Computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method simulation of stirred tank reactor for graphene production

Liquid phase exfoliation(LPE)process for graphene production is usually carried out in stirred tank reactor and the interactions between the solvent and the graphite particles are important as to improve the production efficiency.In this paper,these interactions were revealed by computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method(CFD-DEM)method.Based on simulation results,both liquid phase flow hydrodynamics and particle motion behavior have been analyzed,which gave the general information of the multiphase flow behavior inside the stirred tank reactor as to graphene production.By calculating the threshold at the beginning of graphite exfoliation process,the shear force from the slip velocity was determined as the active force.These results can support the optimization of the graphene production process.

Three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Two-phase Flow in a Structured Packing Column

Characterizing the complex two-phase hydrodynamics in structured packed columns requires a power- ful modeling tool. The traditional two-dimensional model exhibits limitations when one attempts to model the de- tailed two-phase flow inside the columns. The present paper presents a three-dimensional computational fluid dy- namics （CFD） model to simulate the two-phase flow in a representative unit of the column. The unit consists of an CFD calculations on column packed with Flexipak 1Y were implemented within the volume of fluid （VOF） mathe- matical framework. The CFD model was validated by comparing the calculated thickness of liquid film with the available experimental data. Special attention was given to quantitative analysis of the effects of gravity on the hy- drodynamics. Fluctuations in the liquid mass flow rate and the calculated pressure drop loss were found to be quali- tatively in agreement with the experimental observations.

Review:Recent Development of High⁃Order⁃Spectral Method Combined with Computational Fluid Dynamics Method for Wave⁃Structure Interactions

The present paper reviews the recent developments of a high⁃order⁃spectral method(HOS)and the combination with computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method for wave⁃structure interactions.As the numerical simulations of wave⁃structure interaction require efficiency and accuracy,as well as the ability in calculating in open sea states,the HOS method has its strength in both generating extreme waves in open seas and fast convergence in simulations,while computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method has its advantages in simulating violent wave⁃structure interactions.This paper provides the new thoughts for fast and accurate simulations,as well as the future work on innovations in fine fluid field of numerical simulations.

Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) Analysis and Optimization of Reconstructed Intake System of Cylinder Head Based on Slicing Reverse Method

To find out and improve the flow characteristics inside the intake system of cylinder head,the application of computational fluid dynamics(CFD)in the evaluation and optimization of the reconstructed intake system based on slicing reverse method was proposed.The flow characteristics were found out through CFD,and the velocity vector field,pressure field and turbulent kinetic energy field for different valve lifts were discussed,which were in good agreement with experimental data,and the quality of reconstruction was evaluated.In order to improve its flow characteristic,an optimization plan was proposed.The results show that the flow characteristics after optimization are obviously improved.The results can provide a reference for the design and optimization of the intake system of cylinder head.

Analysis of Temperature Rise in High-Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Traction Motors by Coupling the Equivalent Thermal Circuit Method and Computational Fluid Dynamics

To solve the problem of temperature rise caused by the high power density of high-speed permanent magnet synchronous traction motors,the temperature rise of various components in the motor is analyzed by coupling the equivalent thermal circuit method and computational fluid dynamics.Also,a cooling strategy is proposed to solve the problem of temperature rise,which is expected to prolong the service life of these devices.First,the theoretical bases of the approaches used to study heat transfer and fluid mechanics are discussed,then the fluid flow for the considered motor is analyzed,and the equivalent thermal circuit method is introduced for the calculation of the temperature rise.Finally,the stator,rotor loss,motor temperature rise,and the proposed cooling method are also explored through experiments.According to the results,the stator temperature at 50,000 r/min and 60,000 r/min at no-load operation is 68℃ and 76℃,respectively.By monitoring the temperature of the air outlets inside and outside the motor at different speeds,it is also found that the motor reaches a stable temperature rise after 65 min of operation.Coupling of the thermal circuit method and computational fluid dynamics is a strategy that can provide the average temperature rise of each component and can also comprehensively calculate the temperature of each local point.We conclude that a hybrid cooling strategy based on axial air cooling of the inner air duct of the motor and water cooling of the stator can meet the design requirements for the ventilation and cooling of this type of motors.

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of respiratory airflow in human nasal cavity and its characteristic dimension study

To study the airflow distribution in human nasal cavity during respiration and the characteristic parameters of nasal structure, three-dimensional, anatomically accurate representations of 30 adult nasal cavity models were recons- tructed based on processed tomography images collected from normal people. The airflow fields in nasal cavities were simulated by fluid dynamics with finite element software ANSYS. The results showed that the difference of human nasal cavity structure led to different airflow distribution in the nasal cavities and variation of the main airstream passing through the common nasal meatus. The nasal resistance in the regions of nasal valve and nasal vestibule accounted for more than half of the overall resistance. The characteristic model of nasal cavity was extracted on the basis of characteristic points and dimensions deduced from the original models. It showed that either the geometric structure or the airflow field of the two kinds of models was similar. The characteristic dimensions were the characteristic parameters of nasal cavity that could properly represent the original model in model studies on nasal cavity.

Numerical Study on the Aerodynamic and Fluid−Structure Interaction of An NREL-5MW Wind Turbine

A 5-MW wind turbine has been modeled and analyzed for fluid-structure interaction and aerodynamic performance.In this study, a full-scale model of a 5-MW wind turbine is first developed based on a computational fluid dynamics(CFD) approach, in which the unsteady, noncompressible Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes(RANS) method is used. The main focus of the study is to analyze the tower shadow effect on the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine under different inlet flow conditions. Subsequently, the finite element model is established by considering fluid/structure interactions to study the structural stress, displacement, strain distributions and flow field information of the structure under the uniform wind speed. Finally, the fluid-structure interaction model is established by considering turbulent wind and the tower shadow effect. The variation rules of the dynamic response of the one-way and two-way fluid-structure interaction(FSI) models under different wind speeds are analyzed, and the numerical calculation results are compared with those of the centralized mass model. The results show that the tower shadow effect and structural deformation are the main factors affecting the aerodynamic load fluctuation of the wind turbine, which in turn affects the aerodynamic performance and structural stability of the blades. The structural dynamic response of the coupled model shows significant similarity, while the structural displacement response of the former exhibits less fluctuation compared with the conventional centralized mass model. The one-way fluid-structure interaction(FSI)model shows a higher frequency of stress-strain and displacement oscillations on the blade compared with the two-way FSI model.

Three-Dimensional Water-Quality Simulation for River Based on VOF Method

In the present study, considering the transport and transformation processes of variables, a threedimensional water quality model for the river system was established, which coupled the volume of fluid(VOF) method with the k-ε turbulence mathematical model. Then, the water hydrodynamic characteristics and transport processes for BOD_5, NH_(3^-)N and TP were analyzed. The results showed that the water surface of convex bank was a little lower than that of concave bank due to the centrifugal force near the bend, and most concentrations were inferior to the type Ⅴ standard indexes of surface water environmental quality. The model validation indicated that the errors between the simulated and monitored values were comparatively small, satisfying the application demands and providing scientific basis and decision support for the restoration and protection of water quality.

Numerical simulations and comparative analysis of two- and three-dimensional circulating fluidized bed reactors for CO2 capture

Carbon dioxide(CO2),the main gas emitted from fossil burning,is the primary contributor to global warming.Circulating fluidized bed reactor(CFBR)is proved as an energy-efficient method for post-combustion CO2 capture.The numerical simulation by computational fluid dynamics(CFD)is believed as a promising tool to study CO2 adsorption process in CFBR.Although three-dimensional(3D)simulations were proved to have better predicting performance with the experimental results,two-dimensional(2D)simulations have been widely reported for qualitative and quantitative studies on gas-solid behavior in CFBR for its higher computational efficiency recently.However,the discrepancies between 2D and 3D simulations have rarely been evaluated by detailed study.Considering that the differences between the 2D and 3D simulations will vary substantially with the changes of independent operating conditions,it is beneficial to lower computational costs to clarify the effects of dimensionality on the numerical CO2 adsorption runs under various operating conditions.In this work,the comparative analysis for CO2 adsorption in 2D and 3D simulations was conducted to enlighten the effects of dimensionality on the hydrodynamics and reaction behaviors,in which the separation rate,species distribution and hydrodynamic characteristics were comparatively studied for both model frames.With both accuracy and computational costs considered,the viable suggestions were provided in selecting appropriate model frame for the studies on optimization of operating conditions,which directly affect the capture and energy efficiencies of cyclic CO2 capture process in CFBR.

A COMPUTATIONAL METHOD FOR THE NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS AT ALL SPEEDS

A PLU-SGS method based on a time-derivative preconditioning algorithm and LU-SGS method is developed in order to calculate the Navier-Stokes equations at all speeds. The equations were discretized using A USMPW scheme in conjunction with the third-order MUSCL scheme with Van Leer limiter. The present method was applied to solve the multidimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equations in curvilinear coordinates. Characteristic boundary conditions based on the eigensystem of the preconditioned equations were employed. In order to examine the performance of present method, driven-cavity flow at various Reynolds numbers and viscous flow through a convergent-divergent nozzle at supersonic were selected to rest this method. The computed results were compared with the experimental data or the other numerical results available in literature and good agreements between them are obtained. The results show that the present method is accurate, self-adaptive and stable for a wide range of flow conditions from low speed to supersonic flows.

Numerical Solutions of the Classical and Modified Buckley-Leverett Equations Applied to Two-Phase Fluid Flow

Climate change is a reality. The burning of fossil fuels from oil, natural gas and coal is responsible for much of the pollution and the increase in the planet’s average temperature, which has raised discussions on the subject, given the emergencies related to climate. An energy transition to clean and renewable sources is necessary and urgent, but it will not be quick. In this sense, increasing the efficiency of oil extraction from existing sources is crucial, to avoid waste and the drilling of new wells. The purpose of this work was to add diffusive and dispersive terms to the Buckley-Leverett equation in order to incorporate extra phenomena in the temporal evolution between the water-oil and oil-water transitions in the pipeline. For this, the modified Buckley-Leverett equation was discretized via essentially weighted non-oscillatory schemes, coupled with a three-stage Runge-Kutta and a fourth-order centered finite difference methods. Then, computational simulations were performed and the results showed that new features emerge in the transitions, when compared to classical simulations. For instance, the dispersive term inhibits the diffusive term, adding oscillations, which indicates that the absorption of the fluid by the porous medium occurs in a non-homogeneous manner. Therefore, based on research such as this, decisions can be made regarding the replacement of the porous medium or the insertion of new components to delay the replacement.

CVBEM and FVM Computational Model Comparison for Solving Ideal Fluid Flow in a 90-Degree Bend

While finite volume methodologies (FVM) have predominated in fluid flow computations, many flow problems, including groundwater models, would benefit from the use of boundary methods, such as the Complex Variable Boundary Element Method (CVBEM). However, to date, there has been no reporting of a comparison of computational results between the FVM and the CVBEM in the assessment of flow field characteristics. In this work, the CVBEM is used to develop a flow field vector outcome of ideal fluid flow in a 90-degree bend which is then compared to the computational results from a finite volume model of the same situation. The focus of the modelling comparison in the current work is flow field trajectory vectors of the fluid flow, with respect to vector magnitude and direction. Such a comparison is necessary to validate the development of flow field vectors from the CVBEM and is of interest to many engineering flow problems, specifically groundwater modelling. Comparison of the CVBEM and FVM flow field trajectory vectors for the target problem of ideal flow in a 90-degree bend shows good agreement between the considered methodologies.

A computational particle fluid-dynamics simulation of hydrodynamics in a three-dimensional full-loop circulating fluidized bed: Effects of particle-size distribution

A computational particle fluid-dynamics model coupled with an energy-minimization multi-scale(EMMS)drag model was applied to investigate the influence of particle-size distribution on the hydrodynamics of a three-dimensional full-loop circulating fluidized bed.Different particle systems,including one monodisperse and two polydisperse cases,were investigated.The numerical model was validated by comparing its results with the experimental axial voidage distribution and solid mass flux.The EMMS drag model had a high accuracy in the computational particle fluid-dynamics simulation of the three-dimensional full-loop circulating fluidized bed.The total number of parcels in the system(Np)influenced the axial voidage distribution in the riser,especially at the lower part of the riser.Additional numerical simulation results showed that axial segregation by size was predicted in the two polydisperse cases and the segregation size increased with an increase in the number of size classes.The axial voidage distribution at the lower portion of the riser was significantly influenced by particle-size distribution.However,radial segregation could only be correctly predicted in the upper region of the riser in the polydisperse case of three solid species.

Granular collapse in fluids:Dynamics and flow regime identification

The collapse of granular material in fluids is a prevalent phenomenon in both natural and industrial processes,displaying a notable sensitivity to initial configuration of the system.This study is specifically oriented towards falling process of collapsing material under various fluid conditions,employing the computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method(CFD-DEM)to primarily investigate the dynamics and scaling laws of deposit morphology of collapsed material.Through a comprehensive analysis of particle sedimentation in fluids,we introduce a refined inertial characteristic time for granular collapse within the inertial regime.Subsequently,we propose modifications to conventional fluid-particle density ratio and Reynolds number,aiming to enhance the accuracy of depicting collapse dynamics and identifying flow regimes across diverse column heights and fluid conditions.Finally,we construct a phase diagram of flow regimes using modified dimensionless numbers,emphasizing the role of column height in transition between viscous and inertial regimes.These parameters demonstrate enhanced relevance in governing the collapse of immersed granular columns,thereby contributing to a more nuanced understanding of fluid-particle interations in dense granular flows under different regimes.

Generation of Dynamic Grids and Computation of Unsteady Transonic Flows around Assemblies

Algebraic methods and rapid deforming techniques are used to generate three-dimensional boundary-fitted dynamic grids for assemblies. The conservative full-potential equation is solved by a time-accurate approximate factorization algorithm and internal Newton iterations. An integral boundary layer method based on the dissipation integral is used to account for viscous effects. The computational results about unsteady transonic forces on wings, bodies and control surfaces are in agreement with experimental data.

Water medium retarders for heavy-duty vehicles:Computational fluid dynamics and experimental analysis of filling ratio control method

The water medium（WM） retarder is an auxiliary braking device that could convert the kinetic energy of the vehicle to the thermal energy of the coolant, and it is used instead of the service brake under non-emergency braking conditions. This paper analyzes the flow distribution based on a mathematical model and analyzes the key factors that could affect the filling ratio and the braking torque of the WM retarder. Computational fluid dynamics（CFD） simulations are conducted to compute the braking torque, and theresults are verified by experiments. It is shown that the filling ratio and the braking torque can be expressed by the mathematical model proposed in this paper. Compared with the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes（RANS） turbulent model, the shear stress transport（SST） turbulent model can more accurately simulate the braking torque. Finally, the flow distribution and the flow character in the WM retarders are analyzed.

Analysis of gas-solid flow and shaft-injected gas distribution in an oxygen blast furnace using a discrete element method and computational fluid dynamics coupled model

lronmaking using an oxygen blast furnace is an attractive approach for reducing energy consumption in the iron and steel industry. This paper presents a numerical study of gas-solid flow in an oxygen blast fur- nace by coupling the discrete element method with computational fluid dynamics. The model reliability was verified by previous experimental results. The influences of particle diameter, shaft tuyere size, and specific ratio （X） of shaft-injected gas （51G） flowrate to total gas flowrate on the SIC penetration behavior and pressure field in the furnace were investigated. The results showed that gas penetration capacity in the furnace gradually decreased as the particle diameter decreased from 100 to 40 mm. Decreasing particle diameter and increasing shaft tuyere size both slightly increased the SIG concentration near the furnace wall but decreased it at the furnace center. The value of X has a significant impact on the SIG distribution. According to the pressure fields obtained under different conditions, the key factor affecting SIG penetration depth is the pressure difference between the upper and lower levels of the shaft tuyere. If the pressure difference is small, the SIG can easily penetrate to the furnace center.

My Way: A Computational Autobiography

In this paper,the author recounts his forty-year plus struggle to find a sound basis for understanding the computational fluid dynamics of compressible flow.

Highly-Efficient Aerodynamic Optimal Design of Rotor Airfoil Using Viscous Adjoint Method

In order to overcome the efficiency problem of the conventional gradient-based optimal design method,a highly-efficient viscous adjoint-based RANS equations method is applied to the aerodynamic optimal design of hovering rotor airfoil.The C-shaped body-fitted mesh is firstly automatically generated around the airfoil by solving the Poisson equations,and the Navier-Stokes(N-S)equations combined with Spalart-Allmaras(S-A)one-equation turbulence model are used as the governing equations to acquire the reliable flowfield variables.Then,according to multi-constrained characteristics of the optimization of high lift/drag ratio for hovering rotor airfoil,its corresponding adjoint equations,boundary conditions and gradient expressions are newly derived.On these bases,two representative rotor airfoils,NACA0012 airfoil and SC1095 airfoil,are selected as numerical examples to optimize their synthesized aerodynamic characteristics about lift/drag ratio in hover,and better aerodynamic performance of optimal airfoils are obtained compared with the baseline.Furthermore,the new designed rotor with the optimized rotor airfoil has better hover aerodynamic characteristics compared with the baseline rotor.In contrast to the baseline airfoils optimized by the finite difference method,it is demonstrated that the adjoint optimal algorithm itself is practical and highly-efficient for the aerodynamic optimization of hover rotor airfoil.

基于CFD-DEM耦合的梯级溜槽的设计与分析

针对传统物料转运过程中溜槽和输送带磨损严重、出口处粉尘浓度过高的问题,建立含臂架的梯级溜槽几何模型,采用基于计算流体力学与离散单元法(CFD-DEM)耦合的数值模拟方法,分析了臂架对转运溜槽的磨损以及对其出口处粉尘排放浓度的影响。仿真结果表明:含臂架的梯级溜槽可以有效控制物料流的速度和方向,降低对溜槽内表面的冲击磨损,降低出口处的粉尘量。