Flow characteristics in hydraulically equilibrium two-phase flows in a vertical 2 × 3 rod bundle channel

In order to increase data on two-phase flow distribution in a multi-subchannel system, being similar to a rod bundle, experiments have been carried out using water and air at ambient pressure and temperature as the working fluids and a newly constructed 2 × 3 rod bundle channel as the test channel. The channel contained six rods in rectangular array and two-kinds of six subchannels, simulating a BWR fuel rod bundle. Experimental data on flow distribution and pressure drop along each subchannel axis were obtained in various single- and two-phase flows under a hydraulic equilibrium flow condition. From the measured pressure drop in the single-phase flow, friction factor data in each subchannel were obtained. The two-phase pressure drop data were compared with calculations by a simple, one-dimensional, one-pressure two-fluid model. In addition, Taylor bubble velocity in each subchannel in slug-churn flows was measured with a double needle contact probe. Using the bubble velocity data, we obtained a subchannel void fraction in each subchannel, and discussed a relationship of the subchannel void fractions between two different subchannels. Results of such experiments and discussions are presented in this paper.     

High-resolution (∼0.05%) red shift of a ∼ 60 keV Kβ line upon ionization

A recent measurement [1] demonstrates that iridium's Kα₂-line, centered at ?63286.96 eV for a cold atom, increases ?+10 eV in energy when it is emitted by a modestly (～17×) ionized plasma. This measurement, enabled by a near-coincident lutetium K-edge filter, agrees well with atomic physics computations. Not understood at the time was a similar measurement with a thulium filter at the ?59370 eV energy of ytterbium's Kβ₁ line, which indicated that its photon energy decreases with ionization. The computation reported here shows that the ionization energy shift for Yb's Kβ lines is indeed negative and agrees qualitatively with the measurements. For the K-lines the ionization energy shift may be most interesting in atomic physics, while for the L-lines the ionization energy shift is a promising plasma diagnostic [2].     

Experimental investigation of horizontal air–water bubbly-to-plug and bubbly-to-slug transition flows in a 3.81 cm ID pipe

The present study seeks to investigate horizontal bubbly-to-plug and bubbly-to-slug transition flows. The two-phase flow structures and transition mechanisms in these transition flows are studied based on experimental database established using the local four-sensor conductivity probe in a 3.81 cm inner diameter pipe. While slug flow needs to be distinguished from plug flow due to the presence of large number of small bubbles (and thus, large interfacial area concentration), both differences and similarities are observed in the evolution of interfacial structures in bubbly-to-plug and bubbly-to-slug transitions. The bubbly-to-plug transition is studied by decreasing the liquid flow rate at a fixed gas flow rate. It is found that as the liquid flow rate is lowered, bubbles pack near the top wall of the pipe due to the diminished role of turbulent mixing. As the flow rate is lowered further, bubbles begin to coalesce and form the large bubbles characteristic of plug flow. Bubble size increases while bubble velocity decreases as liquid flow rate decreases, and the profile of the bubble velocity changes its shape due to the changing interfacial structure. The bubbly-to-slug transition is investigated by increasing the gas flow rate at a fixed liquid flow rate. In this transition, gas phase becomes more uniformly distributed throughout the cross-section due to the formation of large bubbles and the increasing bubble-induced turbulence. The size of small bubbles decreases while bubble velocity increases as gas flow rate increases. The distributions of bubble size and bubble velocity become more symmetric in this transition. While differences are observed in these two transitions, similarities are also noticed. As bubbly-to-plug or bubbly-to-slug transition occurs, the formation of large elongated bubbles is observed not in the uppermost region of bubble layer, but in a lower region. At the beginning of transitions, relative differences in phase velocities near the top of the pipe cross-section to those near the pipe center become larger for both gas and liquid phases, because more densely packed bubbles introduce more resistance to both phases.     

Bleustein–Gulyaev waves in 6 mm piezoelectric materials loaded with a viscous liquid layer of finite thickness

In this paper, we analyze the propagation of Bleustein–Gulyaev waves in an unbounded piezoelectric half-space loaded with a viscous liquid layer of finite thickness within the linear elastic theories. Exact solutions of the phase velocity equations are obtained in the cases of both electrically open circuit and short circuit by solving the equilibrium equations of piezoelectric materials and the diffusion equation of viscous liquid. A PZT-5H/Glycerin system is selected to perform the numerical calculation. The results show that the mass density and the viscous coefficient have different effects on the propagation attenuation and phase velocity under different electrical boundary conditions. In particular, the penetration depth of the waves is of the same order as the wavelength in the case of electrically short circuit. These effects can be used to manipulate the behavior of the waves and have implications in the application of acoustic wave devices.     

Propagation of Bleustein–Gulyaev wave in 6 mm piezoelectric materials loaded with viscous liquid

The influence of a viscous liquid on acoustic waves propagating in elastic or piezoelectric materials is of particular significance for development of liquid sensors. Bleustein–Gulyaev wave is a shear-type surface acoustic wave and has the advantage of not radiating energy into the adjacent liquid. These features make the B–G wave sensitive to changes in both mechanical and electrical properties of the surrounding environment. The Bleustein–Gulyaev wave has been reported to be a good candidate for liquid sensing application. In this paper, we investigate the potential application of B–G wave in 6 mm crystals for liquid sensing. The explicit dispersion relations for both open circuit and metalized surface boundary conditions are given. A numerical example of PZT-5H piezoelectric ceramic in contact with viscous liquid is calculated and discussed. Numerical results of attenuation and phase velocity versus viscosity, density of the liquid and wave frequency are presented. The paper is intended to provide essential data for liquid senor design and development.     

Magnetic and electrochemical behavior of rhombohedral α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with (1 0 4) dominant facets

Uniform rhombohedral α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, ～60 nm in size, were synthesized via a triphenylphosphine-assisted hydrothermal method. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM) analyses showed that the as-synthesized rhombohedral nanoparticles were enclosed by six (1 0 4) planes. The concentration of triphenylphosphine played an important role in morphological evolution of the α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. The as-prepared rhombohedral nanoparticles possessed remanent magnetization M_r of 2.6 × 10^?3 emu/g and coercivity H_C of 2.05 Oe, both lower than those of other α-Fe₂O₃ particles with similar size, indicating their potential applications as superparamagnetic precursor materials. Furthermore, these rhombohedral α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles exhibited good sensor capability toward H₂O₂ with a linear response in the concentration range of 2–20 mM.     

Exact solutions with elastic interactions for the (2 $$+$$ + 1)-dimensional extended Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this work, the $$(2+1)$$ -dimensional extended Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation, which models the surface waves and internal waves in straits or channels, is...     

Minimum fluidization velocities for supercritical water fluidized bed within the range of 633–693 K and 23–27 MPa

Supercritical water fluidized bed is a new reactor concept for biomass gasification. In this paper, an experimental study on the hydrodynamics of a supercritical water fluidized bed was conducted. The frictional pressure drops of a fixed bed and a fluidized bed were measured for a temperature ranging from 633 to 693 K and pressure ranging from 23 to 27 MPa. The results show that the Ergun formula for calculating the frictional pressure drop of a fixed bed can still be applied in supercritical water conditions. The average deviation between Ergun formula and experiment results is 13.3%. A predicting correlation for the minimum fluidization velocity in a supercritical water fluidized bed was obtained based on the experimental results of a fixed bed and the fluidized bed pressure drop. The average error between the correlation and experiment results was about 3.1%. The results in this paper are useful for the design of SCW fluidized bed.     

Some basis-free expressions for stresses conjugate to Hill’s strains through solving the tensor equation AX + XA = C

In the present paper, some new and compact basis-free expressions are derived for representing stresses conjugate to the Lagrangean Hill’s strain measures. Solving a tensor equation in the form of AX + XA = C, a rather simple general expression is obtained for the conjugate stresses in the case of distinct principal stretches. The result decomposes the conjugate stresses additively into two parts, such that one part is coaxial with the right stretch tensor while another part is orthogonal to it. An expression for the case of double-coalescent principal stretches is also obtained. As an example of the general results, simple expressions are obtained for the stress conjugate to the logarithmic strain.     

Phase field simulation of heterogeneous cubic → tetragonal martensite nucleation

The mechanisms for heterogeneous cubic → tetragonal martensite nucleation due to different types of microscopic defects (voids, stress-concentration site, inertial inclusion and pre-existing nucleus) and the temporal evolution of martensite morphology are monitored with finite element simulation of phase filed model. The results demonstrate that the nucleation prefers to occur around void and stress-concentration site initially; high residual stress exists around inertial inclusion; pre-existing nucleus promotes nearby martensite phase to develop on it. The effects of various defects on heterogeneous nucleation are different, and stress relaxation behavior is the dominant factor which characterizes the whole microstructure evolution process.     

Application of the Cercignani–Lampis scattering kernel to calculations of rarefied gas flows. III. Poiseuille flow and thermal creep through a long tube

The Cercignani–Lampis scattering kernel of the gas–surface interaction is applied to numerical calculations of the Poiseuille flow and thermal creep through a long tube. The S model of the Boltzmann equation was numerically solved by the discrete velocity method. The calculations have been carried out in the wide ranges of the rarefaction parameter and of the accommodation coefficients. Comparing the present results with experimental data the values of the accommodation coefficients have been calculated.     

Self-similar solutions in a plasma with axial magnetic field (<Emphasis Type="Italic">θ</Emphasis>-pinch)

In this paper, Lie group of transformation method is used to investigate the self-similar solutions for the system of partial differential equations describing a plasma with axial magnetic field (θ–pinch). The arbitrary constants occurring in the expressions for the infinitesimals of the local Lie group of transformations give rise to two different cases of possible solutions i.e. with a power law and exponential shock paths. A particular solution to the problem in one case has been found out.     

High-resolution 22–52 keV backlighter sources and application to X-ray radiography

The requirement for sources of hard X-rays suitable for high resolution radiography through large ρR targets is prominent in many aspects of current laser-driven plasma physics research. In recent work using the OMEGA EP laser facility [L. J. Waxer, M. J. Guardalben, J. H. Kelly et al., CLEO/QELS, Optical Society of America, San Jose, CA, IEEE (2008)] at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) in Rochester, NY, experiments have been performed to measure characteristics of 22–52 keV X-ray sources using high intensity short-pulse lasers. High quality point projection, two-dimensional radiography was demonstrated by irradiating microwire targets with laser intensities of 10¹⁶ W cm^?2–10¹⁹ W cm^?2. Microwire targets were manufactured to dimensions of 10 μm × 10 μm × 300 μm and were supported by a 100 μm × 300 μm × 6 μm low-Z substrate. Measurements of the k–α conversion efficiency and X-ray source-size are discussed and, of particular importance for radiography, the spectral purity of the backlighter is characterized to assess the relative importance of the Kα emission to bremsstrahlung background.     

Gas–Dynamic Structures in Supersonic Combustion of Hydrogen in a System of Plane Jets in a Supersonic Flow

Results of numerical and theoretical studies of supersonic diffusive combustion of a system of plane hydrogen jets in a supersonic air flow are described. It is shown that large–scale vortex structures appear in the mixing zone of the system of hydrogen jets and the cocurrent flow. These vortex structures affect the mechanism of turbulent exchange between the fuel and the oxidizer.     

Effect of strain hardening in elastic–plastic transition behavior in a hemisphere in contact with a rigid flat

An axisymmetrical hemispherical asperity in contact with a rigid flat is modeled for an elastic–plastic material on the lines of the Kogut–Etsion Model (KE Model) and the Jackson–Green Model (JG Model). The present work extends the previous KE and JG works, accounting for the effect of realistic material behavior in terms of the varying yield strengths and the isotropic strain hardening behavior. The predicted results show that the transition behavior of the materials from the elastic–plastic to the fully plastic case is influenced by the yield strength and the tangent modulus (E_t) and such transition do not take place at specific values of interference ratios as suggested by the KE model. New empirical relations are proposed to determine the contact load and the contact area based on the analysis. Numerical results from the finite element modeling are also validated with an experimental ball on flat configuration approach.     

Nonlinear interaction of solitary waves described by multi-rational wave solutions of the (2 $$+$$ + 1)-dimensional Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation with variable coefficients

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper, the generalized unified method is used to construct multi-rational wave solutions of the ( $$2 + 1$$ )-dimensional Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation with...     

New Methodologies for Fracture Detection of Automotive Steels in Tight Radius Bending: Application to the VDA 238–100 V-Bend Test

Background

The VDA 238–100 tight radius V-bend test can be used to efficiently characterize the bendability and fracture limits of sheet metals in severe plane strain bending. Material performance in plane strain bending is critical for the selection of advanced high strength steels for energy absorbing structural components.

Objective

The detection of failure based upon a reduction in the punch force can lead to erroneous predictions of failure for ductile or thin gage alloys in the VDA 238–100 test. New failure criteria were proposed and evaluated across a range of automotive steels.

Methods

Four detection methods in the V-bend test were evaluated based upon the load drop, bending moment, novel stress metric and the strain rate for seven steels with strength levels from 270 to 1500 MPa. The appropriate failure threshold was identified from visual inspection of the surface during bending.

Results

The vertical punch force will decrease as a consequence of the mechanics in the V-bend test at intermediate bend angles even without fracture. The novel stress-based metric accounts for sheet thinning and could successfully identify “false positives” and punch lift-off when considering the strain-rate evolution.

Conclusions

Failure detection using the VDA load threshold method may significantly under-report the bend performance of alloys with intermediate-to-high bendability or thin gauges. The proposed stress-based metric can reliably detect fracture for bend angles in excess of 160° and be readily calculated using the existing data. The VDA load threshold for failure can work well for materials that exhibit significant cracking.

     

Stability analysis and solutions of (2 + 1)-Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation by homoclinic technique based on Hirota bilinear form

Nonlinear Dynamics - The Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation used in this article is used to model shallow water waves with weakly nonlinear restorative forces as well as waves in a strong...     

Stress boundary layers in the viscoelastic flow past a cylinder in a channel： limiting solutions

The flow past a cylinder in a channel with the aspect ratio of 2:1 for the upper convected Maxwell (UCM) fluid and the Oldroyd-B fluid with the viscosity ratio of 0.59 is studied by using the Galerkin/Least-square finite element method and a p-adaptive refinement algorithm. A posteriori error estimation indicates that the stress-gradient error dominates the total error. As the Deborah number, D_e, approaches 0.8 for the UCM fluid and 0.9 for the Oldroyd-B fluid, strong stress boundary layers near the rear stagnation point are forming, which are characterized by jumps of the stress-profiles on the cylinder wall and plane of symmetry, huge stress gradients and rapid decay of the gradients across narrow thicknesses. The origin of the huge stress-gradients can be traced to the purely elongational flow behind the rear stagnation point, where the position at which the elongation rate is of 1/2D_e approaches the rear stagnation point as the Deborah number approaches the critical values. These observations imply that the cylinder problem for the UCM and Oldroyd-B fluids may have physical limiting Deborah numbers of 0.8 and 0.9, respectively.The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50335010 and 20274041) and the MOLDFLOW Comp. Australia.     

DNS Scrutiny of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">ζ</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis> Elliptic-Relaxation Eddy-Viscosity Model in Channel Flows with a Moving Wall

In this paper we present a Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of channel flow with stationary and moving walls. Three cases, Poiseuille-type with U_W/U_b = 0.75, intermediate-type with U_W/U_b = 1.215, and Couette-type with U_W/U_b = 1.5 (U_W and U_b are the wall and the bulk velocity), were compared with the pure Poiseuille U_W/U_b = 0, at a bulk Reynolds number equal to 4,800 corresponding to Re _\uptau = 288_{\uptau} =288. The DNS results were used to scrutinize the capabilities of ζ-f eddy viscosity model (based on the elliptic relaxation concept) in reproducing the near-wall turbulence in non conventional flows where the shear stress structures are strongly different with respect to the cases used for models calibration. The ζ-f model (also in its basic formulation) demonstrated to have good prospects to reproduce the main phenomenology of such class of flows due to its built-in capabilities to account separately for the different (and opposite) near wall effects on turbulence: the damping due to viscosity and pressure reflection. The results of the computations demonstrated that standard ζ-f model can reasonably reproduce the phenomenology of these flows in terms of velocity and turbulent kinetic energy profiles and budgets.