Effect of aspect ratio of elliptical stirred vessel on mixing time and flow field characteristics in the absence of baffles

Elliptical tanks were used as an alternative to circular tanks in order to improve mixing efficiency and reduce mixing time in unbaffled stirred tanks(USTs). Five different aspect ratios of elliptical vessels were designed to compare their mixing time and flow field. Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations were performed using the k–ε model to calculate the mixing time and simulate turbulent flow field features, such as streamline shape, velocity distribution, vortex core region distribution, and turbulent kinetic energy(TKE) transfer. Visualization was also carried out to track the tinctorial evolution of the liquid phase. Results reveal that elliptical stirred tanks can significantly improve mixing performance in USTs. Specifically, the mixing time at an aspect ratio of 2.00 is only 45.3% of the one of a circular stirred tank. Furthermore, the secondary flow is strengthened and the vortex core region increases with the increase of aspect ratio. The axial velocity is more sensitive to the aspect ratio than the circumferential and radial velocity. Additionally, the TKE transfer in elliptical vessels is altered. These findings suggest that elliptical vessels offer a promising alternative to circular vessels for enhancing mixing performance in USTs.

Observed characteristics of flow,water mass,and turbulent mixing in the Preparis Channel

Preparis Channel is the very important exchange path of energy and materials between the northern Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea(AS).A set of hydrographic measurements,a microstructure profiler,and a deep mooring were used to determine the characteristics of water masses,turbulent mixing,and flows in the Preparis Channel.The unprecedented short-term mooring data reveal that a deep current in the deep narrow passage(below 400 m)of the Preparis Channel flows toward the Bay of Bengal(BoB)with a mean along-stream velocity of 25.26 cm/s at depth of 540 m;above the deep current,there are a relatively weak current flows toward the AS with a mean along-stream velocity of 15.46 cm/s between 500 m and 520 m,and another weak current flows toward the BoB between 430 m and 500 m.Thus,a sandwiched vertical structure of deep currents(below 400 m)is present in the Preparis Channel.The volume transport below 400 m is 0.06 Sv(1 Sv=106 m^(3)/s)from the AS to the BoB.In the upper layer(shallower than 300 m),the sea water of the AS is relatively warmer and fresher than that in the BoB,indicating a strong exchange through the channel.Microstructure profiler observations reveal that the turbulent diffusivity in the upper layer of the Preparis Channel reaches O(10−4 m^(2)/s),one order larger than that in the interior of the BoB and over the continental slope of the northern AS.We speculate that energetic high-mode internal tides in the Preparis Channel contribute to elevated turbulent mixing.In addition,a local“hotspot”of turbidity is identified at the deep mooring site,at depth of about 100 m,which corresponds to the location of elevated turbulent mixing in the Preparis Channel.

A strategy for strengthening chaotic mixing of dual shaft eccentric mixers by changing non-Newtonian fluids kinetic energy distribution

Efficiently modulating the velocity distribution and flow pattern of non-Newtonian fluids is a critical challenge in the context of dual shaft eccentric mixers for process intensification,posing a significant barrier for the existing technologies.Accordingly,this work reports a convenient strategy that changes the kinetic energy to controllably regulate the flow patterns from radial flow to axial flow.Results showed that the desired velocity distribution and flow patterns could be effectively obtained by varying the number and structure of baffles to change kinetic energy,and a more uniform velocity distribution,which could not be reached normally in standard baffle dual shaft mixers,was easily obtained.Furthermore,a comparative analysis of velocity and shear rate distributions is employed to elucidate the mechanism behind the generation of flow patterns in various dual-shaft eccentric mixers.Importantly,there is little difference in the power number of the laminar flow at the same Reynolds number,meaning that the baffle type has no effect on the power consumption,while the power number of both unbaffle and U-shaped baffle mixing systems decreases compared with the standard baffle mixing system in the transition flow.Finally,at the same rotational condition,the dimensionless mixing time of the U-shaped baffle mixing system is 15.3%and 7.9%shorter than that of the standard baffle and the unbaffle mixing system,respectively,which shows the advantage of the U-shaped baffle in stirring rate.

What induced the trend shift of mixed-layer depths in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current region in the mid-1980s?

An obvious trend shift in the annual mean and winter mixed layer depth(MLD)in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC)region was detected during the 1960–2021 period.Shallowing trends stopped in mid-1980s,followed by a period of weak trends.The MLD deepening trend difference between the two periods were mainly distributed in the western areas in the Drake Passage,the areas north to Victoria Land and Wilkes Land,and the central parts of the South Indian sector.The newly formed ocean current shear due to the meridional shift of the ACC flow axis between the two periods is the dominant driver for the MLD trends shift distributed in the western areas in the Drake Passage and the central parts of the South Indian sector.The saltier trends in the regions north to Victoria Land and Wilkes Land could be responsible for the strengthening mixing processes in this region.

Effect of droplet characteristics on liquid-phase distribution in spray zone of internal mixing air-mist nozzle

In continuous casting production,droplet characteristics are important parameters for evaluating the nozzle atomization quality,and have a significant impact on the secondary cooling effect and the slab quality.In order to study the behavior of atomized droplets after reaching the slab surface and to optimize the spray cooling effect,the influence of droplet diameter and droplet velocity on the migration behavior of droplets in the secondary cooling zone was analyzed by FLUENT software.Results show that the droplets in the spray zone and on the slab surface are mainly concentrated in the center,thus,the liquid volume fraction in the center is higher than that of either side.As the droplet diameter increases,the region of high liquid volume fraction on the slab surface becomes wider,and the liquid phase distribution in the slab width direction becomes uneven.Although increasing the droplet velocity at the nozzle exit has little effect on droplet diffusion in the spray zone,the distribution becomes more uneven due to more liquid reaches the slab surface per unit time.A prediction formula of the maximum water flow rate on the slab surface for specific droplet characteristics was proposed based on dimensionless analysis and validated by simulated data.A nozzle spacing of 210 mm was recommended under the working conditions in this study,which ensures effective coverage of the spray water over the slab surface and enhances the distribution uniformity of water flow rate in the transverse direction.

Effect of Mixed Vegetation of Different Heights on Open Channel Flows

Vegetation of different heights commonly grows in natural rivers, canals and wetlands and affects the biodiversity and morphological process. The role of vegetation has drawn great attention in river ecosystems and environmental management. Due to the complexity of the vegetated flow, most previous research focuses on the effect of uniformed one-layered vegetation on the flow structure and morphological process. However, less attention was paid to the impact of the mixing vegetation of different heights, which is more realistic and often occurs in natural riverine environments. This paper aims to investigate the effect of mixing three-layered vegetation on flow characteristics, particularly the velocity distrbution, via a novel experiment. Experiments were performed in a titling water flume fully covered with vegetation of three heights (10, 15 and 20 cm) arranged in a staggered pattern, which is partially submerged. Velocities at different positions along a half cross-section were measured using a mini propeller velocimeter. Observed results showed that the velocity has a distinct profile directly behind vegetation and behind the vegetation gap. The overall profile has two distinct reflections about ? below or near the top of short vegetation (h): the velocity remains almost constant in the bottom layer ( h) the velocities directly behind the middle after short vegetation increase much faster than those directly behind the short after tall vegetation. The finding in this study would help river riparian and ecosystem management. .

Impact of Cattaneo-Christov Heat Flux in the Nanofluid Flow over an Inclined Permeable Surface with Irreversibility Analysis

This study discusses the magnetohydrodynamic nanofluid flow over an inclined permeable surface influenced by mixed convection, and Cattaeo-Christov heat flux. The heat transfer analysis is performed in the presence of a heat source/sink and thermal stratification. To gauge the energy loss during the process, an irreversibility analysis is also performed. A numerical solution to the envisaged problem is obtained using the bvp4c package of MATLAB. Graphs are drawn to assess the consequences of the arising parameters against the associated profiles. The results show that an augmentation in the magnetic field and nanomaterial volume fraction results in an enhancement in the temperature profile. A strong magnetic field can significantly reduce the fluid velocity. The behavior of the Skin friction coefficient against the different estimates of emerging parameters is discussed. .

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.

Study on Flow and Mixing Characteristics of Molten Steel in RH and RH-KTB Refining Processes

The flow and mixing characteristics of molten steel during the vacuum circulation refining, including RH(Ruhrstahl Heraeus) and RH KTB(Ruhrstahl Heraeus Kawasaki top blowing) processes, were investigated on a 1/5 linear scale water model of a 90 t multifunction RH degasser. The circulation rate was directly and more accurately determined, using a new method by which the more reliable results can be obtained. The fluid flow pattern and flow field in the ladle were demonstrated, observed and analyzed. The mixing time of liquid in the ladle was measured using electrical conductivity method. The residence time distribution in the RH model was obtained by tracer response technique. The influence of the main technological and geometric factors, including the gas top blowing (KTB) operation, was examined. The results indicated that the circulation rate of molten steel in the RH degasser can be fairly precisely calculated by the formula: Q lp =0.0333 Q 0.26 g D 0.69 u D 0.80 d(t/min), where Q g-the lifting gas flow rate (NL/min); D u and D d-the inner diameters of the up and down snorkels (cm), respectively. The maximum value of circulation rate of molten steel in the case of the 30 cm diameters either of the up and down snorkels for the RH degasser (the “saturated” rate) is approximately 31 t/min. The corresponding gas flow rate is 900 NL/min. Blowing gas into the vacuum chamber through the top lance like KTB operation does not markedly influence the circulatory flow and mixing characteristics of the RH process under the conditions of the present work. There exist a major loop and a large number of small vortices and eddies in the ladle during the RH refining process. A liquid liquid two phase flow is formed between the descending stream from the down snorkel and the liquid around the stream. All of these flow situation and pattern will strongly influence and determine the mixing and mass transfer in the ladle during the refining. The correlation between the mixing time and the stirring energy density is τ m∝ε -0.50 for the RH degasser. The mixing time rapidly shortens with an increase in the lifting gas flowrate. At a same gas flow rate, the mixing times with the up and down snorkel diameters either of 6 and 7 cm are essentially same. The 30 cm diameters either of the up and down snorkels for the RH degasser would be reasonable. The concentration time curve showed that three circulation cycles are at least needed for complete mixing of the liquid steel in the RH degasser.

Sap flow characteristics and physiological adjustments of two dominant tree species in pure and mixed plantations in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China

It is essential to understand the water consumption characteristics and physiological adjustments of tree species under drought conditions,as well as the effects of pure and mixed plantations on these characteristics in semi-arid regions.In this study,the normalized sap flow(SFn),leaf water potential,stomatal conductance(gs),and photosynthetic rate(Pr)were monitored for two dominant species,i.e.,Pinus tabuliformis and Hippophae rhamnoides,in both pure and mixed plantations in a semi-arid region of Chinese Loess Plateau.A threshold-delay model showed that the lower rainfall thresholds(RL)for P.tabuliformis and H.rhamnoides in pure plantations were 9.6 and 11.0 mm,respectively,and the time lags(τ)after rainfall were 1.15 and 1.76 d for corresponding species,respectively.The results indicated that P.tabuliformis was more sensitive to rainfall pulse than H.rhamnoides.In addition,strong stomatal control allowed P.tabuliformis to experience low gsand Prin response to drought,while maintaining a high midday leaf water potential(Ψm).However,H.rhamnoides maintained high gsand Prat a lowΨmexpense.Therefore,P.tabuliformis and H.rhamnoides can be considered as isohydric and anisohydric species,respectively.In mixed plantation,the values of RLfor P.tabuliformis and H.rhamnoides were 6.5 and 8.9 mm,respectively;and the values ofτwere 0.86 and 1.61 d for corresponding species,respectively,which implied that mixed afforestation enhanced the rainfall pulse sensitivity for both two species,especially for P.tabuliformis.In addition,mixed afforestation significantly reduced SFn,gs,and Prfor P.tabuliformis(P<0.05),while maintaining a high leaf water potential status.However,no significant effect of mixed afforestation of H.rhamnoides was observed at the expense of leaf water potential status in response to drought.Although inconsistent physiological responses were adopted by these species,the altered water consumption characteristics,especially for P.tabuliformis indicated that the mixed afforestation requires further investigation.

Investigation of the oil-seawater mixed flow under an electromagnetic field

The electromagnetic separation method is a new approach to treat ship-based marine oily wastewater,in which oil droplets are dispersed in seawater(oil-seawater mixed flow).In order to clarify the separation process and determine the separation characteristics,the flow field and volume fraction of the oil droplets of the oil-seawater mixed flow under an applied electromagnetic field with different operating conditions were investigated by 2D numerical simulations with the Eulerian model.The results show that:(1)the downward Lorentz force causes seawater to flow downwards and the oil droplets to move upwards due to the electromagnetic separation force in the effective section of the separation channel;(2)the volume fraction of the oil droplets at the top of the outlet section increases with the current density,magnetic field,and the diameter of the oil droplet and decreases with the inlet velocity of the oily seawater.The results provide useful guidance for the design of electromagnetic separation devices of the oil-seawater mixed flow.

Application of the Modified nverse Design Method in the Optimization of the Runner Blade of a Mixed-Flow Pump

To improve the design speed and reduce the design cost for the previous blade design method, a modified inverse design method is presented. In the new method, after a series of physical and mathematical simplifications, a sail?like constrained area is proposed, which can be used to configure di erent runner blade shapes. Then, the new method is applied to redesign and optimize the runner blade of the scale core component of the 1400?MW canned nuclear coolant pump in an established multi?optimization system compromising the Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) analysis, the Response Surface Methodology(RSM) and the Non?dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm?II(NSGA?II). After the execution of the optimization procedure, three optimal samples were ultimately obtained. Then, through comparative analysis using the target runner blade, it was found that the maximum e ciency improvement reached 1.6%, while the head improvement was about 10%. Overall, a promising runner blade inverse design method which will benefit the hydraulic design of the mixed?flow pump has been proposed.

Flow zone distribution and mixing time in a Peirce-Smith copper converter

Peirce-Smith copper converting involves complex multiphase flow and mixing.In this work,the flow zone distribution and mixing time in a Peirce-Smith copper converter were investigated in a 1:5 scaled cold model.Flow field distribution,including dead,splashing,and strong-loop zones,were measured,and a dimensionless equation was established to determine the correlation of the effects of stirring and mixing energy with an error of<5%.Four positions in the bath,namely,injection,splashing,strong-loop,and dead zones,were selected to add a hollow salt powder tracer and measure the mixing time.Injecting a quartz flux through tuyeres or into the backflow point of the splashing wave through a chute was recommended instead of adding it through a crane hopper from the top of the furnace to improve the slag-making reaction.

Transient mixed convection flow arising due to thermal and mass diffusion over porous sensor surface inside squeezing horizontal channel

The double diffusion effect on the mixed convection flow over a horizontal porous sensor surface placed inside a horizontal channel is analyzed. With the appropriate transformations, the unsteady equations governing the flow are reduced to non-similar boundary layer equations which are solved numerically for the time-dependent mixed convection parameter. The asymptotic solutions are obtained for small and large values of the time-dependent mixed convection parameter. The results are discussed in terms of the skin friction, the heat transfer coefficient, the mass transfer coefficient, and the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles for different values of the Prandtl number, the Schmidt number, the squeezing index, and the mixed convection parameter.

CFD simulation of flow and mixing characteristics in a stirred tank agitated by improved disc turbines

To reduce the power consumption and improve the mixing performance in stirred tanks,two improved disc turbines namely swept-back parabolic disc turbine(SPDT)and staggered fan-shaped parabolic disc turbine(SFPDT)are developed.After validation of computational fluid dynamics(CFD)model with experimental results,CFD simulations are carried out to study the flow pattern,mean velocity,power consumption,pumping capacity and mixing efficiency of the improved and traditional impellers in a dished-bottom tank under turbulent flow conditions,The results indicate that compared with the commonly used parabolic disc turbine(PDT),the power number of proposed SPDT and SFPDT impellers is reduced by 43%and 12%,and the pumping efficiency is increased by 68%and 13%,respectively.Furthermore,under the same power consumption(0-700 W·m^(-3)),the mixing performance of both SPDT and SFPDT is also superior to that of Rushton turbine and PDT.

Efect of double dispersion on non-Darcy mixed convective flow over vertical surface embedded in porous medium

A numerical study of a non-Darcy mixed convective heat and mass transfer flow over a vertical surface embedded in a dispersion, melting, and thermal radiation is porous medium under the effects of double investigated. The set of governing boundary layer equations and the boundary conditions is transformed into a set of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations with the relevant boundary conditions. The transformed equations are solved numerically by using the Chebyshev pseudospectral method. Comparisons of the present results with the existing results in the literature are made, and good agreement is found. Numerical results for the velocity, temperature, concentration profiles, and local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are discussed for various values of physical parameters.

EVOLUTION FILTRATION PROBLEMS WITH SEAWATER INTRUSION: TWO-PHASE FLOW DUAL MIXED VARIATIONAL ANALYSIS

Tow-phase flow mixed variational formulations of evolution filtration problems with seawater intrusion are analyzed. A dual mixed fractional flow velocity-pressure model is considered with an air-fresh water and a fresh water-seawater characterization. For analysis and computational purposes, spatial decompositions based on nonoverlapping multidomains, above and below the sea level, are variationally introduced with internal boundary fluxes dualized as weak transmission constraints. Further, parallel augmented and exactly penalized duality algorithms, and proximation semi-implicit time marching schemes, are established and analyzed.

Mathematical Modeling,Field Calibration and Numerical Simulation of Low-Speed Mixed Traffic Flow in Cities

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Effects of Meridional Flow Passage Shape on Hydraulic Performance of Mixed-flow Pump Impellers

During the process of designing the mixed-flow pump impeller, the meridional flow passage shape directly affects the obtained meridional flow field, which then has an influence on the three-dimensional impeller shape. However, the meridional flow passage shape is too complicated to be described by a simple formula for now. Therefore, reasonable parameter selection for the meridional flow passage is essential to the investigation. In order to explore the effects of the meridional flow passage shape on the impeller design and the hydraulic performance of the mixed-flow pump, the hub and shroud radius ratio (HSRR) of impeller and the outlet diffusion angle (ODA) of outlet zone are selected as the meridional flow passage parameters. 25 mixed-flow pump impellers, with specific speed of 496 under the design condition, are designed with various parameter combinations. Among these impellers, one with HSRR of 1.94 and ODA of 90° is selected to carry out the model test and the obtained experimental results are used to verify accuracies of the head and the hydraulic efficiency predicted by numerical simulation. Based on SIMPLE algorithm and standard k-ε two-equation turbulence model, the three-dimensional steady incompressible Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved and the effects of different parameters on hydraulic performance of mixed-flow pump impellers are analyzed. The analysis results demonstrate that there are optimal values of HSRR and ODA available, so the hydraulic performance and the internal flow of mixed-flow pumps can be improved by selecting appropriate values for the meridional flow passage parameters. The research on these two parameters, HSRR and ODA, has further illustrated influences of the meridional flow passage shape on the hydraulic performance of the mixed-flow pump, and is beneficial to improving the design of the mixed-flow pump impeller.

Effect of magnetic flow and external forcing current on mixed bursting in the pre-Botzinger complex

The pre-Botzinger complex(pre-BotC) in mammalian brainstem is essential for the generation of respiratory rhythms.Most dynamic studies on the pre-BotC neuron have been focused on its firing activities modulated by the ion conductances rather than that by the electromagnetic radiation or the external forcing current. In this paper, by adding the electromagnetic radiation and external forcing current to Park and Rubin’s model, we mainly investigate the influences of those two factors on the mixed bursting(MB) of single pre-BotC neuron. First, we explore how the variation of external forcing current affects the MB patterns of the system with non-vanishing magnetic flux. We classify the MB patterns and show their dynamic mechanism through fast-slow decomposition and bifurcation analysis. Then, by modifying the feedback coefficient, we further analyze the sole effect of electromagnetic radiation on the firing activities of the system. Our results may be instructive in understanding the dynamical behavior of pre-BotC neuron.