Venous Doppler flow patterns,venous congestion,heart disease and renal dysfunction:A complex liaison

The World Journal of Cardiology published an article written by Kuwahara et al that we take the pleasure to comment on.We focused our attention on venous congestion.In intensive care settings,it is now widely accepted that venous congestion is an important clinical feature worthy of investigation.Evaluating venous Doppler profile abnormalities at multiple sites could suggest adequate treatment and monitor its efficacy.Renal dysfunction could trigger or worsen fluid overload in heart disease,and cardio-renal syndrome is a well-characterized spectrum of disorders describing the complex interactions between heart and kidney diseases.Fluid overload and venous congestion,including renal venous hypertension,are major determinants of acute and chronic renal dysfunction arising in heart disease.Organ congestion from venous hypertension could be involved in the development of organ injury in several clinical situations,such as critical diseases,congestive heart failure,and chronic kidney disease.Ultrasonography and abnormal Doppler flow patterns diagnose clinically significant systemic venous congestion.Cardiologists and nephrologists might use this valuable,noninvasive,bedside diagnostic tool to establish fluid status and guide clinical choices.

Pedestrian flow through exit:Study focused on evacuation pattern

Experiments are conducted on the evacuation rate of pedestrians through exits with queued evacuation pattern and random evacuation pattern. The experimental results show that the flow rate of pedestrians is larger with the random evacuation pattern than with the queued evacuation pattern. Therefore, the exit width calculated based on the minimum evacuation clear width for every 100 persons, which is on the assumption that the pedestrians pass through the exit in one queue or several queues, is conservative. The number of people crossing the exit simultaneously is greater in the random evacuation experiments than in the queued evacuation experiments, and the time interval between the front row and rear row of people is shortened in large-exit conditions when pedestrians evacuate randomly. The difference between the flow rate with a queued evacuation pattern and the flow rate with a random evacuation pattern is related to the surplus width of the exit, which is greater than the total width of all accommodated people streams. Two dimensionless quantities are defined to explore this relationship. It is found that the difference in flow rate between the two evacuation patterns is stable at a low level when the surplus width of the exit is no more than 45% of the width of a single pedestrian stream. There is a great difference between the flow rate with the queued evacuation pattern and the flow rate with the random evacuation pattern in a scenario with a larger surplus width of the exit. Meanwhile, the pedestrians crowd extraordinarily at the exit in these conditions as well, since the number of pedestrians who want to evacuate through exit simultaneously greatly exceeds the accommodated level. Therefore, the surplus width of exit should be limited especially in the narrow exit condition, and the relationship between the two dimensionless quantities mentioned above could provide the basis to some extent.

A New Device for Gas-Liquid Flow Measurements Relying on Forced Annular Flow

A new measurement device,consisting of swirling blades and capsule-shaped throttling elements,is proposed in this study to eliminate typical measurement errors caused by complex flow patterns in gas-liquid flow.The swirling blades are used to transform the complex flow pattern into a forced annular flow.Drawing on the research of existing blockage flow meters and also exploiting the single-phase flow measurement theory,a formula is introduced to measure the phase-separated flow of gas and liquid.The formula requires the pressure ratio,Lockhart-Martinelli number(L-M number),and the gas phase Froude number.The unknown parameters appearing in the formula are fitted through numerical simulation using computational fluid dynamics(CFD),which involves a comprehensive analysis of the flow field inside the device from multiple perspectives,and takes into account the influence of pressure fluctuations.Finally,the measurement model is validated through an experimental error analysis.The results demonstrate that the measurement error can be maintained within±8%for various flow patterns,including stratified flow,bubble flow,and wave flow.

Effects of channel wall wettability on gas-liquid dynamics mass transfer under Taylor flow in a serpentine microchannel

The wall wettability of microchannels plays an important role in the gas-liquid mass transfer dynamics under Taylor flow.In this study,we regulated the contact angle of the wall surface through surface chemical grafting polymerization under controlled experimental conditions.The dynamic changes of CO_(2)bubbles flowing along the microchannel were captured by a high-speed video camera mounted on a stereo microscope,whilst a unit cell model was employed to theoretically investigate the gas-liquid mass transfer dynamics.We quantitatively characterized the effects of wall wettability,specifically the contact angle,on the formation mechanism of gas bubbles and mass transfer process experimentally.The results revealed that the gas bubble velocity,the overall volumetric liquid phase mass transfer coefficients(kLa),and the specific interfacial area(a)all increased with the increase of the contact angle.Conversely,gas bubble length and leakage flow decreased.Furthermore,we proposed a new modified model to predict the gas-liquid two-phase mass transfer performance,based on van Baten’s and Yao’s models.Our proposed model was observed to agree reasonably well with experimental observations.

Experimental study on two-phase gas-liquid flow patterns at normal and reduced gravity conditions

Experimental studies have been performed for horizontal two-phase air-water flows at nor-mal and reduced gravity conditions in a square cross-section channel. The experiments at reducedgravity are conducted on board the Russian IL-76 reduced gravity airplane. Four flow patterns, namelybubble, slug, slug-annular transition and annular flows, are observed depending on the liquid and gassuperficial velocities at both conditions. Semi-theoretical Weber number model is developed to includethe shape influence on the slug-annular transition. It is shown that its prediction is in reasonable agree-ment with the experimental slug-annular transition under both conditions. For the case of two-phasegas-liquid flow with large value of the Froude number, the drift-flux model can predict well the observedboundary between bubble and slug flows.

Flow pattern and pressure drop of gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow in a horizontal pipe

The gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow can increase the gas-liquid two-phase contact area and enhance the heat and mass transfer efficiency between gas and liquid.The swirl flow has important practical application value for promoting gas hydrate formation and ensuring the flow safe of natural gas hydrate slurry.The experimental section was made of plexiglass pipe and the experimental medium was air and water.The flow pattern of the gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow in the horizontal pipe was divided,according to a high-definition camera and the overall characteristics of the gas-liquid interface.The flow pattern map of the gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow in a horizontal pipe was studied.The influence of the flow velocity and vane parameters on pressure drop was investigated.Two types of gas-liquid two-phase swirl flow pressure drop models was established.The homogeneous-phase and split-phase pressure drop models have good prediction on swirl bubble flow,swirl dispersed flow,swirl annular flow and swirl stratified flow,and the predictive error band is not more than 20%.

Numerical and experimental study on the falling film flow characteristics with the effect of co-current gas flow in hydrogen liquefaction process

Liquid hydrogen storage and transportation is an effective method for large-scale transportation and utilization of hydrogen energy. Revealing the flow mechanism of cryogenic working fluid is the key to optimize heat exchanger structure and hydrogen liquefaction process(LH2). The methods of cryogenic visualization experiment, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are conducted to study the falling film flow characteristics with the effect of co-current gas flow in LH2spiral wound heat exchanger.The results show that the flow rate of mixed refrigerant has a great influence on liquid film spreading process, falling film flow pattern and heat transfer performance. The liquid film of LH2mixed refrigerant with column flow pattern can not uniformly and completely cover the tube wall surface. As liquid flow rate increases, the falling film flow pattern evolves into sheet-column flow and sheet flow, and liquid film completely covers the surface of tube wall. With the increase of shear effect of gas-phase mixed refrigerant in the same direction, the liquid film gradually becomes unstable, and the flow pattern eventually evolves into a mist flow.

Multi-scale Chaotic Analysis of the Characteristics of Gas-Liquid Two-phase Flow Patterns

Using the high-speed camera the time sequences of the classical flow patterns of horizontal gas-liquid pipe flow are recorded, from which the average gray-scale values of single-frame images are extracted. Thus obtained gray-scale time series is decomposed by the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method, the various scales of the signals are processed by Hurst exponent method, and then the dual-fractal characteristics are obtained. The scattered bubble and the bubble cluster theories are applied to the evolution analysis of two-phase flow patterns. At the same time the various signals are checked in the chaotic recursion chart by which the two typical characteristics (diagonal average length and Shannon entropy) are obtained. Resulting term of these properties, the dynamic characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns are quantitatively analyzed. The results show that the evolution paths of gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns can be well characterized by the integrated analysis on the basis of the gray-scale time series of flowing images from EMD, Hurst exponents and Recurrence Plot (RP). In the middle frequency section (2nd, 3rd, 4th scales), three flow patterns decomposed by the EMD exhibit dual fractal characteristics which represent the dynamic features of bubble cluster, single bubble, slug bubble and scattered bubble. According to the change of diagonal average lengths and recursive Shannon entropy characteristic value, the structure deterministic of the slug flow is better than the other two patterns. After the decomposition by EMD the slug flow and the mist flow in the high frequency section have obvious peaks. Anyway, it is an effective way to understand and characterize the dynamic characteristics of two-phase flow patterns using the multi-scale non-linear analysis method based on image gray-scale fluctuation signals.

Numerical simulation study on multiphase flow pattern of hydrate slurry

The research on the multiphase flow characteristics of hydrate slurry is the key to implementing the risk prevention and control technology of hydrate slurry in deep-water oil and gas mixed transportation system.This paper established a geometric model based on the high-pressure hydrate slurry experimental loop.The model was used to carry out simulation research on the flow characteristics of gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow.The specific research is as follows:Firstly,the effects of factors such as slurry flow velocity,hydrate particle density,hydrate particle size,and hydrate volume fraction on the stratified smooth flow were specifically studied.Orthogonal test obtained particle size has the most influence on the particle concentration distribution.The slurry flow velocity is gradually increased based on stratified smooth flow.Various flow patterns were observed and their characteristics were analyzed.Secondly,increasing the slurry velocity to 2 m/s could achieve the slurry flow pattern of partial hydrate in the pipeline transition from stratified smooth flow to wavy flow.When the flow rate increases to 3 m/s,a violent wave forms throughout the entire loop.Based on wave flow,as the velocity increased to 4 m/s,and the flow pattern changed to slug flow.When the particle concentration was below 10%,the increase of the concentration would aggravate the slug flow trend;if the particle concentration was above 10%,the increase of the concentration would weaken the slug flow trend,the increase of particle density and liquid viscosity would weaken the tendency of slug flow.The relationship between the pressure drop gradients of several different flow patterns is:slug flow>wave flow>stratified smooth flow.

Liquid-liquid two-phase flow in a wire-embedded concentric microchannel: Flow pattern and mass transfer performance

In this work, flow pattern and mass transfer of liquid-liquid two-phase flow in a wire-embedded concentric microchannel are studied using toluene-water system. Droplet flow, slug flow, oval flow and annular flow are observed in the wire-embedded concentric microchannel. The effects of embedded wires and physical properties on flow patterns are investigated. The embedded wire insert is conducive to the formation of annular flow. The flow pattern distribution regions are distinguished by the Caaq(capillary number)±We_(org)(Weber number) flow pattern map. When Weorg<0.001, slug flow is the main flow pattern, and when Weorg>0.1, annular flow is the main flow pattern. Oval flow and droplet flow are between We_(org)= 0.001-0.1, and oval flow is transformed into droplet flow with the increase of Caaq. The effect of flow rate, phase ratio, initial acetic acid concentration, insert shape and flow patterns on mass transfers are studied. Mass transfer process is enhanced under annular flow conditions, the volumetric mass transfer coefficient is up to 0.36 s^(-1) because of the high interfacial area and interface renewal rate of annular flow.

Effects of tube cross-sectional shapes on flow pattern, liquid film and heat transfer of n-pentane across tube bundles

The heat transfer of hydrocarbon refrigerant across tube bundles have been widely used in refrigeration.Three-dimensional simulation model using volume of fluid(VOF) was presented to study the effects of tube shapes on flow pattern, film thickness and heat transfer of n-pentane across tube bundles, including circle, ellipse-shaped, egg-shaped and cam-shaped tube bundles. Simulation results agree well with experimental data in the literature. The liquid film thickness of sheet flow and heat transfer for different tube shapes were obtained numerically. The flow pattern transition occurs lower vapor quality for ellipse-shaped tube than other tube shapes. For sheet flow, the liquid film on circle tube and ellipseshaped tube is symmetrically distributed along the circumferential direction. However, the liquid film on egg-shaped tube at circumferential angles(θ) = 15°–60° is thicker than θ = 135°–165°. The liquid film on cam tube at θ = 15°–60° is slightly thinner than θ = 135°–165°. The liquid film thickness varies from thinner to thicker for ellipse-shaped, cam-shaped, egg-shape and circle within θ = 15°–60°. The effect of tube shape is insignificant on thin liquid film thickness. Ellipse-shaped tube has largest heat transfer coefficient for sheet flow. In practical engineering, the tube shape could be designed as ellipse to promote heat transfer.

Evaluation of frictional pressure drop correlations for air-water and air-oil two-phase flow in pipeline-riser system

Accurate prediction of the frictional pressure drop is important for the design and operation of subsea oil and gas transporting system considering the length of the pipeline. The applicability of the correlations to pipeline-riser flow needs evaluation since the flow condition in pipeline-riser is quite different from the original data where they were derived from. In the present study, a comprehensive evaluation of 24prevailing correlation in predicting frictional pressure drop is carried out based on experimentally measured data of air-water and air-oil two-phase flows in pipeline-riser. Experiments are performed in a system having different configuration of pipeline-riser with the inclination of the downcomer varied from-2°to-5°to investigated the effect of the elbow on the frictional pressure drop in the riser. The inlet gas velocity ranges from 0.03 to 6.2 m/s, and liquid velocity varies from 0.02 to 1.3 m/s. A total of885 experimental data points including 782 on air-water flows and 103 on air-oil flows are obtained and used to access the prediction ability of the correlations. Comparison of the predicted results with the measured data indicate that a majority of the investigated correlations under-predict the pressure drop on severe slugging. The result of this study highlights the requirement of new method considering the effect of pipe layout on the frictional pressure drop.

A Novel Method for Determining the Void Fraction in Gas-Liquid Multi-Phase Systems Using a Dynamic Conductivity Probe

Conventional conductivity methods for measuring the void fraction in gas-liquid multiphase systems are typically affected by accuracy problems due to the presence of fluid flow and salinity.This study presents a novel approach for determining the void fraction based on a reciprocating dynamic conductivity probe used to measure the liquid film thickness under forced annular-flow conditions.The measurement system comprises a cyclone,a conductivity probe,a probe reciprocating device,and a data acquisition and processing system.This method ensures that the flow pattern is adjusted to a forced annular flow,thereby minimizing the influence of complex and variable gas-liquid flow patterns on the measurement results;Moreover,it determines the liquid film thickness solely according to circuit connectivity rather than specific conductivity values,thereby mitigating the impact of salinity.The reliability of the measurement system is demonstrated through laboratory experiments.The experimental results indicate that,in a range of gas phase superficial velocities 5–20 m/s and liquid phase superficial velocities 0.079–0.48 m/s,the maximum measurement deviation for the void fraction is 4.23%.

A Numerical Study on the Effect of the Backflow Hole Position on the Performances of a Self-Priming Pump

A self-priming pump is a centrifugal pump that has the ability to prime itself. Typically, its performance dependson the configuration of its reflux hole. In this study, the ANSYS FLUENT software is used to investigate the effectsof three different radial positions of the reflux hole on gas-liquid two-phase distribution, pressure pulsation, andimp during self-priming. The research results indicate that: (1) The effective channel size for the reflux liquid toenter the volute varies depending on the location of the reflux hole. The effect of the impeller rotation on thereflux liquid becomes more obvious as the setting distance of the reflux aperture decreases. (2) The position ofthe reflux hole significantly affects the gas phase mass fraction inside the impeller, resulting in a significant reductionin the time it takes for the mass fraction to exceed 80%. (3) The position of the reflux hole significantly affectsthe average pressure on each monitoring surface. (4) Placing the reflux hole at a excessively distant radial distancecan result in an excessive vertical component. (5) The self-priming performance of the pump can be improved tosome extent by placing the return hole at a small radial distance.

Surface crack evolution patterns in freeze-thaw damage of fissured rock bodies

To explore the effects of freeze‒thaw cycles on the mechanical properties and crack evolution of fissured sandstone,biaxial compression experiments were carried out on sandstone subjected to freeze‒thaw cycles to characterize the changes in the physical and mechanical properties of fissured sandstone caused by freeze‒thaw cycles.The crack evolution and crack change process on the surface of the fissured sandstone were recorded and analysed in detail via digital image technology(DIC).Numerical simulation was used to reveal the expansion process and damage mode of fine-scale cracks under the action of freeze‒thaw cycles,and the simulation results were compared and analysed with the experimental data to verify the reliability of the numerical model.The results show that the mass loss,porosity,peak stress and elastic modulus all increase with increasing number of freeze‒thaw cycles.With an increase in the number of freeze‒thaw cycles,a substantial change in displacement occurs around the prefabricated cracks,and a stress concentration appears at the crack tip.As new cracks continue to sprout at the tips of the prefabricated cracks until the microcracks gradually penetrate into the main cracks,the displacement cloud becomes obviously discontinuous,and the contours of the displacement field in the crack fracture damage area simply intersect with the prefabricated cracks to form an obvious fracture.The damage patterns of the fractured sandstone after freeze‒thaw cycles clearly differ,forming a symmetrical"L"-shaped damage pattern at zero freeze‒thaw cycles,a symmetrical"V"-shaped damage pattern at 10 freeze‒thaw cycles,and a"V"-shaped damage pattern at 20 freeze‒thaw cycles.After 20 freeze‒thaw cycles,a"V"-shaped destruction pattern and"L"-shaped destruction pattern are formed;after 30 freeze‒thaw cycles,an"N"-shaped destruction pattern is formed.This shows that the failure mode of fractured sandstone gradually becomes more complicated with an increasing number of freeze‒thaw cycles.The effects of freeze‒thaw cycles on the direction and rate of crack propagation are revealed through a temperature‒load coupled model,which provides an important reference for an in-depth understanding of the freeze‒thaw failure mechanisms of fractured rock masses.

Impact of water table on hierarchically nested groundwater flow system

Water table configuration gives rise to hierarchically nested groundwater flow systems.However,there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the controlling factors of water table and its impact on flow systems.Moreover,it remains challenging to identify characteristics of water table space variation through limited groundwater observations at the regional scale.Based on two ideal two-dimensional cross-section analytical models,this study presents a simplified approach to preliminarily assess the nonlinear interactions between water table variation and three driving factors:Topography,geol-ogy and climate.Two criteria,C1 and C2,are utilized to address issues at different scales ranging from basin to local:(i)the influence of various factors on water table configuration;and(ii)the influence of water table on groundwater flow pattern.Then,the Ordos Plateau is taken as an example to explore the role of the water table in nested groundwater systems using the provided approach and criterion.The applica-tion of this approach in the Ordos Plateau demonstrates its appropriateness as a practical method for prelim-inarily determining the characteristics of water table configuration and its impact on flow systems.The study explores the mechanism influencing spatial variation in the water table and improves understanding of the interaction between topography,geology,and climate on groundwater flow patterns.

Optimization of water-urban-agricultural-ecological land use pattern:A case study of Guanzhong Basin in the southern Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province,China

Extensive land use will cause many environmental problems.It is an urgent task to improve land use efficiency and optimize land use patterns.In recent years,due to the flow decrease,the Guanzhong Basin in Shaanxi Province is confronted with the problem of insufficient water resources reserve.Based on the Coupled Ground-Water and Surface-Water Flow Model(GSFLOW),this paper evaluates the response of water resources in the basin to changes in land use patterns,optimizes the land use pattern,improves the ecological and economic benefits,and the efficiency of various spatial development,providing a reference for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.The research shows that the land use pattern in the Guanzhong Basin should be further optimized.Under the condition of considering ecological and economic development,the percentage change of the optimum area of farmland,forest,grassland,water area,and urban area compared with the current land use area ratio is+2.3,+2.4,-6.1,+0.2,and+1.6,respectively.The economic and ecological value of land increases by14.1%and 3.1%,respectively,and the number of water resources can increase by 2.5%.

Interfacial wave patterns and their transitions in gas-liquid two-phase flow through horizontal ducts

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Numerical Simulation of Gas-Liquid Flow in a Stirred Tank with a Rushton Impeller

The gas-liquid flow field in a stirred tank with a Rushton diskturbine, including the impeller region, was numerically simulatedusing the improved inner-outer iterative procedure. Thecharacteristic features of the stirred tank, such as gas cavity andaccumulation of gas at the two sides of wall baffles, can be capturedby the simulation. The simulated results agree well with availableexperimental data. Since the improved inner-outer iterative algorithmdemands on empirical formula and experimental data for the impellerregion, and the approach seems generally applicable for simulatinggas-liquid stirred tanks.

CFD study on double-to single-loop flow pattern transition and its influence on macro mixing efficiency in fully baffled tank stirred by a Rushton turbine

For a fully baffled tank stirred by a Rushton turbine (RT), the flow pattern will change from double- to single-loop as the off bottom clearance (C) of the RT decreases from one third of the tank diameter. Such a flow pattern transition as well as its influence on the macro mixing efficiency was investigated via CFD simulation. The transient sliding mesh approach coupled with the standard k-s turbulence model could correctly and efficiently reproduce the reported critical C range where the flow pattern changes. Simulation results indicated that such a critical C range varied hardly with the impeller rotation speed but decreased significantly with increasing impeller diameter. Small RTs are preferable to generating the single-loop flow pattern. A mechanism of the flow pattern transition was further proposed to explain these phe no mena. The discharge stream from the RT deviates down wards from the horizontal direction for small C values;if it meets the tank wall first, the double-loop will form;if it hits the tank bottom first, the single-loop will form. With the flow pattern transition, the mixing time decreased by about 35% at the same power input (P), indicating that the single-loop flow pattern was more efficient than the double-loop to enhance the macro mixing in the tank. A comparison was further made between the single-loop RT and pitched blade turbine (PBT, 45°) from macro mixing perspective. The single-loop RT was found to be less efficient than the PBT and usually required 60% more time to achieve the same level of macro mixing at the same P.