Measurement of drop size in horizontal annular flow with the immersion method

A modified version of the oil immersion sampling system developed by Okada was exploited to obtain measurements of drop diameter in a horizontal annular flow of air and water in a 9.53-cm pipe. Drop samples were captured in a high-viscosity oil and photographic images of the samples were used to measure the distribution of diameters. Advantages of the immersion method are that the drops are spherical when photographed and that the measurement does not require removal of the film from the wall. Drop size distributions are found to be similar to distributions measured using a photographic technique for vertical annular flow in a 4.2-cm pipe. Drop size distributions show some differences from measurements that used a laser diffraction system in the same horizontal pipeline. In particular, the diffraction method indicates the existence of larger maximal drop sizes than are determined with the immersion technique.     

A nonlinear atomization model for computation of drop size distributions and spray simulations

A model has been developed to provide a comprehensive simulation of a spray formed by a high‐speed liquid jet. The primary atomization process is simulated in a completely nonlinear fashion using the boundary element method under the assumption of axisymmetric, inviscid flow. The presence of the orifice boundary layer is simulated with a ring vortex whose strength and location are uniquely determined from boundary layer properties at the orifice exit plane. Droplet and axisymmetric ligament tracking models have been developed to provide more comprehensive spray simulations. The breakup of the axisymmetric ligaments shed from the parent surface is assessed both in a nonlinear fashion as well as using the linear stability analysis of Ponstein. Using this latter approach, drop size distributions have been generated from first principles and compared with the popular Rosin–Rammler model. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

金属增材制造过程中材料微观组织演化的模拟研究

金属增材制造是集设计、制造一体化的一种新型金属构件制造技术, 在航天航空、交通运输、生物医疗等领域具有广阔的应用前景. 金属增材制造材料的力学性能与其材料微观组织密切相关. 因此, 发展金属增材制造过程中材料微观组织的模拟方法, 有助于指导和优化金属增材制造的工艺参数和流程, 从而制备出性能优异的金属材料. 本文发展了基于连续体假设的热传导模型与元胞自动机相结合的模拟方法, 并利用生死单元方法, 考虑晶粒的重熔和再生长过程, 解决了金属增材制造中多层粉末制造的数值模拟问题. 本文采用该方法模拟了镍基合金IN718、不锈钢316L和高熵合金FeCoCrNiMn的增材制造过程, 并获得了这些增材制造合金的典型材料微观组织, 其模拟结果与实验结果相吻合. 同时, 将该方法拓展到三维尺度的模拟, 研究了镍基合金IN718增材制造过程中三维晶粒的形核和生长. 最后, 对金属增材制造过程中材料微观组织演化的模拟研究中的主要问题进行了总结和展望.      

Wavelike motion of particulate slugs in a horizontal pneumatic pipeline

In the pneumatic transport of polyethylene pellets in the horizontal pipeline, wavelike slugs which resemble solitary waves in an open channel are observed in a settled layer of the particles when a superficial air velocity is smaller than the saltation velocity by Zenz and those transport characteristics such as travelling velocity, length, period of appearance and pressure drop are measured. It is found that the pressure drop by the wavelike slug is estimated by the Ergun equation for the fixed bed.     

Effect of particle size distribution on pressure drop and concentration profile in pipeline flow of highly concentrated slurry

The experiments were conducted in 54.9 mm diameter horizontal pipe on two sizes of glass beads of which mean diameter and geometric standard deviation are 440 μm & 1.2 and 125 μm & 1.15, respectively, and a mixture of the two sizes in equal fraction by mass. Flow velocity was up to 5 m/s and overall concentration up to 50% by volume for each velocity. Pressure drop and concentration profiles were measured. The profiles were obtained traversing isokinetic sampling probes in the horizontal, 45° inclined and vertical planes including the pipe axis. Slurry samples of the mixture collected in the vertical plane were analyzed for concentration profiles of each particle batch constituting the mixture. It was found that the pressure drop is decreased for the mixture at high concentrations except 5 m/s and a distinct change of concentration profiles was observed for 440 μm particles indicating a sliding bed regime, while the profiles in the horizontal plane remains almost constant irrespective of flow velocity, overall concentration and slurry type.     

Numerical simulation of rivulet evolution on a horizontal cable subject to an external aerodynamic field

On wet and windy days, the inclined cables of cable-stayed bridges may experience a large amplitude oscillation known as rain-wind-induced vibration (RWIV). It has previously been shown by in situ and wind-tunnel studies that the formation of rain-water accumulations or ‘rivulets’ at approximately the separation points of the external aerodynamic flow field and the resulting effect that these rivulets have on this field may be one of the primary mechanisms for RWIV. A numerical method has been developed to undertake simulations of certain aspects of RWIV, in particular, rivulet formation and evolution. Specifically a two-dimensional model for the evolution of a thin film of water on the outer surface of a horizontal circular cylinder subject to the pressure and shear forces that result from the external flow field is presented. Numerical simulations of the resulting evolution equation using a bespoke pseudo-spectral solver capture the formation of two-dimensional rivulets, the geometry, location and growth rate of which are all in good agreement with previous studies. Examinations of how the distribution and magnitude of aerodynamic loading and the Reynolds number influence the rivulet temporal evolution are undertaken, the results of which indicate that while all three affect the temporal evolution, the distribution of the loading has the greatest effect.     

Numerical simulations of a transport-aircraft configuration

An implicit low-cost Navier–Stokes solver combined with a multigrid algorithm and wall functions has been developed for efficient numerical simulations on a realistic wing-body aircraft configuration. A study of the behaviour of different transport-equation turbulence models is given. Comparisons are made with experimental data. The structure of the three-dimensional flow separation predicted by computations is described and its topological coherence is checked.     

Numerical simulations of stress generation and evolution in Volmer–Weber thin films

We present a detailed model of the stresses and shape changes that occur in polycrystalline thin films during Volmer–Weber growth. Our model tracks the shape of an array of islands as they grow and coalesce into a continuous film. The islands change shape as a result of the deposition flux, as well as surface and grain boundary diffusion. Stress is generated in the film as a result of forces exerted between neighboring islands as they meet to form a grain boundary. The internal stresses in the islands and the diffusive changes on their surfaces and grain boundaries are computed using a coupled finite element scheme. Interactions between neighboring islands are modeled using a cohesive zone law. Our model predicts stress-thickness vs. thickness behavior that is in excellent agreement with experiments. Specifically, we observe a three-stage growth process consisting of a stress-free pre-coalescence stage, a rapid tensile rise at coalescence, and an eventual transition to a steady-state. The steady-state stress may be tensile or compressive, depending on the deposition rate, the grain size, and the properties of the film. Detailed parametric studies are conducted to establish the influence of material properties and growth conditions on the stress history, and the results are compared with experimental observations and previous models.     

Dense-phase pneumatic conveying under pressure in horizontal pipeline

The gas/solid flow regime of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal under a pressure of 4.0 MPa in horizontal pipeline 10 mm in diameter, is monitored by electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) using 8 electrodes. To improve the accuracy of the capacitance measurement, an AC-based single-channel capacitance measuring circuit was developed, and a modified iterative Landweber algorithm was used to reconstruct the image. A two-fluid model based on the kinetic theory of granular flow was used to study the three-dimensional steady-state flow behavior of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal.     

Numerical simulations of a filament in a flowing soap film

Experiments concerning the properties of soap films have recently been carried out and these systems have been proposed as experimental versions of theoretical two‐dimensional liquids. A silk filament introduced into a flowing soap film, was seen to demonstrate various stable modes, and these were, namely, a mode in which the filament oscillates and one in which the filament is stationary and aligns with the flow of the liquid. The system could be forced from the oscillatory mode into the non‐ oscillatory mode by varying the length of the filament. In this article we use numerical and computational techniques in order to simulate the strongly coupled behaviour of the filament and the fluid. Preliminary results are presented for the specific case in which the filament is seen to oscillate continuously for the duration of our simulation. We also find that the filament oscillations are strongly suppressed when we reduce the effective length of the filament. We believe that these results are reminiscent of the different oscillatory and non‐oscillatory modes observed in experiment. The numerical solutions show that, in contrast to experiment, vortices are created at the leading edge of the filament and are preferentially grown in the curvature of the filament and are eventually released from the trailing edge of the filament. In a similar manner to oscillating hydrofoils, it seems that the oscillating filaments are in a minimal energy state, extracting sufficient energy from the fluid to oscillate. In comparing numerical and experimental results it is possible that the soap film does have an effect on the fluid flow especially in the boundary layer where surface tension forces are large. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of pressure drop in horizontal pipes with different diameters

The pressure drop has a significant importance in multiphase flow systems. In this paper, the effect of the volumetric quality and mixture velocity on pressure drop of gas-liquid flow in horizontal pipes of different diameters are investigated experimentally and numerically. The experimental facility was designed and built to measure the pressure drop in three pipes of 12.70, 19.05 and 25.40 mm. The water and air flow rates can be adjusted to control the mixture velocity and void fraction. The measurements are performed under constant water flow rate (CWF) by adding air to the water and constant total flow rate (CTF) in which the flow rates for both phases are changed to give same CTF. The drift-flux model is also used to predict the pressure drop for same cases. The present data is also compared with a number of empirical models from the literature. The results show that: i) the pressure drop increases with higher volumetric qualities for the cases of constant water flow rate but decreases for higher volumetric qualities of constant total flow rate due to the change in flow pattern. ii) The drift-flux model and homogenous model are the most suitable models for pressure drop prediction.     

Diffuse-interface simulations of drop coalescence and retraction in viscoelastic fluids

Drop dynamics plays a central role in defining the interfacial morphology in two-phase complex fluids such as emulsions and polymer blends. In such materials, the components are often microstructured complex fluids themselves. To model and simulate drop behavior in such systems, one has to deal with the dual complexity of non-Newtonian rheology and evolving interfaces. Recently, we developed a diffuse-interface formulation which incorporates complex rheology and interfacial dynamics in a unified framework. This paper uses a two-dimensional implementation of the method to simulate drop coalescence after head-on collision and drop retraction from an elongated initial shape in a quiescent matrix. One of the two phases is a viscoelastic fluid modeled by an Oldroyd-B equation and the other is Newtonian. For the parameter values examined here, numerical results show that after drop collision, film drainage is enhanced when either phase is viscoelastic and drop coalescence happens more readily than in a comparable Newtonian system. The last stage of coalescence is dominated by a short-range molecular force in the model that is comparable to van der Waals force. The retraction of drops from an initial state of zero-velocity and zero-stress is hastened at first, but later resisted by viscoelasticity in either component. When retracting from an initial state with pre-existing stress, produced by cessation of steady shearing, viscoelasticity in the matrix hinders retraction from the beginning while that in the drop initially enhances retraction but later resists it. These results and the physical mechanisms that they reveal are consistent with prior experimental observations.     

Effect of the adsorption-desorption process intensity on solutal convection near a drop in a horizontal channel

The interaction between gravity convection and Marangoni convection in a horizontal rectangular channel filled with a liquid containing a surfactant and a drop of another liquid is numerically investigated. For large Schmidt numbers the occurring oscillatory regime of solutal convection is analyzed. In the model with a surface phase the effect of the adsorption and desorption processes on the convective flow structure is determined. The corresponding initial and boundary value problem is solved using a difference method.     

Numerical simulation of a drop undergoing large amplitude oscillatory shear

Direct numerical simulations are conducted for a Newtonian drop in a Newtonian matrix subjected to large amplitude oscillatory shear flows. In the experimental study of Guido et al. (in Rheol Acta 43:575–583, 2004), the drop shape is found to oscillate at higher harmonics of the forcing frequency when the capillary number is increased. Their phenomenological model requires a much smaller capillary number for predicting the harmonic nature of the experimental data. In this paper, computational results on the evolution of drop length and inclination angle are obtained at the same fluid and flow properties as the experiments, and are shown to reasonably reproduce the experimental data. In particular, the computed velocity fields around the drop are shown to elucidate the over-rotation, which is a mechanism for the experimentally observed harmonics.     

Experimental investigation of ice slurry flow pressure drop in horizontal tubes

Pressure drop behaviour of ice slurry based on ethanol–water mixture in circular horizontal tubes has been experimentally investigated. The secondary fluid was prepared by mixing ethyl alcohol and water to obtain initial alcohol concentration of 10.3% (initial freezing temperature ?4.4 °C). The pressure drop tests were conducted to cover laminar and slightly turbulent flow with ice mass fraction varying from 0% to 30% depending on test conditions. Results from flow tests reveal much higher pressure drop for higher ice concentrations and higher velocities in comparison to the single phase flow. However for ice concentrations of 15% and higher, certain velocity exists at which ice slurry pressure drop is same or even lower than for single phase flow. It seems that higher ice concentration delay flow pattern transition moment (from laminar to turbulent) toward higher velocities. In addition experimental results for pressure drop were compared to the analytical results, based on Poiseulle and Buckingham–Reiner models for laminar flow, Blasius, Darby and Melson, Dodge and Metzner, Steffe and Tomita for turbulent region and general correlation of Kitanovski which is valid for both flow regimes. For laminar flow and low buoyancy numbers Buckingham–Reiner method gives good agreement with experimental results while for turbulent flow best fit is provided with Dodge–Metzner and Tomita methods.Furthermore, for transport purposes it has been shown that ice mass fraction of 20% offers best ratio of ice slurry transport capability and required pumping power.     

Numerical study of solidification of a drop with a growth angle difference

This study presents the direct numerical results of a drop solidifying on a plate, in which the difference between the growth angles is considered. The drop is two-dimensional with the presence of the left and right triple points, and the method used is a front-tracking technique. The growth angles at the right (ϕ_gr1) and left (ϕ_gr2) triple points are not equal, i.e. Δϕ_gr = ϕ_gr1–ϕ_gr2 ≠ 0°. Unlike the identical growth angles, the growth angle difference results in an asymmetric drop after complete solidification. In the presence of the solid-to-liquid density ratio ρ_sl < 1.0 (i.e. volume expansion), the tip of the solidified drop shifts more to the right as Δϕ_gr increases in the range of 0°–12°. In addition, the angle at the solidified drop top (i.e. tip angle) increases with Δϕ_gr. We also pay attention to the effects of some other parameters (such as the wetting angle ϕ₀, the growth angle ϕ_gr1 and ρ_sl) on the solidification process with the growth angle difference. The results reveal that the growth angle varied in the range of 6°–24° has a minor effect on the movement of the tip to the right while the tip shift increases with an increase in ϕ₀ in the range of 60°–130° or with a decrease in ρ_sl in the range of 0.8–1.1. The tip angle increases with an increase in ρ_sl or with a decrease in ϕ_gr1 or ϕ₀. We also investigate the solidification process under the influence of the Bond number.     

水槽涡的变化规律数值模拟

建立了不可压缩Navier-Stokes方程的Crank-Nicolson有限差分方法,数值模拟水槽晃动中流场及其涡流的数值变化规律。将数值解与解析解和前人的数值解进行比较,数值验证了不可压缩Naver-Stokes方程有限差分方法的有效性。通过数值模拟得到水槽在不同程度的倾斜激励晃动下流场及涡流的数值变换规律,当倾斜激励晃动的频率接近或远离共振频率时,水槽涡场的变化逐步由双涡变成单涡,再到不规则的涡场。当倾斜激励晃动的频率靠近共振频率ω_p=0.95ω_1附近时,水槽流场上部形成一个小涡,然后小涡扩大成整个水槽中的大涡,大涡下沉分裂成两个单涡,最后在底部消失;当倾斜激励晃动的频率在ω_p=0.75ω_1附近时,水槽底部形成一个小涡,然后扩大成大的单涡,最后在自由面消失;当倾斜激励晃动的频率在ω_p=0.55ω_1附近时,水槽底部出现小涡,然后扩大成大的单涡,大涡在自由面消失,继而出现不规则的大涡和不规则的小涡。     

Numerical simulations of bouncing jets

Bouncing jets are fascinating phenomenon occurring under certain conditions when a jet impinges on a free surface. This effect is observed when the fluid is Newtonian and the jet falls in a bath undergoing a solid motion. It occurs also for non‐Newtonian fluids when the jets fall in a vessel at rest containing the same fluid. We investigate numerically the impact of the experimental setting and the rheological properties of the fluid on the onset of the bouncing phenomenon. Our investigations show that the occurrence of a thin lubricating layer of air separating the jet and the rest of the liquid is a key factor for the bouncing of the jet to happen. The numerical technique that is used consists of a projection method for the Navier–Stokes system coupled with a level set formulation for the representation of the interface. The space approximation is carried out with adaptive finite elements. Adaptive refinement is shown to be very important to capture the thin layer of air that is responsible for the bouncing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.