Towards the modelling of pedestrian wind speed using high-resolution digital surface models and statistical methods

Wind tunnel and CFD study of dust dispersion from pesticide-treated maize seed

An analysis and development method for augmenting flow and pressure performance of electronic cooling axial fans using a fixed vane stator is established using classical hand calculations, 2-dimensional (2D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, data from a design of experiments, and 3-dimensional (3D) CFD modeling. Where the size of electronic enclosures may disallow an increase in diameter of axial fans but allow for an increase in depth; a fixed vane stator is implemented to recapture lost dynamic pressure associated with swirl and radial flow vectors from the axial fan blades thus augmenting the pressure/flow curve of the unit. Stator blade effectiveness is evaluated and optimized first using data associated with National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) airfoil shapes and then using 2-dimensional (2D) CFD analyses on both the impeller and stator blades. CFD modeling approaches and solving methods are discussed. A Design of Experiments (DOE) is utilized to verify and optimize the performance of the stator vanes and identifies the effectiveness of the stator vane angle, curvature of the stator leading edge, and number of stator vanes. At a constant back pressure the best performing DOE geometry delivered a 22% improvement in flow at constant electrical power input and a 41% improvement in flow at constant acoustic noise. This result was confirmed using a 3D CFD modeling. This analysis and development method provides a good baseline for evaluating and choosing proper stator vane geometries for flow improvement in axial fans.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and optimum gap size of a compact steam methane reforming (SMR) reactor

Effect of turbulence dispersion on bubble-particle collision efficiency

3D CFD simulations of trailing suction hopper dredger plume mixing: Comparison with field measurements

The effects of an apartment complex on flow and pollutant dispersion in an urban area are numerically investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The CFD model is based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and includes the renormalization group k- turbulence model. The geographic information system (GIS) data is used as an input data of the CFD model. Eight numerical simulations are carried out for different inflow directions and, for each inflow direction, the effects of an apartment complex are investigated, comparing the characteristics of flow and dispersion before and after construction of the apartment complex in detail. The observation data of automatic weather system (AWS) is analyzed. The windrose analysis shows that the wind speed and direction after the construction of the complex are quite different from those before the construction. The construction of the apartment complex resulted in the decrease in wind speed at the downwind region. It is also shown that the wind speed increased partially inside the apartment complex due to the channeling effect to satisfy the mass continuity. On the whole, the wind speed decreased at the downwind region due to the drag effect by the apartment complex. As a result, the passive pollutant concentration increased (decreased) near the downwind region of (within) the apartment complex compared with that before the construction.

Bayer to cut further jobs

The Saemangeum reclaimed land located on the western coast of Korea is one of the world's largest reclamation projects, developing 40,100 ha of land area. After construction of sea dikes in 2006, the exposed land area has been increasing in relation to the water level height. Dust from the exposed land, containing high amounts of salt, disperses to nearby areas. The dust is harmful to human and animal health as well as to plant growth. Therefore, an estimation of fugitive dust dispersion is necessary for the development of plans to manage the problem. Field experiments are ideal for understanding aerodynamic phenomena. However, finding a correlation between weather conditions and dust dispersion is a difficult task due to limited measuring points. Moreover, weather conditions are unstable, unpredictable, and cannot be artificially controlled. Field experiments also involve high labor and time expenses. To overcome these limitations, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model has been developed to analyze dust dispersion phenomena, both quantitatively and qualitatively, according to the topography of the area, under various weather conditions. Effort was devoted to improving the accuracy of the CFD model by taking into account topographical design, mesh structure, turbulence models, particle generation, and other factors influencing the final solution. Computed results of the 3-D developed CFD model were compared against experimental data. Results showed an average error of -6.8%, which is within the acceptable range. CFD-computed vertical log-profiles of dust dispersion were similar to the vertical profiles presented by an earlier study. CFD results showed that dispersion of fugitive dust was mainly affected by particle size, wind speed, wind direction, and topography of the area. The estimated dispersion distance, measured at a height of 3 m for the 10 m particles and a wind speed of 1.7 m s-1, was 3100 m. A dispersion distance of 6300 m was obtained when wind speed was 3.9 m s-1 for the 10 m particles. This study showed that a CFD model can be effectively used to supplement field experiments when analyzing dispersion of fugitive dust.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of abutment scour under steady current using the level set method

This paper presents the first simulation model of a tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) using three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD), including multiphase flow, thermal-fluid, transitional turbulence, and thermal deformation of the shaft and pads employing two-way fluid–structure interaction (FSI). Part I presents a modeling method for the static performance. The model includes flow between pads BP, which eliminates the use of an uncertain, mixing coefficient (MC) in Reynold's equation approaches. The CFD model is benchmarked with Reynold's model with a 3D thermal-film, when the CFD model boundary conditions are consistent with the Reynolds boundary conditions. The Reynolds model employs an oversimplified MC representation of the three-dimensional mixing effect of the BP flow and heat transfer, and it also employs simplifying assumptions for the flow and heat transfer within the thin film between the journal and bearing. This manufactured comparison shows good agreement between the CFD and Reynold's equation models. The CFD model is generalized by removing these fictitious boundary conditions on pad inlets and outlets and instead models the flow and temperature between pads. The results show that Reynold's model MC approach can lead to significant differences with the CFD model including detailed flow and thermal modeling between pads. Thus, the CFD approach provides increased reliability of predictions. The paper provides an instructive methodology including detailed steps for properly applying CFD to tilt pad bearing modeling. Parts I and II focus on predicting static and dynamic response characteristic responses, respectively.

Effects of buildings and topography on observation environment of surface wind in central regions of urban areas are investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. In order to reflect the characteristics of buildings and topography in urban areas, geographic information system (GIS) data are used to construct surface boundary input data. For each observation station, 16 cases with different inflow directions are considered to evaluate effects of buildings and topography on wind speed and direction around the observation station. The results show that flow patterns are very complicated due to the buildings and topography. The simulated wind speed and direction at the location of each observation station are compared with those of inflow. As a whole, wind speed at observation stations decreases due to the drag effect of buildings. The decrease rate of wind speed is strongly related with total volume of buildings which are located in the upwind direction. It is concluded that the CFD model is a very useful tool to evaluate location of observation station suitability. And it is expected to help produce wind observation data that represent local scale excluding the effects of buildings and topography in urban areas.

Numerical and experimental study of pulse-jet cleaning in fabric filters

The article presents an advanced two-dimensional (2D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of an external gear pump which considers relief grooves. Relief grooves are limiting design features for the flow process of this type of pump, and their influence in existing studies is considered by a three-dimensional (3D) model only. The structural modification proposed by the authors is beyond the possibilities of real implementation, but it gives the possibility to precisely model the pump’s design features. In contrast to the existing studies (using 3D CFD), the proposed advanced 2D model requires significantly fewer computing resources. Numerical experiments were carried out using the 2D model at different pump operating modes depending on the rotation frequency (950–1450 min−1) and pressure load (5–150 bar). The numerical results were validated by a real-world experiment for the same pump operating modes using an existing laboratory experimental setup. An analysis of the CFD model and real experiment results was carried out by determining a quantitative index of match (FIT), which varies in the range of 97.93–99.82%. This proves the performance of the proposed CFD model, which can be further used as a part of more complex hydraulic systems models.

Effectiveness of intermittent personalized ventilation in protecting occupant from indoor particles

This paper presents a 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling of flow, combustion and heat transfer processes into an internal enclosure acting as a combustion chamber, confined by the newly patented air cooled “corner ring”, the lower shaft vertical side walls, the vault and the limestone packed bed, located in a vertical twin-shaft regenerative lime kiln. The numerical simulation is restricted only to the kiln first start-up preliminary phase, with the goal to optimize the thermo-fluid dynamics patterns established during the first heat-up of wet gunning refractory concrete lining of the air cooled “corner ring”, to avoid refractory damages. The present work is performed in the frame of the commercial general-purpose code ANSYS-CFX R14.5. The CFD model is run under transient flow conditions accomplished by the drying burners operated in single-stage “on-off” control mode, to fit at the best the heat-up curve by optimization of the fluid dynamics patterns, with the goal to prevent local hot spots on the refractory lining. The industrial data collected through the supervision system and the local provisional instrumentation on the vertical twin-shaft regenerative lime kiln, model RD15, commissioned in India on September last year, are used to set the test-case and to partially validate the numerical simulation results. This CFD numerical simulation represents an useful engineering tool, on behalf of refractory designer and commissioning engineer, for the prediction of the refractory lining behavior during the kiln first start-up.