Flow of Robertson-Stiff fluids through an eccentric annulus

I.IntroductionInthepetroleumindustry,itisusuallythecasethatthedrillingstring(orcasingpipe)isnotlocatedinsidethecenteroftheflowgeometryduringdrillingandcompletillgpl'ocess,this,inturll,willaltertile'11owingbehaviorofdrillingmudandcementslurl.ieswhichtlowinginaneccentricallllulus.OilaccoUlltofviscousofnon-Newtoniantluid,flowillaneccentricannulusdifTeresmuchwiththatinacollcentricannulus.Mailyinvestigatorshaveconductedresearchworksonthisstlbject.Earlyin1935,TaoandDollovallrealizedthattheimpel.t…     

Computation of buoyancy-driven flow in an eccentric centrifugal annulus with a non-orthogonal collocated finite volume algorithm

A computational study is performed on two-dimensional mixed convection in an annulus between a horizontal outer cylinder and a heated, rotating, eccentric inner cylinder. The computation has been done using a non-orthogonal grid and a fully collocated finite volume procedure. Solutions are iterated to convergence through a pressure correction scheme and the convection is treated by Van Leer's MUSCL scheme. The numerical procedure adopted here can easily eliminate the ‘Numerical leakage’ phenomenon of the mixed convection problem whereby strong buoyancy and centrifugal effects are encountered in the case of a highly eccentric annulus. Numerical results have been obtained for Rayleigh number Ra ranging from 7×10³ to 10⁷, Reynolds number Re from 0 to 1200 and Prandtl number Pr from 0.01 to 7. The mixed rotation parameter σ (=Ra/PrRe²) varies from ∞ (pure natural convection) to 0.01 with various eccentricities ε. The computational results are in good agreement with previous works which show that the mixed convection heat transfer characteristics in the annulus are significantly affected by σ and ε. The results indicate that the mean Nusselt number Nu increases with increasing Ra or Pr but decreases with increasing Re. In the case of a highly eccentric annulus the conduction effect becomes predominant in the throat gap. Hence the crucial phenomenon on whereby Nu first decreases and then increases can be found with increasing eccentricity. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A numerical study of bifurcation in laminar flow in curved ducts

The bifurcation phenomenon whereby multiple-vortex secondary flow occurs in place of the normal two-vortex flow in laminar flow in curved ducts has previously been studied numerically by several researchers. However, the various results have been conflicting on many points. The present paper describes a set of numerical experiments conducted to study the effect of numerical accuracy on the solution. The results show that the transition from two- to four-vortex structure depends strongly on the differencing scheme and to a lesser extent on the grid size. The study also shows that as the Reynolds number of the flow increases, a two-vortex structure is re-established via a path which involves strongly asymmetric secondary flow patterns. These results are in agreement, at least qualitatively, with recent experimental theoretical and numerical results.     

Unsteady laminar flow developing in a curved duct

The flow developing in a tightly curved U-bend of square cross section has been investigated experimentally and via numerical simulation. Both long-time averages and time histories of the longitudinal (streamwise) component of velocity were measured using a laser-Doppler velocimeter. The Reynolds number investigated was Re = 1400. The data were obtained at different bend angles, θ, and were confined to the symmetry plane of the bend. At Re = 1400, the flow entering the bend is steady, but by θ = 90° it develops an oscillatory component of motion along the outer-radius wall. Autocorrelations and energy spectra derived from the time histories yield a base frequency of approximately 0.1 Hz for these oscillations. Flow-visualization studies showed that the proximity of the outer-radius wall served to damp the amplitude of the spanwise oscillations.

Numerical simulations of the flow were performed using both steady and unsteady version of the finite-difference elliptic calculation procedure of Humphrey et al. (1977). Although the unsteadiness observed experimentally does not arise spontaneously in the calculations, numerical experiments involving the imposition of a periodic time-dependent perturbation at the inlet plane suggest that the U-bend acts upon the incoming flow so as to damp the amplitude of the imposed oscillation while altering its frequency.

The oscillations observed experimentally, and numerically as a result of the periodic perturbation, have been linked to the formation of Goertler-type vortices of the outer-radius wall in the developing flow. The vortices, which develop as a result of the centrifugal instability of the flow on the outer-radius wall, undergo a further transition to an unsteady regime at higher flow rates.     

Burn-out,circumferential film flow distribution and pressure drop for an eccentric annulus with heated rod

Measurements of (1) burn-out, (2) circumferential film flow distribution, and (3) pressure drop in a $\text{17 × 27.2 × 3500}\text{mm}$ concentric and eccentric annulus geometry are presented. The eccentric displacement was varied between 0 and 3 mm. The working fluid was water. Burn-out curves at 70 bar are presented for mass velocities between 500 and 1500 kg/m²s and for inlet subcoolings of 10°C and 100°C. The film flow measurements correspond to the steam qualities $\text{χ = 19 \%}$ and 24 % for the mass velocity $\text{G = 602}$ kg/m²s and $\text{χ = 20 \%}$ and 23 % for $\text{G = 1200}$ kg/m²s. The influence of the circumferential rod film flow variation on burn-out is discussed.     

Experimental investigation on flow characteristics in a narrow annulus

Experiments are carried out to investigate the flow characteristics with/without heat exchange in a narrow annulus. In the experiments, directions of flow include horizontal, upstream and downstream flow. Experimental results show that the flow characteristics of water through the narrow annulus are different from those in normal tubes. Flow directions have little influences on the flow friction for the fluid flow in the narrow annulus with/without heat exchange. The flow characteristics in the narrow annulus have relations to the liquid temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of the annulus. Their influences on the flow characteristics are relatively obvious in the laminar flow area. When the Reynolds number is larger than 10⁴, there are little differences between the flow friction factors with/without heat exchange. It is also found that the asymmetrical flow can make the friction factor increase, whereas the symmetrical flow can reduce the flow friction. In the experiments, the transition from laminar to turbulent flow is carefully observed. In the narrow annulus, the flow transition is initiated earlier than that in normal pipes at a Reynolds number range from 1,100 to 1,500, which is different from the heat transfer transition. The results are gained to provide bases for the further investigations on the two-phase flow in narrow annuli.     

Superfluid Couette flow in an enclosed annulus

The Couette configuration of a fluid contained between two rotating concentric cylinders has proved useful to test and validate the HVBK equations which govern the motion of superfluid helium II. We critically review the current understanding of the superfluid Couette problem and compare theory and experiment, distinguishing between the results obtained with infinitely long cylinders and those obtained at small aspect ratio. After discussing some issues which are still unsolved, we point to what should be fruitful directions of further investigation which can be pursued in the Couette configuration.     

A boundary integral equation method for Navier-Stokes equations—application to flow in annulus of eccentric cylinders

A novel Navier-Stokes solver based on the boundary integral equation method is presented. The solver can be used to obtain flow solutions in arbitrary 2D geometries with modest computational effort. The vorticity transport equation is modelled as a modified Helmholtz equation with the wave number dependent on the flow Reynolds number. The non-linear inertial terms partly manifest themselves as volume vorticity sources which are computed iteratively by tracking flow trajectories. The integral equation representations of the Helmholtz equation for vorticity and Poisson equation for streamfunction are solved directly for the unknown vorticity boundary conditions. Rapid computation of the flow and vorticity field in the volume at each iteration level is achieved by precomputing the influence coefficient matrices. The pressure field can be extracted from the converged streamfunction and vorticity fields. The solver is validated by considering flow in a converging channel (Hamel flow). The solver is then applied to flow in the annulus of eccentric cylinders. Results are presented for various Reynolds numbers and compared with the literature.     

Momentum and heat transfers from fully developed turbulent flow in an eccentric annulus to inner and outer tube walls

An analysis and measurement were made of momentum and heat transfers from fully developed turbulent flow in an eccentric annulus to inner and outer tube walls. The eddy diffusivities of momentum and heat obtained in the turbulent flow in a circular tube were applied to the annular flow in the analysis. The result indicates that the calculated friction factor and average Nusselt numbers on the inner and outer tube walls are in fairly good agreement with the measurements.     

Numerical analysis of flow and thermal fields in arbitrary eccentric annulus by differential quadrature method

 In the present paper, natural convective heat transfer in horizontal eccentric annulus is numerically studied by applying the differential quadrature (DQ) method to solve the vorticity–stream function formulation. An explicit formulation for computing the stream function value on the inner cylinder wall is derived from the pressure single-value condition. It is demonstrated in this paper that the DQ method is an efficient approach in computing the weak global circulation in the domain. The present method was validated by comparing its numerical results with available experimental data. Very good agreement has been achieved. Then, a systematic study is conducted for the effect of eccentricity and angular position on the flow and thermal fields. Received on 20 September 2000 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Axial Couette flow of an Oldroyd-B fluid in an annulus

This paper establishes the velocity field and the adequate shear stress corresponding to the motion of an Oldroyd-B fluid between two infinite coaxial circular cylinders by means of finite Hankel transforms. The flow of the fluid is produced by the inner cylinder which applies a time-dependent longitudinal shear stress to the fluid. The exact analytical solutions, presented in series form in terms of Bessel functions, satisfy all imposed initial and boundary conditions. The general solutions can be easily specialized to give similar solutions for Maxwell, second grade and Newtonian fluids performing the same motion. Finally, some characteristics of the motion as well as the influence of the material parameters on the behavior of the fluid motion are graphically illustrated.     

Thermally developing flow in curved square ducts with internal fins

The laminar incompressible hydrodynamically fully developed and thermally developing flow is studied in a curved square duct with four longitudinal fins. The duct is successively subjected to constant wall temperature, to circumferentially uniform temperature and axially linearly or exponentially varying temperature. The local and fully developed Nusselt numbers are examined for various values of the Dean number and it is found that the heat transfer rate increases for high fins. The parameters that affect the entry length are studied and the fluctuations of the local Nu that appear in the entrance region are investigated. Temperature contour plots are presented for the visualization of the temperature field and functional relations for the Nusselt number are proposed in terms of the Dean and Prandtl numbers.     

Measurements of turbulent developing flow in a moderately curved square duct

Laser-Doppler measurements in the turbulent flow in a right-angled bend of square cross-section, radius/duct-width ratio 7.0, are presented and show the development of secondary circulation in cross-stream planes. Distribution of the streamwise and radial components of the mean velocity and turbulence intensity, and the corresponding Reynolds shear stress, are presented as contour plots and are intended for use in the further development of numerical flow prediction methods.     

Entry flow behaviour of viscoelastic fluids in an annulus

Developing and fully developed velocity profiles in the entrance region of an abrupt 2-to-1 annular contraction were measured for a number of visco-elastic polymer solutions. Experimental results were obtained for Reynolds number and flow behaviour index in the range 9.8 ? Re ? 355 and 0.372 ? n ? 0.55 respectively. A momentum-energy integral technique was employed in the boundary layer analysis. The deviation from inelastic behaviour was indicated by the ratio of elastic to inertial forces, Ws/Re. Within the limits of confidence of the experimental results, good agreement with theoretical predictions was obtained and very little deviation from inelastic behaviour was observed for Ws/Re < 0.08. For the test fluids investigated, the entrance length was found to be longer than that predicted for the corresponding inelastic fluids of the same n.     

Turbulent flow structure and heat transfer in an inclined bubbly flow. Experimental and numerical investigation

The effect of channel inclination on the variation in the wall shear stress and the heat transfer in a two-phase bubbly flow in a rectangular channel is experimentally and numerically investigated. The wall friction was measured using the electrodiffusion method and the temperature was measured by tiny platinum resistance thermometers. The model is based on the system of RANS equations with account for the back influence of the bubbles on the flow characteristics. Flow turbulence is calculated according to the model of transport of the Reynolds stress tensor components. It is shown that in the gas-liquid flow the angle of the channel inclination to the horizon can have a considerable effect on the friction and the heat transfer. The greatest friction and heat transfer values correspond to the angles of channel inclination ranging from 30 to 50°. In the inclined two-phase bubbly flow the shear stress enhancement on the wall amounts to 30% and that of the heat transfer to 15%. A friction and heat transfer reduction to 10 and 25%, respectively, is noticed in near-horizontal flows.     

Stability criteria of an immersed annulus swirling jet in a zero gravity environment

The present work deals with the stability properties of an immersed annulus swirling jet in a zero gravity environment. The considered system is composed of two streaming coaxial fluid cylinders, embedded in a third streaming fluid, where the intermediate one (annulus) has a uniform swirl speed. The fluids are immiscible, inviscid, and incompressible. The linear stability criteria of the model are discussed analytically and stability diagrams are obtained. We conclude that the radii ratio, the Weber number and the swirl number play a significant role in determining the dynamics of the developing interfacial patterns.     

Secondary flow structures in developing viscoelastic fluid flow through curved ducts with square cross section

Meccanica - The present paper numerically investigates viscoelastic fluid flow in the developing flow regime through both straight and 90-degree curve ducts. The aim is to investigate the effects...