench.The flow transport behavior,heat transfer across the hose layers,and structural response caused by the flow are analyzed.Parametric studies are performed to evaluate the impacts of inlet flow rate and thermal conductivity of insulation material on the temperature and structural stress of the corrugated hose.The study found that,compared with a regular operating condition,higher inlet flow velocities not only suppress the heat gain of the LNG but also lower the flow-induced structural stress.The insulation layer exhibits excellent performance in maintaining the temperature at the fluid–structure interface,showing little temperature change with respect to material thermal conductivity and ambient temperature.The simulation results may contribute to the research and design of the flexible corrugated cryogenic hoses and provide guidance for safer and more efficient field operations.

Numerical analysis of thermal impact on hydro-mechanical properties of clay

As is known, high-level radioactive waste （HLW） is commonly heat-emitting. Heat output from HLWwilldissipate through the surrounding rocks and induce complex thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical（THMC） processes. In highly consolidated clayey rocks, thermal effects are particularly significantbecause of their very low permeability and water-saturated state. Thermal impact on the integrity of thegeological barriers is of most importance with regard to the long-term safety of repositories. This studyfocuses on numerical analysis of thermal effects on hydro-mechanical properties of clayey rock using acoupled thermo-mechanical multiphase flow （TH2M） model which is implemented in the finite elementprogramme OpenGeoSys （OGS）. The material properties of the numerical model are characterised by atransversal isotropic elastic model based on Hooke＇s law, a non-isothermal multiphase flow model basedon van Genuchten function and Darcy＇s law, and a transversal isotropic heat transport model based onFourier＇s law. In the numerical approaches, special attention has been paid to the thermal expansion ofthree different phases： gas, fluid and solid, which could induce changes in pore pressure and porosity.Furthermore, the strong swelling and shrinkage behaviours of clayey material are also considered in thepresent model. The model has been applied to simulate a laboratory heating experiment on claystone.The numerical model gives a satisfactory representation of the observed material behaviour in thelaboratory experiment. The comparison of the calculated results with the laboratory findings verifies thatthe simulation with the present numerical model could provide a deeper understanding of the observedeffects. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analytical modelling of end thermal coupling in a solid-state laser longitudinally bonded by a vertical-cavity top-emitting laser diode

The intrinsic features involving a circularly symmetric beam profile with low divergence, planar geometry as well as the increasingly enhanced power of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers （VCSELs） have made the VCSEL a promising pump source in direct end bonding to a solid-state laser medium to form the minimized, on-wafer integrated laser system. This scheme will generate a surface contact pump configuration and thus additional end thermal coupling to the laser medium through the joint interface of both materials, apart from pump beam heating. This paper analytically models temperature distributions in both VCSEL and the laser medium from the end thermal coupling regarding surface contact pump configuration using a top-emitting VCSEL as the pump source for the first time. The analytical solutions are derived by introducing relative temperature and mean temperature expressions. The results show that the end contact heating by the VCSEL could lead to considerable temperature variations associated with thermal phase shift and thermal lensing in the laser medium. However, if the central temperature of the interface is increased by less than 20 K, the end contact heating does not have a significant thermal influence on the laser medium. In this case, the thermal effect should be dominated by pump beam heating. This work provides useful analytical results for further analysis of hybrid thermal effects on those lasers pumped by a direct VCSEL bond.

A visualization fatigue analysis of a pipeline joint in a special medium environment

In this paper,authors have discussed predominately unidirectional Fluid Structure Interaction,i. e. a given field in which a high speed/pressure and high temperature thermal flow affect the interface between pipelines joints. Surface forces at the fluid-structure interface allow designers to investigate the effects of fluid flow on the structural deformation and stresses. Possible failure modes have been compared with different loads from steady thermal flow analysis results. CFD code SC/Tetra and FEA code ANSYS are used in this study. These studies can be used in protecting certain fatigue failures for pipeline joints under critical cyclic load conditions from both thermal expansion and hydraulic pressure in municipal and environmental engineering applications as well as oil and gas fields.