Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach for Predicting Pipeline Response to Various Blast Scenarios: A Numerical Modeling Study

Recent industrial explosions globally have intensified the focus in mechanical engineering on designing infras-tructure systems and networks capable of withstanding blast loading.Initially centered on high-profile facilities such as embassies and petrochemical plants,this concern now extends to a wider array of infrastructures and facilities.Engineers and scholars increasingly prioritize structural safety against explosions,particularly to prevent disproportionate collapse and damage to nearby structures.Urbanization has further amplified the reliance on oil and gas pipelines,making them vital for urban life and prime targets for terrorist activities.Consequently,there is a growing imperative for computational engineering solutions to tackle blast loading on pipelines and mitigate associated risks to avert disasters.In this study,an empty pipe model was successfully validated under contact blast conditions using Abaqus software,a powerful tool in mechanical engineering for simulating blast effects on buried pipelines.Employing a Eulerian-Lagrangian computational fluid dynamics approach,the investigation extended to above-surface and below-surface blasts at standoff distances of 25 and 50 mm.Material descriptions in the numerical model relied on Abaqus’default mechanical models.Comparative analysis revealed varying pipe performance,with deformation decreasing as explosion-to-pipe distance increased.The explosion’s location relative to the pipe surface notably influenced deformation levels,a key finding highlighted in the study.Moreover,quantitative findings indicated varying ratios of plastic dissipation energy(PDE)for different blast scenarios compared to the contact blast(P0).Specifically,P1(25 mm subsurface blast)and P2(50 mm subsurface blast)showed approximately 24.07%and 14.77%of P0’s PDE,respectively,while P3(25 mm above-surface blast)and P4(50 mm above-surface blast)exhibited lower PDE values,accounting for about 18.08%and 9.67%of P0’s PDE,respectively.Utilising energy-absorbing materials such as thin coatings of ultra-high-strength concrete,metallic foams,carbon fiber-reinforced polymer wraps,and others on the pipeline to effectively mitigate blast damage is recommended.This research contributes to the advancement of mechanical engineering by providing insights and solutions crucial for enhancing the resilience and safety of underground pipelines in the face of blast events.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of rapid pyrolysis of solid waste magnesium nitrate hydrate under different injection methods

This study developed a numerical model to efficiently treat solid waste magnesium nitrate hydrate through multi-step chemical reactions.The model simulates two-phase flow,heat,and mass transfer processes in a pyrolysis furnace to improve the decomposition rate of magnesium nitrate.The performance of multi-nozzle and single-nozzle injection methods was evaluated,and the effects of primary and secondary nozzle flow ratios,velocity ratios,and secondary nozzle inclination angles on the decomposition rate were investigated.Results indicate that multi-nozzle injection has a higher conversion efficiency and decomposition rate than single-nozzle injection,with a 10.3%higher conversion rate under the design parameters.The decomposition rate is primarily dependent on the average residence time of particles,which can be increased by decreasing flow rate and velocity ratios and increasing the inclination angle of secondary nozzles.The optimal parameters are injection flow ratio of 40%,injection velocity ratio of 0.6,and secondary nozzle inclination of 30°,corresponding to a maximum decomposition rate of 99.33%.

Application of computational fluid dynamics in design of viscous dampers-CFD modeling and full-scale dynamic testing

Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)provides a powerful tool for investigating complicated fluid flows.This paper aims to study the applicability of CFD in the preliminary design of linear and nonlinear fluid viscous dampers.Two fluid viscous dampers were designed based on CFD models.The first device was a linear viscous damper with straight orifices.The second was a nonlinear viscous damper containing a one-way pressure-responsive valve inside its orifices.Both dampers were detailed based on CFD simulations,and their internal fluid flows were investigated.Full-scale specimens of both dampers were manufactured and tested under dynamic loads.According to the tests results,both dampers demonstrate stable cyclic behaviors,and as expected,the nonlinear damper generally tends to dissipate more energy compared to its linear counterpart.Good compatibility was achieved between the experimentally measured damper force-velocity curves and those estimated from CFD analyses.Using a thermography camera,a rise in temperature of the dampers was measured during the tests.It was found that output force of the manufactured devices was virtually independent of temperature even during long duration loadings.Accordingly,temperature dependence can be ignored in CFD models,because a reliable temperature compensator mechanism was used(or intended to be used)by the damper manufacturer.

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.

A simplified approach to modelling blasts in computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

This paper presents a time-efficient numerical approach to modelling high explosive(HE)blastwave propagation using Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD).One of the main issues of using conventional CFD modelling in high explosive simulations is the ability to accurately define the initial blastwave properties that arise from the ignition and consequent explosion.Specialised codes often employ Jones-Wilkins-Lee(JWL)or similar equation of state(EOS)to simulate blasts.However,most available CFD codes are limited in terms of EOS modelling.They are restrictive to the Ideal Gas Law(IGL)for compressible flows,which is generally unsuitable for blast simulations.To this end,this paper presents a numerical approach to simulate blastwave propagation for any generic CFD code using the IGL EOS.A new method known as the Input Cavity Method(ICM)is defined where input conditions of the high explosives are given in the form of pressure,velocity and temperature time-history curves.These time history curves are input at a certain distance from the centre of the charge.It is shown that the ICM numerical method can accurately predict over-pressure and impulse time history at measured locations for the incident,reflective and complex multiple reflection scenarios with high numerical accuracy compared to experimental measurements.The ICM is compared to the Pressure Bubble Method(PBM),a common approach to replicating initial conditions for a high explosive in Finite Volume modelling.It is shown that the ICM outperforms the PBM on multiple fronts,such as peak values and overall overpressure curve shape.Finally,the paper also presents the importance of choosing an appropriate solver between the Pressure Based Solver(PBS)and Density-Based Solver(DBS)and provides the advantages and disadvantages of either choice.In general,it is shown that the PBS can resolve and capture the interactions of blastwaves to a higher degree of resolution than the DBS.This is achieved at a much higher computational cost,showing that the DBS is much preferred for quick turnarounds.

Preliminary Evaluation of Hemodynamic Effects of Fontan Palliation on Renal Artery Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:The assessment of renal function is important to the prognosis of patients needing Fontan palliation due to the reconstructed compromised circulation.To know the relationship between the kidney perfusion and hemodynamic characteristics during surgical design could reduce the risk of acute kidney injury(AKI)and the postoperative complications.However,the issue is still unsolved because the current clinical evaluation methods are unable to predict the hemodynamic changes in renal artery(RA).Methods:We reconstructed a three-dimensional(3D)vascular model of a patient requiring Fontan palliation.The technique of computational fluid dynamics(CFD)was utilized to explore the changes of RA hemodynamics under different possible blood flow rates.The relationship between the kidney perfusion and hemodynamic characteristics was investigated.Results:The calculated results indicated the declined tendency of the pressure and pressure drop as the flow rate decreased.When the flow rate decreased to two-thirds of its baseline,both the pressure of left renal artery(LRA)and the pressure of right renal artery(RRA)dipped below 50%,and the pressure of RRA fell more quickly than that of LRA.Uneven distribution of WSS was observed on the trunk of RA,and the lowest WSS was found at the distal of RA.The average WSS in RA dropped to around 50%as the flow rate reached one-third of its baseline.Conclusions:As a promising approach,CFD can be utilized to quantitatively evaluate the hemodynamic characteristics of RA and contribute to offsetting the drawbacks of clinical assessments of renal function,to help realize better prognosis for the patients with Fontan palliation.

Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Fluid Structure Interaction Techniques for Calculating the 3D Transient Flow of Journal Bearings Coupled with Rotor Systems

Journal bearings are important parts to keep the high dynamic performance of rotor machinery. Some methods have already been proposed to analysis the flow field of journal bearings, and in most of these methods simplified physical model and classic Reynolds equation are always applied. While the application of the general computational fluid dynamics （CFD）-fluid structure interaction （FSI） techniques is more beneficial for analysis of the fluid field in a journal bearing when more detailed solutions are needed. This paper deals with the quasi-coupling calculation of transient fluid dynamics of oil film in journal bearings and rotor dynamics with CFD-FSI techniques. The fluid dynamics of oil film is calculated by applying the so-called ＂dynamic mesh＂ technique. A new mesh movement approacb is presented while the dynamic mesh models provided by FLUENT are not suitable for the transient oil flow in journal bearings. The proposed mesh movement approach is based on the structured mesh. When the joumal moves, the movement distance of every grid in the flow field of bearing can be calculated, and then the update of the volume mesh can be handled automatically by user defined function （UDF）. The journal displacement at each time step is obtained by solving the moving equations of the rotor-bearing system under the known oil film force condition. A case study is carried out to calculate the locus of the journal center and pressure distribution of the journal in order to prove the feasibility of this method. The calculating results indicate that the proposed method can predict the transient flow field of a journal bearing in a rotor-bearing system where more realistic models are involved. The presented calculation method provides a basis for studying the nonlinear dynamic behavior of a general rotor-bearing system.

Application of computational fluid dynamic to model the hydraulic performance of subsurface flow wetlands

A subsurface flow wetland(SSFW)was simulated using a commercial computational fluid dynamic(CFD)code.The constructed media was simulated using porous media and the liquid resident time distribution(RTD)in the SSFW was obtained using the particle trajectory model.The effect of wetland configuration and operating conditions on the hydraulic performance of the SSFW were investigated.The results indicated that the hydraulic performance of the SSFW was predominantly affected by the wetland configuration.The hydr...

Flow Ripple of Axial Piston Pump with Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation Using Compressible Hydraulic Oil

The flow ripple, which is the source of noise in an axial piston pump, is widely studied today with the computational fluid dynamic（CFD） technology development. In the traditional CFD modeling, the fluid compressibility, which strongly influences the accuracy of the flow ripple simulation results, is often neglected. So a compressible sub-model was added with user defined function（UDF） in the CFD model to predict the flow ripple. At the same time, a test rig of flow ripple was built to study the validity of simulation. The flow ripple of pump was tested with different working parameters, including the rotation speed and the working pressure. The comparisons with experimental results show that the validity of the CFD model with compressible hydraulic oil is acceptable in analyzing the flow tipple characteristics. In this paper, the improved CFD model increases the accuracy of flow ripple rate to about one-magnitude order. Therefore, the compressible model of hydraulic oil is necessary in the flow ripple investigation of CFD simulation. The compressibility of hydraulic oil has significant effect on flow ripple, and the compression ripple takes about 88% of the total flow ripple of pump. Leakage ripple has the lowest proportion of about 4%, and geometrical ripple leakage ripple takes the remnant 8%. Besides, the influence of working parameters was investigated through the CFD simulations and experimental measurements. Comparison results show that the amplitude of flow ripple grows with the increasing of rotation speed and working pressure, and the flow ripple rate is independent of the rotation speed. However, flow ripple rate of piston pump grows with the increasing of working pressure, because the leakage ripple will increase with the pressure growing. The investigation on flow ripple of an axial piston pump using compressible hydraulic oil provides a more validity simulation model for the CFD analyzing and is beneficial to further understanding of the flow ripple characteristics in an axial piston pump.

Urban Green Space Planning Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Model and Landscape Ecology Principle:A Case Study of Liaoyang City,Northeast China

As a result of environmental degradation,urban green space has become a key issue for urban sustainable development.This paper takes Liaoyang City in Northeast China as an example to develop green space planning using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model,landscape ecological principles and Geographical Information System (GIS).Based on the influencing factors of topography,building density and orientation,Shou Mountain,Longding Mountain and the Taizi River were selected as the urban ventilation paths to promote wind and oxygen circulation.Oxygen concentration around the green spaces gradually decreased with wind speed increase and wind direction change.There were obvious negative correlation relationships between the oxygen dispersion concentration and urban layout factors such as the building plot ratio and building density.Comparison with the field measurements found that there was significant correlation relationship between simulated oxygen concentration and field measurements (R 2=0.6415,p<0.001),moreover,simulation precision was higher than 92%,which indicated CFD model was effective for urban oxygen concentration simulation.Only less than 10% areas in Liaoyang City proper needed more green space urgently to improve oxygen concentration,mainly concentrated in Baitai and west Wensheng districts.Based on land-scape ecology principle,green space planning at different spatial scales were proposed to create a green space network system for Liaoyang City,including features such as green wedges,green belts and parks.Totally,about 2012 ha of green space need to be constructed as oxygen sources and ventilation paths.Compared with the current green space pattern,proposed green space planning could improve oxygen concentration obviously.The CFD model and research results in this paper could provide an effective way and theory support for sustainable development of urban green space.

Calculation of Metzner Constant for Double Helical Ribbon Impeller by Computational Fluid Dynamic Method

Using the multiple reference frames （MRF） impeller method, the three-dimensional non-Newtonian flow field generated by a double helical ribbon （DHR） impeller has been simulated. The velocity field calculated by the numerical simulation was similar to the previous studies and the power constant agreed well with the experimental data. Three computational fluid dynamic （CFD） methods, labeled Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ, were used to compute the Metzuer constant k5. The results showed that the calculated value from the slop method （method Ⅰ） was consistent with the experimental data. Method Ⅱ, which took the maximal circumference-average shear rate around the impeller as the effective shear rate to compute ks, also showed good agreement with the experiment. However, both methods suffer from the complexity of calculation procedures. A new method （method Ⅲ） was devised in this paper to use the area-weighted average viscosity around the impeller as the effective viscosity for calculating k5. Method Ⅲ showed both good accuracy and ease of use.

Simulation and Analysis on the Two-Phase Flow Fields in a Rotating-Stream-Tray Absorber by Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

The flow field of gas and liquid in a φ150mm rotating-stream-tray (RST) scrubber is simulated by using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method. The sismulation is based on the two-equation RNG κ-ε turbulence model, Eulerian multiphase model, and a real-shape 3D model with a huge number of meshes. The simulation results include detailed information about velocity, pressure, volume fraction and so on. Some features of the flow field are obtained: liquid is atomized in a thin annular zone; a high velocity air zone prevents water drops at the bottom from flying towards the wall; the pressure varies sharply at the end of blades and so on. The results will be helpful for structure optimization and engineering design.

A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis of an Undulatory Mechanical Fin Driven by Shape Memory Alloy

Many fishes use undulatory fin to propel themselves in the underwater environment. These locomotor mechanisms have a popular interest to many researchers. In the present study, we perform a three-dimensional unsteady computation of an undulatory mechanical fin that is driven by Shape Memory Alloy （SMA）. The objective of the computation is to investigate the fluid dynamics of force production associated with the undulatory mechanical fin. An unstructured, grid-based, unsteady Navier-Stokes solver with automatic adaptive remeshing is used to compute the unsteady flow around the fin through five complete cycles. The pressure distribution on fin surface is computed and integrated to provide fin forces which are decomposed into lift and thrust. The velocity field is also computed throughout the swimming cycle. Finally, a comparison is conducted to reveal the dynamics of force generation according to the kinematic parameters of the undulatory fin （amplitude, frequency and wavelength）.

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS(CFD) SIMULATIONS OF DRAG REDUCTION WITH PERIODIC MICRO-STRUCTURED WALL

Computational fluid dynamics（CFD） simulations are adopted to investigate rectangular microchannel flows with various periodic micro-structured wall by introducing velocity slip boundary condition at low Reynolds number. The purpose of the current study is to numerically find out the effects of periodic micro-structured wall on the flow resistance in rectangular microchannel with the different spacings between microridges ranging from 15 to 60 pm. The simulative results indicate that pressure drop with different spacing between microridges increases linearly with flow velocity and decreases monotonically with slip velocity; Pressure drop reduction also increases with the spacing between microridges at the same condition of slip velocity and flow velocity. The results of numerical simulation are compared with theoretical predictions and experimental results in the literatures. It is found that there is qualitative agreement between them.

Computational fluid dynamics evaluation of the effect of different city designs on the wind environment of a downwind natural heritage site

Disturbance in wind regime and sand erosion deposition balance may lead to burial and eventual vanishing of a site.This study conducted 3D computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations to evaluate the effect of a proposed city design on the wind environment of the Crescent Spring,a downwind natural heritage site located in Dunhuang,Northwestern China.Satellite terrain data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer(ASTER)Digital Elevation Model(DEM)were used to construct the solid surface model.Steady-state Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations(RANS)with shear stress transport(SST)k-ωturbulence model were then applied to solve the flow field problems.Land-use changes were modeled implicitly by dividing the underlying surface into different areas and by applying corresponding aerodynamic roughness lengths.Simulations were performed by using cases with different city areas and building heights.Results show that the selected model could capture the surface roughness changes and could adjust wind profile over a large area.Wind profiles varied over the greenfield to the north and over the Gobi land to the east of the spring.Therefore,different wind speed reduction effects were observed from various city construction scenarios.The current city design would lead to about 2 m/s of wind speed reduction at the downwind city edge and about 1 m/s of wind speed reduction at the north of the spring at 35-m height.Reducing the city height in the north greenfield area could efficiently eliminate the negative effects of wind spee.By contrast,restricting the city area worked better in the eastern Gobi area compared with other parts of the study area.Wind speed reduction in areas near the spring could be limited to 0.1 m/s by combining these two abatement strategies.The CFD method could be applied to simulate the wind environment affected by other land-use changes over a large terrain.

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.

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.

Computational fluid dynamic simulation of gas-liquid flow in rotating packed bed:A review

The rotating packed bed(RPB)has been widely used in gas-liquid flow systems as a process intensification device,exhibiting excellent mass transfer enhancement characteristics.However,the complex internal structure and the high-speed rotation of the rotor in RPB bring significant challenges to study the intensification mechanism by experiment methods.In the past two decades,Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)has been gradually applied to simulate the hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in RPB and instruct the reactor design.This article covers the development of the CFD simulation of gasliquid flow in RPB.Firstly,the improvement of the simulation method in the aspect of mathematical models,geometric models,and solving methods is introduced.Secondly,new progress of CFD simulation about hydrodynamic and mass transfer characteristics in RPB is reviewed,including pressure drop,velocity distribution,flow pattern,and concentration distribution,etc.Some new phenomena such as the end effect area with the maximum turbulent have been revealed by this works.In addition,the exploration of developing new reactor structures by CFD simulation is introduced and it is proved that such new structures are competitive to different applications.The defects of current research and future development directions are also discussed at last.

Characterization of the Engineering Flow in a Miniaturised Bioreactor by Computational Fluid Dynamics

Three approaches based on computational fluid dynamics(CFD) techniques have been assessed for their ability to describe the engineering flow environment in a miniaturized mechanically agitated bioreactor. The three approaches tested were the source-sink(SS), the multiple reference frames(MRF) and the sliding grids(SG). In all the cases, the predictions of the velocity components agree with reported experimental data. However, the analysis of the results of the turbulent intensities predicted by the three approaches indicates the MRF and the SG techniques under predicted turbulent intensities are comparable to both experimental measurements and the SS method. The predicted power number and pumping number based on the SS approach are closer to typical reported experimental values compared to those obtained from the MRF and SG methods.

Application of computational fluid dynamics simulation for submarine oil spill

Computational fluid dynamics （CFD） codes are being increasingly used in the simulation of submarine oil spills. This study focuses on the process of oil spills, from damaged submarine pipes, to the sea surface, using numerical models. The underwater oil spill model is developed, and a description of the governing equations is proposed, along with modifications required for the particalization of the control volume. Available experimental data were introduced to evaluate the validity of the CFD predictions, the results of which proved to be in good agreement with the experimental data. The effects of oil leak rate, leak diameter, current velocity, and oil density are investigated, by the validated CFD model, to estimate the undersea leakage time, the lateral migration distance, and surface diffusion range when the oil reaches the sea surface. Results indicate that the leakage time and lateral migration distance increase with decreasing leak rates and leak diameter, and increase with increasing current velocity and oil density. On the other hand, a large leak diameter, high density, high leak rate, or fast currents result in a greater surface diffusion range. The findings and analysis presented here will provide practical predictions of oil spills, and guidance for emergency rescues.