Orthogonal analysis of water model study on the optimization of flow control devices in a six-strand tundish

Improper flow control devices in a multi-strand tundish can cause some problems, for example, liquid steel cannot reach every nozzle at the same time and the liquid steel in nozzles far away from the entry zone has a lower temperature. The water model experiment of a six-strand tundish of Tianjin Iron ＆ Steel Co. Ltd. was performed, a new ＂U＂ type baffle was obtained, and its parameters were defined by perpendicular analysis. The ＂U＂ baffle can not only improve those imperfections, but also prolong the residence time of nonmetallic inclusions, which is good for their flotation and separation.

Improvement of tundish shape and optimization of flow control devices for sequence casting heavy steel ingots

The metallurgical effect of a round tundish used to cast heavy steel ingots in machine works at present was evaluated through water modeling experiments. The flow control devices of the improved oval tundish, which was used instead of the round tundish, had been optimized. The results show that the residence time of the round tundish is short, its inclusion removal efficiency is too low, and it has more dead zones and an unreasonable flow field. Compared with the round tundish, the improved oval tundish with the optimized weir and dam has a better effect： its minimum residence time is prolonged by 38.1 s, the average residence time is prolonged by 233.4 s, its dead volume fraction decreases from 26% to 15%, and the ratio of plug volume fraction to dead volume fraction increases from 0.54 to 1.27. The inclusion removal efficiency also increases by 17.5%.

A proposed NMR solution for multi-phase flow fluid detection

In the petroleum industry,detection of multi-phase fluid flow is very important in both surface and down-hole measurements.Accurate measurement of high rate of water or gas multi-phase flow has always been an academic and industrial focus.NMR is an efficient and accurate technique for the detection of fluids;it is widely used in the determination of fluid compositions and properties.This paper is aimed to quantitatively detect multi-phase flow in oil and gas wells and pipelines and to propose an innovative method for online nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)detection.The online NMR data acquisition,processing and interpretation methods are proposed to fill the blank of traditional methods.A full-bore straight tube design without pressure drop,a Halbach magnet structure design with zero magnetic leakage outside the probe,a separate antenna structure design without flowing effects on NMR measurement and automatic control technology will achieve unattended operation.Through the innovation of this work,the application of NMR for the real-time and quantitative detection of multi-phase flow in oil and gas wells and pipelines can be implemented.

Optimization of flow control devices in a tenstrand billet caster tundish

The physical model of a ten-strand billet caster tundish was established to study the effects of various flow control devices on the melt flow. Before and after the optimization of the melt flow, the inclusion removal in the tundish was evaluated by plant trials. The physical modeling results show that when combined with a baffle, the turbulence inhibitor, instead of the impact pad, can significantly improve the melt flow. A turbulence inhibitor with a longer length of inner cavity and without an extending lip at the top of the sidewall seems to be efficient in the improvement of the melt flow. Various types and designs of baffles all influence the flow characteristics significantly. The "V" type baffles are better than the straight baffles for flow control. The "V" type baffle with four inclined holes at the sidewall away from the stopper rods is better in melt flow control than the one with one inclined hole at each sidewall. The combination of a well-designed turbulence inhibitor and an appropriate baffle shows high efficiency on improving the melt flow and an optimal proposal was presented. Plant trials indicate that, compared with the original tundish configuration in prototype, the inclusions reduce by 42% and the inclusion distribution of individual strands is more similar with the optimal one. The optimal tundish configuration effectively improves the melt flow in the ten-strand billet caster tundish.

Discrete Particle Simulation of Gas-Solid Flow in Air-Blowing Seed Metering Device

In this paper,the gas and seed flow characters in the air-blowing seed metering device are investigated by using the coupled computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method(CFD-DEM)in three dimensions(3D).The method of establishing boundary model based on the computer-aided design(CAD)drawing,has been used to build the boundary model of seed metering device.The 3D laser scanning technique and multi-element method are adopted to establish the particle model.Through a combined numerical and experimental effort,using 3D CFD-DEM software,which is based on the in-house codes,the mechanisms governing the gas and solid dynamic behaviors in the seed metering device have been studied.The gas velocity field and the effect of different rotational speeds and air pressures on the seeding performance and particle velocity have been studied,similar agreements between numerical and experimental results are gained.This reveals that the 3D CFD-DEM model established is able to predict the performance of the air-blowing seed metering device.It can be used to design and optimize the air-blowing seed metering device and other similar agriculture devices.

Research on Capture Performance of an Induction Type Microplastics Recovery Device

Microplastic wastes in ocean can include the harmful chemical material, and the harmful material is concentrated by marine species. The separation and collecting methods of microplastics in ocean are researched in the world. The authors proposed the microplastics recovery device composed of the plates. Besides, the device consists of the tilted inlet/outlet and the horizontal part. In the water flow such as the tidal and ocean currents, the microplastics can be extracted from the main flow due to the vortex flow generated at the inner part of this device. In this research, the effects of the flow velocity and the inlet/outlet tilt angle on the capture performance were investigated experimentally and numerically. In the numerical simulations using the discrete phase model, the tilt angle was changed in a range between 30 degrees and 150 degrees in increments of 15 degrees, and the particle tracks of plastics were derived in steady condition. On the other hand, the capture performances in three cases of tilt angle 45 degrees, 120 degrees and 150 degrees were compared by circulation type water channel tests in which the plastics denser than the water were swept away 30 times every flow velocity. As the result, it seems that the tilt angle of 120 degrees is suitable for the wide range of the flow velocity in river and ocean.

A method and device for online magnetic resonance multiphase flow detection

Most multiphase flow separation detection methods used commonly in oilfields are low in efficiency and accuracy,and have data delay.An online multiphase flow detection method is proposed based on magnetic resonance technology,and its supporting device has been made and tested in lab and field.The detection technology works in two parts:measure phase holdup in static state and measure flow rate in flowing state.Oil-water ratio is first measured and then gas holdup.The device is composed of a segmented magnet structure and a dual antenna structure for measuring flowing fluid.A highly compact magnetic resonance spectrometer system and intelligent software are developed.Lab experiments and field application show that the online detection system has the following merits:it can measure flow rate and phase holdup only based on magnetic resonance technology;it can detect in-place transient fluid production at high frequency and thus monitor transient fluid production in real time;it can detect oil,gas and water in a full range at high precision,the detection isn’t affected by salinity and emulsification.It is a green,safe and energy-saving system.

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.

Improvement of uniformity in cultivation environment and crop growth rate by hybrid control of air flow devices

A complete control type plant factory has high efficiency in terms of cultivation area by constructing vertical multiple layered cultivation beds.However,it has a problem of irregular crop growth due to temperature deviation at upper and lower beds and increases in energy consumption by a prolonged cultivation period.In this work,air flow rate inside a facility was improved by a hybrid control of air flow devices like air conditioning and air circulation fan with an established wireless sensor network to minimize temperature deviations between upper and lower beds and to promote crop growth.The performance of proposed system was verified with an experimental environment or Case A wherein air conditioning device was operated without a control algorithm and Case B wherein air conditioning and circulation fans were alternatively operated based on the hybrid control algorithm.After planting leafy vegetables under each experimental condition,crops were cultivated for 21 days.As a result,Case B wherein AC(air conditioning) and ACF(air-circulation fan) were alternatively operated based on the hybrid control algorithm showed that fresh mass,number of leaves,and leaf length for the crops grown were increased by 40.6%,41.1%,and 11.1%,respectively,compared to Case A.

Computational fluid dynamics of left ventricular assist device under unsteady flow

Left ventricular assist device( LVAD) in this study is a mechanical tool that is used to support blood flow in the patient with heart disease. It supports left ventricle by building up the pressure to the pump outlet connected to the aorta. This pump was designed based on the magnetic driven centrifugal pump with a unique small washout hole constructed inside the impeller to generate the washout flow passage to prevent the stagnation at the region underneath and around the rotor. Computational fluid dynamics( CFD) was adopted in this study to assess the performance and optimize the design to avoid recirculation and high shear stress which is the main cause of stagnation and blood damage. Transient simulation was used for this study due to the asymmetric design of the washout hole and the complication of the bottom support of the impeller that has a risk of thrombosis,also,it was used to predict the variation of hydraulic performance caused by the rotation of the impeller and pulsed flow at the pump inlet. The simulation results show no excessive stress and no recirculation observed within the computational domain; in addition,the research result also provides information for further optimization and development to the pump.

Identifying the enhancement mechanism of Al/MoO_(3) reactive multilayered films on the ignition ability of semiconductor bridge using a one-dimensional gas-solid two-phase flow model

Energetic Semiconductor bridge(ESCB)based on reactive multilayered films(RMFs)has a promising application in the miniature and intelligence of initiator and pyrotechnics device.Understanding the ignition enhancement mechanism of RMFs on semiconductor bridge(SCB)during the ignition process is crucial for the engineering and practical application of advanced initiator and pyrotechnics devices.In this study,a one-dimensional(1D)gas-solid two-phase flow ignition model was established to study the ignition process of ESCB to charge particles based on the reactivity of Al/MoO_(3) RMFs.In order to fully consider the coupled exothermic between the RMFs and the SCB plasma during the ignition process,the heat release of chemical reaction in RMFs was used as an internal heat source in this model.It is found that the exothermal reaction in RMFs improved the ignition performance of SCB.In the process of plasma rapid condensation with heat release,the product of RMFs enhanced the heat transfer process between the gas phase and the solid charge particle,which accelerated the expansion of hot plasma,and heated the solid charge particle as well as gas phase region with low temperature.In addition,it made up for pressure loss in the gas phase.During the plasma dissipation process,the exothermal chemical reaction in RMFs acted as the main heating source to heat the charge particle,making the surface temperature of the charge particle,gas pressure,and gas temperature rise continuously.This result may yield significant advantages in providing a universal ignition model for miniaturized ignition devices.

A Comparison Study of Cavitating Flow in a Ventricular Assist Device Using Laminar and Turbulent Model

The two-dimensional cavitating flow phenomena due to the valve closure in a ventricular assist device were computationally studied. This is a simplification of three-dimensional viscous effects in a ventricular valve. Both laminar flow and turbulent flow were computed and compared with each other. For computations, a dynamic mesh strategy to cope with the movement of the valve was developed. The simulation of cavitation was conducted with a model which took considerations of the first-order effect of the formation and transport of vapor bubbles, the turbulent fluctuations of pressure and velocity, and the magnitude of non-condensable gases. The turbulent flow was computed by using thek-wmodel. The results show that the local turbulence is one of the vital effects on the development of the cavitating flow. The maximum velocity at the moments of valve closure was significantly reduced in the turbulent flow modeling. Turbulence also reduces the jet intensity at the valve closure and, hence, the cavitating region on the valve. Furthermore, the results show that the turbulent flow model has a better capability for prediction of cavitation duration.

Outcomes of continuous flow ventricular assist devices

Heart transplantation is commonplace, the supply is limited. Many exciting changes in the field of mechanical circulatory support have occurred in the past few years, including the axial flow pump. Left ventricular assist device(LVAD) therapy is ever evolving. As the use of LVAD therapy increases it is important to understand the indications, surgical considerations and outcomes.

Characteristics of High-Speed Copper Plating Films Using a Jet Flow Device

Since copper has excellent properties such as malleability and conductivity,it is widely used in the electronics field.Copper sulfate plating is expanding further in fields requiring thick deposits such as for heat dissipation boards and bumps for stress relaxation during semiconductor packaging.In this study,high-speed copper plating at 50 A/dm2 or more was achieved using a jet flow device.In addition,as a result of comparison with the low current density film,the current density had little effect on electrical conductivity and film surface structure.On the other hand,it was confirmed that the etching rate of the high current density film was greatly increased as the crystallites on the film surface became smaller than low current density film.Increase in productivity is expected due to shorter plating time enabled by film deposition at high current density.Furthermore,the increase of etching rate is expected to contribute to the suppression of undercuts that occur when removing the seed layer during wiring and bump fabrication.

Modes of failure with fractional flow reserve guidewires:Insights from the manufacturer and user facility device experience database

BACKGROUND Fractional flow reserve(FFR)measurement is commonly used in the cardiac catheterization laboratory to assess the functional significance of coronary arterial plaques.Robust real-world data on complications and modes of failure of FFR guidewires are limited.AIM To characterize these outcomes by analyzing the post-marketing surveillance data from the United States Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience(MAUDE)database for commonly used FFR guidewires.METHODS The MAUDE database was queried from January 2010 through April 2020 for 3 FFR guidewires[PressureWireTM X(Abbott),CometTM(Boston Scientific),and VerrataTM(Philips)]by searching for the following events:“Injury”,“malfunction”,“death”,and“other”.This yielded 544 reports.After excluding incomplete reports,486 reports were analyzed.RESULTS Guidewire tip fracture was the most commonly reported mode of failure,in 174(35.8%)cases followed by guidewire kinking(n=152,31.3%),communication failure(n=141,29.0%),and shaft fracture(n=67,13.8%).In total,133(27.4%)device failures resulted in patient adverse events.The most common adverse event was retained guidewire tip,in 71(53.4%)cases,followed by freshly deployed stent dislodgment(n=26,19.6%)and coronary artery dissection(n=23,17.3%).Seven deaths were reported.CONCLUSION FFR guidewire failures can occur because of various mechanisms and cause patient adverse events.The MAUDE database serves as an important platform for improved collaboration among clinicians,device manufacturers,and regulators to improve device performance and optimize patient outcomes.Our analysis provides mechanistic insights of FFR guidewire failure and associated adverse events but cannot verify causality or provide a comparison among different guidewires.

Gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with a continuous-flow biventricular assist device

The association between continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices(CF-LVADs)and gastrointestinal(GI)bleeding from angiodysplasia is well recognized.However,the association between continuous-flow biventricular assist devices(CF-BIVADs)and bleeding angiodysplasia is less understood.We report a case of GI bleeding from a patient with a CF-BIVAD.The location of GI bleeding was identified by nuclear red blood cell bleeding scan.The vascular malformation leading to the bleed was identified and localized on angiography and then by pathology.The intensity of bleeding,reflected by number of units of packed red blood cells needed for normalization of hemoglobin,as well as the time to onset of bleeding after transplantation,are similar to that seen in the literature for CF-LVADs and pulsatile BIVADs.While angiography only detected a dilated late draining vein,pathology demonstrated the presence of both arterial and venous dilation in the submucosa,vascular abnormalities characteristic of a late arteriovenous malformation.

Numerical simulation of complex multi-phase fluid of casting process and its applications

The fluid of casting process is a typical kind of multi-phase flow. Actually, many casting phenomena have close relationship with the multi-phase flow, such as molten metal filling process, air entrapment, slag movement, venting process of die casting, gas escaping of lost foam casting and so on. Obviously, in order to analyze these phenomena accurately, numerical simulation of the multi-phase fluid is necessary. Unfortunately, so far, most of the commercial casting simulation systems do not have the ability of multi-phase flow modeling due to the difficulty in the multi-phase flow calculation. In the paper, Finite Different Method (FDM) technique was adopt to solve the multi-phase fluid model. And a simple object of the muiti-phase fluid was analyzed to obtain the fluid rates of the liquid phase and the entrapped air phase.

A New Method for Blood NT-proBNP Determination Based on a Near-infrared Point of Care Testing Device with High Sensitivity and Wide Scope

Objective To develop a rapid, highly sensitive, and quantitative method for the detection of NT-proBNP levels based on a near-infrared point-of-care diagnostic （POCT） device with wide scope. Methods The lateral flow assay （LFA） strip of NT-proBNP was first prepared to achieve rapid detection. Then, the antibody pairs for NT-proBNP were screened and labeled with the near-infrared fluorescent dye Dylight-800. The capture antibody was fixed on a nitrocellulose membrane by a scribing device. Serial dilutions of serum samples were prepared using NT-proBNP-free serum series. The prepared test strips, combined with a near-infrared POCT device, were validated by known concentrations of clinical samples. The POCT device gave the output of the ratio of the intensity of the fluorescence signal of the detection line to that of the quality control line. The relationship between the ratio value and the concentration of the specimen was plotted as a work curve. The results of 62 clinical specimens obtained from our method were compared in parallel with those obtained from the Roche E411 kit. Results Based on the log-log plot, the new method demonstrated that there was a good linear relationship between the ratio value and NT-proBNP concentrations ranging from 20 pg/mL to 10 ng/mL. The results of the 62 clinical specimens measured by our method showed a good linear correlation with those measured by the Roche E411 kit. Conclusion The new LFA detection method of NT-proBNP levels based on the near-infrared POCT device was rapid and highly sensitive with wide scope and was thus suitable for rapid and early clinical diagnosis of cardiac impairment.

Multi-phase computer modeling and laboratory study of dust capture by an inertial Vortecone scrubber

Dust generated in mining and tunneling activities is hazardous to health of persons and safety of operations. These projects employ pick-milling machines to extract minerals and rock by mechanical breakage.The machines are equipped with flooded-bed scrubbers that encase dust particles within fine water films as particles encounter a flooded wire-mesh screen. A major disadvantage is that the screen gets clogged when particles become trapped within the wire mesh, reducing airflow through the scrubber and increasing ambient dust concentrations. Thus, the system requires frequent maintenance or replacement. The application of a Vortecone scrubber as an improved alternative to conventional fibrous type scrubbers is investigated. A Vortecone forces dust-laden air and water to follow a complex, rapidly swirling motion.The momentum drives dust particles towards the periphery where they are captured by the water film.The operating characteristics of a reduced-scale physical model of a Vortecone, with its primary axis mounted in the horizontal orientation, was analyzed numerically and experimentally. Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) models depicting the spraying action and multi-phase air/water flows using the volume of fraction(VOF) approach, are presented. Experimental results, utilizing an optical particle counting technique to establish the dust-cleaning capabilities of the model, are also described.