Transport and deposition of neutral particles in magnetohydrodynamic turbulent channel flows at low magnetic Reynolds numbers

The effect of Lorentz force on particle transport and deposition is studied by using direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow of electrically conducting fluids combined with discrete particle simulation of the trajectories of uncharged, spherical particles. The magnetohydrodynamic equations for fluid flows at low magnetic Reynolds numbers are adopted. The particle motion is determined by the drag, added mass, and pressure gradient forces. Results are obtained for flows with particle ensembles of various densities and diameters in the presence of streamwise, wall-normal or spanwise magnetic fields. It is found that the particle dispersion in the wall-normal and spanwise directions is decreased due to the changes of the underlying fluid turbulence by the Lorentz force, while it is increased in the streamwise direction. The particle accumulation in the near-wall region is diminished in the magnetohydrodynamic flows. In addition, the tendency of small inertia particles to concentrate preferentially in the low-speed streaks near the walls is strengthened with increasing Hartmann number. The particle transport by turbophoretic drift and turbulent diffusion is damped by the magnetic field and, consequently, particle deposition is reduced.     

Analysis and numerical simulation of magnetic forces between rigid polygonal bodies. Part II: Numerical simulation

The analysis of magnetoelastic phenomena is a field of active research. Formulae for the magnetic force in macroscopic systems have been under discussion for some time. In Popović et al. (Continum. Mech. Thermodyn. 2007), we rigorously justify several of the available formulae in the context of rigid bodies in two and three space dimensions. In the present, second part of our study, we investigate these formulae in a series of numerical experiments in which the magnetic force is computed in dependence on the geometries of the bodies as well as on the distance between them. In case the two bodies are in contact, i.e., in the limit as their distance tends to zero, we focus especially on a formula obtained in a discrete-to-continuum approximation. The aim of our study is to help clarify the question which force formula is the correct one in the sense that it describes nature most accurately and to suggest adequate real-life experiments for a comparison with the provided numerical data.      

Reduced numerical modeling of flows involving liquid-crystalline polymers

Kinetic theory models involving the Fokker–Planck equation can be accurately discretized using a mesh support (Finite Elements, Finite Differences, Finite Volumes, Spectral Techniques, …). However, these techniques involve a high number of approximation functions. In the finite element framework, widely used in complex flow simulations, each approximation function has only local support and is related to a node that defines the associated degree of freedom. In the technique proposed here, a reduced approximation basis is constructed. The new shape functions have extended support and are defined in the whole domain in an appropriate manner (the most characteristic functions related to the model solution). Thus, the number of degrees of freedom involved in the solution of the Fokker–Planck equation is very significantly reduced. The construction of those new approximation functions is done with an ‘a priori’ approach, which combines a basis reduction (using the Karhunen–Loève decomposition) with a basis enrichment based on the use of some Krylov subspaces. This paper analyzes the application of model reduction to the simulation of non-linear kinetic theory models involving complex behaviors, such as those coming from stability analysis, complex geometries and coupled models. We apply our model reduction approach to the Doi's classical constitutive equation for viscoelasticity of liquid-crystalline polymer.     

Features of internal and external flows in high-speed vehicles with a magnetohydrodynamic air-intake

The features of the internal and external flows in high-speed vehicles with a magnetohydrodynamic air-intake ensuring additional deceleration of the supersonic flow are considered. Preliminary investigations carried out earlier showed that this MHD flow control makes it possible significantly to increase the gasdynamic component of the vehicle thrust. However, there are significant negative effects, mainly the development of an additional vehicle drag force associated with the magnetic field. Thus, there arises a complex of interrelated problems with opposite effects on the resulting characteristics of the vehicle. In the present study these questions are investigated both on the basis of developed physicomathematical models and numerical methods and by means of the combined optimization of the internal duct profile and the external configuration of the vehicle. It is shown that a strategy for improving the vehicle characteristics can only be chosen by simultaneously analyzing the features of the internal (magnetohydrodynamic) and external (gasdynamic) flows.     

Performance investigation of plasma magnetohydrodynamic power generator

magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power generator system involves several subjects such as magnetohydrodynamics, plasma physics, material science, and structure mechanics. Therefore, the performance of the MHD power generator is affected by many factors, among which the load coefficient k is of great importance. This paper reveals the effect of some system parameters on the performance by three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation for a Faraday type MHD power generator using He/Xe as working plasma. The results show that average electrical conductivity increases first and then decreases with the addition of magnetic field intensity. Electrical conductivity reaches the maximum value of 11.05 S/m, while the applied magnetic field strength is B = 1.75 T. When B > 3T, the ionization rate along the midline well keeps stable, which indicates that the ionization rate and three-body recombination rate (three kinds of particles combining to two kinds of particles) are approximately equal, and the relatively stable plasma structure of the mainstream is preserved. Efficiency of power generation of the Faraday type channel increases with an increment of the load factor. However, enthalpy extraction first increases to a certain value, and then decreases with the load factor. The enthalpy extraction rate reaches the maximum when the load coefficient k equals 0.625, which is the best performance of the power generator channel with the maximum electricity production.     

Inflexional disequilibrium of magnetic flux-tubes

In this paper, we prove that magnetic flux-tubes in inflexional configuration are in disequilibrium and evolve to an inflexion-free state. The magnetic field is defined in a tube of circular cross-section and is chosen so as to have toroidal and poloidal components contributing to the internal twist of the flux-tube. By using orthogonal curvilinear coordinates, we derive the equations for the Lorentz force associated with the magnetic flux-tube and use them to study the generic behaviour associated with passage through inflexional configuration. Inflexional state is attained when local curvature vanishes as the tube axis changes concavity. We check that the conditions for the equilibrium of the flux-tube in inflexional configuration are not satisfied and hence we prove disequilibrium. Inflexional disequilibrium makes magnetic flux-tubes evolve to an inflexion-free state. As a consequence, inflexional flux-tubes in free space evolve naturally to an inflexion-free configuration. This mechanism has important implications for the energetics of solar coronal loops and astrophysical flows.     

A comparison of spatial grids for numerical modelling of flows in near-coastal seas

Three-dimensional algorithms for the numerical computation of flows caused by tides or meteorological forcing are developed for four of Arakawa's spatial grid types using a spectral method in the vertical dimension. Three of the grids, in which the velocity components are computed at the same grid points, offer potential advantages over the commonly used C-grid. The computed results from the four grids are compared for three test problems based on the linearized hydrodynamical equations. It is concluded that the B-grid provides a viable alternative to the C-grid, with significant advantages when a spectral method is used.     

Two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic model of plasma flows in a quasi-steady-state accelerator with a longitudinal magnetic field

This paper reports the results of numerical studies of axisymmetric flows in a coaxial plasma accelerator in the presence of a longitudinal magnetic field. The calculations were performed using a two-dimensional two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic model taking into account the Hall effect and the conductivity tensor of the medium. The numerical experiments confirmed the main features of the plasmadynamic processes found previously using analytical and one-fluid models and made it possible to study plasma flows near the electrodes. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 44–55, May–June, 2009.     

Effect of spatial discretization schemes on numerical solutions of viscoelastic fluid flows

This study examines the effect of discretization schemes for the convection term in the constitutive equation on numerical solutions of viscoelastic fluid flows. For this purpose, a temporally evolving mixing layer, a two-dimensional vortex pair interacting with a wall, and a fully developed turbulent channel flow are selected as test cases, and eight different discretization schemes are considered. Among them, the first-order upwind difference scheme (UD) and artificial diffusion scheme (AD), which are commonly used in the literature, show most stable and smooth solutions even for highly extensional flows. However, the stress fields are smeared too much by these schemes and the corresponding flow fields are quite different from those obtained by higher-order upwind difference schemes. Among higher-order upwind difference schemes investigated in this study, a third-order compact upwind difference scheme (CUD3) with locally added AD shows stable and most accurate solutions for highly extensional flows even at relatively high Weissenberg numbers.     

A note on the stability of Beltrami fields for compressible fluid flows

In this paper we study the stability of the magnetostatic equilibrium through a relaxation of a magnetic field B in perfectly conducting compressible and viscous fluid.We establish stability criterion of a large class of Beltrami flows to any admissible displacement about the equilibrium configuration. We show that the field is stable to any displacement with the same 2π-periodicity as the basic flow, except the case where perturbations with wavelength much greater than the scale of the basic flow are included.     

Accurate numerical estimation of interphase momentum transfer in Lagrangian–Eulerian simulations of dispersed two-phase flows

The Lagrangian–Eulerian (LE) approach is used in many computational methods to simulate two-way coupled dispersed two-phase flows. These include averaged equation solvers, as well as direct numerical simulations (DNS) and large-eddy simulations (LES) that approximate the dispersed-phase particles (or droplets or bubbles) as point sources. Accurate calculation of the interphase momentum transfer term in LE simulations is crucial for predicting qualitatively correct physical behavior, as well as for quantitative comparison with experiments. Numerical error in the interphase momentum transfer calculation arises from both forward interpolation/approximation of fluid velocity at grid nodes to particle locations, and from backward estimation of the interphase momentum transfer term at particle locations to grid nodes. A novel test that admits an analytical form for the interphase momentum transfer term is devised to test the accuracy of the following numerical schemes: (1) fourth-order Lagrange Polynomial Interpolation (LPI-4), (3) Piecewise Cubic Approximation (PCA), (3) second-order Lagrange Polynomial Interpolation (LPI-2) which is basically linear interpolation, and (4) a Two-Stage Estimation algorithm (TSE). A number of tests are performed to systematically characterize the effects of varying the particle velocity variance, the distribution of particle positions, and fluid velocity field spectrum on estimation of the mean interphase momentum transfer term. Numerical error resulting from backward estimation is decomposed into statistical and deterministic (bias and discretization) components, and their convergence with number of particles and grid resolution is characterized. It is found that when the interphase momentum transfer is computed using values for these numerical parameters typically encountered in the literature, it can incur errors as high as 80% for the LPI-4 scheme, whereas TSE incurs a maximum error of 20%. The tests reveal that using multiple independent simulations and higher number of particles per cell are required for accurate estimation using current algorithms. The study motivates further testing of LE numerical methods, and the development of better algorithms for computing interphase transfer terms.     

An asymptotic iteration method for the numerical analysis of near-critical free-surface flows

Satisfying the boundary conditions at the free surface may impose severe difficulties to the computation of turbulent open-channel flows with finite-volume or finite-element methods, in particular, when the flow conditions are nearly critical. It is proposed to apply an iteration procedure that is based on an asymptotic expansion for large Reynolds numbers and Froude numbers close to the critical value 1.The iteration procedure starts by prescribing a first approximation for the free surface as it is obtained from solving an ODE that has been derived previously by means of an asymptotic expansion (Grillhofer and Schneider, 2003). The numerical solution of the full equations of motion then gives a surface pressure distribution that differs from the constant value required by the dynamic boundary condition. To determine a correction to the elevation of the free surface we next solve an ODE that is obtained from the asymptotic analysis of the flow with a prescribed pressure disturbance at the free surface. The full equations of motion are then solved for the corrected surface, and the procedure is repeated until criteria of accuracy for surface elevation and surface pressure, respectively, are satisfied.The method is applied to an undular hydraulic jump as a test case.     

An effective limiting algorithm for particle-based numerical simulations of compressible flows

Eulerian computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Lagrangian computational structural dynamics (CSD) are used extensively in the aerospace industry. Combined mesh-based Eulerian and particle-based Lagrangian algorithms arevery effective for modelling and simulation due to the increased efficiency of combining the two numerical simulations. However, when compressible flows are simulated using a particle-based algorithm, calculations of strong discontinuity, such as a shock wave, may become unstable. In the present study, a numerical limiter is integrated with a particle-based CFD code to remedy this instability. The limiting algorithm incorporates an ‘averaging’ technique which calculates average values using the properties of neighbouring particles (also known as material points), including mass, momentum and energy. These averaged values are then input to a min-mode limiter to eliminate numerical noise and incur dissipation in the flow in areas with steep property gradients. The results of this algorithm show very stable solutions with minimal oscillations when applied to the one-dimensional shock tube problem and an increased accuracy with reduced oscillations for a two-dimensional cylinder cross-flow problem.     

Influences of Lorentz force on the hydrofoil lift

In this paper, Lorentz forces are proved to be able to suppress separation in flows over hydrofoils. Furthermore, a differential equation of pressure distributions on the hydrofoil surface is derived, from which it is found that BVF （boundary vortex flux） σ is a suitable criterion for describing the lift coefficient variations during the electromagnetic control process. According to our numerical results, the periodic variations of lift for a hydrofoil at an attack angle of 17 ° are analyzed and its inherent mechanism is discussed in detail with the concept of BVE On the other hand, the effects of Lorentz force on the hydrofoil＇s lift are investigated both experimentally and numerically for different magnitudes and locations.     

A numerical simulation for effective elastic moduli of plates with various distributions and sizes of cracks

A fast convergent numerical model is developed to calculate the effective moduli of plates with various distributions and sizes of cracks, in which the crack line is divided into M parts to obtain the unknown traction on the crack line. When M=1, the model reduces to Kachanov's approximation method [Int. J. Solids Struct. 23 (1987) 23]. Six types of crack distributions and three kinds of crack sizes are considered, which are four regular (equilateral triangle, equilateral hexagon, rectangle, and diamond) and two random distributions (random location and orientation, and parallel orientation and random location), and one, two and random crack sizes. Some typical examples are also analyzed using the finite element method (FEM) to validate the present model. Then, the effective moduli associated with the crack distributions and sizes are calculated in detail. The present results for the regular distributions show some very interesting phenomena that have not been revealed before. And for the two random distributions, as the effective moduli depend on samples due to the randomness, the effect of the sample size and number are analyzed first. Then, effective moduli for plates with the three sizes of cracks are calculated. It is found that the effect of crack sizes on the effective moduli is significant for high crack densities, and small for low crack densities, and the random crack size leads to the lowest effective moduli. The present numerical results are compared with several popular micromechanics models to determine which one can provide the optimum estimation of the effective moduli of cracked plates with general crack densities. Furthermore, some existing numerical results are analyzed and discussed.     

Analysis and numerical simulation of magnetic forces between rigid polygonal bodies. Part I: Analysis

The mathematical and physical analysis of magnetoelastic phenomena is a topic of ongoing research. Different formulae have been proposed to describe the magnetic forces in macroscopic systems. We discuss several of these formulae in the context of rigid magnetized bodies. In case the bodies are in contact, we consider formulae both in the framework of macroscopic electrodynamics and via a multiscale approach, i.e., in a discrete setting of magnetic dipole moments. We give mathematically rigorous proofs for domains of polygonal shape (as well as for more general geometries) in two and three space dimensions. In an accompanying second article, we investigate the formulae in a number of numerical experiments, where we focus on the dependence of the magnetic force on the distance between the bodies and on the case when the two bodies are in contact. The aim of the analysis as well as of the numerical simulation is to contribute to the ongoing debate about which formula describes the magnetic force between macroscopic bodies best and to stimulate corresponding real-life experiments.      

An application of the method of multiple scales to magnetohydrodynamic flow

In this paper we study the flow of an incompressible conducting fluid along an elliptic duct imposed in an uniform magnetic field. In case Hartmann number of the flow is sufficiently large, the method of multiple scales is adopted for constructing the asymptotic approximation of solution up to any order. Our method can also be applied to study the magnetohydrodynamic flow along any duct whose cross section has smooth boundary.     

An extended mixture model for the simultaneous treatment of small‐scale and large‐scale interfaces

The aim of this work is to present a new model based on the volume of fluid method and the algebraic slip mixture model in order to solve multiphase gas–fluid flows with different interface scales and the transition among them. The interface scale is characterized by a measure of the grid, which acts as a geometrical filter and is related with the accuracy in the solution; in this sense, the presented coupled model allows to reduce the grid requirements for a given accuracy. With this objective in mind, a generalization of the algebraic slip mixture model is proposed to solve problems involving small‐scale and large‐scale interfaces in an unified framework taking special care in preserving the conservativeness of the fluxes. This model is implemented using the OpenFOAM^® libraries to generate a tool capable of solving large problems on high‐performance computing facilities. Several examples are solved as a validation for the presented model, including new quantitative measurements to assess the advantages of the method. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.