Feasibility study of symmetric solution of molecular argon flow inside microscale nozzles

The computational cost of numerical methods in microscopic-scales such as molecular dynamics(MD) is a deterrent factor that limits simulations with a large number of particles. Hence, it is desirable to decrease the computational cost and run time of simulations, especially for problems with a symmetrical domain. However, in microscopic-scales, implementation of symmetric boundary conditions is not straightforward. Previously, the present authors have successfully used a symmetry boundary condition to solve molecular flows in constant-area channels. The results obtained with this approach agree well with the benchmark cases. Therefore, it has provided us with a sound ground to further explore feasibility of applying symmetric solutions of micro-fluid flows in other geometries such as variable-area ducts. Molecular flows are solved for the whole domain with and without the symmetric boundary condition. Good agreement has been reached between the results of the symmetric solution and the whole domain solution. To investigate robustness of the proposed method, simulations are conducted for different values of affecting parameters including an external force, a flow density, and a domain length. The results indicate that the symmetric solution is also applicable to variable-area ducts such as micro-nozzles.

Reaction characteristics of magnesium production under argon flow by silicothermic reduction and numerical simulation of argon entrainment process

In this study, the reaction characteristics of reduction of calcined dolomite with ferrosilicon under argon flow to produce magnesium were studied by conducting experiments Pidgeon pellets were used to study the effect of reduced temperature, argon flow, and reduced time on the conversion of calcined dolomite reduction by ferrosilicon. The results show that the conversion significantly increases with the increase in the reduction temperature and reduction time. The conversion first increases and then decreases with the increase in argon flow. The highest conversion was obtained when the argon flow rate was 3 L·min^(-1), and a nearly spherical shape, nanoscale magnesium powder was obtained. Then the characters of the circulating argon entrainment process were numerically studied by ANSYS Fluent 17. A physical model of multilayer pellet arrangement was established, and a numerical calculation model of chemical reaction, radiation, heat conduction, and convection heat transfer was constructed. This confirms that high-temperature argon can effectively strengthen the heat exchange between pellets, improve the heat transfer efficiency, and facilitate the pellets to react quickly. When the conversion is 80%, the production efficiency increased by about 28.6%. In addition, the magnesium production efficiency showed an increase tendency with the increase of the argon inlet flow rate.

Modified Carbothermal Synthesis of TiC Whiskers

A new approach to the massive production of TiC whiskers with high purity and low cost was presented. It is a modified carbothermal reduction method （MCTR） characterized by argon stream flowing vertically and passing through the interior of the mixture of raw materials. It is found for the first time that there is an optimum flow of the upward flowing argon stream, at which large quantity of high quality TiC can be obtained. This paper described the new method, analyzed the mechanism and conditions for the formation of high purity TiC whiskers on a large scale, and compared MCTR with the traditional carbothermal reduction method （TCTR）. Based on the analysis and comparison, it is concluded that in order to produce high quality transition metal carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides with low cost TCTR must be replaced by MCTR.