Direct numerical simulation of turbulent non-Newtonian flow using OpenFOAM

Understanding transition and turbulence in the flow of shear-thinning non-Newtonian fluids remains substantially unresolved and additional research is required to develop better computational methods for wall-bounded turbulent flows of these fluids. Previous DNS studies of shear-thinning fluids mainly use purpose-built codes and simple geometries such as pipes and channels. However in practical application, the geometry of mixing vessels, pumps and other process equipment is far more complex, and more flexible computational methods are required. In this paper a general-purpose DNS approach for shear-thinning fluids is undertaken using the OpenFOAM CFD library. DNS of turbulent Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow in a pipe flow are conducted and the accuracy and efficiency of OpenFOAM are assessed against a validated high-order spectral element-Fourier DNS code – Semtex. The results show that OpenFOAM predicts the flow of shear-thinning fluids to be a little more transitional than the predictions from Semtex, with lower radial and azimuthal turbulence intensities and higher axial intensity. Despite this, the first and second order turbulence statistics differ by at most 16%, and usually much less. An assessment of the parallel scaling of OpenFOAM indicates that OpenFOAM scales very well for the CPUs from 8 to 512, but the intranode scalability is poor for less than 8CPUs. The present work shows that OpenFOAM can be used for DNS of shear-thinning fluids in the simple case of pipe flow, and suggests that more complex flows, where flow separation is often important, are likely to be simulated with accuracies that are acceptably good for engineering application.     

On Fully Developed Flows of Fluids with a Pressure Dependent Viscosity in a Pipe

Stokes recognized that the viscosity of a fluid can depend on the normal stress and that in certain flows such as flows in a pipe or in channels under normal conditions, this dependence can be neglected. However, there are many other flows, which have technological significance, where the dependence of the viscosity on the pressure cannot be neglected. Numerous experimental studies have unequivocally shown that the viscosity depends on the pressure, and that this dependence can be quite strong, depending on the flow conditions. However, there have been few analytical studies that address the flows of such fluids despite their relevance to technological applications such as elastohydrodynamics. Here, we study the flow of such fluids in a pipe under sufficiently high pressures wherein the viscosity depends on the pressure, and establish an explicit exact solution for the problem. Unlike the classical Navier-Stokes solution, we find the solutions can exhibit a structure that varies all the way from a plug-like flow to a sharp profile that is essentially two intersecting lines (like a rotated V). We also show that unlike in the case of a Navier-Stokes fluid, the pressure depends both on the radial and the axial coordinates of the pipe, logarithmically in the radial coordinate and exponentially in the axial coordinate. Exact solutions such as those established in this paper serve a dual purpose, not only do they offer solutions that are transparent and provide the solution to a specific but simple boundary value problems, but they can be used also to test complex numerical schemes used to study technologically significant problems.     

Computation of viscoelastic fluid flows using continuation methods

The numerical simulation of viscoelastic fluid flow becomes more difficult as a physical parameter, the Weissenberg number, increases. Specifically, at a Weissenberg number larger than a critical value, the iterative nonlinear solver fails to converge, a phenomenon known as the high Weissenberg number problem. In this work we describe the application and implementation of continuation methods to the nonlinear Johnson–Segalman model for steady-state viscoelastic flows. Simple, natural, and pseudo-arclength continuation approaches in Weissenberg number are investigated for a discontinuous Galerkin finite element discretization of the equations. Computations are performed for a benchmark contraction flow and, several aspects of the performance of the continuation methods including high Weissenberg number limits, are discussed.     

A comparative study of transient capillary rise using direct numerical simulations

The rise of liquid in capillaries, or between two parallel plates as the 2D variant thereof, represents a challenging test case for two-phase flow solvers without a full analytic solution. Four different numerical approaches are compared for the rise of liquid, also providing reference data being of high relevance for capillarity-dominated wetting processes. The used methods are an Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method (OpenFOAM solver interTrackFoam), a geometric Volume of Fluid code (FS3D), an algebraic Volume of Fluid method (OpenFOAM solver interFoam), and a level-set based extended discontinuous Galerkin discretization (BoSSS).While the transient rise height shows excellent agreement between the different implementations, the velocity fields at the interface demonstrate a different level of local accuracy of the available approaches. Reducing the slip length reduces the overall dynamics of the system, thus yielding a qualitative change in the rise behavior – a behavior that is not covered by simplified ODE models. The obtained rise height results are vailable online: http://dx.doi.org/10.25534/tudatalib-173     

Starting solutions for a viscoelastic fluid with fractional Burgers’ model in an annular pipe

In this work, we have discussed some simple flows of a viscoelastic fluid with fractional Burgers’ model in an annular pipe. The fractional calculus approach is introduced in the constitutive relationship of a Burgers’ fluid model. Exact analytical solutions are obtained by using Laplace and Weber transforms for two types of flows, namely: Poiseuille flow and Axial Couette flow.     

Lattice Boltzmann模型在CFD中应用

近年来,格子Boltzmann方法(LBM)已发展为一种模拟流体和物理问题的新颖的、有前景的数值方法,在许多领域的各种数值问题求解上取得很大的成功.文章介绍了一种模拟复杂流动的高效建模数值算法Lattice Boltzmann方法,和它的基本原理及其应用.并通过两个实例数值模拟计算,说明Lattice Boltzmann方法正确、有效,并展示了广阔的应用前景,为今后更深入的研究和广泛应用打下基础.     

On Symmetric Boundary Conditions in the Context of Viscoelastic Fluid Flows

In order to reduce the numerical cost of three dimensional flow problems with geometrical symmetry, the use of symmetric boundary conditions is standard. For Newtonian fluid flow problems this approximation is usually appropriate, particularly when the Reynolds number is small. In the case of viscoelastic fluid flow simulations with stabilization techniques, such as the so-called DEVSS and/or Log-Conformation tensor methods, at high Deborah number flows this implementation is not straightforward, as in the Newtonian case. It is well known that viscoelastic models (e.g. Maxwellian models), show (purely) elastic flow instabilities when the Deborah number is increased above a critical value, even under creeping flow conditions. In this work we present numerical simulations with different stabilization techniques and different differential viscoelastic models at high Deborah number flows. As a test-case, we compare the flow in a full two-dimensional cross-slot geometry to show the asymmetrical behavior of the viscoelastic fluid flow. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A corrected smoothed particle hydrodynamics method for solving transient viscoelastic fluid flows

In this work, a corrected smoothed particle hydrodynamics (CSPH) method is proposed and extended to the numerical simulation of transient viscoelastic fluid flows due to that its approximation accuracy in solving the Navier–Stokes equations is higher than that of the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method, especially near the boundary of the domain. The CSPH approach comes with the idea of combining the SPH approximation for the interior particles with the modified smoothed particle hydrodynamics (MSPH) method for the exterior particles, this is because that the later method has higher accuracy than the SPH method although it also needs more computational cost. In order to show the validity of CSPH method to simulate unsteady viscoelastic flows problems, the planar shear flow problems, including transient Poiseuille, Couette flow and transient combined Poiseuille and Couette flow for the Oldroyd-B fluid are solved and compared with the analytical and SPH results. Subsequently, the general viscoelastic fluid based on the eXtended Pom–Pom (XPP) model is numerically investigated and the viscoelastic free surface phenomena of impacting drop are simulated by the CSPH for its extended application and the purpose of illustrating the ability of the proposed method. The numerical results are presented and compared with available solutions, which shows a very good agreement. All the numerical results show the higher accuracy and better stability of the CSPH than the SPH, especially for larger Weissenberg numbers.     

Numerical simulation of dense fluid-particle flows using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM)

Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been successfully coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in the framework of OpenFOAM an open source CFD simulation code. In the current study, at first the model is validated with the simple test case of spherical particle comparing the results with the analytical solution. Then the simulation of a gaseous fluidized bed is considered. The coupled mass and momentum balance equations are used to calculate the flow behavior, particle fluidization and bubble formation. The dimensions of the simulation domain are similar to Link et al. (2005) but with different stiffness of particles. The higher velocity of gaseous fluid relative to particles entering through a jet causes the particles to fluidize. The particles behavior, fluidization, bubble formation and the velocity vectors of particles show a good agreement with the literature. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of general second-order fluid flow in double cylinder rheometer

The fractional calculus approach in the constitutive relationship model of second-order fluid is introduced and the flow characteristics of the viscoelastic fluid in double cylinder rheometer are studied. First, the analytical solution of which the derivative order is 1/2 is derived with the analytical solution and the reliability of Laplace numerical inversion based on Crump algorithm for the problem is verified, then the characteristics of second-order fluid flow in the rheometer by using Crump method is analyzed. The results indicate that the more obvious the viscoelastic properties of fluid are, the more sensitive the dependence of velocity and stress on fractional derivative order is.     

A relaxation Riemann solver for compressible two-phase flow with phase transition and surface tension

The dynamics of two-phase flows depend crucially on interfacial effects like surface tension and phase transition. A numerical method for compressible inviscid flows is proposed that accounts in particular for these two effects. The approach relies on the solution of Riemann-like problems across the interface that separates the liquid and the vapour phase. Since the analytical solutions of the Riemann problems are only known in particular cases an approximative Riemann solver for arbitrary settings is constructed. The approximative solutions rely on the relaxation technique.The local well-posedness of the approximative solver is proven. Finally we present numerical experiments for radially symmetric configurations that underline the reliability and efficiency of the numerical scheme.     

Direct test of a nonlinear constitutive equation for simple turbulent shear flows using DNS data

Several nonlinear constitutive equations have been proposed to overcome the limitations of the linear eddy-viscosity models to describe complex turbulent flows. These nonlinear equations have often been compared to experimental data through the outputs of numerical models. Here we perform a priori analysis of nonlinear eddy-viscosity models using direct numerical simulation (DNS) of simple shear flows. In this paper, the constitutive equation is directly checked using a tensor projection which involves several invariants of the flow. This provides a 3 terms development which is exact for 2D flows, and a best approximation for 3D flows. We provide the quadratic nonlinear constitutive equation for the near-wall region of simple shear flows using DNS data, and estimate their coefficients. We show that these coefficients have several common properties for the different simple shear flow databases considered. We also show that in the central region of pipe flows, where the shear rate is very small, the coefficients of the constitutive equation diverge, indicating the failure of this representation for vanishing shears.     

Constraints on equation of state for cavitating flows with thermodynamic effects

Thermodynamic effects play an important role in the cavitation dynamics of cryogenics fluids. Such flows are characterized by strong variations in fluid properties with the temperature. A compressible, multiphase, one-fluid solver was developed to study and to predict thermodynamic effects in cavitating flows. To close the system, a cavitation model is proposed to capture metastable behaviours of fluids and non isothermal thermodynamic path. The thermodynamical consistency based on entropy conditions and the evolution of the mixture speed of sound are investigated. These constraints are applied to other models. The considered working fluid is the refrigerant R-114.     

The Immersed Interface Method for Simulating Two-Fluid Flows

We develop the immersed interface method (IIM) to simulate a two-fluid flow of two immiscible fluids with different density and viscosity. Due to the surface tension and the discontinuous fluid properties, the two-fluid flow has nonsmooth velocity and discontinuous pressure across the moving sharp interface separating the two fluids. The IIM computes the flow on a fixed Cartesian grid by incorporating into numerical schemes the necessary jump conditions induced by the interface. We present how to compute these necessary jump conditions from the analytical principal jump conditions derived in [Xu, DCDS, Supplement 2009, pp. 838-845]. We test our method on some canonical two-fluid flows. The results demonstrate that the method can handle large density and viscosity ratios, is second-order accurate in the infinity norm, and conserves mass inside a closed interface.     

A two-algebraic turbulence model for compressible flow in turbomachinery cascade

The objective of this study is to examine the Baldwin–Lomax turbulence model in a finite volume solver to introduce a computer code for complex two–dimensional flows in turbomachinery. The turbulent model was tested with investigating the turbulent flow over a flat plate and other test cases. Three test cases are presented and the computed results are compared with experimental data. The calculated velocity profile agreed well with the experimental data in plate test case and the solver is validated in test case of flow over a semi NACA–0012 airfoil. The solver is used for flow through a multi–blade cascade of an axial compressor in design condition to show its capability of multi–block solution. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Mathematical modelling of single and multi-strand tundish for inclusion analysis

In the present work a numerical study was carried out to investigate the inclusion behaviour in a four strand asymmetric billet caster tundish. A parameter called separation efficiency was used to compare inclusion behaviour quantitatively. An open source CFD code called OpenFOAM was used to model the inclusions through Lagrangian Particle Tracking approach. First, the Lagrangian particle class was defined in the existing simpleFoam solver of the OpenFOAM and the same customized solver was used to track particles in the already obtained velocity field. Inclusions were modelled as spheres and various forces acting were also considered. Present numerical results were validated using available experimental results and found to be in good agreement. Further, such inclusion behaviour was also extended for a real industrial case tundish. Inclusion flotation characteristics in thermally induced flow was analyzed in detail. This is, perhaps, for the first time such an exhaustive study on inclusion analysis being reported considering the forces acting on the inclusions particles and with OpenFOAM.     

相场方法模拟液滴的动态润湿行为

液滴的动态湿润现象广泛存在于自然界和工业生产中,该现象数值研究的建模需要解决接触线附近的奇异性并引入合理的接触角描述.基于相场方法,结合Yokoi动态接触角模型,建立了考虑动态润湿效应的两相流数值模型,并在OpenFOAM开源平台上实现相应程序.针对液滴撞击壁面的动态湿润过程,数值模拟和对比研究了不同的接触角模型.结果表明:接触角模型的选择对液滴动态润湿过程的模拟结果具有较大的影响,其中基于改进动态接触角模型的结果与文献中的实验结果具有很好的吻合度,反映了提出的数值模型在液滴的动态润湿行为模拟的有效性.     

Numerical simulation of cavitation around a two-dimensional hydrofoil using VOF method and LES turbulence model

In this paper simulation of cavitating flow over the Clark-Y hydrofoil is reported using the large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence model and volume of fluid (VOF) technique. We applied an incompressible LES modelling approach based on an implicit method for the subgrid terms. To apply the cavitation model, the flow has been considered as a single fluid, two-phase mixture. A transport equation model for the local volume fraction of vapour is solved and a finite rate mass transfer model is used for the vapourization and condensation processes. A compressive volume of fluid (VOF) method is applied to track the interface of liquid and vapour phases. This simulation is performed using a finite volume, two phase solver available in the framework of the OpenFOAM (Open Field Operation and Manipulation) software package. Simulation is performed for the cloud and super-cavitation regimes, i.e., σ = 0.8, 0.4, 0.28. We compared the results of two different mass transfer models, namely Kunz and Sauer models. The results of our simulation are compared for cavitation dynamics, starting point of cavitation, cavity’s diameter and force coefficients with the experimental data, where available. For both of steady state and transient conditions, suitable accuracy has been observed for cavitation dynamics and force coefficients.     

A model of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics

The paper develops a continuum theory of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics of Maxwell type. It can describe the molecular elasticity effects in mono-domain flows of liquid crystalline polymers as well as the viscoelastic effects in suspensions of uniaxially symmetric particles in polymer fluids. Along with viscoelastic and nematic kinematics, the theory employs a general form of weakly elastic thermodynamic potential and the Leslie–Ericksen–Parodi type constitutive equations for viscous nematic liquids, while ignoring inertia effects and the Frank (orientation) elasticity in liquid crystal polymers. In general case, even the simplest Maxwell model has many basic parameters. Nevertheless, recently discovered algebraic properties of nematic operations reveal a general structure of the theory and present it in a simple form. It is shown that the evolution equation for director is also viscoelastic. An example of magnetization exemplifies the action of non-symmetric stresses. When the magnetic field is absent, the theory is reduced to the symmetric, fluid mechanical case with relaxation properties for both the stress and director. Our recent analyses of elastic and viscous soft deformation modes are also extended to the viscoelastic case. The occurrence of possible soft modes minimizes both the free energy and dissipation, and also significantly decreases the number of material parameters. In symmetric linear case, the theory is explicitly presented in terms of anisotropic linear memory functionals. Several analytical results demonstrate a rich behavior predicted by the developed model for steady and unsteady flows in simple shearing and simple elongation.     

A model of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics

The paper develops a continuum theory of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics of Maxwell type. It can describe the molecular elasticity effects in mono-domain flows of liquid crystalline polymers as well as the viscoelastic effects in suspensions of uniaxially symmetric particles in polymer fluids. Along with viscoelastic and nematic kinematics, the theory employs a general form of weakly elastic thermodynamic potential and the Leslie–Ericksen–Parodi type constitutive equations for viscous nematic liquids, while ignoring inertia effects and the Frank (orientation) elasticity in liquid crystal polymers. In general case, even the simplest Maxwell model has many basic parameters. Nevertheless, recently discovered algebraic properties of nematic operations reveal a general structure of the theory and present it in a simple form. It is shown that the evolution equation for director is also viscoelastic. An example of magnetization exemplifies the action of non-symmetric stresses. When the magnetic field is absent, the theory is reduced to the symmetric, fluid mechanical case with relaxation properties for both the stress and director. Our recent analyses of elastic and viscous soft deformation modes are also extended to the viscoelastic case. The occurrence of possible soft modes minimizes both the free energy and dissipation, and also significantly decreases the number of material parameters. In symmetric linear case, the theory is explicitly presented in terms of anisotropic linear memory functionals. Several analytical results demonstrate a rich behavior predicted by the developed model for steady and unsteady flows in simple shearing and simple elongation.