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.

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.

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）.

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.

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.

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.

The influence of temperature on flow-induced forces on quartz-crystal-microbalance sensors in a Chinese liquor identification electronic-nose: three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation and analysis

An electronic-nose is developed based on eight quartz-crystal-microbalance (QCM) gas sensors in a sensor box, and is used to detect Chinese liquors at room temperature. Each sensor is a highly-accurate and highly-sensitive oscillator that has experienced airflow disturbances under the condition of varying room temperatures due to unstable flow-induced forces on the sensors surfaces. The three-dimensional (3D) nature of the airflow inside the sensor box and the interactions of the airflow on the sensors surfaces at different temperatures are studied by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. Higher simulation accuracy is achieved by optimizing meshes, meshing the computational domain using a fine unstructural tetrahedron mesh. An optimum temperature, 30 ℃, is obtained by analyzing the distributions of velocity streamlines and the static pressure, as well as the flow-induced forces over time, all of which may be used to improve the identification accuracy of the electronic-nose for achieving stable and repeatable signals by removing the influence of temperature.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of gas-liquid two phases flow in 320 m^3 air-blowing mechanical flotation cell using different turbulence models

According to the recently developed single-trough floating machine with the world's largest volume(inflatable mechanical agitation flotation machine with volume of 320 m3) in China, the gas-fluid two-phase flow in flotation cell was simulated using computational fluid dynamics method. It is shown that hexahedral mesh scheme is more suitable for the complex structure of the flotation cell than tetrahedral mesh scheme, and a mesh quality ranging from 0.7 to 1.0 is obtained. Comparative studies of the standard k-ε, k-ω and realizable k-ε turbulence models were carried out. It is indicated that the standard k-ε turbulence model could give a result relatively close to the practice and the liquid phase flow field is well characterized. In addition, two obvious recirculation zones are formed in the mixing zones, and the pressure on the rotor and stator is well characterized. Furthermore, the simulation results using improved standard k-ε turbulence model show that surface tension coefficient of 0.072, drag model of Grace and coefficient of 4, and lift coefficient of 0.001 can be achieved. The research results suggest that gas-fluid two-phase flow in large flotation cell can be well simulated using computational fluid dynamics method.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of a novel bioreactor forsophorolipid production

This paper describes three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations of gas–liquid flow in a novel laboratory-scale bioreactor contained dual ventilation-pipe and double sieve-plate bioreactor(DVDSB)used for sophorolipid(SL) production. To evaluate the role of hydrodynamics in reactor design, the comparisons between conventional fed-batch fermenter and DVDSB on the hydrodynamic behavior are predicted by the CFD methods. Important hydrodynamic parameters of the gas–liquid two-phase system such as the liquid phase velocity field, turbulent kinetic energy and volume-averaged overall and time-averaged local gas holdups were simulated and analyzed in detail. The numerical results were also validated by experimental measurements of overall gas holdups. The yield of sophorolipids was significantly improved to 484 g·L^(-1)with a 320 h fermentation period in the new reactor.

Computational simulation of fluid dynamics in a tubular stirred reactor

The flow and concentration fields in a new style tubular stirred reactor were simulated by simulating the fluids dynamics(CFD),in which FLUENT software was used and the standard k-ε model and multiple reference frame(MRF) were adopted. The various values of initial rotating speed and inlet flow rate were adopted. Simulations were validated with experimental residence time distribution(RTD) determination. It is shown that the fluid flow is very turbulent and the flow pattern approaches to the plug flow. The velocity increases from shaft to the end of impeller,and the gradient is enlarged by increasing the rotating speed. Comparison between RTD curves shows that agitation can improve the performance of reactor. As the flow rate increases,the mean residence time decreases proportionally,and the variance of RTD lessens as well. When rotating speed increases to a certain value,the variance of RTD is enlarged by increasing rotating speed,but the mean residence time has no obvious change.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of formaldehyde emission characteristics and its experimental validation in environment chamber

We investigated the effect of supply air rate and temperature on formaldehyde emission characteristics in an environment chamber.A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics(CFD) chamber model for simulating formaldehyde emission in twelve different cases was developed for obtaining formaldehyde concentration by the area-weighted average method.Laboratory experiments were conducted in an environment chamber to validate the simulation results of twelve different cases and the formaldehyde concentration was measured by continuous sampling.The results show that there was good agreement between the model prediction and the experimental values within 4.3 difference for each case.The CFD simulation results varied in the range from 0.21 mg/m3 to 0.94 mg/m3,and the measuring results in the range from 0.17 mg/m3 to 0.87 mg/m3.The variation trend of formaldehyde concentration with supply air rate and temperature variation for CFD simulation and experiment measuring was consistent.With the existence of steady formaldehyde emission sources,formaldehyde concentration generally increased with the increase of temperature,and it decreased with the increase of air supply rate.We also provided some reasonable suggestions to reduce formaldehyde concentration and to improve indoor air quality for newly decorated rooms.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of Hyperloop pod predicting laminar–turbulent transition

Three-dimensional compressible flow simulationswere conducted to develop a Hyperloop pod. Thenovelty is the usage of Gamma transition model, in whichthe transition from laminar to turbulent flow can be predicted.First, a mesh dependency study was undertaken,showing second-order convergence with respect to themesh refinement. Second, an aerodynamic analysis for twodesigns, short and optimized, was conducted with thetraveling speed 125 m/s at the system pressure 0.15 bar.The concept of the short model was to delay the transitionto decrease the frictional drag;meanwhile that of theoptimized design was to minimize the pressure drag bydecreasing the frontal area and introduce the transitionmore toward the front of the pod. The computed resultsshow that the transition of the short model occurred moreon the rear side due to the pod shape, which resulted in 8%smaller frictional drag coefficient than that for the optimizedmodel. The pressure drag for the optimized designwas 24% smaller than that for the short design, half ofwhich is due to the decrease in the frontal area, and theother half is due to the smoothed rear-end shape. The totaldrag for the optimized model was 14% smaller than that forthe short model. Finally, the influence of the systempressure was investigated. As the system pressure and theReynolds number increase, the frictional drag coefficientincreases, and the transition point moves toward the front,which are the typical phenomena observed in the transitionregime.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION BY COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON STIRRED BIOREACTOR WITH PUNCHED IMPELLER

Instantaneous flow field and temperature field of the two-phase fluid are measured by particle image velocimetry （PIV） and steady state method during the state of onflow. A turbulent two-phase fluid model of stirred bioreactor with punched impeller is established by the computational fluid dynamics （CFD）, using a rotating coordinate system and sliding mesh to describe the relative motion between impeller and baffles. The simulation and experiment results of flow and temperature field prove their warps are less than 10% and the mathematic model can well simulate the fields, which will also provide the study on optimized-design and scale-up of bioreactors with reference value.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Liquid-Phase FCC Diesel Hydrotreating in Tubular Reactor

The computational fluid dynamics(CFD) code, FLUENT, was used to simulate the liquid-phase FCC diesel hydrotreating tubular reactor with a ceramic membrane tube dispenser. The chemical reaction and reaction heat were added to the model by user-defined function(UDF), showing the distribution of temperature and content of sulfides, nitrides, bicyclic aromatics and monocyclic aromatics in different parts of the reaction bed. When the pressure was 6.5 MPa, the amount of mixing hydrogen was 0.84%(m), the space velocity was 2 h-1 and the inlet temperature was 633 K, the temperature reached a maximum at a height of 0.15 m, and the range of radial temperature reached its maximum(2.5 K) at a height of 0.15 m. It indicated that the proper ratio of height to diameter of catalyst bed in the tubular reactor was 5-6. The increase of inlet temperature, the mixing hydrogen and the decrease of space velocity led to the decrease in the content of bicyclic aromatics, sulfides and nitrides, and the increase in monocyclic aromatics content, while the high temperature increased. The results were in good agreement with experimental data, indicating to the high accuracy of the model.

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.

Numerical simulation of a direct internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell using computational fluid dynamics method

A detailed mathematical model of a direct internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell(DIR-SOFC) incorporating with simulation of chemical and physical processes in the fuel cell is presented. The model is developed based on the reforming and electrochemical reaction mechanisms,mass and energy conservation,and heat transfer. A computational fluid dynamics(CFD) method is used for solving the complicated multiple partial differential equations(PDEs) to obtain the numerical approximations. The resulting distributions of chemical species concentrations,temperature and current density in a cross-flow DIR-SOFC are given and analyzed in detail. Further,the influence between distributions of chemical species concentrations,temperature and current density during the simulation is illustrated and discussed. The heat and mass transfer,and the kinetics of reforming and electrochemical reactions have significant effects on the parameter distributions within the cell. The results show the particular characteristics of the DIR-SOFC among fuel cells,and can aid in stack design and control.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of gas dispersion in complex facilities using Kit Fox field experiments:Validation and statistical evaluation

Gas release and its dispersion is a major concern in chemical industries.In order to manage and mitigate the risk of gas dispersion and its consequences,it is necessary to predict gas dispersion behavior and its concentration at various locations upon emission.Therefore,models and commercial packages such as Phast and ALOHA have been developed.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)can be a useful tool to simulate gas dispersion in complex areas and conditions.The validation of the models requires the employment of the experimental data from filed and wind tunnel experiments.It appears that the use of the experimental data to validate the CFD method that only includes certain monitor points and not the entire domain can lead to unreliable results for the intended areas of concern.In this work,some of the trials of the Kit Fox field experiment,which provided a wide-range database for gas dispersion,were simulated by CFD.Various scenarios were considered with different mesh sizes,physical conditions,and types of release.The results of the simulations were surveyed in the whole domain.The data matching each scenario was varied by the influence of the dominant displacement force(wind or diffusivity).Furthermore,the statistical parameters suggested for the heavy gas dispersion showed a dependency on the lower band of gas concentration.Therefore,they should be used with precaution.Finally,the results and computation cost of the simulation could be affected by the chosen scenario,the location of the intended points,and the release type.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modelling to Estimate Fluvial Bank Erosion—A Case Study

River bank erosion models are an important prerequisite for understanding the development of river meanders and for estimating likely land-loss and potential danger to floodplain infrastructure. Although bank erosion models have been developed that consider large-scale mass failure, the contribution of fluvial erosion (the process of particle-by-particle erosion due to the shearing action of the river flow) to bank retreat has not received as much consideration. In principle, such fluvial bank erosion rates can be quantified using excess shear stress formulations, but in practice, it has proven difficult to estimate the parameters involved. In this study, a series of three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations for a meander loop on the River Asker (200 m long) at Bridport in southern England were undertaken to elucidate the overall flow structures and in particular to provide estimates of the applied fluid shear stress exerted on the riverbanks. The CFD models, which simulated relatively low and relatively high flow conditions, were established using Fluent 6.2 software. The modelling outcomes show that the key qualitative features of the flow endure even as flow discharge varies. At bank full, the degrees of velocity and simulated shear stresses within the inner bank separation zones are shown to be higher than those observed under low flow conditions, and that these elevated shear stresses may be sufficient to result in the removal of accumulated sediments into the main downstream flow.

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.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach to the Effect of Mixing and Draft Tube on the Precipitation of Barium Sulfate in a Continuous Stirred Tank

The effect of mixing on the precipitation of barium sulfate in a continuous stirred tank is simulated numerically with different feeding location, feed concentration, impeller speed and residence time through solving the standard momentum and mass transport equations in combination with the moment equations for crystal population balance. The numerical method was validated with the literature data. The simulation results including the distribution of the local supersaturation ratio distribution in the precipitator, mean crystal size and coefficient of variation under different operating conditions compared well with experimental data in the literature. The effect of the presence of a draft tube on precipitation were also investigated, and it is suggested that the installation of a draft tube increased the mean crystal size, in general agreement with experimental work in the literature.