Particle motion and turbulence in dense two-phase flows

Measurements of particle mean and r.m.s. velocity were obtained by laser-Doppler anemometry in a descending solid-liquid turbulent flow in a vertical pipe with volumetric concentrations of suspended spherical particles of 270 μm mean diameter in the range 0.1–14%. Similar measurements were obtained in the flow downstream of an axisymmetric baffle of 50% area blockage placed in the pipe with volumetric concentrations of 310 μm particles up to 8% and of 665 μm particles up to 2%. In order to enable measurements in high particle concentrations without blockage of the laser beams the refractive index of the particles was matched to that of the carrier fluid.

The results show that the particle mean velocity profiles become more uniform and the particle r.m.s. velocity decreases with increasing concentration in both flow cases. The particle mean velocity in the pipe flow also decreases with concentration and the relative velocity, the difference between the particle velocity and the fluid velocity in single-phase flow, decreases with increasing Reynolds number. The length of the recirculation region downstream of the baffle was shorter than in single-phase flow by 11 and 24% for particle concentrations of 4 and 8%, respectively. The particle mean velocities were hardly affected by size for concentrations up fo 2%, but the r.m.s. velocities were lower with the larger particles.     

Particle dispersion in a single-sided backward-facing step flow

The paper describes the particle dispersion in a single-sided backward-facing step flow. Particles of well-known sizes in the diameter range from 1 to 70 μm were suspended in an air flow and the particle motion over a step was measured by mean of a laser-Doppler anemometer. Thus, the local and integral flow quantities, i.e. the mean and turbulent velocity data could be measured precisely. In the experiments, monodispersed particle size distributions were used to exclude particle size related information ambiguity, known as triggering effects or size bias. The results of this study show qualitatively and quantitatively the difference in time-averaged particle dynamics for selected particle sizes in a backward-facing step flow. The experiments show, for different sizes, the changes in the particle velocity field in comparison with the velocity field of the continuous phase deduced from the 1 μm particles, and also imply the strong influences which different particle sizes have on flow data evaluation when size effects are not taken into account with particle-related optical measuring techniques.     

Dynamics of PIV seeding particles in turbulent premixed flames

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) estimates the fluid velocity field measuring the displacement of small dispersed particles between two successive instants separated by a small time interval. The accuracy of the measurements depends on the ability of the particles to accommodate their velocity to the fluid fluctuations. When the fluid is subjected to extreme accelerations, the small but finite inertia prevents the particles from following the fluid, originating a substantial relative velocity. This effect is shown to be crucial for applications of PIV to turbulent premixed combustion, particularly in the product region at locations just behind the instantaneous flame front. The issuing inaccuracy may easily spoil the estimate of certain statistical observables which are of crucial importance in the theory of turbulent premixed combustion. By exploiting the direct numerical simulation of a model air/methane flame, a suitable criterion for proper particle seeding is validated and compared with the corresponding experiments with a combined PIV/OH-LIF (laser-induced fluorescence) system. The proposed parameter, the flamelet Stokes number, depends on particle properties and thermochemical conditions of the flame and substantially restricts the particle dimensions required for a reliable estimate of the relevant flow statistics.     

Size segregation and particle velocity fluctuations in settling concentrated suspensions

We investigate the sedimentation of concentrated suspensions at low Reynolds numbers to study collective particle effects on local particle velocity fluctuations and size segregation effects. Experiments are carried out with polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) spheres of two different mean diameters (190 and 25 μm) suspended in a hydrophobic index-matched fluid. Spatial repartitions of both small and large spheres and velocity fluctuations of particles are measured using fluorescently labelled PMMA spheres and a particle image velocimetry method. We also report measurements of the interstitial fluid pressure during settling. Experiments show that size segregation effects can occur during the sedimentation of concentrated suspensions of either quasi-monodisperse or bidisperse spheres. Size segregation is correlated to the organisation of the sedimentation velocity field into vortex-like structures of finite size. A loss of size segregation together with a significant decrease of the fluid pressure gradient in the bulk suspension is observed when the size of vortex-like structures gets on the order of the container size. However, the emergence of channels through the settling zone prevents a complete loss of size segregation in very concentrated suspensions.     

Characteristics of laser-doppler signals from bubbles

The present paper concerns the application of laser-Doppler anemometry to two-phase bubbly flows. A summary of available LDA-measurements in particulate, droplet and bubble flow systems is given which shows detailed measurements of signal properties and their dependence on optical parameters were not previously available. However, such information is necessary for optimizing the optical and electronic schemes for size measurements. Consequently, the signal characteristics of light scattered from single bubbles rising in quiescent water were obtained for a forward-scatter arrangement and for three different beam-intersection angles. In addition to the dependence of the signal properties of the bubble path through the beam-intersection region, the effects of aperture diameter and aperture position in the optical system are discussed. The resultant data were used to determine an optimum forward-scatter LDA-system which was then employed to measure the dependence of bubble velocity on bubble diameter over the range 0.2–1.0 mm. Finally, a theoretical model proposed to describe the dependence of the signal properties on the location of the centreline bubble path through the beam-intersection region is shown to be in agreement with the measurements. The treble amplitude peaks observed in the signals from bubbles in this size range are readily explained by applying the laws of geometrical optics.     

Effect of particle size on a two-phase turbulent jet

The effect of particle size on two-phase turbulent jet flow structure is studied in the present experimental investigation. Polystyrene solid particles of 210, 460, and 780 μm were used. The particles' mass loading ratios ranged from 0 to 3.6. The flow Reynolds number was 2 ‘ 10⁴, which was based on the pipe nozzle diameter and the fluid-phase centerline velocity at the nozzle exit. A two-color laser-Doppler anemometer (LDA), combined with the amplitude discrimination method and the velocity filter method, was employed for measurement. The measurement range of the jet flow was from the initial pipe exit to 90D downstream. Results are presented for the mean velocities of particle and fluid phases, the flow's turbulent intensities and the flow's Reynolds stresses. The energy spectra and the correlation functions of the two-phase jet flow were also obtained by using another one-component He-Ne LDA system.     

Solid‐particle erosion in the tube end of the tube sheet of a shell‐and‐tube heat exchanger

Erosion is one of the major problems in many industrial processes, and in particular, in heat exchangers. The effects of flow velocity and sand particle size on the rate of erosion in a typical shell‐and‐tube heat exchanger were investigated numerically using the Lagrangian particle‐tracking method. Erosion and penetration rates were obtained for sand particles of diameters ranging from 10 to 500 µm and for inlet flow velocities ranging from 0.197 to 2.95 m/s. A flow visualization experiment was conducted with the objective of verifying the accuracy of the continuous phase calculation procedure. Comparison with available experimental data of penetration rates was also conducted. These comparisons resulted in a good agreement. The results show that the location and number of eroded tubes depend mainly on the particle size and velocity magnitude at the header inlet. The rate of erosion depends exponentially on the velocity. The particle size shows negligible effect on the erosion rate at high velocity values and the large‐size particles show less erosion rates compared to the small‐size particles at low values of inlet flow velocities. The results indicated that the erosion and penetration rates are insignificant at the lower end of the velocity range. However, these rates were found to increase continuously with the increase of the inlet flow velocity for all particle sizes. The particle size creating the highest erosion rate was found to depend on the flow velocity range. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental studies on particle behaviour and turbulence modification in horizontal channel flow with different wall roughness

Detailed measurements in a developed particle-laden horizontal channel flow (length 6 m, height 35 mm, the length is about 170 channel heights) are presented using phase-Doppler anemometry for simultaneous determination of air and particle velocity. The particles were spherical glass beads with mean diameters in the range of 60 µm-1 mm. The conveying velocity could be varied between about 10 m/s and 25 m/s, and the particle mass loading could reach values of about 2 (the mass loading is defined as the ratio of particle to gas phase mass flow rates), depending on particle size. For the first time, the degree of wall roughness could be modified by exchanging the wall plates. The influence of these parameters and the effect of inter-particle collisions on the profiles of particle mean and fluctuating velocities and the normalised concentration in the developed flow were examined. It was shown that wall roughness decreases the particle mean velocity and enhances fluctuating velocities due to irregular wall bouncing and an increase in wall collision frequency, i.e. reduction in mean free path. Thereby, the larger particles are mainly more uniformly distributed across the channel, and gravitational settling is reduced. Both components of the particle velocity fluctuation were reduced with increasing mass loading due to inter-particle collisions and the momentum loss involved. Moreover, the effect of the particles on the air flow and the turbulent fluctuations was studied on the basis of profiles in the developed flow and turbulence spectra determined for the streamwise velocity component. In addition to the effect of particle size and mass loading on turbulence modulation, the influence of wall roughness was analysed. It was clearly shown that increasing wall roughness also results in a stronger turbulence dissipation due to two-way coupling.     

A conductivity probe for measuring local concentrations in slurry systems

A simple, economical and accurate technique has been developed to measure local in situ solids concentration in slurry systems. The instrument relies on measuring slurry resistivity, as it changes with the solids concentration, for a small region in space. The device was tested in comparison with isokinetic sampling and γ-ray absorption for a variety of slurry pipeline flows. The effects of fluid properties, temperature, velocity, particle size and pipe wall material were examined experimentally. In contrast with previous techniques the effect of fluid velocity upon the measurements was eliminated by a dual electrode-pair system.     

垂直湍流液-固流中大颗粒的相对速度

通过量纲分析和实验测量,对于垂直、局部均匀的湍流稀态液一固流中,大颗粒的相对速度,建立了无量纲参数表达式．用分析和实验相结合的方法,确定了表达式中无量纲参数的幂次及有关系数．实验中用激光多普勒分相测量技术,分别测出流体和颗粒的时均速度结果表明,大颗粒相对速度强烈依赖于流体雷诺数,当流体雷诺数较高时,其幂次渐近于1.5。     

Decay of shock waves in a dusty-gas shock tube

A numerical study is performed for the unsteady nonequilibrium flow of a gas-particle mixture in a shock tube, where a semi-empirical formula for a single particle is assumed to calculate the drag and heat transfer rate of the particle cloud. To simulate actual flows of the mixture in which the size of the particles is distributed over a finite range, the motion of the particles is analyzed by dividing them into several groups according to their different diameters. It is shown that the particles of diameter larger than the average value cause a significant delay in the relaxation of the gas-particle flow. Good agreement is obtained between the numerical and the experimental results of the decrease in the shock propagation velocity, except for strong shock waves transmitted into dusty gas with a high loading ratio.     

DEM simulation of polydisperse systems of particles in a fluidized bed

Numerical simulations based on three-dimensional discrete element model (DEM) are conducted for mono-disperse, binary and ternary systems of particles in a fluidized bed. Fluid drag force acting on each particle depending on its size and relative velocity is assigned. The drag coefficient corresponding to Ergun’s correlation is applied to the system of fluidized bed with particle size ratios of 1:1 for the mono-disperse system, 1:1.2, 1:1.4 and 1:2 for the binary system and 1:1.33:2 for the ternary system b...     

Particle field characterization by digital in-line holography: 3D location and sizing

Recent developments have shown the potential of digital in-line holography for diagnostics in fluids. This new method provides a low-cost and easy access method for measuring both size and velocity of small particles in a volume. Here it is shown that by applying traditional image processing tools on the particle images digitally reconstructed, statistically reliable results on particles size and location are provided. The method is experimentally illustrated by glass microspheres that are moving in a turbulent flow generated by an annular jet. A comparison with the histogram diameters provided by a common diffraction particle sizer are presented.     

Accounting for finite-size effects in simulations of disperse particle-laden flows

A numerical formulation for Eulerian–Lagrangian simulations of particle-laden flows in complex geometries is developed. The formulation accounts for the finite-size of the dispersed phase. Similar to the commonly used point-particle formulation, the dispersed particles are treated as point-sources, and the forces acting on the particles are modeled through drag and lift correlations. In addition to the inter-phase momentum exchange, the presence of particles affects the fluid phase continuity and momentum equations through the displaced fluid volume. Three flow configurations are considered in order to study the effect of finite particle size on the overall flowfield: (a) gravitational settling, (b) fluidization by a gaseous jet, and (c) fluidization by lift in a channel. The finite-size formulation is compared to point-particle representations, which do not account for the effect of finite-size. It is shown that the fluid displaced by the particles plays an important role in predicting the correct behavior of particle motion. The results suggest that the standard point-particle approach should be modified to account for finite particle size, in simulations of particle-laden flows.     

Distortion of LDA fringe pattern by tracer particles

For precise flow velocity measurements laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) is wide-spread in use in the laboratories of industry and universitarian research institutions. The LDA method has the advantage of being not intrusive and able to discriminate between forward and reverse velocities. So far, laser Doppler anemometry is believed to be one of the most accurate flow measuring techniques. However, recent investigations have shown that the period lengths of LDA signal bursts are not constant within an individual burst. This can induce an additional scatter in the signal frequency and in the determination of the flow velocity. Until now, the reason for the period variations has not been investigated in detail although the problem was observed before. This paper describes experimental investigations which show that the particle passage through the laser beams shortly before the point of superposition, i.e. the LDA measuring volume, yields a distorted LDA fringe pattern. Thus, the signal period length from an individual particle, passing the center of the measuring volume at the same time, varies according to the distortion of the fringe spacing.     

Drag forces of interacting spheres in power-law fluids

Drag forces of interacting particles suspended in power-law fluid flows were investigated in this study. The drag forces of interacting spheres were directly measured by using a micro-force measuring system. The tested particles include a pair of interacting spheres in tandem and individual spheres in a cubic matrix of multi-sphere in flows with the particle Reynolds number from 0.7 to 23. Aqueous carboxymethycellulose (CMC) solutions and glycerin solutions were used as the fluid media in which the interacting spheres were suspended. The range of power-law index varied from 0.6 to 1.0. In conjunction to the drag force measurements, the flow patterns and velocity fields of power-law flows over a pair of interacting spheres were also obtained from the laser assisted flow visualization and numerical simulation.

Both experimental and computational results suggest that, while the drag force of an isolated sphere depends on the power-index, the drag coefficient ratio of an interacting sphere is independent from the power-law index but strongly depends on the separation distance and the particle Reynolds number. Our study also shows that the drag force of a particle in an assemblage is strongly positions dependent, with a maximum difference up to 38%.     

Evaluation of coarse-grained CFD-DEM models with the validation of PEPT measurements

Computational Fluid Dynamics coupled with Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) is a commonly used numerical method to model gas-solid flow in fluidised beds and other multiphase systems. A significant limitation of CFD-DEM is the feasibility of the realistic simulation of large numbers of particles. Coarse-graining (CG) approaches, through which groups of multiple individual particles are represented by single, larger particles, can substantially reduce the total number of particles while maintaining similar system dynamics. As these three CG models have not previously been compared, there remains some debate, however, about the best practice in the application of CG in CFD-DEM simulations. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of three typical CG methods based on simulations of a bubbling fluidised bed. This is achieved through the use of a numerical validation framework, which makes full use of the high-resolution 3D positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) measurements to rigorously validate the outputs of CFD-DEM simulations conducted using various different coarse-graining models, and various different degrees of coarse-graining. The particle flow behaviours in terms of the particle occupancy field, velocity field, circulation time, and bubble size and velocity, are comprehensively analysed. It is shown that the CG simulation starts to fail when the size ratio between the bed chamber and the particles decreases to approximately 20. It is also observed, somewhat surprisingly, that the specific CG approach applied to interparticle contact parameters does not have a substantial effect on the simulation results for the bubbling bed simulations across a wide range of CG factors.     

Gas turbulence modulation in the pneumatic conveying of massive particles in vertical tubes

The present work is concerned with the interaction between large particles and gas phase turbulence. Gas turbulence modulation in these systems is considered to be dominated by a generation mechanism which arises due to the presence of wakes behind particles. Following a recent proposal, a closure for gas turbulence modulation accounting for the effect of wakes is employed within the context of a mathematical model for particle-laden, turbulent flows. The model accounts for particle particle and particle-wall interactions associated with larger particles based on concepts from gas kinetic theory. It is shown that due to the significant flattening of the mean gas velocity profile with the addition of particles, and the corresponding decrease in turbulent energy production, a generation mechanism must be present in order to produce gas velocity fluctuation predictions which are consistent with the experimental measurements, even in the case where the experimental results indicate a net suppression of gas phase turbulence in the presence of particles.     

Direct numerical simulation of particle behaviour in the wall region of turbulent flows in horizontal channels

The motion of small particles in the wall region of turbulent channel flows has been investigated using direct numerical simulation. It is assumed that the particle concentration is low enough to allow the use of one-way coupling in the calculations, i.e. the fluid moves the particles but there is no feedback from the particles on the fluid motion. The velocity of the fluid is calculated by using a pseudospectral, direct solution of the Navier-Stokes equations. The calculations indicate that particles tend to segregate into the low-speed regions of the fluid motion near the wall. The segregation tendency depends on the time constant of the particle made non-dimensional with the wall shear velocity and kinematic viscosity. For very small and very large time constants, the particles are distributed more uniformly. For intermediate time constants (of the order 3), the segregation into the low-speed fluid regions is the highest. The finding that segregation occurs for a range of particle time constants is supported by experimental results. The findings regarding the more uniform distributions, however, still remain to be verified against experimental data which is not yet available. For horizontal channel flows, it is also found that particles are resuspended by ejections (of portions of the low-speed streaks) from the wall and are, therefore, primarily associated with low-speed fluid. The smaller particles are flung further upwards and, as they fall back towards the wall, they tend to be accelerated close to the fluid velocity. The larger particles have greater inertia and, consequently, accelerate to lower velocities giving higher relative velocities. This velocity difference, as a function of wall-normal distance, follows the same trend as in experiments but is always somewhat smaller in the calculations. This appears to be due to the Reynolds number for the numerical simulation being smaller than that in the experiment. It is concluded that the average particle velocity depends not only on the wall variables for scaling, but also on outer variables associated with the mean fluid velocity and fluid depth in the channel. This is because fluid depth in combination with the wall shear velocity determines how much time a particle, of a given size and density, spends in the outer flow and, hence, how close it gets to the local fluid velocity.     

Filtration in a Porous Granular Medium: 1. Simulation of Pore-Scale Particle Deposition and Clogging

This paper presents a numerical model for simulating the pore-scale transport and infiltration of dilute suspensions of particles in a granular porous medium under the action of hydrodynamic and gravitational forces. The formulation solves the Stokes’ flow equations for an incompressible fluid using a fixed grid, multigrid finite difference method and an embedded boundary technique for modeling particle–fluid coupling. The analyses simulate a constant flux of the fluid suspension through a cylindrical model pore. Randomly generated particles are collected within the model pore, initially through contact and attachment at the grain surface (pore wall) and later through mounding close to the pore inlet. Simple correlations have been derived from extensive numerical simulations in order to estimate the volume of filtered particles that accumulate in the pore and the differential pressure needed to maintain a constant flux through the pore. The results show that particle collection efficiency is correlated with the Stokes’ settling velocity and indirectly through the attachment probability with the particle–grain surface roughness. The differential pressure is correlated directly with the maximum mound height and indirectly with particle size and settling velocity that affect mound packing density. Simple modification factors are introduced to account for pore length and dip angle. These parameters are used to characterize pore-scale infiltration processes within larger scale network models of particle transport in granular porous media in a companion paper. Articlenote: Currently at GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc., 1 Edgewater Drive, Norwood, MA 02062, U.S.A.