Lattice Boltzmann 3D flow simulations on a metallic foam

In this paper a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to simulate isothermal incompressible flow in a RCM-NCX-1116 metallic foam. The computational technique is a multiple relaxation time (MRT) lattice Boltzmann equation model. Computer aided X-ray micro-tomography is used to obtain 3D images of the metallic foam, providing the geometry and information required for LB simulations of a single phase flow.Pressure drops are computed and successfully compared to experimental measures and correlated with Ergun’s equation. Invariance of Ergun’s parameters A and B with the sampling rate of the images is observed.     

Coupling 3D and 1D fluid-structure interaction models for blood flow simulations

Three-dimensional (3D) simulations of blood flow in medium to large vessels are now a common practice. These models consist of the 3D Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible Newtonian fluids coupled with a model for the vessel wall structure. However, it is still computationally unaffordable to simulate very large sections, let alone the whole, of the human circulatory system with fully 3D fluid-structure interaction models. Thus truncated 3D regions have to be considered. Reduced models, one-dimensional (1D) or zero-dimensional (0D), can be used to approximate the remaining parts of the cardiovascular system at a low computational cost. These models have a lower level of accuracy, since they describe the evolution of averaged quantities, nevertheless they provide useful information which can be fed to the more complex model. More precisely, the 1D models describe the wave propagation nature of blood flow and coupled with the 3D models can act also as absorbing boundary conditions. We consider in this work the coupling of a 3D fluid-structure interaction model with a 1D hyperbolic model. We study the stability of the coupling and present some numerical results. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electroosmotic flow and heat transfer in a heterogeneous circular microchannel

Asymmetries in boundary condition are inevitable in practice in microfluidic channels, despite being rarely addressed from theoretical perspectives. Here, by arriving at closed form analytical solutions, we bring out a unique coupling between asymmetries in surface charge and heat transfer in electroosmotically driven microchannel flows. For illustration, we assume that the channel is laterally composed of two parts, each having specified values of the zeta potential and the wall heat flux. Considering low zeta potentials, we obtain analytical solutions in terms of infinite series for the dimensionless forms of the electric potential, the velocity, and the temperature distributions. We demonstrate that, by carefully adjusting the governing parameters, a variety of flow patterns may be achieved, a property that is crucial in applications such as liquid-phase transportation and mixing. Moreover, we show that the average velocity is a linear function of both the zeta potential ratio and the coverage factor. We further show that the average Nusselt number increases when part of the channel having the larger heat flux enlarges and the zeta potential of the part having the smaller surface charge increases. Hence, the maximum heat transfer rates are achieved when the boundary conditions are symmetrical.     

Kinetic analysis of the isothermal flow in a long rectangular microchannel

The linearized kinetic BGK model is used to study the steady Poiseuille flow of a rarefied gas in a long channel of rectangular cross section. The solution is constructed using the finite-volume method based on a TVD scheme. The basic computed characteristic is the mass flow rate through the channel. The effect of the relative width of the cross section is examined, and the difference of the solution from the one-dimensional flow between infinite parallel plates is analyzed. The numerical solution is compared to available results and to the analytical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations with no-slip and slip boundary conditions. The limits of applicability of the hydrodynamic solution are established depending on the degree of rarefaction of the flow and on the ratio of the side lengths of the channel cross section.     

Unsteady rarefied gas flow in a microchannel driven by a pressure difference

The kinetic S-model is used to study the unsteady rarefied gas flow through a plane channel between two parallel infinite plates. Initially, the gas is at rest and is separated by the plane x = 0 with different pressure values on opposite sides. The gas deceleration effect of the channel walls is studied depending on the degree of gas rarefaction and the initial pressure drop, assuming that the molecules are diffusely reflected from the boundary. The decay of the shock wave and the disappearance of the uniform flow region behind the shock wave are monitored. Special attention is given to the gas mass flux through the cross section at x = 0, which is computed as a function of time. The asymptotic behavior of the solution at unboundedly increasing time is analyzed. The kinetic equation is solved numerically by applying a conservative finite-difference method of second-order accuracy in space.     

Numerical modelling of 3D sloshing experiments in rectangular tanks

This work encompasses numerical and experimental studies of three-dimensional (3D) sloshing problems. The two-fluid viscous flow, which is solved within a stabilized finite element context, involves liquid and gaseous phases. The free surface is captured with a level set (LS) method, including the bounded renormalization with continuous penalization technique, to avoid the well-known spreading of the marker function. Specifically, this technique is improved with a volume-preserving algorithm for long-term analyses. To verify the numerical model, the responses of free-sloshing cases are compared with analytical solutions and other results computed using a Lagrangian technique. These simulations assess the influence of considering two-dimensional (2D) and 3D analyses, as well as the effects of depth and viscosity. This work presents data obtained from a forced sloshing experiment that is specifically devoted to 3D free surface behaviour. Free surface evolution measurements are used to validate the numerical method. Moreover, the effect of the initial conditions used to promote 3D behaviour in the modelling is evaluated.     

Non-isothermal gas flow in microchannel with equal wall temperatures

A non-isothermal two-dimensional compressible subsonic slip gas flows is analyzed in this paper. It is pressure-driven steady flow in microchannels with variable cross section (convergent, divergent, and constant height channel). Since the flows correspond to microspaces, the rarefaction effect is taken in account. The obtained gas temperature profiles are non-uniform. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical analysis of 3D vortical cavity flow

The vortical flows of an incompressible fluid in a rectangular three-dimensional container with a large spanwise aspect ratio driven by a moving solid lid are studied using a combined compact finite difference (CCD) scheme with high accuracy and high resolution. The study focuses on the change of the steady flow structures in the cavity with Reynolds numbers ranging from 100 to 850. The results of the flow in the cavity with a spanwise aspect ratio 6.55 show that several stable closed streamlines localized near the symmetric plane are found at Re ≥500, while a closed stable streamline is found near the side wall at Re ≤300. The change of the flow pattern present in this system affects the diffusion properties in the flow but seems to have no qualitative effect on the global flow properties which include energy dissipation in the cavity. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Large eddy simulations of the turbulent flow between a rotating and a stationary disk

Large eddy simulations of the flow between a rotating and a stationary disk have been performed using a dynamic and a mixed dynamic subgrid-scale model. The simulations were compared to direct numerical simulation results. The mixed dynamic model gave better overall predictions than the dynamic model. Modifications of the near-wall structures caused by the mean flow three-dimensionality were also investigated. Conditional averages near strong stress-producing events led to the same conclusions regarding these modifications as studies of the flow generated by direct numerical simulation, namely a distinct asymmetry of the vortices producing sweeps and ejections.     

Large eddy simulations of the turbulent flow between a rotating and a stationary disk

Large eddy simulations of the flow between a rotating and a stationary disk have been performed using a dynamic and a mixed dynamic subgrid-scale model. The simulations were compared to direct numerical simulation results. The mixed dynamic model gave better overall predictions than the dynamic model. Modifications of the near-wall structures caused by the mean flow three-dimensionality were also investigated. Conditional averages near strong stress-producing events led to the same conclusions regarding these modifications as studies of the flow generated by direct numerical simulation, namely a distinct asymmetry of the vortices producing sweeps and ejections.     

Turbulent flow computations on 3D unstructured grids

An edge-based finite element method is presented for the simulation of compressible turbulent flows on unstructured tetrahedral grids. A two equation k–ω turbulence model is employed and the standard Galerkin approach is used for spatial discretisation. Stabilisation of the resulting procedure is achieved by the addition of an appropriate diffusion. An explicit multistage time-stepping scheme is used to advance the solution in time to steady state. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated for the simulation of a high Reynolds number transonic separated flow over a wing.     

On facet-breaking for crystalline mean curvature flow in 3D

We discuss the facet-breaking phenomenon in crystalline mean curvature flow, and its connection with the prescribed curvature problem and the capillarity problem. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Geometric depletion of vortex stretch in 3D viscous incompressible flow

New geometric constraints on vorticity are obtained which suppress possible development of finite-time singularity from the nonlinear vortex stretching mechanism. We find a new condition on the smoothness of the direction of vorticity in the vortical region which yields regularity. We also detect a regularity condition of isotropy type on vorticity in the intensive vorticity region via a new cancellation principle. This is in contrast with the one of isotropy type on the curl of vorticity obtained recently by A. Ruzmaikina and Z. Gruji? [A. Ruzmaikina, Z. Gruji?, On depletion of the vortex-stretching term in the 3D Navier-Stokes equations, Comm. Math. Phys. 247 (2004) 601-611]. We improve as well all of their results by eliminating their assumption that the initial vorticity ω₀ is required to be in L¹.     

Investigating the effect of various nanoparticle and base liquid types on the nanofluids heat and fluid flow in a microchannel

In this paper, heat transfer and pressure drop of different nanofluid types in a two-dimensional microchannel is investigated numerically. To do this, an Eulerian–Eulerian two-phase model is used for nanofluid simulation and the governing equations are solved using a finite volume method. Nine different nanoparticles and three different base liquid types (water, ethylene glycol and engine oil) are considered. Heat transfer and pressure drop of different nanofluid types are compared at Re = 100 and 1% volume concentration for different nanoparticles and at constant inlet velocity for different base liquids. Numerical results show an almost equal pressure drop for all the nanoparticles dispersed in water, while, the heat transfer coefficient is highest for water–diamond and is the lowest for water–SiO₂ nanofluids. Also, the pressure drop for water-based nanofluid is very lower than the others and the heat transfer coefficient is the highest for water-based nanofluids.     

Existence of the uniform trajectory attractor for a 3D incompressible non-Newtonian fluid flow

This paper studies the trajectory asymptotic behavior of a non-autonomous incompressible non-Newtonian fluid in 3D bounded domains. In appropriate topologies, the authors prove the existence of the uniform trajectory attractor for the translation semigroup acting on the united trajectory space.     

On facet breaking for crystalline mean curvature flow in 3D

Using recent results proved in [8], we continue the analysis initiated in [5] of two explicit examples of facet breaking/bending of a polyhedral set evolving by crystalline mean curvature in three dimensions.     

Features of the linear stage of development of 3D wave packets in a plane Poiseuille flow

In the framework of the asymptotic theory of free interaction, the linear stage of the development of 3D wave packets in a plane Poiseuille flow is studied. Numerical results show the presence of “ripples” in the lateral direction in the first phase of the linear stage. The disturbances propagate within a certain angle.     

3D hp-adaptive finite element simulations of bend,step, and magic-T electromagnetic waveguide structures

Metallic rectangular waveguides are often the preferred choice on telecommunication systems and medical equipment working on the upper microwave and millimeter wave frequency bands due to the simplicity of its geometry, low losses, and the capacity to handle high powers. Waveguide translational symmetry is interrupted by the unavoidable presence of bends, transitions, and junctions, among others. This paper employs a 3D hp self-adaptive grid-refinement finite element strategy for the solution of these relevant electromagnetic waveguide problems. These structures often incorporate dielectrics, metallic screws, round corners, and so on, which may facilitate its construction or improve its design, but significantly difficult its modeling when employing semi-analytical techniques. The hp-adaptive finite element method enables accurate modeling of these structures even in the presence of complex materials and geometries. Numerical results demonstrate the suitability of the hp-adaptive method for modeling these waveguide structures, delivering errors below 0.5% with a limited number of unknowns. Solutions of waveguide problems obtained with the self-adaptive hp-FEM are of comparable accuracy to those obtained with semi-analytical techniques such as the Mode Matching method, for problems where the latest methods can be applied. At the same time, the hp-adaptive FEM enables accurate modeling of more complex waveguide structures.     

Model simulation and experiments of flow and mass transport through a nano-material gas filter

A computational model for evaluating the performance of nano-material packed-bed filters was developed. The porous effects of the momentum and mass transport within the filter bed were simulated. For the momentum transport, an extended Ergun-type model was employed and the energy loss (pressure drop) along the packed-bed was simulated and compared with measurement. For the mass transport, a bulk adsorption model was developed to study the adsorption process (breakthrough behavior). Various types of porous materials and gas flows were tested in the filter system where the mathematical models used in the porous substrate were implemented and validated by comparing with experimental data and analytical solutions under similar conditions. Good agreements were obtained between experiments and model predictions.