Mixed convection heat transfer in horizontal channel filled with nanofluids

The laminar fully developed nanofluid flow and heat transfer in a horizonal channel are investigated. Highly accurate solutions for the temperature and nanopavticle concentration distributions are obtained. The effects of the Brownian motion parameter Nb, the thermophoresis parameter Nt, and the Lewis number Le on the temperature and nanoparticle concentration distributions are discussed. The current analysis shows that the nanoparticles can improve the heat transfer characteristics significantly for this flow problem.

Fluid Flow and Mixed Heat Transfer in a Horizontal Channel with an Open Cavity and Wavy Wall

Heat exchangers are utilized extensively in different industries and technologies.Consequently,optimizing heat exchangers has been a major concern among researchers.Although various studies have been conducted to improve the heat transfer rate,the use of a wavy wall in the presence of different types of heat transfer mechanisms has not been investigated.This study thus investigates the mixed heat transmission behavior of fluid in a horizontal channel with a cavity and a hot,wavy wall.The fluid flow in the channel is considered laminar,and the governing equations including continuity,momentum,and energy are all solved numerically.The numerical solution is stabilized by using a first-order multi-dimensional characteristic-based scheme in combination with a fifth-order Runge-Kutta method.The flow and heat transfer effects of varying Richardson numbers,Reynolds numbers,wave amplitude,wavelength,channel height,and cavity width are examined.The results indicate that the mean Nusselt number increases with an increase in Reynolds number,wave amplitude,and cavity width,while it decreases with an increase in Richardson number,wavelength,and channel height.The minimum Nusselt number is calculated to be 0.7,whereas the maximum Nusselt number is 27.09.The Nusselt number has only increased by 40%in the higher depths of the cavity,despite the Richardson number being 10,000 times larger.But this figure increases to 130%at lower depths.The mean Nusselt number is thus significantly influenced by channel height and cavity width.The influence of wave amplitude on the mean Nusselt number is twice that of wavelength.

Aeration optimization through operation at low dissolved oxygen concentrations:Evaluation of oxygen mass transfer dynamics in different activated sludge systems

In wastewater treatment plants（WWTPs）using the activated sludge process,two methods are widely used to improve aeration efficiency — use of high-efficiency aeration devices and optimizing the aeration control strategy. Aeration efficiency is closely linked to sludge characteristics（such as concentrations of mixed liquor suspended solids（MLSS）and microbial communities）and operating conditions（such as air flow rate and operational dissolved oxygen（DO）concentrations）. Moreover,operational DO is closely linked to effluent quality. This study,which is in reference to WWTP discharge class A Chinese standard effluent criteria,determined the growth kinetics parameters of nitrifiers at different DO levels in small-scale tests. Results showed that the activated sludge system could meet effluent criteria when DO was as low as 0.3 mg/L,and that nitrifier communities cultivated under low DO conditions had higher oxygen affinity than those cultivated under high DO conditions,as indicated by the oxygen half-saturation constant and nitrification ability. Based on nitrifier growth kinetics and on the oxygen mass transfer dynamic model（determined using different air flow rate（Q′air）and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids（MLVSS）values）,theoretical analysis indicated limited potential for energy saving by improving aeration diffuser performance when the activated sludge system had low oxygen consumption; however,operating at low DO and low MLVSS could significantly reduce energy consumption. Finally,a control strategy coupling sludge retention time and MLVSS to minimize the DO level was discussed,which is critical to appropriate setting of the oxygen point and to the operation of low DO treatment technology.

Numerical investigation of entropy generation and heat transfer of pulsating flow in a horizontal channel with an open cavity

In this study, the entropy generation and the heat transfer of pulsating air flow in a horizontal channel with an open cavity heated from below with uniform temperature distribution are numerically investigated. A numerical method based on finite volume method is used to discretize the governing equations. At the inlet of the channel, pulsating velocity is imposed for a range of Strouhal numbers Stpfrom 0 to 1 and amplitude Apfrom 0 to 0.5. The effects of the governing parameters, such as frequency and amplitude of the pulsation, Richardson number, Ri, and aspect ratio of the cavity, L/H, on the flow field, temperature distribution, average Nusselt number and average entropy generation, are numerically analyzed. The results indicate that the heat transfer and entropy generation are strongly affected by the frequency and amplitude of the pulsation and this depends on the Richardson number and aspect ratio of the cavity. The pulsation is more effective with the aspect ratio of the cavity L/H= 1.5 in terms of heat transfer enhancement and entropy generation minimization.

Mixed convection analysis for blood flow through arteries on Williamson fluid model

In this paper, the blood flow through a tapered artery with a stenosis by considering axially non-symmetric but radially symmetric mild stenosis on blood flow characteris- tics is analyzed, assuming the flow is steady and blood is treated as Williamson fluid. The effects of mixed convection heat and mass transfer are also carried out. Perturbation solutions have been calculated for velocity, temperature, concentration, resistance impedance, wall shear stress and shearing stress at the stenosis throat. The graphical results of different types of tapered arteries （i.e. converging tapering, diverging tapering, non-tapered artery） have been examined for different parameters of interest. Streamlines have been plotted at the end of the paper.