Planning of a Single Flow Channel in Valve Blocks Based on Additive Manufacturing and the Ant Colony Algorithm

As electro-hydrostatic actuator(EHA)technology advances towards lightweight and integration,the demand for enhanced internal flow pathways in hydraulic valve blocks intensifies.However,owing to the constraints imposed by traditional manufacturing processes,conventional hydraulic integrated valve blocks fail to satisfy the demands of a more compact channel layout and lower energy dissipation.Notably,the subjectivity in the arrangement of internal passages results in a time-consuming and labor-intensive process.This study employed additive manufacturing technology and the ant colony algorithm and B-spline curves for the meticulous design of internal passages within an aviation EHA valve block.The layout environment for the valve block passages was established,and path optimization was achieved using the ant colony algorithm,complemented by smoothing using B-spline curves.Three-dimensional modeling was performed using SolidWorks software,revealing a 10.03%reduction in volume for the optimized passages compared with the original passages.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations were performed using Fluent software,demonstrating that the algorithmically optimized passages effectively prevented the occurrence of vortices at right-angled locations,exhibited superior flow characteristics,and concurrently reduced pressure losses by 34.09%-36.36%.The small discrepancy between the experimental and simulation results validated the efficacy of the ant colony algorithm and B-spline curves in optimizing the passage design,offering a viable solution for channel design in additive manufacturing.

Optimization Design of Hydraulic Valve Block and Its Internal Flow Channel Based on Additive Manufacturing

Hydraulic valve block is an important part of the hydraulic system.The traditional hydraulic valve block is made by turning and milling,drilling and boring,which leads to many right-angle bending and closed cavity structure of process holes in its internal flow channel,seriously affecting the flow performance of oil.Based on the new design space provided by additive manufacturing technology,the internal hydraulic flow channel of valve block is optimized by using B-spline curve.Computational fluid dynamics analysis is carried out on the hydraulic flow channel to determine the optimal flow channel structure with the smallest pressure drop.The weight reduction of hydraulic valve block is carried out through topology optimization.According to the results of topology optimization,using the method of selective laser melting(SLM),the printing of the hydraulic valve block is completed.The optimized hydraulic channel reduces the pressure loss by 31.4%compared with the traditional hydraulic channel.Compared with the traditional valve block,the hydraulic valve block manufactured by SLM with topology optimization reduces the weight by 33.9%.Therefore,the proposed flow channel optimization and valve block lightweight method provide a new reference for the performance improvement of the internal flow channel of hydraulic valve block and the overall lightweight design of valve block.

Laminar Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in Jackets of Triangular Flow Channels

Laminar flow and heat transfer characteristics of jacketed vessel with triangular flow channels were numerically studied under hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed conditions. Constant heat flux at theheated wall was assumed. The numerical program code interms of vorticity, stream function, axial velocity com ponent and energy equations was written based on a finite volume method. Based on the numerical results, the flow and temperature field were given, and the effects of Dean and Prandtl numbers on flow and heat transfer were ex amined, and the correlations of flow resistance and mean Nusselt number were developed for the jacket. The results show that the structure of secondary flow is steady two vortices in the investigated range of dimensionless curvatureratio and Reynolds number. Two peaks of local Nusselt number increase significantly with Prandtl and Dean num ber increasing, but the local Nusselt numbers near two ends and at the center of the heated wall increase only slightly. The center and two ends of heated wall are the poor positions for heat transfer in the jacket. Compared with the outer half coil jacket at the same area of heated wall, curvature radius, Reynolds number and Prandtl number, e jacket of triangular flow chmnel has lower flow resistance and less mean Nusselt number.

Analysis of ink flow channel between two rotating ink rollers

In order to research how the size of the ink flow channel is affected by the interaction of adjacent ink areas,according to the method of fluid-solid interaction,this paper analyzes the size of the ink flow channel of two ink rollers' rotation.Firstly,this paper simulates the situation of only one ink area.Secondly,this paper simulates the situation of five adjacent ink areas.Then,through comparing the simulation results of two above situations,it' s obvious that the interaction of adjacent ink areas has big effects on the ink pressure and the size of ink flow channel.At last,this paper gets the main factor that affects the size of ink flow channel in the different situations.

A Modified Methodology to Evaluate Viscosity of Non-Newtonian Liquid Foods with a Flow Channel Instrument

Through experimental analysis of the liquid flows in a flow channel instrument, prompt evaluation of the physically defined viscosity of non-Newtonian liquid foods was investigated for development into a structurally simple and easy-to-use viscometer. For Newtonian and non-Newtonian test liquids, a relation between the friction coefficient and Reynolds number, which was dimensionless as derived from an expression of analysis as a gravity current, indicated a condition under which the flow in the instrument was laminar and under which an average shear rate was on the order of less than 1 s~. Prediction organized based on this empirical relation reproduced practically the flow curve determined for the liquid foods using a rotor type viscometer. Utilization of the channel instrument as a viscometer was formulated in terms of physical meanings of measurements such as the flow length and elapsed time.

Main flow channel index in porous sand reservoirs and its application

Based on well test interpretation,production performance analysis,overburden permeability and porosity test,gas-water core flooding test and high-pressure mercury injection,a quantitative correlation has been built of in-situ effective permeability with routine permeability and water saturation,and the ranges of Main Flow Channel Index(MFCI)are determined for different permeability levels in porous sand gas reservoirs.A new method to evaluate the in-situ effective permeability of porous sand reservoir and a correlation chart of reserves producing degree and main flow channel index are established.The results reveal that the main flow channel index of porous sand gas reservoirs has close correlation with routine matrix permeability and water saturation.The lower the routine matrix permeability and the higher the water saturation,the lower the MFCI is.If the routine matrix permeability is greater than 5.0×10-3,the MFCI is generally greater than 0.5.When the routine matrix permeability is from 1.0×10-3 to 5.0×10-3,the MFCI is mainly between 0.2 and 0.5.When the routine matrix permeability is less than 1.0×10-3,the MFCI is less than 0.2.The evaluation method of in-situ effective permeability can be used to evaluate newly discovered or not tested porous sand gas reservoirs quickly and identify whether there is tight sand gas.The correlation chart of reserves producing degree and main flow channel index can provide basis for recoverable reserves evaluation and well infilling,and provide technical support for formulation of reasonable technical policy of gas reservoir.

Formation and evolution of gas flow channels in the abutment pressure area

The permeability of coal ahead of the working face obviously changes dues to changes in abutment pressure.The formation and evolution of gas flow channels within the abutment pressure area was studied by analyzing the fracture extension mechanism and fracture development in different zones of the abutment pressure area.Fracture and damage mechanics theory is used to understand the observations.The following two techniques were used to understand the evolution of gas flow channels:field observation of the characteristic fractures at different positions relative to the working face and fluorescence micrographs of prepared coal samples.Bending tensile fractures develop along an approximately vertical direction that forms a microscopic network of channels in areas of stress concentration.The abutment pressure affects the local stress and,hence,the local gas conduction.The fractures induced by large deformation and plastic flow form macroscopically networked channels in the reduced stress area.Closer to the working face the gas flow channels evolve from microscopic to macroscopic and from isolated to network.Gas permeability continuously increases during this time.This is corroborated by field observations of the displacement of top coal and the gas flow from gas extraction drillings.

Quantitative criteria for identifying main flow channels in complex porous media

To identify the type of main flow channels of complex porous media in oil and gas reservoirs,the"main flow channel index"is defined as the ratio of comprehensive permeability obtained from well test to matrix permeability obtained from core analysis or well logging.Meanwhile,a mathematical model is established based on equivalent flow assumption,the classification method for main flow channels is put forward,and quantitative characterization of main flow channels is realized.The method has been verified by analysis of typical gas reservoirs.The study results show that the"main flow channel index"can quantitatively classify types of flow channels.If the index is less than 3,the matrix pore is the main flow channel;if the index is between 3 and 20,the fracture is the main flow channel and the matrix pore acts as the supplement one;if the index is more than 20,the fracture is the only seepage channel.The dynamic analysis of typical gas reservoirs shows that the"main flow channel index"can be used to identify the type of flow channel in complex porous media,guiding the classified development of gas reservoirs,and avoiding development risk.

A comprehensive review of the modeling of transport phenomenon in the flow channels of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Reactant gas and liquid water transport phenomena in the flow channels are complex and critical to the performance and durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.The polymer membrane needs water at an optimum level for proton conductivity.Water management involves the prevention of dehydration,waterlogging,and the cell’s subsequent performance decline and degradation.This process requires the study and understanding of internal two-phase flows.Different experimental visualization techniques are used to study two-phase flows in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.However,the experiments have limitations in in situ measurements;they are also expensive and time exhaustive.In contrast,numerical modeling is cheaper and faster,providing insights into the complex multiscale processes occurring across the components of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.This paper introduces the recent design of flow channels.It reviews the numerical modeling techniques adopted for the transport phenomena therein:the two-fluid,multiphase mixture,volume of fluid,lattice Boltzmann,and pressure drop models.Furthermore,this work describes,compares,and analyses the models’approaches and reviews the representative results of some selected aspects.Finally,the paper summarizes the modeling perspectives,emphasizing future directions with some recommendations.

On the analytical solution of transient friction in channel flows

The transient friction in channel mean flows is the sum of two contributions,i.e.,the underlying laminar flow(ULF)and the purely turbulent component(PTC),and the contributions are analyzed separately by theoretical experiments.It is found that,the transient friction may be higher or remarkably lower than that in equal-Reynolds number steady-state flows.The universal time constant for plane-parallel laminar flows is reported,and the role of the time constant in a turbulent mean flow is examined.It is shown that the time constant is related to the turbulence's frozen time.Finally,a study of the logarithmic layer during the transient flow is accomplished,which shows that the logarithmic layer is destroyed.

Numerical Simulation of the Flow of a Molten Blast Furnace Slag in an Open Channel

Despite its industrial importance, the flow of molten blast furnace slag in open channels has not been sufficiently studied. In this work, the unsteady non-uniform flow of a molten blast furnace slag in a rectangular open channel is numerically studied by solving the Saint-Venant equations by means of an explicit backwards finite difference scheme. An Arrhenius-type dependence of the viscosity of the slag on temperature is assumed. To calculate that viscosity, four temperatures are considered, namely 1450˚C, 1500˚C, 1550˚C and 1600˚C. To study the dynamic response of the system, a half-sinusoidal pulse with duration of 5 s is imposed at the channel entrance. According to the numerical simulations, for all the temperatures considered, the slag flow in the channel for an angle of 5 degrees is supercritical in nature. However, for an angle of 1 degree, the flow is transcritical, that is, it presents a transition from subcritical to supercritical.

Numerical Study of a Three-Dimensional Laminar Flow in a Rectangular Channel with a 180-Degree Sharp Turn

This study presents a numerical analysis of three-dimensional steady laminar flow in a rectangular channel with a 180-degree sharp turn. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved by using finite difference method for Re = 900. Three-dimensional streamlines and limiting streamlines on wall surface are used to analyze the three-dimensional flow characteristics. Topological theory is applied to limiting streamlines on inner walls of the channel and two-dimensional streamlines at several cross sections. It is also shown that the flow impinges on the end wall of turn and the secondary flow is induced by the curvature in the sharp turn.

Numerical analysis of a magnetohydrodynamic duct flow with flow channel insert under a non-uniform magnetic field

This study performs a numerical analysis of three-dimensional liquid metal(LM) magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) flows in a square duct with an FCI in a non-uniform magnetic field. The current study predicts detailed information on flow velocity, Lorentz force, pressure, current and electric potential of MHD duct flows for different Hartmann numbers. Also, the effect of the electric conductivity of FCI on the pressure drop along the main flow direction in a non-uniform magnetic field is examined. The present study investigates the features of LM MHD flows in consideration of the interdependency among the flow variables.

Numerical Analysis of Flow-Induced Vibration and Noise Generation in a Variable Cross-Section Channel

Flow channels with a variable cross-section are important components of piping system and are widely used in variousfields of engineering.Using afinite element method and modal analysis theory,flow-induced noise,mode shapes,and structure-borne noise in such systems are investigated in this study.The results demonstrate that the maximum displacement and equivalent stress are located in the part with variable cross-sectional area.The aver-age excitation force on theflow channel wall increases with theflow velocity.The maximum excitation force occurs in the range of 0–20 Hz,and then it decreases gradually in the range of 20–1000 Hz.Additionally,as theflow velocity rises from 1 to 3 m/s,the overall sound pressure level associated with theflow-induced noise grows from 49.37 to 66.37 dB.Similarly,the overall sound pressure level associated with the structure-borne noise rises from 40.27 to 72.20 dB.When theflow velocity is increased,the increment of the structure-borne noise is higher than that of theflow-induced noise.

Orientation distribution of fibres in a channel flow of fibre suspension

The orientation and concentration distributions of fibres in laminar and turbulent channel flows are investigated numerically. The obtained results are in good agreement with the experimental data. In the laminar flow regime, more fibres orient to the flow direction as the Reynolds number increases. The shear rate of fluid around a fibre plays an important role in determining the orientation distribution of fibres, while the fibre density and the fibre aspect-ratio have marginal influence on the orientation distribution. In the turbulent regime, the orientation distribution of fibres becomes more homogeneous with the increase of Reynolds number, and the concentration profile is flatter than that in the laminar regime. The fluctuating intensity of fibre velocity in the downstream direction is larger than that in the lateral directions.

Experimental study on influence of boundary on location of maximum velocity in open channel flows

The velocity dip phenomenon may occur in a part of or in the whole flow field of open channel flows due to the secondary flow effect. Based on rectangular flume experiments and the laser Doppler velocimetry, the influence of the distance to the sidewall and the aspect ratio on the velocity dip is investigated. Through application of statistical methods to the experimental results, it is proposed that the flow field may be divided into two regions, the relatively strong sidewall region and the relatively weak sidewall region. In the former region, the distance to the sidewall greatly affects the location of maximum velocity, and, in the latter region, both the distance to the sidewall and the aspect ratio influence the location of the maximum velocity.

Electroosmotic oscillatory flow of micropolar fluid in microchannels:application to dynamics of blood flow in microfluidic devices

The electroosmotic flow of a micropolar fluid in a microchannel bounded by two parallel porous plates undergoing periodic vibration is studied. The equations for conservation of linear and angular momentums and Gauss＇s law of charge distribution are solved within the framework of the Debye-Hückel approximation. The fluid velocity and microrotation are assumed to depend linearly on the Reynolds number. The study shows that the amplitude of microrotation is highly sensitive to the changes in the magnitude of the suction velocity and the width of the microchannel. An increase in the micropolar parameter gives rise to a decrease in the amplitude of microrotation. Numerical estimates reveal that the microrotation of the suspended microelements in blood also plays an important role in controlling the electro-osmotically actuated flow dynamics in microbio-fluidic devices.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON TURBULENT FEATURES IN THE NEGATIVE TRANSPORT REGION OF ASYMMETRIC PLANE CHANNEL FLOW

Turbulent features of streamwise and vertical components of velocity in the negative transport region of asymmetric plane channel flow have been studied experimentally in details. Experiments show that turbulent fluctuations in negative transport region are suppressed, and their probability distributions are far from Gaussian. Besides, the skewness factors attain their negative maxima at the position of the maximum mean velocity, whereas the flatness factors attain their positive maxima at the same position.

On the structural features of fiber suspensions in converging channel flow

The structural features of fiber suspensions are dependent on the fiber alignment in the flows. In this work the orientation distribution function and orientation tensors for semi-concentrated fiber suspensions in converging channel flow were calculated, and the evolutions of the fiber alignment and the bulk effective vis-cosity were analyzed. The results showed that the bulk stress and the effective viscosity were functions of therate-of-strain tensor and the fiber orientation state ; and that the fiber suspensions evolved to steady alignment and tended to concentrate to some preferred directions close to but not same as the directions of local stream-lines. The bulk effective viscosity depended on the product of Reynolds number and time. The decrease of ef-fective viscosity near the boundary benefited the increase of the rate of flow. Finally when the fiber alignment went into steady state, the structural features of fiber suspensions were not dependent on the Reynolds numberbut on the converging channel angle.

Stability and Drag Reduction in Transient Channel Flow of Fibre Suspension

Drag reduction features in the transition regime of channel flow with fibre suspension were analyzed in terms of the linear stability theory. The modified stability equation was obtained based on the slender-body theory and natural closure approximation. Results of the stability analysis show attenuating effects of fibre additives to the flow instability. For the cases leading to transition, drag reduction rate increases with the characteristic parameter H of fibres. The mechanism of drag reduction by fibres is revealed through the variation of velocity profile and the decrease of wall shear stress. The theoretical results are qualitatively consistent with some typical experiments.