Development of a velocity pressure probe

In intermediate and large scale fire test applications, a bi‐directional low‐velocity pressure probe is used to obtain the volume flow. The probe was presented by McCaffrey and Heskestad in 1976 and has found its way to several international standards including the Room Corner test and the Single Burning Item test (SBI). The probe is considered ‘state of the art’ for measuring flow rate in fire test applications. The main disadvantage however is that the probe factor changes with pitch and/or yaw angle variations. The modified SBI pressure probe is less sensitive to angular variations but then again is Reynolds dependent. A new pressure probe design has been developed that combines a low angular sensitivity with a Reynolds independency over a wide range. Although the probe has been developed for intermediate and large scale fire test applications, its use is not limited thereto. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Critical considerations on the use of a bi‐directional probe in heat release measurements

In various medium to large scale fire test equipment, such as the ISO room corner (RC) test and more recently the single burning item (SBI) test, the mass flow measurement of the combustion gases plays a key role in the determination of the heat release rate and smoke production rate. To date a bi‐directional low‐velocity pressure probe has been used to calculate this flow based on a differential pressure measurement on the axis of the exhaust duct. The objectives of this paper were to evaluate this bi‐directional probe—and the modified SBI version—when used for measuring flows in exhaust ducts. Recommendations are given on the future use of pressure probes measuring exhaust gas mass flows. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature effects on the mass flow rate in the SBI and similar heat‐release rate test equipment

In various medium‐to‐large‐scale fire test equipments like the ISO room corner test (RC), and more recently, the single burning item test (SBI) the mass flow rate measurement of the combustion gases plays a key role in the determination of the heat‐release rate and smoke‐production rate. With the knowledge of the velocity profile and the temperature of the flow, the mass flow rate is obtained by measuring the velocity on the axis of the duct. This is done by means of a bi‐directional probe based on the pitot principle. However, due to the variation of the mean temperature and the temperature gradient in any cross section of the duct, introduced by ever changing combustion gas temperatures, the velocity nor the density profile are constant in time. This paper examines the resulting uncertainty on the mass flow rate. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Drag reduction of aqueous suspensions of fine solid matter in pipe flows

It is well known that drag reduction properties of polymer solutions in pipe flows are classified into two categories, based on the relationship between the friction factor and the Reynolds number. The degree of drag reduction either increases with an increase in the Reynolds number or is independent of the Reynolds number. In the latter case, the drag reduction behavior is referred to as type B behavior. In this study, the pressure losses of aqueous suspensions of biofibers and graphene oxide flat particles in pipe flows were measured to clarify the effect of the shape of suspended fine solid matter on the friction factor. The experimental results demonstrated that the behavior of the friction factor corresponded with the type B behavior of drag reduction. The mean velocity profile in the range of the turbulent flow was also estimated from the friction factor data.     

Pressure drop and flow pattern of slush nitrogen in a horizontal pipe

Slush nitrogen is a mixture of solid nitrogen particles and liquid nitrogen, and its flow characteristics in a horizontal pipe are investigated experimentally and theoretically in this study. Pressure drop of slush nitrogen is higher than that of subcooled liquid nitrogen due to the viscous and the mechanical frictions, and the dependence of pressure drop on the mean velocity varies under different flow conditions. The solid volume fraction distributions and the velocity throughout the pipe cross‐section of slush nitrogen flow are investigated with the Eulerian–Eulerian multiphase approach incorporated with the kinetic theory of granular flow. The flow patterns of slush nitrogen are determined as the pseudo‐homogeneous flow, the heterogeneous flow and the bedload flow from the experimental and numerical results. The relationship between the friction factor and the Reynolds number for slush nitrogen with various solid volume fractions is obtained by using the slush Reynolds number. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 1762–1773, 2013     

Velocity measurements in turbulent flow of viscoelastic solutions

An experimental study, based on streak photograph determination of instantaneous velocities, was directed at determining the turbulent flow velocity profiles of polymer solutions in circular pipes. The measurements resolve several discrepancies in interpretation of earlier velocity profile measurements in drag reducing systems. In particular, it is shown for dilute drag reducers that the semilogarithmic profile due to Prandtl with the same slope as for Newtonian fluids is quantitatively correct provided Bogueés empirical correction function is applied to the data. For a relatively concentrated solution, data serve to extent on earlier study which has shown the flow to be transitional at surprisingly high values of Reynolds number.     

短接触旋流反应器导叶位置对气相流动的影响

采用雷诺应力模型对不同导叶位置下的短接触旋流反应器内气相流动进行数值模拟,并且用组分输运方程研究了气体在旋流反应器内停留时间的分布规律,分析了导叶位置对反应器内气相停留时间分布、气相流场以及排气管入口短路流的影响。结果表明:不同导叶位置的旋流反应器排剂口处气相停留时间分布曲线相似,而混合反应区内气相停留时间分布曲线仅在时间轴上发生微小偏移;叶片离反应器入口越远,混合反应区内切向速度越小,而排气管下方分离反应区内外旋流切向速度显著增大及准自由涡范围减小;叶片与排气管入口距离减小可以降低附近短路流率,减小催化剂的“跑损”,但也增大了排气管内气流旋转强度,造成不必要的能量损耗增大。     

Particle image velocimetry for characterizing the flow structure of oil–water flow in horizontal and slightly inclined pipes

The simultaneous flow of oil and water in pipelines is a common occurrence in the chemical and process industry. An experimental investigation of oil–water flow in horizontal and slightly inclined pipes is presented in this paper. The experiments are performed in a 15 m long stainless steel pipe section with internal diameter 56 mm at room temperature and atmospheric outlet pressure. Exxsol D60 oil (density 790 kg/m³ and viscosity 1.64 mPa s) and water (density 996 kg/m³ and viscosity 1.00 mPa s) are used as test fluids. The pipe inclination is changed in the range from 5° upward to 5° downward. The measurements are made for two different mixture velocities, 0.50 and 1.00 m/s at water cut 0.50. The cross-sectional distribution of phase fractions in oil–water flow is measured using a traversable single-beam gamma densitometer. The different flow regimes are determined based on visual observations. The particle image velocimetry (PIV) is utilized in order to obtain non-invasive instantaneous velocity measurements of the flow field. Based on the instantaneous local velocities, mean velocities, root mean squared velocities and Reynolds stresses are calculated. Stratified flow with mixing at the interface is observed at mixture velocity 0.50 m/s. Interfacial waves are observed in upwardly and downwardly inclined flows. At mixture velocity 1.00 m/s, interfacial mixing is increased and dual continuous flows are observed. The degree of mixing largely depends on the pipe inclination. In general, higher water hold-up values are observed for upwardly inclined flows compared to the horizontal and downwardly inclined flows. The slip between the phases increases as the pipe inclination increases. The maximum mean axial velocity is detected in the more viscous oil phase at equal volumetric flow rates of oil and water. In addition, measured mean velocity and turbulence profiles show a strong dependency with pipe inclination. The largest root mean squared velocities and absolute values of the Reynolds stresses are observed close to the pipe wall due to higher mean axial velocity gradients. A damping effect of Reynolds stress is observed around the oil–water interface due to stable density stratification. The presence of interfacial waves enhances turbulence fluctuations in inclined oil–water flows.     

Experimental research on drag reduction by polymer additives in a turbulent pipe flow

In order to investigate the effects of injection position on drag reduction as well as further the effects of polymer additives on turbulent structures, LDA measurements of turbulent pipe flows were conducted. The results show that the amount of drag reduction grows with the increase of the Reynolds number, and injecting the polymer at the centre of pipe is more effective than at the wall. Due to the addition of polymer solution, the axial, radial r.m.s. velocity fluctuations and Reynolds stress decrease over the entire pipe cross‐section, the time auto‐correlation coefficients of axial and radial velocity fluctuation at the centre of pipe decay more slowly, the number of spectrum peaks is decreased, and the peak shifts towards lower wave numbers. The results also reveal that, due to the addition of polymer solution, the large‐scale vortices are enhanced and small‐scale vortices are suppressed.     

A new model of turbulent fibre suspension and its application in the pipe flow

A new model of turbulent fibre suspension in pipe flow is developed by deriving the equations of Reynolds averaged Navier‐Stokes, turbulence kinetic energy and turbulence dissipation rate with the additional term of the fibres, and the equation of probability distribution function for mean fibre orientation. The equations are solved numerically. The numerical mean velocity is in agreement with the experimental data. The effects of Reynolds number, fibre concentration, and fibre aspect‐ratio on the mean velocity, turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent dissipation rate are analysed. The results show that the effect of Reynolds number on the flow behaviour is insignificant. The turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent dissipation rate increase with an increasing fibre concentration and fibre aspect‐ratio. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

管道气体置换混合长度变化规律研究

采用低雷诺数k-ε模型对输气管道气体置换过程进行二维数值模拟。研究结果表明:混合区浓度在轴向呈非对称分布,呈"头短尾长"特征;流速、管径、管道长度是混合长度的主要影响因素。混合初始,混合长度增长速率大,随着主流向下游流动距离的增加,增长速率减小;流速是混合长度的重要控制参数,湍流时的混合长度小于层流,流速对混合长度的影响在高雷诺数湍流时比较小;同一湍流流速下,混合长度随管径增加而增加;管径对混合长度的影响随湍流度的降低而增大;氮气-天然气混合长度比氮气-空气混合长度大1%—2%。     

湍流泡状流混合层流动的PIV测量

在单相实验的基础上,使用PIV对不同位置注入气泡的泡状流湍流混合层流动进行实验研究。混合层高低侧流速比为4∶1,基于两股流体速度差和管道水力直径的Reynolds数范围为4400～158400。与单相相比,气液两相混合层流动脉动速度的测量结果表明,在低Reynolds数时气泡的加入会增强混合层的速度脉动,但随着Reynolds数的增大气泡的加入反而会减弱速度脉动。雷诺应力集中在隔板下游一个较窄的区域内,并随Reynolds数的增大而增大。从流动横截面上雷诺应力的分布可以看出,气泡的加入减小了混合层内的平均雷诺应力,并且与单相相比泡状混合层流动在同一横截面上的雷诺应力分布曲线会产生波动。     

Direct Measurements of Instantaneous Solid Flux in a CFB Riser using a Novel Multifunctional Optical Fiber Probe

With a novel optical fiber probe that can measure instantaneous local particle velocity and solid concentration simultaneously, extensive experiments were conducted to study transient flow structures in a 15.1‐m long circulating fluidized bed (CFB) riser of 100 mm in diameter. This study analyzed the radial and axial distributions of solid concentration, particle velocity, and their variations with nine operating conditions and at six axial levels. Instantaneous local solid concentration and particle velocity were found to be well correlated at most of the radial positions. The detailed time evolution, axial and radial distribution of instantaneous solid flux, and the variation of solid flux with operating conditions were also investigated. The radial solid flux profile showed a flat shape with a maximum at near wall area under most operating conditions. The instantaneous solid flux was found to have a strong fluctuation at a radial position of r/R = 0.8 ~ 0.9.     

A new six parameter model to estimate the friction factor

A new explicit formula for estimating the friction factor using six parameters is proposed. The model was set up by considering the effect of residual stresses in the flow by two distinct contributions: the first is attributed to the flow velocity (Reynolds number) and the second to the duct roughness. Compared to other models, this new equation gives the best fit with Nikuradse's results. A new model to calculate the friction is proposed. The model is based on assuming the residual stresses due to the laminar to turbulent flow transition by two distinct contributions: the first is attributed to the flow velocity (Reynolds number) and the second to the duct roughness. Compared to other models, this new equation gives the best fit with respect of Nikuradse's results. The model does not consider the effect of pipe wall on the velocity distribution. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 1144–1148, 2019     

Experimental study of kerosene–water two‐phase flow in a vertical pipe using hot‐film and dual optical probes

The local parameters for kerosene–water upward flow are measured in a vertical pipe of 77.8 mm inner diameter at 4200 mm from the inlet (L/D = 54) using hot‐film and dual optical probes. The effect of superficial water velocity and volumetric quality on radial distribution of two‐phase flow parameters is investigated. The results show the following: (i) the profiles of volume fraction and drop frequency are very similar, and increasing superficial water velocity at low volumetric qualities (<18.6%) change the profile from a convex shape with peak at the pipe centreline to uniform then to concave shape with peak near the wall; (ii) the profiles of drop cut chord change from a parabolic shape with peak at centreline for low superficial water velocities to a flat shape at higher superficial water velocity, and the area‐averaged drop diameter decreases with higher superficial water velocities for all volumetric qualities; (iii) velocity profiles for both phases have shapes similar to single phase flow, flatter at higher values of superficial water velocity and volumetric quality and centreline peaked at low superficial water velocities and volumetric qualities; (iv) the slip velocity decreases with radial distance having a peak at centreline and zero values near the wall; (v) introducing kerosene drops into single phase water flow results in a sharp increase in turbulent intensity, particularly at low water velocity, and the difference between the single phase and two‐phase flow turbulence intensities decreases with higher superficial water velocities and (vi) the results show that interfacial area concentration increased with higher volumetric quality and higher number of bubbles thereby increases the contact area between the two phases. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Accuracy analysis of the window overlapping technique for velocity measurements using artificial and real signals

The feasibility of using window overlapping processing technique together with cross-correlation method was investigated for measuring instantaneous particle velocities using a fiber optic system. A pair of artificial signal pulses was generated to yield a known velocity field when they were cross-correlated. A parametric analysis was conducted to determine whether the window overlapping technique enhanced the velocity sampling frequency of the fiber optic probe system.The window overlapping technique was found to be effective in improving the accuracy of the instantaneous velocity calculations for relatively shorter data segments (windows). As the length of the window size increased, the efficiency of the window overlapping method diminished. The window overlapping technique was found to be effective only for window sizes up to four times longer than the minimum window size. The minimum window size contains sufficient number of data points that corresponds to the maximum velocity sampling frequency according to the Nyquist Theory. That is, the window overlapping technique could be beneficial for enhancing the velocity sampling frequency only if the velocity data (or the window size used in the cross-correlation function) were sampled at a frequency of four times lower (or better) than the highest frequency in the flow.Due to the hardware limitations, it is not possible to sample data at frequencies high enough to capture the highest frequency velocity fluctuations in a turbulent flow. Therefore, in this study, it was investigated that the velocity sampling frequency of a fiber optic probe could be enhanced by window overlapping technique using data collected from a highly turbulent particle laden pipe flow. The results indicated that the window overlapping technique slightly improved the accuracy of the instantaneous particle velocity measurements. This is believed to be due to the larger window sizes (or low sampling frequencies) relative to the high frequency velocity fluctuations in the flow. Therefore, the particle velocity fluctuations may not be computed accurately using a fiber optic probe due to the nature of the cross-correlation method which filters the velocity variations during the time period of ΔT. In order to obtain reasonably accurate results for measuring the particle velocity fluctuations in real life applications, the time interval (window size) must be sufficiently small such that it corresponds to the frequencies, at most, four times lower than the highest frequency occurring in the flow.     

Fluid flow near roughness elements investigated by photolysis method

The flash photolysis technique is applied to the study of the flow behavior near different types of artificially roughened square pipe walls. From the instantaneous velocity readings and for various Reynolds numbers, the velocity distributions very close to the wall at constant levels are derived as well as the dimensions of the vortices downstream of the roughness element. The lengths of zone of separation are compared with those obtained by others and the wall shear stress distribution between roughness elements is found.     

A dual slit in‐line die for measuring the flow properties of S‐PVC formulations

We have developed an instrumented dual slit die mounted on a twin‐screw extruder. This device allows us to distinguish the predominant flow pattern and calculate the shear viscosity, Cogswell elongational viscosity, and a Mooney wall‐slip velocity. The melt‐down process is also monitored by measuring the screw torque together with temperatures and pressures along the screw barrel. So far, we have seen that many pipe and profile formulations have a predominant plug or slip‐dominated flow behavior in the die, while others can be more sticky. Generally, the sticky highly viscous formulations will be more affected by shear heating effects when exposed to high rates during processing. We also give a detailed discussion, with examples, of how data from the device are to be analyzed and how the correct flow boundary condition is to be identified.     

Inertia Effects on the Flow of Bingham Plastics Through Sudden Contractions in a Pipe

The present numerical study concentrates on the effects of moderate and high Reynolds numbers on the laminar flow of a non-Newtonian rigid viscoplastic (Bingham) fluid through a sudden contraction in a pipe. The flow is assumed to be steady, incompressible, and isothermal. Results are presented for a wide range of the governing Reynolds and yield numbers and the significant effects of these two parameters both on the integral and local kinematic properties of the flow field are established. Low yield numbers result in the disappearance of the recirculating flow region at the corner replacing it with a region of very low rates of deformation. The evolution of the centerline velocity in the vicinity of the contraction plane is shown to be independent of the yield number and dependent on the Reynolds number, while the concavities in the streamwise velocity profiles appearing at high Reynolds numbers are independent of the yield number. The pressure losses through the contraction increase with yield number with the effect being more pronounced at lower Reynolds numbers.