Investigations on the porous resistance coefficients for fishing net structures

The porous media model has been successfully applied to numerical simulation of current and wave interaction with traditional permeable coastal structures such as breakwaters. Recently this model was employed to simulate flow through and around fishing net structures, where the unknown porous resistance coefficients were adjusted by fitting the available experimental data. In the present paper, a new approach was proposed to calculate the porous resistance coefficients based on the transformation of Morison type load model. The transformation follows the principle that the total forces acting on a net panel from Morison type load model should be equal to the forces obtained from the porous media model. In order to account for the interaction effects in-between the twines, two coefficients were introduced, and they were calibrated by minimizing the least square error function. Extensive validation cases were carried out to examine the performance of the numerical model. This includes steady current flow through plane net panels and circular fish cages, and wave interaction with plane net panels. A variety of fishing nets with different solidity ratios were used in the validation cases, from which it was seen that the overall agreement between the numerical and experimental results is fair.     

Exit blade geometry and part-load performance of small axial flow propeller turbines: An experimental investigation

A detailed experimental investigation of the effects of exit blade geometry on the part-load performance of low-head, axial flow propeller turbines is presented. Even as these turbines find important applications in small-scale energy generation using micro-hydro, the relationship between the layout of blade profile, geometry and turbine performance continues to be poorly characterized.The experimental results presented here help understand the relationship between exit tip angle, discharge through the turbine, shaft power, and efficiency. The modification was implemented on two different propeller runners and it was found that the power and efficiency gains from decreasing the exit tip angle could be explained by a theoretical model presented here based on classical theory of turbomachines. In particular, the focus is on the behaviour of internal parameters like the runner loss coefficient, relative flow angle at exit, mean axial flow velocity and net tangential flow velocity.The study concluded that the effects of exit tip modification were significant. The introspective discussion on the theoretical model’s limitation and test facility suggests wider and continued experimentation pertaining to the internal parameters like inlet vortex profile and exit swirl profile. It also recommends thorough validation of the model and its improvement so that it can be made capable for accurate characterization of blade geometric effects.     

Dynamics of dual pontoon floating structure for cage aquaculture in a two-dimensional numerical wave tank

The trend of using floating structures with cage aquaculture is becoming more popular in the open sea. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic properties of a dual pontoon floating structure (DPFS) when attached to a fish net by using physical and numerical models. A two-dimensional (2-D) fully nonlinear numerical wave tank (NWT), based on the boundary element method (BEM), is developed to calculate the wave forces on the DPFS. The wave forces on a fish net system are then evaluated using a modified Morison equation. The comparisons of dynamic behaviors between numerical simulations and experimental measurements on the DPFS show good agreement. Results also display that a fish net system causes the resonant response of body motions and mooring forces to be slightly lower due to the net's damping effect. Finally, for designing the rearing space of cage aquaculture, the influences which net depth and net width have on the DPFS dynamic responses are also presented in this paper.     

LES Investigation of the Flow Through an Effusion-Cooled Aeronautical Combustor Model

The present study is devoted to the analysis of the behaviour of the flow through an effusion-cooled aeronautical combustor model. High-fidelity calculations are performed on an experimental model of a combustion chamber multi-perforated wall and compared to experimental measurements. The effect of combustion instability on the effusion-cooling system is investigated by studying the interaction of an acoustic wave with the jets-in-crossflow issued from the cooling plate. It is shown that the mass-flow rate through the plate can be drastically reduced by the acoustic wave, which demonstrates the destructive effect that such instability may have on the cooling of an aeronautical combustion chamber.     

Structural response of high solidity net cage models in uniform flow

Hydrodynamic loads acting on a fish farm may be affected by the growth of different biofouling organisms, mainly due to increased solidity of the nets. In this paper, the hydrodynamic loads acting on high solidity net cage models subjected to high uniform flow velocities and the corresponding deformation of the net cages are studied. Model tests of net cylinders with various solidities were performed in a flume tank with a simulated current. Standard Morison-type numerical analyses were performed based on the model tests, and their capability of simulating the occurring loads and the observed net cage deformations for different flow velocities was evaluated.Large deformations of the net cage models were observed, and at high velocities the deformations were close to what is physically possible. Net cage deformation appeared to be less dependent on solidity than on flow velocity and weights. Drag forces increased with increasing flow velocity and were dependent on both bottom weights and netting solidity. For the lowest solidity net, drag forces were close to proportional to flow velocity. For the three high solidity nets, the measured drag forces were of similar magnitude, and drag increased less with increasing flow velocity above approximately 0.5 m/s than at lower velocities.This study shows that a basic reduced velocity model is not sufficient to model the interaction between the fluid flow and net (hydroelasticity) for high solidity net cages subjected to high flow velocities.The standard numerical analysis was in general able to make good predictions of the net shape, and was capable of making an acceptable estimate of hydrodynamic loads acting on the lowest solidity net model (Sn=0.19). For high solidities and large deformations, numerical tools should account for changes in water flow and the global drag coefficient of the net.     

Fish locomotion: kinematics and hydrodynamics of flexible foil-like fins

The fins of fishes are remarkable propulsive devices that appear at the origin of fishes about 500 million years ago and have been a key feature of fish evolutionary diversification. Most fish species possess both median (midline) dorsal, anal, and caudal fins as well as paired pectoral and pelvic fins. Fish fins are supported by jointed skeletal elements, fin rays, that in turn support a thin collagenous membrane. Muscles at the base of the fin attach to and actuate each fin ray, and fish fins thus generate their own hydrodynamic wake during locomotion, in addition to fluid motion induced by undulation of the body. In bony fishes, the jointed fin rays can be actively deformed and the fin surface can thus actively resist hydrodynamic loading. Fish fins are highly flexible, exhibit considerable deformation during locomotion, and can interact hydrodynamically during both propulsion and maneuvering. For example, the dorsal and anal fins shed a vortex wake that greatly modifies the flow environment experienced by the tail fin. New experimental kinematic and hydrodynamic data are presented for pectoral fin function in bluegill sunfish. The highly flexible sunfish pectoral fin moves in a complex manner with two leading edges, a spanwise wave of bending, and substantial changes in area through the fin beat cycle. Data from scanning particle image velocimetry (PIV) and time-resolved stereo PIV show that the pectoral fin generates thrust throughout the fin beat cycle, and that there is no time of net drag. Continuous thrust production is due to fin flexibility which enables some part of the fin to generate thrust at all times and to smooth out oscillations that might arise at the transition from outstroke to instroke during the movement cycle. Computational fluid dynamic analyses of sunfish pectoral fin function corroborate this conclusion. Future research on fish fin function will benefit considerably from close integration with studies of robotic model fins.     

Experimental study of viscoelastic effectives in a cylinder-plane lubricated contact

This experimental study is related to the flow between a stationary small diameter needle and a moving drum of much larger diameter, seen as a moving plane. Our visualisation experimental set-up adds new results regarding the flow behaviour of a polymer solution. This flow is compared to that of a Newtonian fluid used under the same kinematic conditions. Important differences between Newtonian and polymeric flows concern mainly streamlines, stagnation point positions, and reverse flow. A second experimental set-up enabled us to obtain normal stress profiles along the needle wall and the flow rate through the gap. Reslts related to Newtonian flows are compared to the well-known analytical solutions for a bidimensional laminar flow.     

On the interpretation of data from Converging Flow Rheometers

A reappraisal of data obtained from a Converging Flow Rheometer (CFR) is presented, together with new results for a specific polymer solution.Particular emphasis is placed on the interpretation of the experimental pressure data in terms of a planar extensional viscosity. It is suggested that previous interpretations, while yielding viscosity levels that appear reasonable, nevertheless fail to give the qualitative behaviour that might be expected on the basis of predictions from well accepted constitutive models. This, in the authors' opinions, arises because certain fluids, i.e. those that are highly tension-thickening, cease to flow in accordance with the assumed kinematics at high flow rates.By adapting a recently proposed approximate analysis for flow through a contraction it is shown that better qualitative behaviour, for the planar extensional viscosity, can be obtained from the Converging Flow Rheometer.     

Experimental and numerical investigation on the damping effect of net cages in waves

A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the damping effect of net cages in waves. The wave transmission coefficient of the net cage was investigated with different wave periods, wave heights, numbers of net cages, net solidities, measurement positions, geometrical shapes of the net cage and Reynolds numbers. The experimental results show that the net cage has noticeable influence on wave propagation and the damping effect of net cages has a close relationship with many parameters. For multiple net cages, the transmission coefficient tends to increase as the wave period increases. The transmission coefficient of net cages decreases with increasing wave height. As the number of net cages increases, the wave transmission coefficient will decrease gradually. The damping effect of net cages on wave propagation tends to increase with increasing net solidity. The measurement position has an effect on the value of wave transmission coefficient. For net cages with different geometrical shapes, the circular net cage has more noticeable damping effect than the square net cage. A numerical model is introduced to simulate the interaction between waves and net cages with the fishing net treated as the porous media fluid model. The wave transmission coefficient downstream from net cages shows good agreement between experimental and numerical results. The study will contribute to understanding of the damping effect of a large fish farm on wave propagation.     

The end correction for power-law fluids in the capillary rheometer

The finite element scheme developed by Nickell, Tanner and Caswell is used to compute the entry and exit losses for creeping flow of power-law fluids in a capillary rheometer. The predicted entry losses for a Newtonian fluid agree well with available experimental and theoretical results. The entry losses for inelastic power-law fluids increased with decreasing flow behaviour index and show an increasing deviation from available upper bound results as the flow behaviour index in the power-law decreases.The exit losses are found to be finite for inelastic power-law fluids and increase as the flow behaviour index decreases. The predicted die swell for Newtonian fluids agrees well with the available experimental data while the influence of shear thinning is to reduce the die swell.The end correction which is the sum of the entry and exit losses relative to twice the viscometric wall shear stress varies from 0.834 for n = 1 to 2.917 for n = 1/6. This figure reaches a very high value as n tends to zero. The experimental variation in the Couette correction factor in capillary rheometry is explained in terms of the shear thinning characteristics of the fluid. It is concluded that the exit flow is not viscometric, contrary to a common assumption.     

Mechanical characterisation of a viscoplastic material sensitive to hydrostatic pressure

The present paper deals with the characterisation of the static mechanical behaviour of an energetic material all along its lifespan. The material behaviour is viscoplastic, damageable and sensitive to hydrostatic pressure. For such materials, existing models have generally been developed in the framework of transient dynamic behaviour. These models are not suitable for a static study. Therefore a specific experimental protocol and an associated model are developed. Characterisation is derived from both uniaxial compressive, tensile tests and triaxial tests. Plastic behaviour is described by means of a parabolic yield criterion and a new hardening law. Non-associated plastic flow rule and isotropic damage complete the model. The performance of the model is illustrated through the simulation of various loading paths.     

Internal hydraulic analysis of impeller rounding in centrifugal pumps as turbines

The use of pumps as turbines in different applications has been gaining importance in the recent years, but the subject of hydraulic optimization still remains an open research problem. One of these optimization techniques that include rounding of the sharp edges at the impeller periphery (or turbine inlet) has shown tendencies of performance enhancement.In order to understand the effect of this hydraulic optimization, the paper introduces an analytical model in the pump as turbine control volume and brings out the functionalities of the internal variables classified under control variables consisting of the system loss coefficient and exit relative flow direction and under dependent variables consisting of net tangential flow velocity, net head and efficiency.The paper studies the effects of impeller rounding on a combination of radial flow and mixed flow pumps as turbines using experimental data. The impeller rounding is seen to have positive impact on the overall efficiency in different operating regions with an improvement in the range of 1-3%. The behaviour of the two control variables have been elaborately studied in which it is found that the system loss coefficient has reduced drastically due to rounding effects, while the extent of changes to the exit relative flow direction seems to be limited in comparison. The reasons for changes to these control variables have been physically interpreted and attributed to the behaviour of the wake zone at the turbine inlet and circulation within the impeller control volume.The larger picture of impeller rounding has been discussed in comparison with performance prediction models in pumps as turbines. The possible limitations of the analytical model as well as the test setup are also presented. The paper concludes that the impeller rounding technique is very important for performance optimization and recommends its application on all pump as turbine projects. It also recommends the standardization of the rounding effects over wide range of pump shapes including axial pumps.     

Numerical and experimental study on the motion characteristics of single bubble in a complex channel

This paper is an extended study from previous work. In this study, the focus is paid to the dynamics of bubble rising and deformation in a complex channel, while the previous work is in straight channel. For this purpose, a three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is employed to simulate the dynamics behaviour of a bubble rising in a complex channel consisting of three half-round throats. To validate the numerical method, a visual experiment was carried out by means of a high-speed digital camera and computer image processing technology. The behaviour of the rising bubble through glycerine solution in a complex channel was recorded. Some physical parameters such as rising velocities, trajectory and shapes of the bubble were calculated and processed based on the experimental data. In the same conditions, the trajectory, shapes and rising velocities of the bubble were simulated during its rising process by the proposed LBM. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results. It demonstrates that LBM used in this work is feasible for simulating two-phase flow in such a complex channel.     

Measurements in the vaneless diffuser of a radial flow compressor

Results from an experimental study of flow behaviour at the inlet of a vaneless diffuser of a centrifugal compressor are presented. Measurements from a crossed hot-wire probe are given for operating points having inlet flow coefficients ranging from 0.006 to 0.019 at different Reynolds numbers. Instantaneous, time-averaged, and phase-averaged absolute velocity and flow angle at the diffuser inlet are deduced from the hot-wire signals after correction for mean density variations. These results show how flow behaviour varies in stable, rotating stall and surge regimes of compressor operation     

基于颗粒流的混凝土材料数值实验研究

混凝土材料是一种典型的非均质材料,其力学行为和破坏过程很复杂.本文利用PFC颗粒流软件的内嵌fish语言编写了骨料生成程序、边界条件控制程序,程序模拟了MTS伺服功能,实现了虚拟的混凝土单轴压缩试验.相对于一般有限元程序投放的骨料,文中骨料可以破裂.在生成的数值试件基础上,设计了单级配和全级配混凝土单轴压缩试验,并对其破裂形态、裂纹扩展过程、应力应变曲线和破裂过程能量变化规律进行了研究.利用该虚拟试验平台,可对混凝土的动、静力学特性进行系统研究.     

An experimental analysis of the turbulent structures generated by the intake port of a DISI-engine

An essential task in the optimization of combustion processes for DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engines is the generation of a suitable in-cylinder flow, leading to easy ignition conditions and low pollutant emissions. Therefore, the determination of the transient flow behaviour generated in the cylinder by the intake port and the identification of the origin of flow fluctuations are equally important. A better insight into the time-dependent behaviour of in-cylinder flow is necessary to avoid unwanted flow variations and enhance the fuel-mixture preparation. Suitable information is provided here by the experimental measurement of instantaneous flow fields in a model cylinder flow, as obtained from High Speed Particle Image Velocimetry. The investigated flow fields are generated by a four-valve DISI production engine cylinder head on a steady-state test-bed. The present paper presents a procedure based on Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) in order to filter out measurement errors and to obtain information about the transient behaviour of in-cylinder flows. First, the procedure is presented and analyzed by considering generic vector fields, demonstrating that information concerning the transient behaviour is detectable in this manner. Next, the transient behaviour of the in-cylinder flow is investigated by reconstructing flow fields with the SVD procedure. The reconstruction employs a specified number of SVD spatial modes φ _i (x) and corresponding SVD time coefficients a _Di (t), which are reduced to their deterministic parts. Afterwards, the reduced SVD time coefficients a _Di (t) are used to determine the main fluctuation frequencies of the in-cylinder flow and to identify the origin of these fluctuations.     

A Mechanistic Model of Gas-Condensate Flow in Pores

Recent experimental results reported in the literature indicate that the relative permeability of gas-condensate systems increases with rate (velocity) at some conditions. To gain a better understanding of the nature of the flow and the prevailing mechanisms resulting in such behaviour flow visualisation experiments have been performed, using high pressure micromodels. The observed flow behaviour at the pore level has been employed to develop a mechanistic model describing the coupled flow of gas and condensate phases. The results of the model simulating the observed simultaneous flow of gas and condensate phases have been compared with reported core experimental results. Most features of the reported rate effect are predictable by the developed single pore model, nevertheless, its extension to include multiple pore interaction is recommended.     

Turbulent pipe flow downstream a 90° pipe bend with and without superimposed swirl

In the present work, the turbulent flow downstream a 90° pipe bend is investigated by means of stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. In particular, the three dimensional flow field at the exit of the curved pipe is documented for non-swirling and swirling flow conditions, with the latter being generated through a unique axially rotating pipe flow facility. The non-swirling flow was examined through snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) with the aim to reveal the unsteady behaviour of the Dean vortices under turbulent flow conditions, the so-called “swirl-switching” phenomenon. In respect to the swirling turbulent pipe flow, covering a wide range of swirl strengths, POD has been employed to study the effect of varying strength of swirl on the Dean vortices as well as the interplay of swirling motion and Dean cells. Furthermore, the visualised large scale structures in turbulent swirling flows through the bend are found to incline and tear up with increasing swirl intensity. The present time-resolved, three component, experimental velocity field data will provide a unique and useful database for future studies; in particular for the CFD community.     

Behaviour of macroscopic rigid spheres in lid-driven cavity flow

Experiments are conducted to investigate the behaviour of macroscopic rigid particles suspended in a fully three-dimensional viscous flow. The flow considered takes place in a closed cubic cavity, steadily driven along its upper face by a translating lid. Navier–Stokes computations are first performed to characterize the fluid flow, and the resulting kinematic template is checked using laser-illuminated micro-particles. Nearly neutrally buoyant rigid spheres are then inserted in the cavity, and their three-dimensional motions are tracked using stereoscopic imaging. The measured macro-particle motions are compared with those of simulated passive tracers, and their responses to changes in experimental conditions are examined. Although steric effects are observed to hinder passage through narrow throats of the flow field, macro-particle trajectories are otherwise found to align closely with passive tracer paths. The macro-particle orbits, however, are not evenly distributed within the cavity, and cluster closer to the periphery as the Reynolds and Stokes numbers increase. With support from observations of particle rotations relative to the fluid, we interpret this behaviour as resulting from weak forces pulling the macroscopic spheres towards preferential paths, similar to the Segré–Silberberg effect in Poiseuille flow.     

A NUMERICAL STUDY OF UNSTEADY FLUID FLOW IN IN-LINE AND STAGGERED TUBE BANKS

This paper is concerned with the results of numerical calculations for transient flow in in-line-square and rotated-square tube banks with a pitch-to-diameter ratio of 2:1, in the Reynolds number range of 30–3000. Transient-periodic behaviour is induced by the consideration of two or more modules, with a sinusoidal span-wise perturbation being applied in the upstream module. There is a triode-like effect, whereby the downstream response to the stimulus is amplified, and there is a net gain in the crosswise flow component. When an appropriate feedback mechanism is provided, a stable transient behaviour is obtained, with alternate vortices being shed from each cylinder. Flow visualization studies of the results of the calculations are presented together with quantitative details of pressure drop, lift, drag and heat transfer. For the staggered bank, a wake-switching or Coanda effect was observed as the serpentine-shaped wake attached to alternate sides of the downstream cylinder. The induced response is independent of the amplitude and frequency of the applied disturbance, including the case of spontaneous behaviour with no excitation mechanism. For the in-line case where each cylinder is in the shadow of the previous one, the motion is less pronounced; however, a shear-layer instability associated with the alternating spin of shed vortices was observed. In this case, the response was found to be somewhat dependent on the frequency of the applied disturbance, and a transient motion could not be induced spontaneously in the absence of an explicit feedback mechanism. Calculated Strouhal numbers were in fair agreement with experimental data: for the staggered geometry, they had values of between 0·26 and 0·35, or from −21 to +6% higher than measured values, while for the in-line geometry, the Strouhal numbers ranged between 0·09 and 0·12, or about 20–40% lower than experimental values.