An approach to improve the separation of solid-liquid suspensions in inclined plate settlers: CFD simulation and experimental validation

The most important requirements for achieving effective separation conditions in inclined plate settler (IPS) are its hydraulic performance and the equal distribution of suspensions between settler channels, both of which depend on the inlet configuration. In this study, three different inlet structures were used to explore the effect of feeding a bench scale IPS via a nozzle distributor on its hydraulic performance and separation efficiency. Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analyses were carried out to evaluate the hydraulic characteristics of the IPS. Comparing the experimental results with the predicted results by CFD simulation implies that the CFD software can play a useful role in studying the hydraulic performance of the IPS by employing residence time distribution (RTD) curves. The results also show that the use of a nozzle distributor can significantly enhance the hydraulic performance of the IPS, which contributes to the improvement of its separation efficiency.     

Numerical simulations of wind-driven rain on building envelopes based on Eulerian multiphase model

A numerical simulation approach for evaluation of wind-driven rain (WDR) on building envelopes is presented based on Eulerian multiphase model. Unlike existing methods, which are generally on the basis of Lagrange frame to deal with raindrop motions by trajectory-tracking techniques, the present approach considers both wind and rain motions and their interactions under Euler frame. By virtue of the Eulerian multiphase model, the present method could significantly reduce the complexity in evaluations of WDR parameters, simplify the boundary condition treatments and is more efficient to predict transient states of WDR, spatial distributions of rain intensity, impacting rain loads on building surfaces, etc. A numerical example shows that the simulation results by the present method agree well with available experimental and numerical data, verifying the accuracy and reliability of the WDR simulation approach based on the Eulerian multiphase model. It is also demonstrated through the validation example that the present method is an effective tool for numerical evaluations of WDR on building envelopes.     

Experimental and numerical study on natural ventilation performance of various multi-opening wind catchers

Wind catcher as a natural ventilation system is increasingly used in modern buildings to minimize the consumption of non-renewable energy and reduce the harmful emissions. Height, cross section of the air passages and also place and the number of openings are the main factors which affect the ventilation performance of a wind catcher structure. In this study, experimental wind tunnel, smoke visualization testing and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling were conducted to investigate ventilation performance of wind catchers with different number of openings to find how the number of opening affects hydrodynamic behavior of wind catchers. To achieve this particular aim, five cylindrical models with same cross section areas and same heights were employed. The cross sections of all these wind catchers were divided internally into various segments to get two-sided, three-sided, four-sided, six-sided and twelve-sided wind catchers. The experimental investigations were conducted in an open circuit subsonic wind tunnel. For all these five shapes, the ventilated air flow rate into the test room was measured at different air incident angles. Numerical solutions were used for all these five configurations to validate the proposed measuring techniques and the corresponding wind tunnel results. The results show that the number of openings is a main factor in performance of wind catcher systems. It also shows that the sensitivity of the performance of different wind catchers related to the wind angle decreases by increasing the number of openings. Moreover, comparing with a circular wind catcher a rectangular system provides a higher efficiency.     

Characterization of activated sludge flocs by confocal laser scanning microscopy and image analysis

In this study we present a new approach to determine volumes, heterogeneity factors, and compositions of the bacterial population of activated sludge flocs by 3D confocal imaging. After staining the fresh flocs with fluorescein-isothiocyanate, 75 stacks of images (containing approx. 3000 flocs) were acquired with a confocal laser scanning microscope. The self-developed macro 3D volume and surface determination for the KS 400 software package combined the images of one stack to a 3D image and calculated the real floc volume and surface. We determined heterogeneity factors like the ratio of real floc surface to the surface of a sphere with the respective volume and the fractal dimension (D(f)). According to their significant influence on floc integrity and quality, we also investigated the chemical composition of flocs and quantified their bacterial population structure by using group-specific rRNA-targeted probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization. By a settling experiment we enriched flocs with poor settling properties and determined the above-mentioned parameters. This approach revealed shifts in floc volume, heterogeneity, and bacterial and chemical composition according to the settling quality of the flocs.     

Coupled simulation of heat and moisture transport in air and porous materials for the assessment of moisture related damage

This paper describes the coupling of a model for heat and moisture transport in porous materials to a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) package. The combination of CFD and the material model makes it possible to assess the risk of moisture related damage in valuable objects for cases with large temperature or humidity gradients in the air. To couple both models the choice was made to integrate the porous material model into the CFD package. This requires the heat and moisture transport equations in the air and the porous material to be written down in function of the same transported variables. Validation with benchmark experiments proved the good functionality of the coupled model. A simulation study of a microclimate vitrine for paintings shows that phenomena observed in these vitrines are well predicted by the model and that data generated by the model provides additional insights in the physical mechanisms behind these phenomena.     

Evaluating emergency ventilation strategies under different contaminant source locations and evacuation modes by efficiency factor of contaminant source (EFCS)

Emergency ventilation plays an important role in protecting occupants when a hazardous contaminant is released indoors. A number of studies have been conducted to better understand how to protect indoor occupants with effective ventilation strategies. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of the non-uniform and time-dependent distribution of occupants during evacuation. A new concept, Efficiency Factor of Contaminant Source (EFCS), has recently been proposed to evaluate the performance of emergency ventilation by comprehensively considering the spatial and temporal distributions of both the contaminant and occupants. This paper aims to: (1) propose and demonstrate a procedure for determining an optimal ventilation strategy by using EFCS; (2) examine the effects of source locations, ventilation modes, and evacuation modes on the performance of emergency ventilation. One hundred cases with ten ventilation modes, two evacuation modes, and five source locations were investigated numerically. The results show that the EFCS concept can provide a reasonable way to evaluate the performance of emergency ventilation. The threats of different source locations may vary over a large range, and certain measures should be taken to monitor and prevent the releases at high threat locations. A system equipped with multiple ventilation modes is necessary since no universal ventilation mode can successfully mitigate all hazardous situations. The effects of an evacuation mode may be more significant than that of a ventilation mode under certain situations.     

Comparison of sensor systems designed using multizone,zonal, and CFD data for protection of indoor environments

Sensors that detect chemical and biological warfare agents can offer early warning of dangerous contaminants. However, current sensor system design is mostly by intuition and experience rather than by systematic design. To develop a sensor system design methodology, the proper selection of an indoor airflow model is needed. Various indoor airflow models exist in the literature, from complex computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simpler approaches such as multizone and zonal models. Airflow models provide the contaminant concentration data, to which an optimization method can be applied to design sensor systems. The authors utilized a subzonal modeling approach when using a multizone model and were the first to utilize a zonal model for systematic sensor system design. The objective of the study was to examine whether or not data from a simpler airflow model could be used to design sensor systems capable of performing just as well as those designed using data from more complex CFD models. Three test environments, a small office, a large hall, and an office suite were examined. Results showed that when a unique sensor system design was not needed, sensor systems designed using data from simpler airflow models could perform just as well as those designed using CFD data. Further, only for the small office did the common engineering sensor system design practice of placing a sensor at the exhaust result in sensor system performance that was equivalent to one designed using CFD data.     

Numerical simulation of wind flow over transverse and pyramid dunes

Wind tunnel experiment and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the flow past a scaled transverse dune model were performed, after which a validated numerical method was used to evaluate the flow characteristics over a full-scale pyramid dune. The dimensional effect of the CFD simulation was analyzed by comparing the results of two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) models with the same mesh method and flow condition. There was excellent agreement between the wind tunnel measurements and the 2D and 3D sectional CFD results, proving that the simplified numerical model could simulate the sectional flow pattern of dunes. However, the lateral inhomogeneity of the flow field is significant although with simple transverse dunes, and 3D simulation is required to capture the lateral inhomogeneity of flow patterns after the dune crest line. Survey data of the topography of a pyramid dune, located at the eastern foot of the Mingsha Megadune, Dunhuang, China, were used to build numerical geometry. The flow fields over this pyramid dune under three inlet flow directions are significantly different from each other, and the lateral variances of flow patterns at different vertical planes are profound. The location, shape, and magnitude of the reverse flow zone change corresponding to the dune topography.     

Numerical simulations of wind measurements at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

In this paper two typical results of numerical simulations of wind measurements at an airport are discussed. The first case deals with the long reach of some isolated individual ‘roughness elements’. The positioning of the farms and haystacks result in a weak vortex which travels over a very long distance. The second case is about the influence of an industrial complex just outside the airport premises. In this case the actual wake behind the buildings is the dominant flow feature. The numerical simulations are able to explain the measured disturbances.     

Experimental and numerical analysis of heat transfer and airflow on an interactive building facade

The envelope of a building is mainly responsible for its energy demand. Different kinds of double skin facades (DSFs) are nowadays used as a building envelope to reduce the energy demand and improve aesthetical view of buildings. Although DSF are already extensively used, their thermal performance is not well understood. This study presents a decoupling method capable to evaluate thermal performances and analyze fluid phenomena in a DSF. The solar radiation effects were evaluated with an analytical model and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to evaluate complex flow and thermal effect on a commercial DSF. With the decoupling approach to account for the effects of solar radiation and flow, the numerical results obtained by the CFD approach agree well with the experimental data collected on a full scale test room with a ventilated DSF. The method can be used to establish a database to develop a tool for DSF design.     

Experimental and numerical investigation on thermal and electrical performance of a building integrated photovoltaic-thermal collector system

An experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a novel building integrated photovoltaic-thermal (BIPV/T) collector is studied to determine the effect of active heat recovery on cell efficiency and to determine the effectiveness of the device as a solar hot water heater. Parametric analysis indicates that cell efficiency can be raised by 5.3% and that water temperatures suitable for domestic hot water use are possible. Thermal and combined (thermal plus electrical) efficiencies reach 19% and 34.9%, respectively. A new correlation is developed relating electrical efficiency to collector inlet water temperature, ambient air temperature and insolation that allows cell efficiency to be calculated directly.     

Optimising the ventilation configuration of naturally ventilated livestock buildings for improved indoor environmental homogeneity

Due to the geometrical structure and ventilation configuration of naturally ventilated livestock buildings the animal occupied zone can experience large heterogeneities in ventilation efficiency. Ensuring a homogeneous indoor environment is important when designing naturally livestock buildings as producers should be confident that all animals are receiving the same environmental conditions, at least for the prevailing climate. Moreover, by including climate homogeneity in the building design process, the occurrence of high airspeeds in specific regions of a building can be reduced during windy outdoor conditions, thereby reducing the cold-stressing of animals in these regions. Therefore, it is desirable to know how to alter the geometrical features of a building in order to promote homogeneity in the indoor environment. In the present study, response surface methodology and computational fluid dynamics were used to develop predictive models that described the homogeneity of the indoor environment of a naturally ventilated livestock building as a function of its geometry and ventilation configuration. Three different eave opening conditions were chosen in order to improve the applicability of the developed response surfaces to practical situations encountered in Ireland. Results showed that for high to medium porosity eave opening conditions the environmental homogeneity was most sensitive to the building's roof pitch. However, when low porosity eave opening conditions were used the homogeneity was found to be highly sensitive to the sidewall height. Overall, this study found that modifying the building geometry has the greatest effect on environmental heterogeneity when the most restrictive eave opening condition was employed. It is also hoped that with the developed equations, a designer can subsequently select the best combination of design variables in order to achieve good uniformity in a naturally ventilated calf building.     

Experimental and numerical study of wind pressures on irregular-plan shapes

This paper presents the results of a program of wind tunnel model tests on pressure distributions for irregular-plan shapes (L- and U-shaped models). The experiments were carried out in a closed-circuit wind tunnel and a multi-channel pressure measurement system was used to measure mean values of loads on 1:100 scale models. The same tests were carried out on a cube-shaped model as an experimental validation. The effectiveness of the model shape in changing the surface pressure distributions is assessed over an extended range of wind directions. The experimental data for the L- and U-shaped models showed different wall pressure distributions from those expected for single rectangular blocks. Furthermore, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code was used to illustrate some particular cases and to provide a better understanding of the flow patterns around these irregular-plan models and of the pressure distributions induced on their faces. Computed pressure coefficients have also been compared with wind tunnel results for normal and oblique wind incidence. A general good agreement has been found for normal wind incidence whereas some differences have occurred for other directions.     

Optimization of indoor climate conditioning with passive and active methods using GA and CFD

This study aims at the development of an optimal design tool using a genetic algorithm (GA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Random variables (fluctuating outdoor conditions), passive design elements (model variables) and active design elements (HVAC system) were set up to represent a realistic building environment. A combination of designs is determined based on the relationship between fluctuating outdoor conditions and the HVAC system in the optimal design search. Building environment designs should consider both active and passive design elements because the HVAC system keeps adjusting the supply air flow rate until the indoor climate reaches target conditions when outdoor conditions are changing.     

Some questions on dispersion of human exhaled droplets in ventilation room: answers from numerical investigation

Abstract This study employs a numerical model to investigate the dispersion characteristics of human exhaled droplets in ventilation rooms. The numerical model is validated by two different experiments prior to the application for the studied cases. Some typical questions on studying dispersion of human exhaled droplets indoors are reviewed and numerical study using the normalized evaporation time and normalized gravitational sedimentation time was performed to obtain the answers. It was found that modeling the transient process from a droplet to a droplet nucleus due to evaporation can be neglected when the normalized evaporation time is <0.051. When the normalized gravitational sedimentation time is <0.005, the influence of ventilation rate could be neglected. However, the influence of ventilation pattern and initial exhaled velocity on the exhaled droplets dispersion is dominant as the airflow decides the droplets dispersion significantly. Besides, the influence of temperature and relative humidity on the dispersion of droplets can be neglected for the droplet with initial diameter <200 μm; while droplet nuclei size plays an important role only for the droplets with initial diameter within the range of 10 μm–100 μm.

Practical Implications

Dispersion of human exhaled droplets indoor is a key issue when evaluating human exposure to infectious droplets. Results from detailed numerical studies in this study reveal how the evaporation of droplets, ventilation rate, airflow pattern, initial exhaled velocity, and particle component decide the droplet dispersion indoor. The detailed analysis of these main influencing factors on droplet dispersion in ventilation rooms may help to guide (1) the selection of numerical approach, e.g., if the transient process from a droplet to a droplet nucleus due to evaporation should be incorporated to study droplet dispersion, and (2) the selection of ventilation system to minimize the spread of pathogen‐laden droplets in an indoor environment.     

Particle dispersion and deposition in ventilated rooms: Testing and evaluation of different Eulerian and Lagrangian models

Indoor particle dispersion in a three-dimensional ventilated room is simulated by a Lagrangian discrete random walk (DRW) model and two Eulerian models: drift flux model and mixture model. The simulated results are compared with the published measured data to check the performance of the three models for indoor particle dispersion simulation. The deposition velocity of the particles is also computed and compared with published data. The turbulent airflow is modeled with the renormalization group (RNG) k−ε and a zero equation turbulence model. Comparison of the calculated air velocities with measurement shows that both the two turbulence models can simulate the airflow well for the presented case. For the Lagrangian DRW model, a post-process program is used to state the particle trajectories and transfer the results to particle concentration distribution. For Eulerian models, the effect of particle deposition towards wall surfaces is incorporated with a semi-empirical particle deposition model. The comparison shows that both the Lagrangian DRW model and drift flux model yield satisfactory predictions, while the predicted results by the mixture model are not satisfied. The deposition velocity obtained by the three models match the experimental data well.     

Computational modelling of large aerated lagoon hydraulics

A good understanding of the hydraulic performance of aerated lagoons is required for their design and operation. A comprehensive numerical procedure has been developed for the three-dimensional computational modelling of the flow in large lagoons including high-speed floating mechanical surface aerators. This paper describes the procedure that consists of separate aerator modelling, then applying the obtained results as boundary data for a full lagoon model. A model application to an industrial aerated lagoon serves as an example of flow analysis. Post processing of the results by calculating the local average residence time (age of fluid) provides a powerful and intuitive technique to visualize and analyse the lagoon performance. The model has been verified by comparing the local average residence time predictions with measurements from a dye study. It is shown that the numerical modelling proposed is feasible and constitutes an effective new tool in improving the performance and design of industrial lagoons.     

Effects of plume spacing and flowrate on destratification efficiency of air diffusers

This study adopts techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze the combined effect of adjacent plumes of an air-diffuser system on its destratification efficiency. Lab experiments were carried out to calibrate and verify the CFD models in thermally stratified freshwater. The CFD simulation and lab experiment results were analyzed to relate destratification efficiency with four non-dimensional variables. The results indicate that destratification number, D(N), has the best relationship that includes air flowrate, stratification frequency, water depth, and bubble slip velocity. Since plume spacing and air flowrate are the major control variables of the system, especially in the field, two charts showing the relationships between destratification efficiency, plume spacing, and destratification number are developed for guiding their control in its design and operation.     

Measurement and three-dimensional simulation of flow in a rectangular detention tank

There are two main ways to obtain better knowledge of the hydraulics of ponds, namely measurements and simulations. In this study, the applicability of using three-dimensional simulations as an engineering tool in stormwater pond design was investigated. To do this, three-dimensional simulations were compared with measurements of flow pattern and residence time in a large physical model of a detention tank (13 × 9 × 1 m). The agreement between measurements and simulations concerning both flow pattern and residence time distribution curves was found to be good for high flow rates.