Unsteady Flow and its Influence to Aerodynamic and Aeroacoustic of VAWT's

A study is reported of the influence of unsteady flow on the aerodynamics and aeroacoustics of vertical axis wind turbines by numerical simulation. The combination of aerodynamic predictions with a discrete vortex method and aeroacoustic predictions based on Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation is used to achieve this goal. The numerical results show that unsteady flow of the turbine has a significant influence on the turbine aerodynamics and can lead to a decrease in generated noise as compared to the conventional horizontal axis wind turbine at the similar aerodynamic performance. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Compression moulding simulations of SMC using a multiobjective surrogate-based inverse modeling approach

A multiobjective surrogate-based inverse modeling technique to predict the spatial and temporal pressure distribution numerically during the fabrication of sheet moulding compounds (SMCs) is introduced. Specifically, an isotropic temperature-dependent Newtonian viscosity model of a SMC charge is fitted to experimental measurements via numerical simulations in order to mimic the temporal pressure distribution at two spatial locations simultaneously. The simulations are performed by using the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code ANSYS CFX-10.0, and the multiobjective surrogate-based fitting procedure proposed is carried out with a hybrid formulation of the NSGA-IIa evolutionary algorithm and the response surface methodology in Matlab. The outcome of the analysis shows the ability of the optimization framework to efficiently reduce the total computational load of the problem. Furthermore, the viscosity model assumed seems to be able to re solve the temporal pressure distribution and the advancing flow front accurately, which can not be said of the spatial pressure distribution. Hence, it is recommended to improve the CFD model proposed in order to better capture the true behaviour of the mould flow.     

RBF Neural Network Based Prediction on Blade Surface Pressure Fields in Compressors北大核心CSCD

The airflow characteristics of the internal flow path of an aero-engine compressor are complex, and the vortex flow field around the blade is characterized by high pressure, high speed, rotation, and unsteadiness. Therefore, there is an urgent need to calculate and predict the aerodynamic characteristics of the complex flow field around the compressor blade efficiently and accurately. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was used to generate the aerodynamic load distribution on the blade surface under different operating conditions for the study of the complex flow fields around aero-engine blades. The radial based function (RBF) neural network was applied to establish the pressure surface aerodynamic load prediction model, and the neural network modeling method was combined with the flow field calculation. The neural network method can learn and train the CFD-based data set to properly compensate the errors from the CFD, which provides a reference for the effective prediction of the complex flow fields around aero-engine compressor blades. © 2023 Editorial Office of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics. All rights reserved.     

CFD studies on the surge detection of a radial compressor flow by analyzing the unsteady secondary flow field

The objective of this investigation is the development of a reliable methodology allowing the accurate prediction of compressor surge. In this context a centrifugal compressor used in a commercial application with five main and five splitter blades, installed in regular passenger vehicles, is numerically analyzed. For this purpose a CFD analysis is conducted. The steady-state and unsteady secondary flow field is analyzed and studied by a frequency analysis to detect critical oscillations. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical study of helicopter blade–vortex mechanism of interaction using the potential flow theory

The blade–vortex interaction (BVI) phenomenon plays a key role in the rotorcraft aerodynamics. Numerical investigations of BVI using classical CFD approaches are computationally expensive. In the present research we propose a numerical approach, based on the potential flow theory, for the numerical investigation of helicopter blade–vortex mechanism of interaction. This approach overcomes the computational expenses posed by the CFD techniques. The influence of vertical miss distance, angle of attack, airfoil camber, and vortex strength on the helicopter blade–vortex mechanism of interaction is subject of investigation. The study reveals that the magnitude of the aerodynamic coefficients decreases with the increase of vertical miss distance and angle of attack, and the decrease of vortex strength and core size.     

Numerical investigation of pressure loss reduction in a power plant stack

The strengthened environmental laws require the power plants to reduce the emissions. Flue gas desulphurization and deNO_x involve adding chemicals to the flow stream, thereby resulting in increased mass flow. This problem could be overcome by reducing the pressure drop in the duct work and stack combination, so that a higher flow at reduced pressure drop can be handled by the existing fans. In this study, a power plant stack model of 1:40 was investigated numerically. The pressure reduction was achieved by introduction of baffles with various orientations and turning vanes at the inlet of the stack. The flows were modeled and analyzed using commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software Fluent 6.2. The numerical results were validated with the experimental data. The 30° baffle without turning vanes was found to be the optimum baffle angle in terms of the pressure loss reduction. Variation of axial velocity, swirling component and turbulence kinetic energy along the axis of the stack was analyzed to understand the mechanism of the pressure loss reduction in a power plant stack. Guidelines for further pressure loss reduction were provided based on the insight gained from the simulation results.     

Computational fluid dynamics and experimental study of the hydrodynamics of a gas–solid tapered fluidized bed

In the present work, experimental and numerical studies for the hydrodynamics in a gas–solid tapered fluidized bed have been carried out. The experimental results obtained by carrying out experiments in a tapered fluidized bed for glass bead (spherical) of 2.0 mm and dolomite (non-spherical particles) of 2.215 mm in diameter, were compared with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation results, using a commercial CFD software package, Fluent. The gas–solid flow was simulated using the Eulerian–Eulerian model and applying the kinetic theory of granular flow for solid particles. The Gidaspow drag model was used to calculate the gas–solid momentum exchange coefficients. Pressure drops predicted by the CFD simulations agreed reasonably well with experimental measurements for both types (spherical and non-spherical) of particles. Good agreement was also obtained between experimental and CFD predicted bed expansion ratios for both types of particles. Present study provides a useful basis for further works on the CFD of tapered fluidized bed.     

CFD study of section characteristics of Formula Mazda race car wings

A great deal of research has been done on the aerodynamic characteristics of race cars competing in major racing series through out the world. Because of the competitive nature of motor sport, this research is usually not published until after it is obsolete. The teams operating at the minor league levels of the sport do not have the funding resources of the major series to perform aerodynamic research. In an effort to provide some information for teams competing in the minor league Formula Mazda racecar class, this study was conducted using the Star-CD CFD code to perform a turbulent simulation (using a k–ε model) of the airflow on the front and rear wings of a Formula Mazda car with different angles of attack and the effect of the ground on the front wing. Results are presented graphically, showing pressure and velocity distributions and lift (C_l) and drag coefficients (C_d) for the different cases. It was shown that the ground effect has a marked effect on the C_l and that the angle of attack has a significant effect on the lift and drag coefficients, and it was shown that an angle of 12 below the horizontal seems to indicate stalling conditions. It is suggested that this information, along with experimental validation, can be valuable for improving the optimum handling of these Formula Mazda race cars.     

A new correlation method for the aerodynamic service loads determination of a rigid wing based on CFD analysis

A new correlation method for the aerodynamic service loads determination of a rigid wing based on CFD analysis is presented. All flight conditions can be handled by the proposed method. The derived correlation equations are achieved by considering a training fighter aircraft as a prototype. Each wing of aircraft is divided into thirty three parts in the span wise direction. Extensive numerical solutions have been attempted by varying a number of parameters that directly affect the wings aerodynamic loads, such as Mach numbers, angle of attack, control surfaces deflections and etc. For each set of input parameters, the corresponding aerodynamic loads applied to different wing parts are calculated. The resulted loads and the corresponding input parameters are incorporated into a linear regression method in order to develop the appropriate correlation equations. The outputs of the developed equations are the aerodynamic loads at each part of the wing based on the independent variables, which are the above mentioned input parameters. The validity of the developed equations is shown by comparing the loads obtained from the latter equations with the corresponding ones calculated through numerical analysis for different flight conditions. The correlation equations can now be used to calculate the aerodynamic loads at each part for any set of arbitrary values assigned to the input parameters.     

Optimizing the release of passenger flow guidance information in urban rail transit network via agent-based simulation

The passenger flow guidance is an effective demand management strategy to alleviate the excessive congestion in the urban rail transit network. In order to determine the scope and the timing, a simulation-based optimization model is proposed to optimize the release of passenger flow guidance information in the rail transit network in this paper. In the optimization model, we mainly focus on three aspects namely; where, when and what type of the guidance information should be released to the passengers. In the simulation model, the passenger choice behavior is captured by the agent-based simulation method, which responses to the congestion and the guidance information. Based on this, the dynamic passenger flow distribution can be derived. Furthermore, the adoption rate of the displayed guidance information on passenger information system as well as its impact on passenger travel behavior are also considered in the model. A hybrid heuristic solution algorithm, integrated with passenger simulator and genetic algorithm, is developed to solve the proposed simulation-based optimization model. Finally, a case study of Beijing subway is carried out with the large-scale smart card data. The numerical study shows that the passenger flow demand affects the guidance effect significantly and the best guidance effect can be met with sufficiently high passenger flow demand. And the guidance rate is also found to affect the guidance results. The results also show that the proposed model can provide a detailed guidance scheme for every station at selected time intervals. The results show that the dynamic releasing scheme can save up to a total of 46,319 min in passenger travel time during a single guidance period.     

Transient modelling of flow distribution in automotive catalytic converters

The transient catalytic converter performance is governed by complex interactions between exhaust gas flow and the monolithic structure of the catalytic converter. Therefore, during typical operating conditions of interest, one has to take into account the effect of the inlet diffuser on the flow field at the entrance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool for calculating the flow field inside the catalytic converter. Radial velocity profiles, obtained by a commercial CFD code, present very good agreement with respective experimental results published in the literature. However the applicability of CFD for transient simulations is limited by the high CPU demands.The present study proposes an alternative computational method for the prediction of transient flow fields in axi-symmetric converters time-efficiently. The method is based on the use of equivalent flow resistances to simulate the flow paths in the inlet and outlet catalyst sections. The proposed flow resistance modelling (FRM) method is validated against the results of CFD predictions over a wide range of operating conditions. Apart from the apparent CPU advantages, the proposed methodology can be readily coupled with already available transient models for the chemical reactions in the catalyst. A transient model for heat transfer inside the monolith is presented. An example of coupling between FRM and transient heat transfer inside the converter is included. This example illustrates the effect of flow distribution in the thermal response of a catalytic converter, during the critical phase of catalytic converter warm-up.     

A hybrid prediction for wind buffeting noises of vehicle rear window based on LES-LAA method

Based on the theories of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and aeroacoustics, a hybrid simulation technique, the so-called LES-LAA method is proposed in this paper, for predicting the wind buffeting noises generated by opening rear windows of a running vehicle. The LES-LAA is developed by combining the large eddy simulation (LES) and the Lighthill acoustic analogy (LAA) methods. Based on the established vehicle and wind tunnel models, the wind buffeting noises from rear windows are predicted by using the proposed LES-LAA method and the obtained results are compared with experimental data. The results show that the calculation error of sound pressure level (SPL) from the LES-LAA method is less than 2%, which suggests that the proposed method has good accuracy in predicting the wind noise of the rear window of a vehicle. The wind noise when both sides of the rear window are opened at the same time is much lower than the case when just one window is opened. In conclusion, the hybrid LES-LAA technique presented in this paper is effective and feasible for predicting the wind buffeting noise, which can be applied to other types of vehicle and is a promising approach for solving other aero-acoustical engineering problems.     

Active control of cylinder wake

The objective of this paper is to develop an efficient active control algorithm for manipulating wake flows past a solid cylinder in an electrically low-conducting fluid (e.g. seawater). The intent is to avoid both vortex shedding and flow separation from the body. It is expected to reduce the mean drag significantly. This is achieved through the introduction of a Lorentz force in the azimuthal direction generated by an array of permanent magnets and electrodes located on the solid structure. With the use of a symmetric and static Lorentz force over the entire surface of the cylinder, the vortex shedding behind the cylinder weakens and eventually disappears completely when the Lorentz force is sufficiently large. The localized Lorentz force along the rear surface of the cylinder was also used to control the vortex shedding behind the cylinder. In this case, numerical results show that the efficiency of the localized Lorentz force in controlling the flow is to that of the Lorentz force distributed over the whole surface.     

Optimization methodology assessment for the inlet velocity profile of a hydraulic turbine draft tube: part I—computer optimization techniques

In recent years, numerical and experimental investigations on the draft tube performance have confirmed the importance of the inlet swirling flow created by the runner vanes. The results indicate that it is still a challenge to get the optimal flow distribution at the draft tube inlet which gives the best machine performance over a range of operation points. Consequently, there is a need to adjust the runner-draft tube coupling to minimize the losses arising from the inlet flow distribution. This paper focus on establishing an optimization methodology for maximizing the draft tube performance as a function of the inlet velocity profile. The overall work is divides into two parts: The part one establish the inlet velocity parametrization, the numerical optimization set-up and the objective function definition. The part two validate the numerical CFD draft tube model. These steps are represented by the coupling of the commercial softwares MATLAB, FLUENT and iSIGHT. It is considered that this proved methodology will help to find a inlet velocity profile shape which will be able to suppress or mitigate the undesirable draft tube flow characteristics.     

Progresses in application of computational ?uid dynamic methods to large scale wind turbine aerodynamics?

The computational ?uid dynamics (CFD) methods are applied to aerody-namic problems for large scale wind turbines. The progresses including the aerodynamic analyses of wind turbine pro?les, numerical ?ow simulation of wind turbine blades, evalu-ation of aerodynamic performance, and multi-objective blade optimization are discussed. Based on the CFD methods, signi?cant improvements are obtained to predict two/three-dimensional aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine airfoils and blades, and the vorti-cal structure in their wake ?ows is accurately captured. Combining with a multi-objective genetic algorithm, a 1.5 MW NH-1500 optimized blade is designed with high e?ciency in wind energy conversion.     

Comparison of turbulence models in simulating swirling pipe flows

Swirling flow is a common phenomenon in engineering applications. A numerical study of the swirling flow inside a straight pipe was carried out in the present work with the aid of the commercial CFD code fluent. Two-dimensional simulations were performed, and two turbulence models were used, namely, the RNG k–ε model and the Reynolds stress model. Results at various swirl numbers were obtained and compared with available experimental data to determine if the numerical method is valid when modeling swirling flows. It has been shown that the RNG k–ε model is in better agreement with experimental velocity profiles for low swirl, while the Reynolds stress model becomes more appropriate as the swirl is increased. However, both turbulence models predict an unrealistic decay of the turbulence quantities for the flows considered here, indicating the inadequacy of such models in simulating developing pipe flows with swirl.     

Simulation of a membrane flow interaction by an iteration based on a panel method

A flow structure interaction of a membrane and a fluid is investigated. A conventional segregated numerical algorithm, where the membrane deformation and the flow dynamics are calculated alternately has to fail due to the artificial added mass instability. Thus, a new iteration scheme is proposed. In order to get a good prediction for the deformation of the membrane, the equations describing the membrane are coupled to a potential flow solver (panel method). Then a CFD solver can be used to determine the corrections of the flow field due viscosity and turbulence. An example is presented that this procedure seems to be numerically stable. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical analysis of the error in the sound power predicted through the Lighthill acoustic analogy

This article gives rigorous numerical analysis of the error in prediction of aeroacoustic noise via Lighthill analogy. The first fundamental and intractable problem considered herein is to predict the sound power generated by aerodynamic noise on surfaces. We give a full analysis of three methods of prediction. The second fundamental difficulty in the numerical analysis of aeroacoustics is the limited regularity of the underlying turbulent flow. This is treated herein by giving a negative norm error analysis which reduces the required regularity. We also give a comprehensive analysis of a fully discrete scheme including effects of the error coming into acoustic equation from the turbulent flow simulation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 28: 204–234,2012     

Research status and trend of wind turbine aerodynamic noise?

The main components of the wind turbine aerodynamic noise are introduced. A detailed review is given on the theoretical prediction, experimental measurement, and numerical simulation methods of wind turbine noise, with speci?c attention to appli-cations. Furthermore, suppression techniques of wind turbine aerodynamic noise are discussed. The perspective of future research on the wind turbine aerodynamic noise is presented.