A novel TS Fuzzy-GMDH model optimized by PSO to determine the deformation values of rock material

Neural Computing and Applications - Since determining the rock deformation directly in the laboratory is costly and time consuming, it is important to reliably determine/estimate this parameter...     

Numerical simulation of mixing process in T-shaped and DT-shaped micromixers

Recently, numerous studies have been done on the micro- and nano-scale equipment because of their importance and wide range of application. Micromixers are among the equipment in which two or more fluids are mixed and have applications in the processes, such as chemical synthesis. In this research, a numerical investigation using finite volume approach is done on mixing two incompressible fluids in 3D mixers with T- and double-T-(DT) shaped geometries in the range of Reynolds numbers 75–400. One of the important parameters for the quantitative analysis of the mixing performance of micromixers is the mixing index. So, the effects of different geometries, Reynolds number and channel length on this parameter are studied. The results show that, at different Reynolds numbers, the mixing index of fluids in the DT-shaped channel with 90° is less than the corresponding one in T-shaped mixers because changing the flow regime occurs at higher Reynolds numbers in the DT-shaped channels. The amount of mixing index increases by decreasing the angle of branches in the DT-shaped channel. It is observed that the mixing index of fluids increases along the channel, which tends to a constant value far away from the inlet.     

A comprehensive review on numerical approaches to simulate heat transfer of turbulent supercritical CO2 flows

Abstract

Extensive computational investigations have been performed to obtain more detailed information about the peculiar phenomena of turbulent supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) flow as ideal heat transfer fluids in various thermal engineering applications. This paper reviews the simulation techniques used and discusses their advantages, shortcomings and applicability. Not only is a comprehensive inspection on various computational approaches provided, but also the model refinements are suggested. Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) provides valuable and reliable information about the thermohydraulics of turbulent sCO₂ flows, in particular within the near-wall region, which well interprets the observed heat transfer enhancement and deterioration with property variations, flow acceleration and buoyancy discussed. However, DNS is not feasible when it comes to high Reynolds number flows with complex geometries encountered in practical applications because of the drastically increasing computational cost. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) modeling is able to fill the gap with acceptable accuracy and becomes the mainstream for turbulent sCO₂ heat transfer simulations. The flow and heat transfer behaviors of turbulent sCO₂ can be simulated using RANS modeling leading to acceptable predictions. However, the performance variation is considerable for different models and for the same model of changing operating conditions, model generality is not reached. In addition, some treatments implemented into the RANS models for constant property fluids are not appropriate for variable-property sCO₂ flows, causing inconsistency on the mixed convection predictions. Variable turbulent Prandtl number and more advanced calculation schemes for buoyancy production of turbulent kinetic energy are strongly recommended. Also, more appropriate treatments for damping functions are demanded to enable the model properly respond to the local property changes, particularly near the wall. Much simpler models with far less computational cost based upon the two-layer theory are being developed to achieve the generality. While this is promising, the examinations are still limited to the certain conditions and some model parameters need to be calibrated against the DNS data, which definitely reduces the model universality since DNS only covers a limited range of operating conditions. Developing more generic and reliable RANS models is still the main focus of simulation techniques used for turbulent sCO₂ heat transfer.     

Evaluating the effect of a lightweight formal technique in industry

We evaluate the effect of applying the commercial formal technique Analytical Software Design (ASD) to an industrial project. In ASD, interfaces and software designs are modelled using a formal tabular notation. The ASD tool set supports formal checks of these models, such as deadlock freedom and interface compliance. In addition, full code can be generated from design models. ASD has been applied at Philips Healthcare to develop parts of the software of interventional X-ray systems. We report about the experiences with the embedding of ASD into the development processes. The quality of the resulting code and the productivity has been analysed and compared to code developed with other techniques. We observe that the use of ASD leads to a strong reduction of the number of defects and an increase in productivity. The results are also compared to the literature about standards and related projects at other companies.     

Effect of sintering parameters (time and temperature) upon the fabrication process of organic binder-based metallic hollow sphere

Metallic hollow spheres (MHSs) are developed to be used in structural applications in syntactic and metal foams. These foams are lightweight and energy-absorbing structures which also can be used for acoustic insulation. In this study, the fabrication process of MHSs with optimum mechanical properties has been investigated. To achieve this goal, polystyrene spheres were coated with iron powder and an organic binder. During the multi-stage heat treatment, the green spheres were sintered into MHSs. Sintering was done at various temperatures (1125, 1150, 1175 and 1200°C) at different durations (3:30, 4:30 and 5:30?h). The influence of the different sintering durations and temperatures on mechanical features, microstructure and density was studied as well. The obtained results indicate that samples that were sintered at the temperature of 1175°C for 4:30?h resulted in superior mechanical and physical properties.     

An Investigation on Cooling Performance of Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers Used in Coal Seam Gas Production

ABSTRACT

This paper reports an investigation into a practical cooling issue on a type of fan-forced finned-tube heat exchangers used in Queensland's coal seam gas (CSG) industry. CSG compression facilities in some production sites suffered underproduction in recent summers because of frequent automatic engine shutdowns. The problem is not expected by the manufacturer's design. However, it is suspected of being related to the control systems on the compression facilities triggering the overheating-protection shutdowns due to possible deficiencies in one or some water/gas cooling loops in the facilities’ air-cooled heat exchangers. Therefore, to understand which heat exchangers and what exact reasons cause the unexpected cooling issue, an investigation has been carried out on the cooler units of the gas compression facilities. A field instrumentation measurement on one operating cooler unit has been done, followed by an analysis using a one-dimensional analytical model and a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model. The experimental results are used to validate both the models. Then the cooling performance of the cooler unit under the summer peak condition is predicted by the verified models. The prediction suggests that the water inlet temperature in one particular cooler section is higher than its upper limit defined by the manufacturer, due to poor cooling at high ambient temperatures. The lower cooling performance is caused by large reductions in the cooler air speed and total heat transfer coefficient, which are related to less efficiency of the cooler fans, more airflow resistance, and fouling on both sides of the finned tubes.     

An Efficient Measure for Quantification of Nonlinearity in Chemical Engineering Processes Based on I/O Steady-State Loci

Nonlinearity is virtually ubiquitous in chemical engineering plants, and assessing the degree of nonlinearity involved in a process is of special interest for process control purposes. In this paper, we introduce a simple nonlinearity measure to quantify the extent of nonlinearity in a dynamic system based on its normalized steady-state input/output loci. Our nonlinearity measure obviates the limitations of previous metrics in terms of computational effort and correct identification of highly nonlinear relationships. The measure is satisfactorily applicable to various I/O relationships—from truly linear to sinusoidal, for instance. In order to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed measure, four numerical examples concerning a double-effect evaporator, a jacketed continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an irreversible reaction, a CSTR involving van de Vusse reactions, and the Henson–Seborg–Pottmann CSTR are presented.     

L∞ Parameter estimates for volumetric error in models of machine tools

Software error compensation is becoming an increasingly important aspect of numerically controlled machine tools. Currently, the error models are identified using the least-squares criterion. This criterion does not necessarily reflect the evaluation criteria of a machine's performance. In this paper, we develop a method for identifying the error model of a machine tool using a Chebyshev norm. The model parameter identification procedure becomes a linear program, and the resulting error models minimize the maximum error of the machine across its workspace thus affording strict on the errors produced by the machine.