Experimental Acoustic Determination of the Void Fraction in Two-Phase Flow in Horizontal Pipelines

In multi-phase flows, the phases can flow and arranged in different spatial configurations in the pipe, which called flow patterns. This type of flow is found in the oil, chemical and nuclear industries. For example, in the production and transport of oil and gas, the identification of the flow patterns are essential for answering those questions which are related to the economic return of the field, such as, measuring the volumetric flow, determining the pressure drop along the flow lines, production management and supervision. In offshore production, these factors are very important. This paper presents a new method for measuring the void fraction in horizontal pipelines, taking the air as gas in water-air two-phase flow. Through acoustic analysis of the frequency response of the pipe, the method gets the parameters to changes in runoff regime, in an experimental arrangement constructed on a small scale. The main advantages are the non-intrusive characteristic and easy to implement. The paper is composed of a qualitative experimental evaluation and transducers （microphone） which are used to analyze variations in the response accompanying variations in void and flow pattern changes. Changes are imposed and controlled by a two-phase flow experimental simulation rig, including a measurement cell constituted of an external casing that can isolate the measurement from the environmental background noise fitted with acoustic pressure transducers radially arranged, and the impact of a monitored excitation mechanism. The signals which captured by the microphones are processed and analyzed by checking their frequency contents changes according to the amount of air in the mixture.     

Developing Flow Pressure Drop and Friction Factor of Water in Copper Microchannels

Experiments of de-ionized water flowing in microchannels made in copper blocks were carried out to obtain pressure drop and friction factor and to investigate any possible discrepancies from conventional theory. Three channels with widths of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.71 mm, a depth of 0.39 mm and a length of 62 mm were tested. For adiabatic tests, the temperature of the working fluid was maintained at 30 ℃, 60 ℃ and 90 ℃ without any heat fluxes supplied to the test section. The experimental conditions covered a range of Reynolds numbers from 234 to 3,430. For non-adiabatic tests, the inlet temperature and heat flux applied were 30 ℃ and 147 kW/m2 and only for the 0.635 mm channel. The friction factors obtained for the widest channel （Dh = 0.635 mm） are reported for both adiabatic and non-adiabatic experiments to assess possible temperature effects. The paper focuses on the effect of hydraulic diameter on pressure drop and friction factor over the experimental conditions. The pressure drop was found to decrease as the inlet temperature was increased, while the friction factors for the three test sections did not show significant differences. The experimental friction factors were in reasonable agreement with conventional developing flow theory. The effect of temperature on friction factor was not considerable as the friction factor with and without heat flux was almost the same.     

Reconstruction of Turbulent Swirling Flow in a Dump Combustor

Experimental data of the continuous evolution of fluid flow characteristics in a dump combustor is very useful and essential for better and optimum designs of gas turbine combustors and ramjet engines. Unfortunately, experimental techniques such as 2D and/or 3D LDV （Laser Doppler Velocimetry） measurements provide only limited discrete information at given points; especially, for the cases of complex flows such as dump combustor swirling flows. For this type of flows, usual numerical interpolating schemes appear to be unsuitable. Recently, neural networks have emerged as viable means of expanding a finite data set of experimental measurements to enhance better understanding of a particular complex phenomenon. This study showed that generalized feed forward network is suitable for the prediction of turbulent swirling flow characteristics in a model dump combustor. These techniques are proposed for optimum designs of dump combustors and ramjet engines.     

Experimental and Numerical Study of Three-Dimensional Unsteady Incompressible Flow Past Two Identical Circular Cylinders in Tandem Arrangements

The possible states in the flow past two identical cylinders in tandem arrangements are investigated. The effect of the gap （L/D = 1.5, 1.75 and 2） between the two cylinders at Reynolds number （Re = 52,639） is taken into consideration. The presence of three-dimensional flow structures was observed to include notable changes to the response of the flow as result of variation of cylinder separation. A number of planes （z/h = 0.02, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.98） were taken at 20 step times of interval 0.005 s. to cover the details of flow along the cylinders. CFD FLUENT program was used to detect the flow structure. It is observed that the gap between the two cylinders affects the flow regime, i.e., there is no distinct vortex shedding downstream of the first cylinder.     

Unsteady flow simulations in a three-lobe positive displacement blower

To improve the performance of the positive displacement blower, it is imperative to understand the detailed internal flow characteristics or enable a visualization of flow status. However, the existing two-dimensional unsteady, three-dimensional steady or quasi-unsteady numerical simulation and theoretical analysis cannot provide the detailed flow information, which is unfavorable to improve the performance of positive displacement blower. Therefore, the unsteady flow characteristics in a three-lobe positive displacement blower are numerically investigated by solving the three-dimensional, unsteady, compressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled with RNG k-e turbulent model. In the numerical simulation, the dynamic mesh technique and overset mesh updating method are adopted. Due to the air being compressed in the process of the rotors rotating, the variation of the temperature field in the positive displacement blower is considered. By comparing the experimental measurements and the numerical results on the variation of flow rate with the outlet pressure, the maximum relative error of the flow rate is less than 2.15% even at the maximum outlet pressure condition, which means that the calculation model and numerical computational method used are effective. The numerical results show that in the intake region, the fluctuations of the inlet flow are greatly affected by the direction of the velocity vectors. In the exhaust region, the temperature changes significantly, which leads to the increase of the airflow pulsation. Through analysis on the velocity, pressure and temperature fields obtained from the numerical simulations, three-dimensional unsteady flow characteristics in the positive displacement blower are revealed. The studied results will provide useful reference for improving the performance and empirical correction in the design of the positive displacement blower.     

Modeling and Analysis of A Rotary Direct Drive Servovalve

Direct drive servovalves are mostly restricted to low flow rate and low bandwidth applications due to the considerable flow forces.Current studies mainly focus on enhancing the driving force,which in turn is limited to the development of the magnetic material.Aiming at reducing the flow forces,a novel rotary direct drive servovalve（RDDV）is introduced in this paper.This RDDV servovalve is designed in a rotating structure and its axially symmetric spool rotates within a certain angle range in the valve chamber.The servovalve orifices are formed by the matching between the square wave shaped land on the spool and the rectangular ports on the sleeve.In order to study the RDDV servovalve performance,flow rate model and mechanical model are established,wherein flow rates and flow induced torques at different spool rotation angles or spool radiuses are obtained.The model analysis shows that the driving torque can be alleviated due to the proposed valve structure.Computational fluid dynamics（CFD）analysis using ANSYS/FLUENT is applied to evaluate and validate the theoretical analysis.In addition,experiments on the flow rate and the mechanical characteristic of the RDDV servovalve are carried out.Both simulation and experimental results conform to the results of the theoretical model analysis,which proves that this novel and innovative structure for direct drive servovalves can reduce the flow force on the spool and improve valve frequency response characteristics.This research proposes a novel rotary direct drive servovalve,which can reduce the flow forces effectively.     

Numerical Study of the Mixing of Density-Stratified Fluid with a Jet

Density stratification of LNG （liquefied natural gas） is produced in a storage tank when one LNG is loaded on top of another LNG in the same tank. Mixing LNG by a jet issued from a nozzle on the tank wall is considered to a promising technique to prevent and eliminate stratification in LNG storage tanks. This study is concerned with the numerical simulation of a jet flow issued into a two-layer density-stratified fluid in a tank and the resultant mixing phenomena. The jet behavior was investigated with the laboratory-based experiment of the authors＇ previous study. A numerical method proposed by the authors is employed for the simulation. The upper and lower fluids are water and a NaCl-water solution, respectively, and the lower fluid is issued vertically upward from a nozzle on the bottom of the tank. The Reynolds number （Re） defined by the jet velocity and the nozzle diameter ranges from 95 to 2,378, and the mass concentration of the NaCl-water solution Co is set at 0.02 and 0.04. The simulation highlights the jet-induced mixing between the upper and lower fluids. It also clarifies the effects of Re and C0 on the height and horizontal spread of the jet.     

A numerical study of shock wave/boundary layer interaction in a supersonic compressor cascade

A numerical analysis of shock wave/boundary layer interaction in transonic/supersonic axial flow compressor cascade has been performed by using a characteristic upwind Navier-Stokes method with various turbulence models. Two equation turbulence models were applied to transonic/supersonic flows over a NACA 0012 airfoil. The results are superion to those from an algebraic turbulence model. High order TVD schemes predicted shock wave/boundary layer interactions reasonably well. However, the prediction of SWBLI depends more on turbulence models than high order schemes. In a supersonic axial flow cascade at M=1.59 and exit/inlet static pressure ratio of 2.21, k-μ and Shear Stress Transport (SST) models were numerically stables. However, the k-μ model predicted thicker shock waves in the flow passage. Losses due to shock/shock and shock/boundary layer interactions in transonic/supersonic compressor flowfields can be higher losses than viscous losses due to flow separation and viscous dissipation.     

Vortex Dissipation Due to Airfoil-Vortex Interaction

The influences due to several AVIs （airfoil-vortex interactions） are studied by using a two-dimensional CFD （computational fluid dynamics） method. The primary goal of this effort is to assess the variation of vortex center location and vortex circulation associated with sequential AVI toward an improvement of the hybrid method of CFD and prescribed wake model, which closely relates to predicting the BVI （blade-vortex interaction） noise radiated from a helicopter rotor. The representative of sequential AVI is performed by single vortex and two airfoils. Investigations with respect to vortex center location and vortex circulation after AVIs have been made by varying the miss-distance, which is the vertical distance between the airfoil leading edge and the vortex center. Correlations between miss-distance and vorticity field show that there exists complicated vortex wake flow with several vortices newly induced in 1st AVI. The pressure fluctuation amplitude clarifies that the intensity in 2nd AV1 is significantly low compared to the intensity in 1st AVI due to the influence of vortex dissipation. Simulations turned out to modify the vortex center location represented by the hybrid method using an offset value for a streamwise direction and to dissipate the vortex circulation for improving the accuracy of BVI noise prediction.     

Pre-compression volume on flow ripple reduction of a piston pump

Axial piston pump with pre-compression volume（PCV） has lower flow ripple in large scale of operating condition than the traditional one. However, there is lack of precise simulation model of the axial piston pump with PCV, so the parameters of PCV are difticult to be determined. A finite element simulation model for piston pump with PCV is built by considering the piston movement, the fluid characteristic（including fluid compressibility and viscosity） and the leakage flow rate. Then a test of the pump flow ripple called the secondary source method is implemented to validate the simulation model. Thirdly, by comparing results among the simulation results, test results and results from other publications at the same operating condition, the simulation model is validated and used in optimizing the axial piston pump with PCV. According to the pump flow ripples obtained by the simulation model with different PCV parameters, the flow ripple is the smallest when the PCV angle is 13~, the PCV volume is 1.3 ~ I0-4 m3 at such operating condition that the pump suction pressure is 2 MPa, the pump delivery pressure 15 MPa, the pump speed 1 000 r/min, the swash plate angle 13~. At the same time, the flow ripple can be reduced when the pump suction pressure is 2 MPa, the pump delivery pressure is 5 MPa,15 MPa, 22 MPa, pump speed is 400 r/min, 1 000 r/rain, 1 500 r/rain, the swash plate angle is ll~, 13~, 15~ and 17~, respectively. The finite element simulation model proposed provides a method for optimizing the PCV structure and guiding for designing a quieter axial piston pump.     

Application of Improved Hybrid Interface Substructural Component Modal Synthesis Method inVibration Characteristics of Mistuned Blisk

The large and complex structures are divided into hundreds of thousands or millions degrees of freedom（DOF） when they are calculated which will spend a lot of time and the efficiency will be extremely low. The classical component modal synthesis method （CMSM） are used extensively, but for many structures in the engineering of high-rise buildings, aerospace systemic engineerings, marine oil platforms etc, a large amount of calculation is still needed. An improved hybrid interface substructural component modal synthesis method（HISCMSM） is proposed. The parametric model of the mistuned blisk is built by the improved HISCMSM. The double coordinating conditions of the displacement and the force are introduced to ensure the computational accuracy. Compared with the overall structure finite element model method（FEMM）, the computational time is shortened by23.86%–31.56%and the modal deviation is 0.002%–0.157% which meets the requirement of the computational accuracy. It is faster 4.46%–10.57% than the classical HISCMSM. So the improved HISCMSM is better than the classical HISCMSM and the overall structure FEMM. Meanwhile, the frequency and the modal shape are researched, considering the factors including rotational speed, gas temperature and geometry size. The strong localization phenomenon of the modal shape’s the maximum displacement and the maximum stress is observed in the second frequency band and it is the most sensitive in the frequency veering. But the localization phenomenon is relatively weak in 1st and the 3d frequency band. The localization of the modal shape is more serious under the condition of the geometric dimensioning mistuned. An improved HISCMSM is proposed, the computational efficiency of the mistuned blisk can be increased observably by this method.     

A Novel Design of a Metacarpal/MetatarsaI-Phalangeal Total Joint Replacement

Arthritis, most notably rheumatoid arthritis, can destroy the surfaces of the bones; the ideal solution for this is T JR （total joint replacement）, which would restore joint functionality, maintain correct aesthetics and eradicate pain for the patient. Current metacarpophalangeal TJR do not provide the normal biomechanical range of motion and functionality. The proposed design attempts to correct this through the use of design geometry and functional anatomy. Numerical analysis is used in conjunction with computational solid modeling to compare a one-piece silicone implant with the proposed T JR. Peak stresses during flexion for the proposed design did not exceed 1.2 MPa, where as soft implants approach 100 MPa to 1,000 MPa for peak stress values. The proposed design, due to high stress tolerances with low deformation, along with functionality and biomechanics, seems to be an appropriate replacement for one-piece silicone implant.     

反坦克智能雷亚、跨音速气动特性数值仿真

反坦克智能雷是一种依托高精度探测器件的新型智能反坦克炸弹。智能雷实现高效捕获、毁伤目标时,应考虑风阻系数等因素其飞行特性的影响。本文基于智能雷的三维模型,分析了亚、跨音速智能雷流场以及气动力因数随迎角的增长规律。应用计算流体力学软件对智能雷外流场进行数值计算,得到智能雷压心位置的变化规律。结果显示阻力系数的值比较大,有利于智能雷维持稳定扫描状态。智能雷附近剧烈的流场变化可能导致其扫描运动失效。仿真结果能够作为智能雷扫描稳定性分析、总体性能优化和外形改良的参照。     

Identification Method of Dynamic Coefficients of Fluid Film Bearings for HDD Spindle Motors

Fluid film bearings are widely used as support elements of rotating shaft for HDD （hard disk drive） spindle motors. Recently, the opportunity for the HDD spindle motors exposed to external vibration has been increasing because the HDDs are used for various information related equipments such as mobile PCs, car navigation systems. Hence, the rotating shaft has a possibility to come in contact with the bearing and it causes wear or seizure to the bearing surface. In order to avoid the problems, it is extremely important to enhance the dynamic characteristics of the fluid film bearings for spindles. However, verification from both theory and experiment of dynamic characteristics such as spring coefficients and damping coefficients is rare and few. In this paper, the bearing vibration characteristics when the HDD spindle is oscillated are investigated theoretically and experimentally. And then the identification method ofoil film coefficients of fluid film bearing spindles is described.     

A computational analysis of unsteady transonic/supersonic flows over backward facing step in air jet nozzle

A transonic/supersonic axisymmetric backward facing step nozzle flow in an air-jet loom has been analyzed numerically by using a time accurate characteristic based upwind flux difference splitting compressible Navier-Stokes method. The unsteady pressure and Mach number behavior along the center line of the main nozzle were analyzed by periodic inlet condition changes to simulate the intermittent flow inside main nozzle of an air-jet loom.     

Vibration Response Characteristics against the Radial and Axial Shocks on Small Size Hard Disk Drive Spindle Supported by Oil Film Bearings

This paper describes the experimental study on shock response of FDB （fluid dynamic bearing） spindle for HDDs （hard disk drives）. The FDBs are widely used as rotating shaft support elements for HDD spindle motors. Recently, the opportunity for the HDD spindle motors exposed to external vibration has been increasing because the HDDs are used for various information related equipment such as mobile PCs （personal computers）, video cameras, car navigation systems and so on. Hence, the rotating shaft has a possibility to come in contact with the bearing by external shocks and it causes wear or seizure to the bearing surface. To avoid the problem, it is extremely important to know how the spindle moves against the large shock on HDDs experimentally. However, as far as the authors know, there are few experimental studies treating the shock response of HDD spindles. In this paper, firstly, we propose a new test rig and experimental method for shock response of FDB spindles. Then the shock tests against the radial and axial disturbance on FDB spindle for 2.5＂ HDD are conducted. Finally, the experimental results of shock response waveforms and maximum displacement of disk are shown.     

迷宫密封三维流场动力学特性计算及研究

迷宫密封气动特性对转子动力学特性的作用明显。应用计算流体动力学技术建立迷宫密封模型,利用计算流体动力学软件Fluent中旋转流场计算方法,对迷宫密封流场进行数值计算,该方法可以将非稳定流场计算转变成稳定流场,从而降低密封流场的计算量。讨论流场参数对其动力学特性的影响。通过对流场计算结果分析发现,气流流速在跨音速时,迷宫密封气动力系数和泄漏量都有较大的变化。因此在工程设计和操作时,要考虑密封中气流流速对转子动力学特性的影响。     

Optimal design of supersonic nozzle contour for altitude test facility

This paper develops a robust and practical design for supersonic nozzles to be used in an altitude engine test facility. Although many studies have been conducted on nozzle design, none of these present a robust yet practical and simple method for designing supersonic nozzles. This research attempts to develop such design for supersonic nozzles by combining method of characteristics (MOC), optimization algorithm, and computational fluid dynamics analysis for design verification. Preliminary design optimal techniques were adopted to reduce nozzle length while keeping the exit area constant in the design. Optimization produced a smooth flow by generating a parallel and uniform flow at the exit. A two-dimensional model was initially used because of the axisymmetrical characteristic of the flow in this study. The optimal nozzle was designed for the operation of a test facility at Mach number 2.3 and altitude of 7 km. The optimal design produced a uniform and parallel flow at the given test condition.     

Influence of surrounding structures upon the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the outdoor unit of a split air-conditioner

DC-inverter split air-conditioner is widely used in Chinese homes as a result of its high-efficiency and energy-saving. Recently, the researches on its outdoor unit have focused on the influence of surrounding structures upon the aerodynamic and acoustic performance, however they are only limited to the influence of a few parameters on the performance, and practical design of the unit requires more detailed parametric analysis. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics（CFD） and computational aerodynamic acoustics（CAA） simulation based on FLUENT solver is used to study the influence of surrounding structures upon the aforementioned properties of the unit. The flow rate and sound pressure level are predicted for different rotating speed, and agree well with the experimental results. The parametric influence of three main surrounding structures（i.e. the heat sink, the bell-mouth type shroud and the outlet grille） upon the aerodynamic performance of the unit is analyzed thoroughly. The results demonstrate that the tip vortex plays a major role in the flow fields near the blade tip and has a great effect on the flow field of the unit. The inlet ring＇s size and throat＇s depth of the bell-mouth type shroud, and the through-flow area and configuration of upwind and downwind sections of the outlet grille are the most important factors that affect the aerodynamic performance of the unit. Furthermore, two improved schemes against the existing prototype of the unit are developed, which both can significantly increase the flow rate more than 6 %（i.e. 100 m3·h～（-1）） at given rotating speeds. The inevitable increase of flow noise level when flow rate is increased and the advantage of keeping a lower rotating speed are also discussed. The presented work could be a useful guideline in designing the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the split air-conditioner in engineering practice.     

Design and evaluation of high-pressure nozzle assembly for laser cutting of thick carbon steel

Laser cutting of carbon steel is extensively used across a range of industries, due to its advantage of high speed, low kerf and high quality. Currently, a 1-kW carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser with its subsonic nozzle assembly can be used only to cut steel plates up to around 10 mm. This paper aims to design and evaluate a high-pressure supersonic laser cutting nozzle assembly, which can enable a 1-kW CO₂ laser to cut steel of up to 50 mm thickness. Basic gas dynamic and compressible flow equations were used to design the supersonic nozzle assembly. The flow of the high-pressure gas jet inside the nozzle assembly was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the structural integrity of the high-pressure nozzle assembly was ensured using finite element analysis (FEA). The gas flow pattern at the exit of the nozzle assembly was computed and compared with the experimental observation made through a shadowgraph technique. Laser cutting experiments were performed with the developed supersonic nozzle assembly to demonstrate cutting of 50-mm-thick low carbon steel with 1-kW CO₂ laser.