Attenuation of shock waves propagating in polyurethane foams

Shock wave attenuation in polyurethane foams is investigated experimentally and numerically. This study is a part of research project regarding shock propagation in polyurethane foams with high-porosities = 0.951 ~ 0.977 and low densities of ρc = 27.6 ~55.8 kg/m³. Sixty Millimeter long cylindrical foams with various cell numbers and foam insertion condition were installed in a horizontal shock tube of 50 mm i.d. and 5.4 mm in length. Results of pressure measurements in air/foam combination are compared with CFD simulation solving the one-dimensional Euler equations. In the case of a foam B fixed on shock tube wall, pressures at the shock tube end wall increases relatively slowly comparing to non-fixed foam, free to move and a foam A fixed on shock tube wall. This implies that elastic inertia hardly contributes to pressure build up. Pressures behind a foam C fixed on shock tube wall decrease indicating that shock wave is degenerated into compression wave. Dimensionless impulse and attenuation factor decrease as the initial cell number increases. The momentum loss varies depending on cell structure and cell number.     

Two-phase flow of R-134a refrigerant during flow boiling through a horizontal circular mini-channel

This research focuses on heat transfer to R-134a during flow boiling in a 1.75 mm internal diameter tube. Flow visualisation and heat transfer experiments are conducted to obtain heat transfer coefficients for different flow patterns. The measured data in each flow regime are compared with predictions from a three-zone flow boiling model. The calculations are in fair agreement with the experimental results which correspond in particular to slug flow, throat-annular flow and churn flow regimes under conditions of low heat flux.     

Flow boiling performance in horizontal microfinned copper tubes with the same geometric characteristics

This article reports an experimental investigation on flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop of refrigerant R-134a in a smooth horizontal and two microfinned tubes from different manufacturers with the same geometric characteristics. Experiments have been carried out in an experimental facility developed for change of phase studies with a test section made with 9.52 mm external diameter, 1.5 m long copper tubes, electrically heated by tape resistors wrapped on the external surface. Tests have been performed under the following conditions: inlet saturation temperature of 5 °C, vapor qualities from 5% to 90%, mass velocity from 100 to 500 kg/s m², and a heat flux of 5 kW/m². Experimental results indicated that the heat transfer performance was basically the same for both microfin tubes. The pressure drop is higher in the microfinned tubes in comparison to the smooth tube over the whole range of mass velocities and vapor qualities. The enhancement factor, used to evaluate the combination of heat transfer and pressure drop, is higher than one for both tubes for mass velocities lower than 300 kg/s m². Values lower than one have been obtained for both tubes in the mass velocity upper range as a result of a significant pressure drop increment not followed by a correspondent increment in the heat transfer coefficient. Some images, illustrating the flow patterns, were obtained from the visualization section, located in the exit of the test section with the same internal diameter of the tested tube.     

Flow pattern and boiling heat transfer of CO2 in horizontal small-bore tubes

Increasing attention has been focused on carbon dioxide (CO₂) heat pump system where the temperature level is rather low, while the operating pressure is rather high. In this system, the density difference between vapor and liquid becomes rather small, which significantly affects flow patterns. Low surface tension and latent heat also have significant influence on two-phase flow patterns and heat transfer. This paper describes experimental and numerical investigation on flow patterns and heat transfer characteristics of boiling flow CO₂ at high pressure in horizontal small-bore tubes ranging from 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm I.D. Even though the density difference is rather small at high pressure, phase stratification takes place, which leads to the intermittent dryout at the upper wall. So far developed discrete bubble model by the authors for vertical flows is modified so as to include horizontal flow mechanisms. The predicted flow patterns with this new model agree on the whole with the experimental observation.     

Composite power law holdup correlations in horizontal pipes

A wide range of experimental holdup data, from different sources, are analyzed based on a theoretical model proposed in this work to evaluate the holdup in horizontal pipes. 2276 gas–liquid flow experiments in horizontal pipelines with a wide range of operational conditions and fluid properties are included in the database. The experiments are classified by mixture Reynolds number ranges and composite analytical expressions for the relationship between the liquid holdup and no-slip liquid holdup vs. the gas–liquid volumetric flow rate are obtained by fitting the data with logistic dose curves. The Reynolds number appropriate to classify the experimental data for gas–liquid flows in horizontal pipes is based on the mixture velocity and the liquid kinematic viscosity. Composite power law holdup correlations for flows sorted by flow pattern are also obtained. Error estimates for the predicted vs. measured holdup correlations together with standard deviation for each correlation are presented. The accuracy of the correlations developed in this study is compared with the accuracy of 26 previous correlations and models in the literature. Our correlations predict the liquid holdup in horizontal pipes with much greater accuracy than those presented by previous authors.     

二维水平通道内流动沸腾换热的格子Boltzmann模拟

利用格子Boltzmann方法模拟二维水平通道内水的流动沸腾过程,获得不同壁面过热度下流型特点和不同因素对换热过程的影响规律。结果表明,随着壁面过热度升高,流道内流型依次经历从泡状流、弹状流到反环流的转变,平均热流密度和平均换热系数先增大后减小。入口流速降低会使流道内出现受限气泡流,核态沸腾受到抑制。提高入口流速能够有效促进气泡脱离,壁面平均换热系数随入口流速增大而增大,但增长速率有所减小。减小通道宽度有利于汽化现象发生,核态沸腾得到强化,壁面平均换热系数有所提高。     

泡沫铝泡孔动态变形特性研究

在SHPB实验中采用应变冻结法将试件冻结于设定的压缩应变,然后观察内部泡孔的变形情况并讨论其变形机理。分别对同一相对密度(40%)、不同基体材料的两种泡沫铝以及两种相对密度(19%和8%)、相同基体材料的泡沫铝进行实验,讨论了基体材料的本构关系、泡沫的相对密度对变形模式的影响。利用ANSYS/LS DYNA软件对泡沫铝在动态压缩时泡孔的变形进行数值模拟计算,进一步说明泡沫铝泡孔变形的模式与基体材料本构关系及相对密度的关系。     

Mechanical characterization of the role of defects in sintered FeCrAlY foams

Open celled metal foams fabricated through metal sintering are a new class of material that offers novel mechanical and acoustic properties. Previously, polymer foams have been widely used as a means of absorbing acoustic energy. However, the structural applications of these foams are limited. The metal sintering approach offers a cost- effective means for the mass-production of open-cell foams from a range of materials, including high-temperature steel alloys. In this first part of two-paper series, the mechanical properties of open-celled steel alloy (FeCrAlY) foams were characterized under uniaxial compression and shear loading. Compared to predictions from established models, a significant knockdown in material properties was observed. This knockdown was attributed to the presence of defects throughout the microstructure that result from the unique fabrication process. Further in situ tests were carried out in a SEM (scanning electronic microscope) in order to investigate the effects of defects on the properties of the foams. Typically, the onset of plastic yielding was observed to occur at defect locations within the microstructure. At lower relative densities, ligament bending dominates, with the deformation initializing at defects. At higher relative densities, an additional deformation mechanism associated with membrane elements was observed. In the follow-up of this paper, a finite element model will be constructed to quantify the effects of defects on the mechanical performance of the open-cell foam. The project supported by the US Office of Naval Research (N000140210117), the National Basic Research Program of China (2006CB601202), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10328203, 10572111, 10632060), and the National 111 Project of China (B06024).     

Heat transfer to air–water annular flow in a horizontal pipe

Two-phase air–water flow and heat transfer in a 25 mm internal diameter horizontal pipe were investigated experimentally. The water superficial velocity varied from 24.2 m/s to 41.5 m/s and the air superficial velocity varied from 0.02 m/s to 0.09 m/s. The aim of the study was to determine the heat transfer coefficient and its connection to flow pattern and liquid film thickness. The flow patterns were visualized using a high speed video camera, and the film thickness was measured by the conductive tomography technique. The heat transfer coefficient was calculated from the temperature measurements using the infrared thermography method. It was found that the heat transfer coefficient at the bottom of the pipe is up to three times higher than that at the top, and becomes more uniform around the pipe for higher air flow-rates. Correlations on local and average Nusselt number were obtained and compared to results reported in the literature. The behavior of local heat transfer coefficient was analyzed and the role of film thickness and flow pattern was clarified.     

Modeling of the role of defects in sintered FeCrAlY foams

The metal sintering approach offers a cost- effective means for the mass-production of open-cell foams from a range of materials, including high-temperature steel alloys, which offer novel mechanical and acoustic properties. In a separate experimental study, the mechanical properties of open-celled steel alloy (FeCrAlY) foams have been characterized under uniaxial compression and shear loading. Compared to predictions from established models, a significant knockdown in material properties was observed. This knockdown was attributed to the presence of defects throughout the microstructure that result from the unique fabrication process. In the present paper, the microstructure of sintered FeCrAlY foams was modeled by using a finite element (FE) model. In particular, microstructural variations were introduced to a base lattice, and the effects on the strength and stiffness calculated. A range of defects identified under scanning electronic microscope (SEM) imaging were considered including broken ligaments, thickness variations, and pore blockages, which are the three primary imperfections observed in sintered foams. The corresponding levels of defect present in the material were subsequently input into the FE model, with the resulting predictions correlating well with experimental data. The project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2006CB601202), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10328203, 10572111, 10632060), the National 111 Project of China (B06024), and the US Office of Naval Research (N000140210117).     

Heat transfer measurements and correlations for air–water flow of different flow patterns in a horizontal pipe

Heat transfer coefficients were measured and new correlations were developed for two-phase, two-component (air and water) heat transfer in a horizontal pipe for different flow patterns. Flow patterns were observed in a transparent circular pipe using an air–water mixture. Visual identification of the flow patterns was supplemented with photographic data, and the results were plotted on the flow regime map proposed by Taitel and Dukler and agreed quite well with each other. A two-phase heat transfer experimental setup was built for this study and a total of 150 two-phase heat transfer data with different flow patterns were obtained under a uniform wall heat flux boundary condition. For these data, the superficial Reynolds number ranged from 640 to 35,500 for the liquid and from 540 to 21,200 for the gas. Our previously developed robust two-phase heat transfer correlation for a vertical pipe with modified constants predicted the horizontal pipe air–water heat transfer experimental data with very good accuracy. Overall the proposed correlations predicted the data with a mean deviation of 1.0% and an rms deviation of 12%.     

Natural convection boiling of water and surfactants in narrow horizontal annular channels

Natural convection boiling of water and surfactants at atmospheric pressure in narrow horizontal annular channels was studied experimentally in the range of Bond numbers Bo = 0.185–1.52. The flow pattern was visualized by high-speed video recording to identify the different regimes of boiling of water and surfactants. The channel length was 24 mm and 36 mm, the gap size was 0.45, 1.2, 2.2, and 3.7 mm. The heat flux was in the range of 20–500 kW/m², the concentration of surfactant solutions was varied from 10 to 600 ppm. For water boiling at Bond numbers Bo < 1 the CHF in restricted space is lower than that in unconfined space. This effect increases with increasing the channel length. For water at Bond number Bo = 1.52, boiling can almost be considered as unconfined. Additive of surfactant led to enhancement of heat transfer compared to water boiling in the same gap size, however, this effect decreased with decreasing gap size. For the same gap size, CHF in surfactant solutions was significantly lower than that in water. Hysteresis was observed for boiling in degraded surfactant solutions.     

A lattice model of foam flow in porous media: A percolation approach

Because fluid flow in porous media is opaque to most observational techniques simulations of the processes occurring in porous media have become important. Typical reservoir simulations treat the flow as taking place in some averaged (Darcy-scale) medium but simulations can also be carried out at the level of the network of pores and throats of the porous medium. We report the results of a pore-scale investigation of mechanisms for the alteration of mobility by foam lamella blockage in a network of these spaces and channels of porous media. Saturation and relative permeability curves are obtained using well-known power-law expressions of percolation theory and a rescaling of the percolation parameter readily permits a number of lamella-blocking mechanisms to be treated. An explanation of the shift in breakthrough gas saturation and the deformation of the shape of permeabilityvs saturation curves upon introduction of foam is provided for a variety of blocking mechanisms. The qualitatively different features seen in experimental studies of modification of gas mobility by foam can be rationalized using only two parameters which characterize the throat-size at which blockage commences and the degree of blockage.     

An experimental investigation of flow boiling in an asymmetrically heated rectangular microchannel

By using unique experimental techniques and carefully constructed experimental apparatus, the characteristics of flow boiling of water in microscale were investigated using a single horizontal rectangular microchannel. A polydimethylsiloxane rectangular microchannel (D_h = 103.5 and 133 μm) was fabricated by using the replica molding technique, a kind of soft lithography. A piecewise serpentine platinum microheater array on a Pyrex substrate was fabricated with the surface micromachining MEMS technique. Real time flow visualization of the phase change phenomena inside the microchannel was performed using a high speed CCD camera with microscope. The experimental local boiling heat transfer coefficients were studied, and single bubble inception, growth, and departure, as well as elongated bubble behavior were analyzed to elucidate the microscale heat transfer mechanisms. Tests were performed for mass fluxes of 77.5, 154.9, and 309.8 kg/m² s and heat fluxes of 180–500 kW/m². The effects of mass flux, heat flux, and vapor qualities on flow boiling heat transfer in a microchannel were studied.     

Determination of flow sub-regimes in stratified air–water channel flow using LDV spectra

In gas–liquid stratified flows, pressure drop and transport across the interface are strongly influenced by the interfacial wave structure, making the determination of interfacial topography in this kind of flows very important. An objective way of characterizing the wave pattern present in the interface is proposed here. The method consists in analysing the spectra of the signal obtained from Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) measurements of fluctuations occurring close to the air-sheared interface. Transitions are defined by the appearance and disappearance of peaks in the frequency spectra. The method was applied to study the transition regimes of a stratified air–water flow in a square-cross section channel. A flow pattern map for air–water channel flow is presented and compared with the maps available from the literature.     

Surface wettability effect on flow pattern and pressure drop in adiabatic two-phase flows in rectangular microchannels with T-junction mixer

Wettability is an important parameter in micro-scale flow patterns. Previous research has usually been conducted in conventional microtubes due to limitations of visualizing flow patterns and fabricating microchannels. However, most microchannels in practical applications have rectangular shape. Furthermore, pressure drop is closely related with flow pattern. Hence, we studied water liquid and nitrogen gas flows in rectangular microchannels with different wettabilities. The rectangular glass microchannels were fabricated from photosensitive glass, whose surface is hydrophilic. The surface of one was silanized using octadecyl-trichloro-silane (OTS) to prepare a hydrophobic microchannel. The two-phase flow pattern was visualized with a high-speed camera and a long distance microscope. The frictional pressure drop in the microchannel was measured directly with embedded pressure ports. The flow pattern and pressure drop in the hydrophobic microchannel were totally different from those in the hydrophilic microchannel. Finally, the two-phase frictional pressure drop was analyzed based on the flow patterns of different wettabilities.     

Natural convection in a horizontal porous layer with anisotropic thermal diffusivity

The present paper is concerned with free convection in a horizontal porous layer with anisotropic thermal diffusivity. It is assumed that the diffusivity has rotational symmetry, with a symmetry axis making an arbitrary angle against the vertical. The critical Rayleigh number and wave number at marginal stability are calculated and the steady motion occurring at convection onset is examined. It is found that there are two different types of convection cells, depending on whether the longitudinal diffusivity is larger than the transverse diffusivity or not. In the former case, the convection cells are rectangular with vertical lateral walls. In the latter case, however, the lateral cell walls are tilted as well as curved.     

Nitrogen/non-Newtonian fluid two-phase upward flow in non-circular microchannels

This paper presents experimental investigations on nitrogen/non-Newtonian fluid two-phase flow in vertical noncircular microchannels, which have square or triangular cross-section with the hydraulic diameters being D_h = 2.5, 2.886 and 0.866 mm, respectively, by visualization method. Three non-Newtonian aqueous solutions with typical rheological properties, i.e., 0.4% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), 0.2% polyacrylamide (PAM) and 0.2% xanthan gum (XG) are chosen as the working fluids. The common flow patterns are identified as slug flow, churn flow and annular flow. The dispersed bubble flow is only found in the case with nitrogen/CMC solution two-phase flow in the largest channel. A new flow pattern of nitrogen/PAM solution two-phase flow, named chained bubble/slug flow, is observed in all the test channels. The flow regime maps are also developed and the results show that the rheological properties of the non-Newtonian fluid have remarkable influence on the flow pattern transitions. The geometrical factors of the microchannel such as the cross-section shape and hydraulic diameter of the channel can also affect the flow regime map. Finally, the results obtained in this work are compared with the available flow pattern transitions.     

Flow patterns and boundary conditions for inlet and outlet conduits of large pump system with low head

The flow patterns in the inlet and outlet conduits have a decisive effect on the safe, stable, and highly efficient operation of the pump in a large pumping station with low head. The numerical simulation of three-dimensional （3D） turbulence flow in conduits is an important method to study the hydraulic performance and conduct an optimum hydraulic design for the conduits. With the analyses of the flow patterns in the inlet and outlet conduits, the boundary conditions of the numerical simulation for them can be determined. The main obtained conclusions are as follows： （i） Under normal operation conditions, there is essentially no pre-swirl flow at the impeller chamber inlet of an axial-flow pump system, based on which the boundary condition at the inlet conduit may be defined. （ii） The circulation at the guide vane outlet of an axial-flow pump system has a great effect on the hydraulic performance of the outlet conduit, and there is optimum circulation for the performance. Therefore, it is strongly suggested to design the guide vane according to the optimum circulation. （iii） The residual circulation at the guide vane outlet needs to be considered for the inlet boundary condition of the outlet conduit, and the value of the circulation may be measured in a specially designed test model.