Steady state numerical simulation of the particle collection efficiency of a new urban sustainable gravity settler using design of experiments by FVM

The aim of this work is to analyze the efficiency of a new sustainable urban gravity settler to avoid the solid particle transport, to improve the water waste quality and to prevent pollution problems due to rain water harvesting in areas with no drainage pavement. In order to get this objective, it is necessary to solve particle transport equations along with the turbulent fluid flow equations since there are two phases: solid phase (sand particles) and fluid phase (water). In the first place, the turbulent flow is modelled by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations for incompressible viscous flows through the finite volume method (FVM) and then, once the flow velocity field has been determined, representative particles are tracked using the Lagrangian approach. Within the particle transport models, a particle transport model termed as Lagrangian particle tracking model is used, where particulates are tracked through the flow in a Lagrangian way. The full particulate phase is modelled by just a sample of about 2,000 individual particles. The tracking is carried out by forming a set of ordinary differential equations in time for each particle, consisting of equations for position and velocity. These equations are then integrated using a simple integration method to calculate the behaviour of the particles as they traverse the flow domain. The entire FVM model is built and the design of experiments (DOE) method was used to limit the number of simulations required, saving on the computational time significantly needed to arrive at the optimum configuration of the settler. Finally, conclusions of this work are exposed.     

Numerical simulation of the performance of a snow fence with airfoil snow plates by FVM

The aim of this work is to analyze the efficiency of a snow fence with airfoil snow plates to avoid the snowdrift formation, to improve visibility and to prevent blowing snow disasters on highways and railways. In order to attain this objective, it is necessary to solve particle transport equations along with the turbulent fluid flow equations since there are two phases: solid phase (snow particles) and fluid phase (air). In the first place, the turbulent flow is modelled by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations for incompressible viscous flows through the finite volume method (FVM) and then, once the flow velocity field has been determined, representative particles are tracked using the Lagrangian approach. Within the particle transport models, we have used a particle transport model termed as Lagrangian particle tracking model, where particulates are tracked through the flow in a Lagrangian way. The full particulate phase is modelled by just a sample of about 15,000 individual particles. The tracking is carried out by forming a set of ordinary differential equations in time for each particle, consisting of equations for position and velocity. These equations are then integrated using a simple integration method to calculate the behaviour of the particles as they traverse the flow domain. Finally, the conclusions of this work are exposed.     

Numerical simulation of dense fluid-particle flows using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM)

Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been successfully coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in the framework of OpenFOAM an open source CFD simulation code. In the current study, at first the model is validated with the simple test case of spherical particle comparing the results with the analytical solution. Then the simulation of a gaseous fluidized bed is considered. The coupled mass and momentum balance equations are used to calculate the flow behavior, particle fluidization and bubble formation. The dimensions of the simulation domain are similar to Link et al. (2005) but with different stiffness of particles. The higher velocity of gaseous fluid relative to particles entering through a jet causes the particles to fluidize. The particles behavior, fluidization, bubble formation and the velocity vectors of particles show a good agreement with the literature. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of Mass Loading on Particle-Laden Turbulent Pipe Flow

A CFD code in the framework of OpenFOAM was validated for simulations of particle-laden pipe and channel flows at low to intermediate mass loadings. The code is based on an Eulerian two-fluid approach with Reynolds-averaged conservation equations, including turbulence modeling and four-way coupling. Pipe flow simulations of particles in air against gravity were conducted at Reynolds numbers up to 50000. The particle mass loading was varied and its effect on the mean velocities and turbulent fluctuations of the two phases was studied. Special attention was paid to the influence of mass loading on the centerline velocity and the wall shear velocity of the fluid phase for various flow parameters and particle properties. Empirical correlations were established between these two quantities and the flow Reynolds number, particle Reynolds number, Stokes number and particle to fluid density ratio for a range of particle mass loadings. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A coupled NMM-SPH method for fluid-structure interaction problems

The main challenges in the numerical simulation of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems include the solid fracture, the free surface fluid flow, and the interactions between the solid and the fluid. Aiming to improve the treatment of these issues, a new coupled scheme is developed in this paper. For the solid structure, the Numerical Manifold Method (NMM) is adopted, in which the solid is allowed to change from continuum to discontinuum. The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method, which is suitable for free interface flow problem, is used to model the motion of fluids. A contact algorithm is then developed to handle the interaction between NMM elements and SPH particles. Three numerical examples are tested to validate the coupled NMM-SPH method, including the hydrostatic pressure test, dam-break simulation and crack propagation of a gravity dam under hydraulic pressure. Numerical modeling results indicate that the coupled NMM-SPH method can not only simulate the interaction of the solid structure and the fluid as in conventional methods, but also can predict the failure of the solid structure.     

Simulation of particle dynamics in a rapidly varying viscous flow

A method for the numerical simulation of the dynamics of particles in a rapidly varying viscous flow has been developed and implemented as a software package. The frequency of variations in the fluid velocity is assumed to be such that the nonlinear terms in the equations of motion can be neglected in comparison with the nonstationary terms. The hydrodynamic interaction of the particles is taken into account. The velocities of the particles and their trajectories are computed. It is found that the trajectories of the particles depend substantially on the ratio of their radii. In the case of dipole particles in a rapidly varying external magnetic field, the hydrodynamic interaction is shown to prevent the particles from approaching each other under the influence of dipole-dipole interaction forces.     

Locomotion of Articulated Bodies in a Perfect Fluid

This paper is concerned with modeling the dynamics of N articulated solid bodies submerged in an ideal fluid. The model is used to analyze the locomotion of aquatic animals due to the coupling between their shape changes and the fluid dynamics in their environment. The equations of motion are obtained by making use of a two-stage reduction process which leads to significant mathematical and computational simplifications. The first reduction exploits particle relabeling symmetry: that is, the symmetry associated with the conservation of circulation for ideal, incompressible fluids. As a result, the equations of motion for the submerged solid bodies can be formulated without explicitly incorporating the fluid variables. This reduction by the fluid variables is a key difference with earlier methods, and it is appropriate since one is mainly interested in the location of the bodies, not the fluid particles. The second reduction is associated with the invariance of the dynamics under superimposed rigid motions. This invariance corresponds to the conservation of total momentum of the solid-fluid system. Due to this symmetry, the net locomotion of the solid system is realized as the sum of geometric and dynamic phases over the shape space consisting of allowable relative motions, or deformations, of the solids. In particular, reconstruction equations that govern the net locomotion at zero momentum, that is, the geometric phases, are obtained. As an illustrative example, a planar three-link mechanism is shown to propel and steer itself at zero momentum by periodically changing its shape. Two solutions are presented: one corresponds to a hydrodynamically decoupled mechanism and one is based on accurately computing the added inertias using a boundary element method. The hydrodynamically decoupled model produces smaller net motion than the more accurate model, indicating that it is important to consider the hydrodynamic interaction of the links.     

The effect of modeling of velocity fluctuations on prediction of collection efficiency of cyclone separators

The effect of modeling of velocity fluctuations on the prediction of collection efficiency of cyclone separators has been numerically investigated using the Reynolds stress turbulence model (RSTM) and large eddy simulation (LES). The Eulerian–Lagrangian modeling approach of CFD code Fluent 6.3.26 has been employed to simulate the three dimensional, unsteady turbulent gas–solid flows in a Stairmand high efficiency cyclone. The simulated results have been compared with experimental observations available in the literature. The analysis of results shows that the RSTM and the LES have adequately predicted the mean flow field. Results of the present study demonstrate that the LES has good performance on prediction of fluctuating flow field and collection efficiency for each and every particle size. However, the performance of the RSTM is found poor in terms of prediction of velocity fluctuations and collection efficiency, especially for small particles. This relates to the precessing of the vortex core phenomenon, which is resolved more accurately by LES as compared to the RSTM simulation. The results suggest that the prediction of collection efficiency, especially for small particles is greatly influenced by the simulation of velocity fluctuations in cyclones.     

Eulerian and Lagrangian predictions of particulate two-phase flows: a numerical study

To predict particulate two-phase flows, two approaches are possible. One treats the fluid phase as a continuum and the particulate second phase as single particles. This approach, which predicts the particle trajectories in the fluid phase as a result of forces acting on particles, is called the Lagrangian approach. Treating the solid as some kind of continuum, and solving the appropriate continuum equations for the fluid and particle phases, is referred to as the Eulerian approach.Both approaches are discussed and their basic equations for the particle and fluid phases as well as their numerical treatment are presented. Particular attention is given to the interactions between both phases and their mathematical formulations. The resulting computer codes are discussed.The following cases are presented in detail: vertical pipe flow with various particle concentrations; and sudden expansion in a vertical pipe flow. The results show good agreement between both types of approach.The Lagrangian approach has some advantages for predicting those particulate flows in which large particle accelerations occur. It can also handle particulate two-phase flows consisting of polydispersed particle size distributions. The Eulerian approach seems to have advantages in all flow cases where high particle concentrations occur and where the high void fraction of the flow becomes a dominating flow controlling parameter.     

主动脉弓及分支血管内非稳态血流分析

运用流体力学中的三维非定常Navier-Stokes方程作为血液流动的控制方程,并采用计算流体力学方法对人体主动脉弓及分支血管内非Newton(牛顿)血液黏度模型下血流进行瞬态数值模拟.分析了一个心动周期内不同时刻血流动力学特征参数的分布对动脉粥样硬化斑块形成的影响,并与Newton血液黏度模型下的血管壁面压力和壁面切应力特征参数进行对比.结果表明:与Newton血液模型相比,非Newton血液模型下血流分布更符合真实血流特性;在心动收缩期,分支血管外侧壁附近存在面积较大的低速涡流区,该区域内血管壁面压力与壁面切应力具有较大的变化量,血液中的血小板、脂质和纤维蛋白等易沉积,血管内壁易疲劳损伤并发生血管重构,促使动脉粥样硬化斑块形成;而在心动舒张期,分支血管内血流速度分布均匀,血管壁面压力与壁面切应力变化量较小,血管壁受到较小的应力作用,对动脉粥样硬化斑块形成的作用较小.     

A comparison between the material point method and the finite element method in view of extrusion problems

An appropriate method for the simulation of continuous forming processes is the material point method (MPM) [1],[2] which combines the viewpoints of fluid dynamics and solid mechanics. The MPM and related methods [3] are derived from the particle‐in‐cell methods [4]. Bodies are discretised by Lagragian particles with pointwise mass distributions. The differential equations in their weak form are solved on temporary meshes built of standard finite elements. At the end of each time step the particle positions are updated and the mesh is replaced by a new mesh with a regular shape. The state variables at the nodes of the new mesh are extracted from the state variables at the particles by a transfer algorithm. When particles pass element boundaries, numerical difficulties might be observed. These are eliminated by a smooth approximation of nodal data from material point data. The modified MPM has been implemented together with the FEM in one programme because the similarities of the methods outbalance the differences. On the basis of numerical examples the results of both methods are compared. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

悬浮固粒对二维混合层流动失稳特性的影响*

本文在不可压缩二维混合层流动方程的基础之上,通过添加固粒的作用项,推导得到了修正的瑞利方程;然后用数值计算方法解其特征方程,得到了悬浮固粒的质量密度、固粒和气流的速度比值以及Stokes数不同时二维混合层流动中扰动频率与空间增长率的关系曲线,给出了关于悬浮固粒对流场失稳特性影响的几个重要结论。     

Modeling Abrasive Wear Caused by Small Solid Particles of Different Sizes

Abrasive wear is one of the mechanisms which cause the decrease of efficiency of hydraulic machines. The working fluid of a hydraulic machine, e.g., a turbine of a hydroelectric power plant, transports small solid particles of different sizes. Those small particles damage the surface of the hydraulic machine when contacting. In contrast to classical approaches in fluid dynamics, here, we present an approach where only mesh-free methods are applied. The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used for modeling the fluid in this study. The SPH method is a mesh-free method which has its advantages in describing transient fluid flows with free surfaces and large motions. The loading of the fluid consists of small solid particles of different sizes. A coupled approach for describing the loading is used. For the larger abrasive particles the Discrete Element Method and for smaller ones a transport equation is utilized. In doing so it is possible to model a loading of the fluid consisting of small particles of different sizes. The abrasive wear is described with an abrasive wear model. The wear model takes into account different parameters like the size, the velocity of the abrasive particles, and of course material parameters of both the target and the particles. On impact of an abrasive particle, the amount of removed material is stored at the boundary and in doing so the removed material over time is identified. In this work, a representative numerical example is presented. The simulations were performed with the code Pasimodo, developed at the Institute of Engineering and Computational Mechanics. It is the aim of this work to point out that it is possible to model abrasive wear due to abrasive particles with different sizes with a mesh-free approach. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of radiation on MHD free convection from a vertical flat plate embedded in porous media with thermophoretic deposition of particles

Magneto-hydrodynamics and thermal radiation effects on heat and mass transfer in steady laminar boundary layer flow of a Newtonian, viscous fluid over a vertical flat plate embedded in a fluid saturated porous media in the presence of the thermophoresis particle deposition effect is studied in this paper. The governing equations are transformed by special transformations. Brownian motion of particles and thermophoretic transport are considered in the flow equations. The magnetic field is considered to be applied. Rosseland approximation is used to describe the radiative heat flux in the energy equation. The resulting similarity equations are solved numerically by the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method with shooting technique. Many results are obtained and representative set is displayed graphically to illustrate the influence of the various parameters on the wall thermophoretic deposition velocity, concentration, temperature and velocity profiles.     

Calculation of conjugate heat transfer problem with volumetric heat generation using the Galerkin method

A mathematical model of fluid flow across a rod bundle with volumetric heat generation has been built. The rods are heated with volumetric internal heat generation. To construct the model, a volume average technique (VAT) has been applied to momentum and energy transport equations for a fluid and a solid phase to develop a specific form of porous media flow equations. The model equations have been solved with a semi-analytical Galerkin method. The detailed velocity and temperature fields in the fluid flow and the solid structure have been obtained. Using the solution fields, a whole-section drag coefficient C_d and a whole-section Nusselt number Nu have also been calculated. To validate the developed solution procedure, the results have been compared to the results of a finite volume method. The comparison shows an excellent agreement. The present results demonstrate that the selected Galerkin approach is capable of performing calculations of heat transfer in a cross-flow where thermal conductivity and internal heat generation in a solid structure has to be taken into account. Although the Galerkin method has limited applicability in complex geometries, its highly accurate solutions are an important benchmark on which other numerical results can be tested.     

A numerical study on statistical temporal scales in inertia particle dispersion

The statistical temporal scales involved in inertia particle dispersion are analyzed numerically. The numerical method of large eddy simulation, solving a filtered Navier-Stokes equation, is utilized to calculate fully developed turbulent channel flows with Reynolds numbers of 180 and 640, and the particle Lagrangian trajectory method is employed to track inertia particles released into the flow fields. The Lagrangian and Eulerian temporal scales are obtained statistically for fluid tracer particles and three different inertia particles with Stokes numbers of 1, 10 and 100. The Eulerian temporal scales, decreasing with the velocity of advection from the wall to the channel central plane, are smaller than the Lagrangian ones. The Lagrangian temporal scales of inertia particles increase with the particle Stokes number. The Lagrangian temporal scales of the fluid phase ‘seen’ by inertia particles are separate from those of the fluid phase, where inertia particles travel in turbulent vortices, due to the particle inertia and particle trajectory crossing effects. The effects of the Reynolds number on the integral temporal scales are also discussed. The results are worthy of use in examining and developing engineering prediction models of particle dispersion.     

Mathematical modelling of bottom evolution by particle deposition and resuspension

A two-dimensional numerical model for the evolution of a bottom due to particle deposition and resuspension by a fluid flow is here presented. A computational fluid dynamic approach is used to calculate the flow field and a Lagrangian particle tracking technique is applied to solve the dispersed phase. The evolution of the lower boundary is simulated taking into account the mass conservation of the solid phase and the geotechnical properties of the granular material. The model is characterized by two important features. First, fluid dynamics are coupled with the bottom evolution due to particle deposition and resuspension. This permits to use the model to simulate complex flow fields as well as complex time-evolving geometries. Second, the dispersed phase is calculated by a Lagrangian approach, which retains the discrete information of the individual particles of the granular bottom which may be of interest for some industrial processes (coating) and environmental flows (sediment stratification). First consistency checks have been performed for some deposition and resuspension test cases with fluid at rest. The model has also been tested by comparison with a physical experiment of deposition inside a cavity. Finally, as an example of possible applications of industrial and environmental interest, the model has been applied to investigate particle deposition in rectangular cavities and the evolution of a sand heap by a fluid flow.     

A 3-dimensional Eulerian–Eulerian CFD simulation of a hydrocyclone

Hydrocyclones are used in mineral industries for classification and separation of solid particles of different sizes and densities suspended in water medium. In the present study an Eulerian–Eulerian CFD simulation of a solid–liquid hydrocyclone has been carried out taking into account two solid phases and one liquid phase. The average size of the larger particle was 0.6117 and that of the smaller particle was 0.09875 mm. Three separate momentum balance equations for the three phases have been considered unlike that in the mixture model where a single momentum equation is solved for the three phases. Two turbulent models i.e. the Reynolds stress model (RSM) and the standard k–ε model were studied. Comparison of the two turbulence models showed slight variation in prediction of the velocity profile and the separation efficiency. The maximum deviation between the two models was observed near the wall where the stress was maximum for larger size particles.     

两相流中柱状固粒对流体湍动特性影响的研究

对含柱状固粒的两相流场,建立了包含柱状固粒对流场影响的流体脉动速度方程,在求解脉动速度方程的基础上,经平均得到流体的湍流强度和雷诺应力.将该方法用于槽流湍流场的求解,并与单相流实验结果进行了比较.计算中变化柱状固粒的参数,给出了固粒的体积分数、长径比、松驰时间对流场湍动特性的影响,说明粒子对流场的湍动特性起着抑制作用,其抑制的程度与粒子的体积分数、长径比成正比,与粒子的松弛时间成反比.     

The propagation of sound in particle models of compressible fluids

Summary. The propagation of sound in compressible fluids is described by the acoustic equations that result from the linearization of the Euler equations around a state of constant mass density and velocity zero. In this article, it is shown that a stable and convergent discretization of the acoustic wave equation for the velocity field can be recovered from the particle model of compressible fluids recently developed by the author in [Numer. Math. (1997) 76: 111–142] by linearizing the equations of motion for the particles. For particles of proper shape, this discretization is second order accurate, and with an obvious modification of the basic particle model, one can even reach an arbitrarily high order of convergence. Received January 24, 2000 / Published online November 8, 2000