A lattice Boltzmann simulation of mass transport through composite membranes

Composite membranes with a porous support layer and a dense skin layer have been extensively used in gas separation processes. A new approach, a mesoscale Lattice Boltzmann Simulation approach, is proposed and used to model the pore‐scale gas flow and mass transfer in the inhomogeneous membrane matrixes studied. Only physical forces are considered. Chemical forces are equivalently converted to physical forces through the relaxation time. Selective permeation of moisture through a composite membrane is modeled. The overall permeability is evaluated. It is found that mass transfer inhomogeneity exists not only in the porous media but also in the seemingly uniform dense skin layer. Increasing the diffusivity in the skin layer is more effective than decreasing the skin layer thickness in optimizing the overall membrane performance. The new approach gives more detailed insights into the directions for future design of composite membranes for gas separations like air dehumidification. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3925–3938, 2014     

旋进旋涡流量计合成不确定度及其表示方法

随着市场对天然气需求的不断扩大,天然气公司对流量计计量准确度的要求也变得越来越高,但是流量计的测量误差却是无法避免的,而不同的误差可以通过不同的方法来进行控制或减小,其中重要的未定系统误差可以通过不确定度来确定。因此如何正确合理地求出流量计的测量不确定度是十分必要的,本文将以旋进旋涡流量计的测量不确定度的分析过程为基础,指出了在合成标准不确定度以及扩展不确定度的表示中应当值得注意的地方。     

润滑油在内插同轴交叉翼型涡产生器管内流动与传热特性分析

以润滑油为工质,采用数值方法对圆管内插同轴交叉等腰梯形涡产生器的管内流动与传热进行了数值模拟,分析了不同结构参数如扭率（T_r=3,4,5,6）、间距比（S_s/W=0.8,0.9,1.1,1.2）和基带宽度比（W_b/W=0.30,0.45,0.60,0.75）对圆管内插同轴交叉等腰梯形涡产生器的管内流动与传热特性的影响。结果表明：在相同Re下,平均Nusselt数Nu_m、二次流强度Se、强化传热因子JF均随扭率和间距比的减小而增大,而其与基带宽度比的变化没有明显规律,阻力系数f随着扭率的减小和基带宽度比的增大而增大,间距比对f的影响甚微。在相同结构参数下,JF和Se均随Re的增大而增大。在Re=50~1000范围内,相比于光滑圆管,内插不同结构参数的同轴交叉涡产生器的Nu_m增加了32.8%~208.6%,f增加了3.38~8.92倍,JF最大可达1.434。Nu_m与Se呈幂函数相关,内插同轴交叉翼型涡产生器管内的二次流强度决定了其对流换热强度。     

涡压挤扩机理应用于地基处理的室内试验研究

分析了现有各种地基处理方法的优缺点,首次提出并经室内试验验证了涡压挤扩机理。使用自行设计制作的涡压挤扩环境箱和钢套管实施粘性土和砂性土的涡压挤扩试验,设置于钢套管内的涡压叶片可顺利地将其内部的流态混凝土挤扩到周围的土体中。定义了扩径比,测得不同扭矩条件下砂性土和粘性土的扩径比,并得到其极限扭矩。对涡压过程中混凝土可能出现的流动形态进行分析,建立混凝土流动分析模型,得到流态混凝土在涡压腔内的动力学模型。结果表明,采用涡压挤扩方法处理地基在理论上是可行的,具有较强的适用性,涡压挤扩方法将为地基处理行业注入新的活力。     

Numerical study on erosion of a pipe bend with a vortex chamber

Abrasive erosion at bend is a common issue in gas–solid pneumatic system. Vortex chamber design is one of the specialized designs that offers promising prospect at reducing erosion. The performance of design is still relatively unknown in the literature. The aim of this work is to study the effect of basic erosion variables such as the flow Reynolds number, the particle Stokes number, and the vortex chamber size. The results show that the vortex chamber always reduces the erosion in comparison to the common radius bend, and it is more effective at higher Reynolds number. Increasing the chamber size reduces the erosion but the most significant reduction happens when the chamber size to the pipe diameter ratio is increased from 1 to 1.25. The chamber size influences the erosion differently at different Reynolds number. Trends describing these effects were obtained through trial-and-error approach. The particle Stokes number has nonunique effect on erosion. Increasing Stokes number through increasing Re increases the erosion while increasing Stokes number through decreasing Re_p decreases the erosion.     

Steady and transient inflow dynamics with actuator disk vortex theory

The actuator disk is a well‐known and widely used theoretical tool in wind engineering. This work proposes a new theory based on an actuator surface, capable of treating time‐varying vectorial load distributions and yaw/pitch misalignment. A simplified representation of vortex motion is used to arrive at a tractable problem. The theory is not restricted to disks; arbitrary coplanar (optionally disjoint) actuator surfaces may be modeled. Some of the theoretical novelties used in the modeling includes use of the fractional Laplacian and extensive use of the Fourier transform on . Promising experimental validation based on pitch‐step experiments at the Tjæreborg turbine is furnished. Comparisons are also made to existing methodologies. Analysis and numerical work shows that the model encapsulates Coleman's vortex theory.     

Renewable energy harvesting from water flow

The hydrokinetic energy of flowing water is plentiful, environment-friendly, renewable and can be harvested. This paper reports a new energy harvesting system using vortex-induced vibration (VIV). The proposed convertor harvests vibrations of a bluff body resulting from interaction of the alternating vortices created by the unsteady separation. These vortices are shed from the sides of the bluff body and form a pattern in the wake known as the von Kármán vortex street. The vortices create unsteady loading and induce vibrations with a predictable frequency and amplitude. Assisted by the bluff body with specific geometry and piezoelectric generators, the kinetic energy of the water flow can be converted into mechanical vibrations and electrical energy. In order to maximise the output energy of the harvester, the natural frequency of the mechanical system needs to lock into the frequency of the VIVs. Thus, the geometry of the bluff body has to be optimised to match the natural frequency of the convertor. This study examines the conceptual design of the physical model. The fluid–structure interaction model is applied to study the preliminary design. The maximum energy density that can be extracted by the proposed convertor from the water flow with velocities from 0.2 to 1 m/s is also estimated.Abbreviations: 1.CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics; 2.DC Direct Current (electricity); 3.FIM Fluid Induced Motion; 4.ODE Ordinary Differential Equation; 5.PTC Passive Turbulence Control; 6.VIV Vortex Induced Vibration; 7.VIVACE Vortex Induced Vibration Aquatic Clean Energy; 8.2D Two Dimensional     

Experimental study of the relationship between separation performance and lengths of vortex finder of a novel de-foulant hydrocyclone with continuous underflow and reflux function

To solve the blockage and defer the fouling of sewage heat exchanger, a novel de-foulant hydrocyclone with continuous underflow and reflux function was proposed. Experimental results demonstrated that the novel hydrocyclone had a remarkable behavior on separating the sand (75–250 μm) and foulant (<4 mm). The continuous underflow and reflux function could significantly improve the separation efficiency by relieving the particle re-entrainment and eliminating the air core without increasing energy consumption (<17 kPa) and split ratio (<10%) considerably. Besides, the range of optimum vortex finder length was proportional to the particle density.     

A new stall delay algorithm for predicting the aerodynamics loads on wind turbine blades for axial and yawed conditions

Stall delay is a complicated phenomenon that has gained for many years the attention of industry and academics in the fields of helicopter and wind turbine aerodynamics. Since most of the potential flow theories still rely on the use of 2D aerofoil data for simulating loads on a rotating blade, less degree of accuracy is expected because of 3D rotational effects. In this work, a new model for correcting the 2D steady aerodynamic data for 3D effects is presented. The model can reduce the uncertainty in the blade design process and, subsequently, make wind turbines more cost‐effective. This model combines the stall delay model of Corrigan and Schillings, a modified version of an inviscid stall delay model, a new modification factor to account for the effect of the angle of attack changes and a new tip loss factor. Furthermore, the model applies the use of the separation factor of Du and Selig to evaluate the area on the rotor disc where stall delay is most prominent. The new stall delay model was embedded in a free‐wake vortex model to estimate the aerodynamic loads on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Phase VI rotor blades consisting of the S809 aerofoil sections. The results in this study confirm the validity of the 3D corrections by the proposed new model under both axial and yawed flow conditions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geometric parameters and response surface methodology on cooling performance of vortex tubes

This research has investigated the effect of certain geometric parameters on cooling performance of three vortex tubes. The influencing parameters include three length/diameter ratios L/D?=?10, 25, 40, three nozzle cases and each case with number n?=?2, 4, 6 nozzles, three cold orifice/diameter ratios β?=?0.389, 0.5, 0.611 and three inlet pressures P_i?=?2, 2.5 and 3?bar. The experiments are conducted based on three factors, two-level and central composite face-centred design with full factorial. The results are analysed according to the principle of response surface methodology. The goodness of fit of the regression model is inspected using the analysis of variance and F-ratio test. The values of R² and R²-adjusted are close to 100% which show a very good correlation between the observed and predicted values. The results show that the effect of number of nozzles on the energy separation depends on the L/D values.