Computational study of buoyancy effects in a laminar starting jet

Vortical structures formed in evolving jets are important in applications such as fuel injection in diesel engines and fuel leaks. When the jet fluid is different from the ambient fluid, the buoyancy can play an important role in determining the jet flow structure, and hence, the entrainment and fluid mixing processes. In the present study, a jet of helium injected in air is investigated, with emphasis placed on delineating the buoyancy effects on vector–scalar fields during the starting phase. We utilize a computational model, previously validated to predict the flow field of low-density gas jets. The model incorporates finite volume approach to solve the transport equation of helium mass fraction coupled with conservation equations of mixture mass and momentum. Computations were performed for a laminar jet to characterize the advancing jet front, and to capture the formation and propagation of vortex rings and the related pinch-off process. Results show significant effects of buoyancy on jet advancement, as well as on vorticity and helium concentration in the core of the vortex rings.     

Combustion of ethanol fuel droplet in vertical direct current electric field

Flame is affected by an external electric field because it contains ions and electrons related to chemical reactions. On the other hand, the movement of ions and electrons affects the external electric field due to their charge. This paper reports the combustion experiments of ethanol droplets in vertical electric field with variable distance electrodes apparatus in order to discuss the change of the external electric field due to the existence of flame. From a one-dimensional steady-state analysis, if the electric field is changed spatially, its effect on combustion behavior is aligned with V²/L³ and not V/L, where V is the applied voltage between electrodes, and L is distance between the electrodes. The droplet is burned between the two horizontal parallel electrodes. The flame deformation and the electric current are characterized by various electrode distances, and respectively, applied voltages. The vertical electric field induces a body force downwards on the flame. The flame deforms downward in the electric field because the electric body force counters the natural buoyancy. The relation between the applied voltage and electrode distance is investigated when the flame becomes vertically symmetrical and the results show that the deformation is the function of V/L^1.5. This indicates that the change in the electric field should be considered to discuss the effect of an external electric field on combustion behavior. The experimental results are rearranged using εV²/L³ where ε is electric permittivity of air because its unit is N/m³ and it considered to be the representative electric body force. Although its application is limited, qualitatively it can help to explain the experimental results of a droplet combustion. In addition, the degree of electron attachment to neutral molecules is discussed to interpret our experimental results.     

On Laminar Boundary Layer Flow of Electrically Conducting Liquids Near an Accelerated Vertical Plate

The unsteady hydromagnetic flow of electrically conducting liquids whose Prandtl numbers are different from unity has been considered when the flow takes place near an infinite vertical flat plate subject to uniform heat flux and accelerated motion. A unified exact solution has been derived for the boundary layer velocity and skin friction for the cases of magnetic field being fixed relative to the fluid or to the vertical plate. The solution has been presented in real forms for fluids whose Prandtl numbers are greater than or less than unity. The response of the boundary layer fluid velocity to the variations in magnetic and buoyancy forces has been discussed for two sample fluids corresponding to the different Prandtl number categories. The influence of these forces on the skin friction has also been shown.     

Analysis of buoyancy assisting and opposing flows of colloidal mixture of titanium oxide,silver, and aluminium oxide nanoparticles with water due to exponentially stretchable surface

Energy is essential for a nation's economic growth. Energy is recognized in contemporary society as being crucial to the development of quality of life and sustainability. The environment transforms/absorbs heat and sunlight in a variety of ways. Some of these transitions lead to the flow of renewable energy sources like wind and biomass. Solar energy has become one of the promising alternative energy sources in the future because to the improvements made to enhance its performance. In this context, the impact of solar radiation on modified nanofluid flow over an exponential stretching sheet is examined. Using the proper similarity transformations, the governing equations for the flow assumptions are reduced to ordinary differential equations. The numerical simulation of these simplified equations is then performed using the Runge-Kutta Fehlberg method and the shooting methodology. With the aid of graphs and tables, the effects of numerous parameters on the involved fields are described. Results reveal that the modified nano liquid shows increased heat transport for opposing flow situation than the assisting flow situation for incremented values of porosity parameter and volume fraction. The modified nanoliquid shows increased heat transport for opposing flow situation with respect to augmented values of radiation parameter.