Transition to turbulence in rotating-disk boundary layers—convective and absolute instabilities

This work is an experimental study of mechanisms for transition to turbulence in the boundary layer on a rotating disk. In one case, the focus was on a triad resonance between pairs of traveling cross-flow modes and a stationary cross-flow mode. The other was on the temporal growth of traveling modes through a linear absolute instability mechanism first discovered by Lingwood (1995, J Fluid Mech 314:373–405). Both research directions made use of methods for introducing controlled initial disturbances. One used a distributed array of ink dots placed on the disk surface to enhance a narrow band of azimuthal and radial wave numbers of both stationary and traveling modes. The size of the dots was small so that the disturbances they produce were linear. Another approach introduced temporal disturbances by a short-duration air pulse from a hypodermic tube located above the disk and outside the boundary layer. Hot-wire sensors primarily sensitive to the azimuthal velocity component, were positioned at different spatial (r,θ) locations on the disk to document the growth of disturbances. Spatial correlation measurements were used with two simultaneous sensors to obtain wavenumber vectors. Cross-bicoherence was used to identify three-frequency phase locking. Ensemble averages conditioned on the air pulses revealed wave packets that evolved in time and space. The space–time evolution of the leading and trailing edges of the wave packets were followed past the critical radius for the absolute instability, r _{c A} . With documented linear amplitudes, the spreading of the disturbance wave packets did not continue to grow in time as r _{c A} was approached. Rather, the spreading of the trailing edge of the wave packet decelerated and asymptotically approached a constant. This result supports the linear DNS simulations of Davies and Carpenter (2003, J Fluid Mech 486:287–329) who concluded that the absolute instability mechanism does not result in a global mode, and that linear-disturbance wave packets are dominated by the convective instability. In contrast, wave-number matching between traveling cross-flow modes confirmed a triad resonance that lead to the growth of a low azimuthal number (n = 4) stationary mode. At transition, this mode had the largest amplitude. Signs of this mechanism can be found in past flow visualization of transition to turbulence in rotating disk flows.     

Parameters Affecting the Cross-Flow Filtration of Dissolved LignoBoost Kraft Lignin

In the kraft pulping process, the lignin-containing by-product kraft black liquor is currently combusted as an energy source. LignoBoost is a technique that extracts lignin from kraft black liquor, resulting in a lignin-lean black liquor, which is returned to the process, and an extracted kraft lignin. To facilitate the use of the extracted kraft lignin in high-value applications, it can be refined via fractionation to produce a more homogeneous starting raw material. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the behavior of dissolved softwood kraft lignin during cross-flow filtration. The effects of the lignin concentration, pH, and ionic strength on the fractionation of the dissolved lignin during cross-flow filtration are investigated. The results indicate that large amounts of low-molecular-weight kraft lignin can be produced from solutions having a low lignin concentration. Furthermore, the effects of pH and ionic strength on the fractionation of low-molecular-weight lignin are identified within the studied ranges.     

Exact and approximate formulas for cross flow heat exchangers with unmixed fluids

This article addresses the calculation of the effectiveness of a single-pass cross-flow heat exchanger where the two fluids are not mixed. The author proposes an exact formula which is more convenient than using infinite series expansions as has been proposed until now.     

Techno-economic evaluation of membrane filtration for the recovery and re-use of tanning chemicals

The majority of pollution generated from leather manufacturing can be contributed to the inefficiency of chemical use in leather processing and to organic substances derived from the hides during processing. In particular, the overall tanning processes performed in drums can be characterized by a high consumption of water and chemicals, most of which are found in the final wastewater. To ensure full penetration and reaction of chemicals with collagen, chemicals are added in excess and are only partly up-taken by the leather. Significant savings of chemicals can be achieved by recovery and recycling of chemicals and water from part streams, thus reducing environmental impacts.This research formed an integrated approach to investigate and exploit the potential of a closed loop operation for various part streams of tanneries. Each of the process streams was separately collected, treated and purified by membrane technologies to obtain a recyclable liquor which can be re-used operationally. In this way a complete recovery of process liquors can be achieved for immediate operational re-use.Membrane technology has been applied to recover chemicals from un-hairing, vegetable tanning, chrome liquors and to polish saline part streams for re-use. By applying membrane filtration up to 90% of the treated liquors can be recovered giving a remaining concentrate volume of only 10%. The permeate obtained from several process areas contained to a high extent chemicals, which were re-used for leather processing.     

Simulation of multistage extraction of antioxidants from Chilean hazelnut (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gevuina avellana</Emphasis>) hulls

The objective of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the ethanol extraction of Chilean hazelnut (Gevuina avellana) hulls to obtain antioxidant compounds. The effects of temperature on the kinetics of polyphenolics extraction and on the antioxidant activities of the extracts were assessed. The radical-scavenging activities of the extracts were comparable with that of BHA when used at the same concentration. The optimal temperature for the antioxidant activities of the extracts was 40°C. A four-stage cross-flow extraction was carried out and a four-stage countercurrent extraction was simulated, where each stage lasted 30 min. Best results were obtained with countercurrent extraction, which produced an extract that showed 94.4% α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydazyl radical inhibition, compared with 86.2% obtained in the first stage of cross-flow extraction and 92.62% in a batch extraction that lasted 100 h. UV-vis and NIR spectra of extracts from cross-flow and from the simulated countercurrent extraction revealed that the composition of extracts varied along the stages and was affected by the operational strategy.     

Global stability of the rotating-disk boundary layer

The global stability of the von Kármán boundary layer on the rotating disk is reviewed. For the genuine, radially inhomogeneous base flow, linearized numerical simulations indicate that convectively propagating forms of disturbance are predominant at all radii. The presence of absolute instability does not lead to the formation of any unstable linear global mode, even though the temporal growth rate of the absolute instability increases along the radial direction. Analogous behaviour can be found in the impulse solutions of a model amplitude equation, namely the linearized complex Ginzburg–Landau equation. These solutions show that, depending on the precise balance between spatial variations in the temporal growth rate and the corresponding shifts in the temporal frequency, globally stable behaviour can be obtained even in the presence of a strengthening absolute instability. The radial dependency of the absolute temporal frequency is sufficient to detune the disturbance oscillations at different radial positions, thus overcoming the radially increasing absolute growth, thereby giving rise to a stable global response. The origin of this form of behaviour can be traced to the fact that the cylindrical geometry of the rotating-disk flow dictates a choice of a globally valid time non-dimensionalization that, when properly employed, leads to a significant radial variation in the frequency for the absolute instability.     

Experimental measurements of the hydrodynamic performance and structural loading of the Transverse Horizontal Axis Water Turbine: Part 1

This paper is the first of three, which outline the procedures and results for a set of experiments carried out on various configurations of the Transverse Horizontal Axis Water Turbine (THAWT), which is a horizontally orientated variant of the Darrieus cross-flow turbine. Tests were conducted in the combined wind, wave and current tank at Newcastle University on a 0.5 m diameter rotor, while the flow depth and velocity were varied over a range of realistic Froude numbers for tidal streams. Various configurations of the device were tested to assess the merits of varied blade pitch, rotor solidity, blockage ratio and truss oriented blades. Experiments were carried out using a speed controlled motor/generator, allowing quasi-steady results to be taken over a range of tip speed ratios. Measurements of power, thrust, blade loading and free surface deformation provide extensive data for future validation of numerical codes and demonstrate the ability of the device to exceed the Lanchester-Betz limit for kinetic efficiency by using high blockage. This paper covers the experimental procedures and results for the hydrodynamic performance for the parallel bladed variant of the THAWT device. The second paper covers the hydrodynamic loading of the parallel bladed rotor and the third covers both hydrodynamic performance and loading of the truss configured THAWT device.     

三种太阳能液体除湿空调系统除湿器的比较

太阳能液体除湿空调的除温器是系统的重要组成部分。文章通过对三种典型结构的除湿器的传热传质性能、被处理空气与除湿溶液的质量流量比率（MR）和蓄能能力（SC）等方面的比较，得出绝热型除湿器具有比表面积大，被处理的空气流量大等优点，但加湿器内沿程压降较大；水冷型除湿器蓄能能力强，但结构复杂；而交叉流型板式除湿器由于能充分利用回风，是一种可供选择的节能型除湿器。     

Numerical study of a M-cycle cross-flow heat exchanger for indirect evaporative cooling

In this paper, numerical analyses of the thermal performance of an indirect evaporative air cooler incorporating a M-cycle cross-flow heat exchanger has been carried out. The numerical model was established from solving the coupled governing equations for heat and mass transfer between the product and working air, using the finite-element method. The model was developed using the EES (Engineering Equation Solver) environment and validated by published experimental data. Correlation between the cooling (wet-bulb) effectiveness, system COP and a number of air flow/exchanger parameters was developed. It is found that lower channel air velocity, lower inlet air relative humidity, and higher working-to-product air ratio yielded higher cooling effectiveness. The recommended average air velocities in dry and wet channels should not be greater than 1.77 m/s and 0.7 m/s, respectively. The optimum flow ratio of working-to-product air for this cooler is 50%. The channel geometric sizes, i.e. channel length and height, also impose significant impact to system performance. Longer channel length and smaller channel height contribute to increase of the system cooling effectiveness but lead to reduced system COP. The recommend channel height is 4 mm and the dimensionless channel length, i.e., ratio of the channel length to height, should be in the range 100 to 300. Numerical study results indicated that this new type of M-cycle heat and mass exchanger can achieve 16.7% higher cooling effectiveness compared with the conventional cross-flow heat and mass exchanger for the indirect evaporative cooler. The model of this kind is new and not yet reported in literatures. The results of the study help with design and performance analyses of such a new type of indirect evaporative air cooler, and in further, help increasing market rating of the technology within building air conditioning sector, which is currently dominated by the conventional compression refrigeration technology.     

Application of internal reflux in the raffinate phase for membrane extraction in cross-flow rectangular modules

The effect of internal reflux in the raffinate phase for membrane extraction through a cross-flow rectangular module was investigated. Theoretical analysis of mass transfer in cross-flow devices with or without recycle was analogous to heat transfer in cross-flow heat exchangers. In contrast to a device without reflux, considerable improvement in mass transfer is achievable if cross-flow membrane extractors are operated with reflux which provides the increase of fluid velocity, resulting in reduction of mass-transfer resistance. It is concluded that reflux can enhance mass transfer, especially for large flow rate and feed-concentration solution operated under high reflux ratio.