Three-dimensional modelling of Non-Newtonian fluid flow in a coat-hanger die

The three-dimensional model of isothermal flow of power-law fluid in a coat-hanger die has been developed using finite element method. The shape of coat-hanger die used in the present model was determined according to the previous analytical design equation which is based on one-dimensional flow model in the manifold and the slot. Because uniform flow rate across the die outlet is most important to achieve uniform thickness of extruded polymer sheet or film, flow rate distribution is mainly examined to determine the valid process condition for the design equation as the design parameters are changed. The effects of fluid property in terms of power-law index and process parameters not considered in one-dimensional design equation such as die inlet size and the presence of land were analyzed. Results show that the manifold angle is the most influencing design parameter on flow rate distribution. When the material of different power-law index from design value is processed, the change of power-law index affects the uniformity of flow rate appreciably.     

Numerical study on the turbulent reacting flow in the vicinity of the injector of an LDPE tubular reactor

Three-dimensional (3-D), transient numerical simulations of the turbulent reacting flow in the vicinity of the initiator injection point of a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) tubular reactor using a large eddy simulation (LES) approach combined with a filtered density function (FDF) technique are presented. The numerical approach allows for detailed predictions of the turbulent flow field and the associated (passive and reactive) scalar mixing. The aim is to study the influence of the injector geometry and initiator injection temperature on the LDPE process in terms of product quality (average polymer chain length, and polydispersity) and process efficiency (such as initiator consumption).     

Numerical and experimental study on the biofiltration of toluene vapor

We have solved both steady state and transient problems on the biofiltration of toluene vapor. The effect of inlet toluene concentration and inlet gas-flow rate on the removal rate of toluene and the elimination capacity of a lab-scale biofilter has been investigated. In this study, the effectiveness factor was a function of pollutant concentration. The dynamic solutions show good agreement with experimental results. At an inlet toluene concentration of 100 ppm, the diffusion of toluene into biofilm was obviously a rate determining step. Above 200 ppm, however, biofilm already showed full activity. The steady-state simulation confirmed that the change of elimination capacity obtained by increasing only inlet toluene concentration was the same as that obtained by increasing only flow rate of contaminated air. The maximum possible performance is about 20 g/m³h with no addition of nutrients.     

自重施加方式对高拱坝廊道结构应力及配筋的影响

自重工况一般是高拱坝内廊道配筋设计的控制工况,由于高拱坝施工过程的特殊性及复杂性,有限元计算中自重有多种施加方式。结合工程实例,对高拱坝基础廊道结构进行三维有限元分析,比较不同自重施加方式对廊道结构应力及配筋的影响。研究结果表明:按整体自重考虑时,廊道结构应力及配筋面积明显偏小;全部按分缝自重考虑时,廊道结构应力及配筋面积明显大于按施工过程考虑自重的结果;为符合实际施工过程及结构承载规律,保证结构安全及经济合理,在拱坝结构的有限元计算中应按照施工过程考虑自重荷载。该研究成果对泄洪孔结构的应力分析也具有参考价值。     

Hydrodynamic drag forces on two porous spheres moving along their centerline

This paper numerically evaluates the hydrodynamic drag force exerted on two highly porous spheres moving steadily along their centerline (sphere #1 and sphere #2) through a quiescent Newtonian fluid over a Reynolds number ranging from 0.1 to 40. At creeping flow limit, the drag forces exerted on both spheres were identical. At higher Reynolds numbers the drag force on sphere #1 was higher than sphere #2, revealing the shading effects produced by sphere #1 on sphere #2. At dimensionless diameter (β, =d_f/2k^0.5, d_f and k are floc diameter and interior permeability, respectively) >20, the spheres can be regarded nonporous. At β<20, the drag forces dropped. At β<2, the drag forces approached “no-spheres” limit. An increased size ratio of two spheres (d_f1/d_f2) would increase the drag force on sphere #1 and reduce that on sphere #2. At increasing β for both spheres, the drag force on sphere #2 was increased because of the more difficult advective flow through its interior, and at the same time the drag was reduced owing to the stronger wake flow produced by the denser sphere #1. The competition between these two effects leads to complicated dependence of drag force on sphere #2 on β value. These effects were minimal when β became low. Two identical spheres could move steadily along their centerline. At higher Reynolds number, the two spheres would move closer because of the incorporation of inertia force. For spheres of different diameters, the sphere # 2 would move faster than sphere #1 regardless of their size ratio and β value. This occurrence yielded efficient coagulation when two porous spheres were moving in-line.     

Robust Treatment of Degenerate Elements in Interactive Corotational FEM Simulations

We address the problem of robust and efficient treatment of element collapse and inversion in corotational FEM simulations of deformable objects in two and three dimensions, and show that existing degeneration treatment methods have previously unreported flaws that seriously threaten robustness and physical plausibility in interactive applications. We propose a new method that avoids such flaws, yields faster and smoother degeneration recovery and extends the range of well‐behaved degenerate configurations without adding significant complexity or computational cost to standard explicit and quasi‐implicit solvers.