Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Air-water flows'

The objective of the present thesis research is to apply state-of-the-art experimental and data analysis techniques to the study of gas-liquid pipe flows, with a focus on conditions occurring in header-feeder systems of nuclear reactors under different accident scenarios. Novel experimental techniques have been proposed for the identification of the flow regime and measurement of the flow rates of both phases in gas-liquid flows. These techniques were automated, non-intrusive and economical, which ensured that their use would be feasible in industrial as well as laboratory settings. Measurements of differential pressure and the gas and liquid flow rates were collected in vertical upwards air-water flow at near-atmospheric pressure. It was demonstrated that the probability density function of the normalized differential pressure was indicative of the flow regime and using non-linear dimensionality reduction (the Elastic Maps Algorithm), it was possible to automate the process of identifying the flow regime from the differential pressure signal. The relationship between the probability density function and the power spectral density of normalized differential pressure with the gas and liquid flow rates in air-water pipe flow was also established and a machine learning algorithm (using Independent Component Analysis and Artificial Neural Networks) was proposed for the estimation of the phase flow rates from these properties. The proposed methods were adapted for use with single and dual conductivity wire-mesh sensors in vertical upwards and downwards air--water flows. A thorough evaluation of the performance and measurement uncertainty of wire-mesh sensors in gas-liquid flows was also performed. Lastly, measurements of the flow distribution in feeder tubes supplied with air-water mixtures by a simplified header model were collected and correlated to the observed flow patterns in the header.

The study of air and water flows induced by water level changes is important for a better understanding of water release in response to pumping in unconfined aquifers and give new insights into pumping test data analysis. To improve the unsaturated flow and air-water two-phase flow numerical modeling of unconfined aquifer pumping tests, an improved unsaturated hydraulic conductivity model and a new relative air permeability model were proposed. A synthesis of the literature on subsurface airflow induced by natural forcings was presented to provide a better understanding of the generated airflow and its importance in environmental and engineering applications. A literature review was carried out to study the naturally occurring subsurface airflow. Analytical studies were carried out to derive the improved unsaturated hydraulic conductivity model and the new relative air permeability model. Experimental studies were conducted to investigate the air and water flows induced by drainage and pumping and numerical simulations were carried out using TOUGH2 and TOUGH2-MP to interpret the experimental data. Numerical models for unconfined aquifer pumping test analysis were built with TOUGH2-MP to investigate the effect of heterogeneity on pumping test results. The study of relative permeability models found that the relative permeabilities predicted by the proposed models are in better agreement with experimental data than existing models. Experimental and numerical investigations on air and water flows induced by drainage and pumping found that significant negative air pressure can be generated in a two-layered system with a low-permeability upper layer. The negative air pressure increases very fast after the start of pumping or drainage, reaches a maximum, and then gradually recovers to atmospheric pressure. The generated negative air pressure can significantly reduce the drainage of water from the column and increase the drawdown. Numerical studies of the effects of local heterogeneity on unconfined aquifer pumping test results found that the drawdown in an unconfined aquifer with a low-permeability zone is significantly greater than that of the homogeneous aquifers but the impact of the low-permeability zone diminishes in the long-term production period. This study presents state of knowledge on naturally occurring subsurface airflow and its implications, proposes improved and new relative permeability models for unsaturated flow and multiphase flow modeling, and offers new insights into the effect of air on water release and unconfined aquifer pumping test data analysis. The present study not only has theoretical significance but also has engineering implications.
published_or_final_version
Earth Sciences
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

If air is entrained in a bottom outlet of a dam in an uncontrolled way, the resulting air pockets may cause problems such as blowback, blowout and loss of discharge capacity. In order to provide guidance for bottom outlet design and operation, this study examines how governing parameters affect air entrainment, air-pocket transport and de-aeration and the surrounding flow structure in pipe flows. Both experimental and numerical approaches are used. Air can be entrained into the bottom outlet conduit due to vortex formation at the intake if the intake submergence is not sufficient. The influent of the intake entrance profiles and channel width on the critical submergence were studied in the experiment. The experimental study was performed to investigate the incipient motion of air pockets in pipes with rectangular and circular cross sections. The critical velocity is dependent on pipe slope, pipe diameter, pipe roughness and air-pocket volume. If the pipe is horizontal, air removal is generally easier in a rectangular pipe than in a circular pipe. However, if the pipe is downward-inclined, air removal is easier in a circular pipe. When a bottom outlet gate opens, air can become entrained into the conduit in the gate shaft downstream of the gate. Using FLUENT software, the transient process of air entrainment into a prototype bottom outlet during gate opening is simulated in three dimensions. The simulations show in the flow-pattern changes in the conduit and the amount of air entrainment in the gate shaft. The initial conduit water level affects the degree of air entrainment. A de-aeration chamber is effective in reducing water surface fluctuations at blowout. High-speed particle image velocimetry (HSPIV) were applied to investigate the characteristics of the flow field around a stationary air pocket in a fully developed horizontal pipe flow. The air pocket generates a horseshoe vortex upstream and a reverse flow downstream. A shear layer forms from the separation point. Flow reattachment is observed for large air pockets. The air―water interface moves with the adjacent flow. A similarity profile is obtained for the mean streamwise velocity in the shear layer beneath the air pocket.

QC 20140211

This thesis is concerned with the performance and measurement uncertainty of wire-mesh sensors in different air-water flow regimes in horizontal pipes. It also presents measurements of void fraction and interfacial velocity in such flows. It was found that the interfacial velocity measurements of the wire-mesh sensors were in good agreement with those taken with a high-speed camera and estimates of the uncertainties of these measurements are presented. Drift-flux models were fitted to the measurements and it was found that the parameters of these models were not only sensitive to the flow regime, but also to the liquid superficial velocity.

Bubble columns and airlift reactors were modeled numerically to better understand the hydrodynamics and analyze the mixing characteristics for each configuration. An Eulerian-Eulerian approach was used to model air as the dispersed phase within a continuous phase of water using the commercial software FLUENT. The Schiller-Naumann drag model was employed along with virtual mass and the standard k-e turbulence model. The equations were discretized using the QUICK scheme and solved with the SIMPLE coupling algorithm. The flow regimes of a bubble column were investigated by varying the column diameter and the inlet gas velocity using two-dimensional simulations. The typical characteristics of a homogeneous, slug, and heterogeneous flow were shown by examining gas holdup. The flow field predicted using two-dimensional simulations of the airlift reactor showed a regular oscillation of the gas flow due to recirculation from the downcomer and connectors, whereas the bubble column oscillations were random and resulted in gas flow through the center of the column. The profiles of gas holdup, gas velocity, and liquid velocity showed that the airlift reactor flow was asymmetric and the bubble column flow was symmetric about the vertical axis of the column. The average gas holdup in a 10.2 cm diameter bubble column was calculated and the results for the two-dimensional simulation of varying inlet gas velocities were similar to published experimental results. The average gas holdup in the airlift reactor for the three-dimensional simulations compared well with the experiments, and the two-dimensional simulations underpredicted the average gas holdup.
Master of Science

Due to the high-speed flow in a chute spillway, cavitation damages often occur. This undesired phenomenon threatens the safety of the structure. For the purpose of eliminating the damages, an aerator is often installed in the spillway. To understand its characteristics, physical model tests are a popular method. To complement the model tests, computation fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to study aerator flows. To represent the two-phase flows, multiphase models should be employed. This thesis examines two of them, namely, the Volume-Of-Fluid model (VOF) and Two-Fluid model. Based on the background of the Bergeforsen dam, the aerator flow is modelled by means of the VOF model. The simulated spillway discharge capacity is in accordance with the experimental data. Compared with the results, empirical formulas fail to evaluate the air supply capacity of aerator as it is wider than the conventional width. A hypothetical vent modification is proposed. For the original and proposed layouts, the study illustrates the difference in the air-flow conditions. The results show that a larger vent area is, for a large-width aerator, preferable in the middle of the chute. To study the flip bucket-shaped aerators in the Gallejaur dam, physical model tests and prototype observations are conducted. The results lead to contradicting conclusions in terms of jet breakup and air entrainment. A CFD model is, as an option, employed to explain the reason of the discrepancy. The numerical results coincide with the prototype observations. The jet breakup and air entrainment are evaluated from air cavity profiles; the air-pressure drops are small in the cavity. The discrepancy is due to overestimation of the surface-tension effect in the physical model tests. Based on the experimental data of an aerator rig at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zurich, the Two-Fluid model is used to predict air concentration distributions in the aerated flow. The model includes relevant forces governing the motion of bubbles and considers the effects of air bubble size. The numerical results are conformable to the experiments in the air cavity zone. Downstream of the cavity, the air concentration near the chute bottom is higher, which is presumably caused by the fact that the interfacial forces in the Two-Fluid model are underestimated.

QC 20170224

The new legal regulations derived from climate change dictate that hydraulic structures must be designed to handle flood events associated with return periods up to 10,000 years. This obviously involves adapting the existing infrastructure to meet such requirements. In order to avoid risks in the restitution of the flow discharged to rivers, such as bank overflows or streambed erosion and scour processes, hydraulic design must be supported by reliable tools capable of reproducing the behavior of hydraulic structures. In the work presented herein, a fully three-dimensional CFD model to reproduce the behavior of different types of air-water flow in hydraulic structures is presented. The flow is assumed to be turbulent, isotropic and incompressible. Several RANS turbulence models are tested and structured rectangular meshes are employed to discretize the analyzed domain. The presence of two fluids is modeled using different VOF approaches and simulations are run using the PIMPLE algorithm. The model is implemented using the open-source platform OpenFOAM and its performance is compared to the commercial code FLOW-3D. The analysis is conducted separately on two different parts of hydraulic structures, namely: the spillway and the stilling basin. Additionally, a case of practical application, where the model reproduces the flow of a real-life case, is also presented in order to prove the suitability of the model to actual design cases. Mesh independence and model validation using experimental data are checked in the results of all the case studies. The sensitivity of the presented model to certain parameters is extensively discussed using different indicator variables. Among these parameters are turbulence closure, discretization scheme, surface tracking approach, CFD code or boundary conditions. Pros and contras of each of them are addressed. The analyzed turbulence models are the Standard k ¿ ¿, the Realizable k ¿ ¿, the RNG k ¿ ¿, and the SST k ¿ ¿. The discretization schemes under study are: a first-order upwind method, the second-order limited Van Leer method, and a second-order limited central difference method. The VOF approaches analyzed are the Partial VOF, as implemented in OpenFOAM, and the TruVOF, as implemented in FLOW-3D. In most cases, the Standard k ¿ ¿ model provides the most accurate estimations of water free surface profiles, although the rest of variables, with few exceptions, are better predicted by the RNG k ¿ ¿. The latter model generally requires slightly longer computation times. The SST k ¿ ¿ reproduces correctly the phenomena under study, although it generally turned out to be less accurate than its k ¿ ¿ counterparts. As regards the comparison among VOF approaches and codes, it is impossible to determine which one performs best. E.g. OpenFOAM, using the Partial VOF, managed to reproduce the in- ternal hydraulic jump structure and all derived variables better than FLOW-3D, using the TruVOF, although the latter seems to capture better the momentum transfer and so all derived variables. In the case of flow in stepped spillways, OpenFOAM captures better the velocity profiles, although FLOW-3D is more accurate when estimating the water free surface profile. It is worth remark- ing that not even their response to certain model parameters is comparable. E.g. FLOW-3D is significantly less sensitive to mesh refinement than OpenFOAM. Given the result accuracy achieved in all cases, the proposed model is fully applicable to more complex design cases, where stilling basins, stepped spillways and hydraulic structures in general must be investigated.
Las nuevas disposiciones legales derivadas del cambio climático dictaminan que las estructuras hidráulicas sean capaces de funcionar correctamente con eventos de inundación asociados a periodos de retorno de hasta 10,000 años. Esto, obviamente, implica adaptar la infraestructura existente para satisfacer dichos requerimientos. A fin de evitar riesgos en la restitución de los caudales vertidos al río, como desbordamientos o procesos erosivos y de socavación, el diseño hidráulico ha de sustentarse en herramientas fiables capaces de reproducir el comportamiento de las estructuras hidráulicas. En este trabajo, se presenta un modelo numérico CFD completamente tridimensional para reproducir el comportamiento de diferentes tipos de flujo aire-agua en estructuras hidráulicas. Se asume que el flujo es turbulento, isotrópico e incompresible. Diversos modelos de turbulencia RANS son contrastados y se emplean mallas estructuradas rectanuglares para discretizar el dominio analizado. La presencia de dos fluidos es modelada utilizando diferentes enfoques VOF y las simulaciones son ejecutadas empleando el algoritmo PIMPLE. El modelo es implementado mediante la plataforma de código abierto OpenFOAM y su respuesta es comparada con la del modelo comercial FLOW-3D. El análisis se lleva a cabo sobre dos partes diferentes de una estructura hidráulica, a saber, el aliviadero y el cuenco amortiguador, de forma separada. Además, un caso de aplicación práctica, donde el modelo reproduce el flujo en una estructura real, es presentado también a fin de probar la adecuación del modelo a casos de diseño aplicado. Se comprueban la independencia de la malla y la validación con datos experimentales de los resultados de todos los casos de estudio. La sensibilidad del modelo presentado a ciertos parámetros es analizada de forma exhaustiva empleando diferentes variables indicadoras. Los pros y contras de cada uno de éstos son planteados. Los modelos de turbulencia analizados son el Standard k-epsilon, el Realizable k-epsilon, el RNG k-epsilon y el SST k-omega. Los esquemas de discretización estudiados son: un método de primer orden upwind, uno de Van Leer de segundo orden y un esquema de segundo orden limitado de diferencias centradas. Los enfoques VOF analizados son el Partial VOF, implementado en OpenFOAM, y el TruVOF, implementado en FLOW-3D. En la mayoría de casos, el modelo k-epsilon aporta las estimaciones más precisas de perfiles de lámina libre de agua, pese a que el resto de variables, con alguna excepción, son mejor predichas por el RNG k-epsilon. Este modelo generalmente requiere mayores tiempos de cálculo. El k-omega reproduce correctamente los fenómenos bajo estudio, pese a que su precisión es generalmente más baja que la de los modelos k-epsilon. En lo que respecta a la comparación entre enfoques VOF y códigos, es imposible determinar cuál es el mejor. Por ejemplo, OpenFOAM, empleando el Partial VOF, logra reproducir la estructura interna del resalto hidráulico y todas las variables derivadas mejor que FLOW-3D, empleando el TruVOF, a pesar de que este último parece capturar mejor la transferencia de cantidad de movimiento y, por tanto, todas las variables derivadas. En el caso del flujo en aliviaderos escalonados, OpenFOAM captura mejor los perfiles de velocidad, pese a que FLOW-3D es más preciso en la estimación de los perfiles de lámina libre de agua. Conviene recalcar que ni tan sólo su respuesta a ciertos parámetros del modelo es comparable. Por ejemplo, FLOW-3D es significativamente menos sensible al refinado de malla que OpenFOAM. A la luz de la precisión de los resultados obtenidos en todos los casos, el modelo propuesto es completamente aplicable a casos de diseño más complejos, donde cuencos amortiguadores, aliviaderos escalonados y estructuras hidráulicas en general han de ser investigadas.
Les noves disposicions legals derivades del canvi climàtic dictaminen que cal que les estructures hidràuliques siguen capaces de funcionar correctament amb esdeveniments d'inundació associats a períodes de retorn de fins a 10,000 anys. Això, òbviament, implica adaptar la infraestrctura existent per satisfer aquests requeriments. A fi d'evitar riscs en la restitució dels cabals vessats al riu, com desbordaments o processos erosius i de socavació, el disseny hidràulic ha de recolzar-se en ferramentes fiables capaces de reproduir el comportament de les estructures hidràuliques. En aquest treball, es prsenta un model numèric CFD completament tridimensional per a reproduir el comportament de diferents tipus de flux aire-aigua en estructures hidràuliques. S'assumeix que el flux és turbulent, isotròpic i incompressible. Diferents models de turbulència RANS són contrastats i s'empren malles estructurades rectangulars per discretitzar el domini analitzat. La presència de dos fluids és modelada utilitzant diferents enfocaments VOF i les simulacions són executades emprant l'algorisme PIMPLE. El model és implementat mitjançant la plataforma de codi obert OpenFOAM i la seua resposta és comparada amb la del codi comercial FLOW-3D. L'anàlisi es du a terme sobre les diferents parts d'una estructura hidràulica, a saber, sobreeixidors esgraonats i vas esmorteïdor, de forma separada. A més, un cas d'aplicació pràctica, on el model reprodueix el flux a una estructura real, és presentat també a fi de provar l'adequació del model a casos de disseny aplicat. Es comproven la independència de la malla i la validació amb dades experimentals dels resultats de tots els casos d'estudi. La sensibilitat del model presentat a certs paràmetres és analitzada de forma exhaustiva emprant diferents variables indicadores. Els pros i contres de cadascun d'aquests són plantejats. Els models de turbulència analitzats són l'Standard k-epsilon, el Realizable k-epsilon, el RNG k-epsilon i l'SST k-omega. Els esquemes de discretització estudiats són: un mètode de primer ordre upwind, un de Van Leer de segon ordre i un esquema de segon ordre limitat de diferències centrades. Els enfocaments VOF analitzats són el Partial VOF, implementat en OpenFOAM, i el TruVOF, implementat en FLOW-3D. En la majoria de casos, el model Standard k-epsilon aporta les estimacions més precises de perfils de làmina lliure d'aigua, tot i que la resta de variables, amb alguna excepció, són millor predites pel RNG k-epsilon. Aquest model generalment requereix majors temps de càlcul. El k-omega reprodueix correctament els fenòmens sota estudi, tot i que la seua precisió és generalment més baixa que la dels models k-epsilon. Pel que fa la comparació entre enfocaments VOF i codis, és impossible determinar quin és el millor. Per exemple, OpenFOAM, emprant el Partial VOF, aconsegueix reproduir l'estructura interna del ressalt hidràulic i totes les variables derivades millor que FLOW-3D, emprant el TruVOF, tot i que aquest últim pareix capturar millor la transferència de quantitat de moviment i, per tant, totes les variables derivades. En el cas del flux en sobreeixidors esgraonats, OpenFOAM captura millor els perfils de velocitat, tot i que FLOW-3D és més precís en estimar els perfils de làmina lliure d'aigua. Cal deixar palès que ni tan sols la seua resposta a certs paràmetres del model és comparable. Per exemple, FLOW-3D és significativament menys sensible al refinament de malla que OpenFOAM. En base a la precisió dels resultats obtinguts en tots els casos, el model proposat és completament aplicable a casos de disseny més complexos, on vassos esmorteïdors, sobreeixidors esgraonats i estructures hidràuliques en general han de ser investigades.
Bayón Barrachina, A. (2017). Numerical analysis of air-water flows in hydraulic structures using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/90440
TESIS

An experiment was designed and built to study vertical annular air-water flows in a channel with a rectangular cross section with no heat transfer. Flush-wire electrical conductivity probes were theoretically analyzed to demonstrate their potential to accurately measure liquid film thickness in the experiment with high temporal and spatial resolution. Flush-wire probes were then successfully implemented and film thickness measurements obtained. From theoretical analysis, the suitability of micromachined hot film and floating element wall shear stress sensors for measurements of wall shear stress in the annular flow was investigated. A microfabricated hot film wall shear stress sensor was subsequently packaged and installed in the experiment, where it provided wall shear stress measurements with high temporal and spatial resolution. After the implementation of these new measurement techniques, a large suite of test cases was run and data for film thickness and wall shear stress acquired. A statistical analysis of the film thickness data indicates the existence of two distinct wave regimes, ripple waves and disturbance waves, within the annular flow regime. Spectral decomposition of film thickness and wall shear stress data demonstrates the existence of dominant frequencies in the wave spectrum and an exponential decay of wave amplitudes at high frequencies indicative of a force balance between capillary and momentum forces. Wave velocities were determined from cross correlations which again provided evidence of different types of waves each with different wave velocities and spatial extensions. A semi-analytical model for wave velocities as a function of superficial Reynolds numbers was validated and improved. The improved model gives an accurate prediction for wave velocities and is based on physical arguments representing the appropriate length scales in annular flow. The experimental results and data analysis provide a new perspective of annular two-phase flows in a channel with a rectangular cross section.

Un écoulement axisymétrique à une interface eau-air s’avère instable azimutalement. Durant cette thèse,nous avons mené deux expériences afin d’étudier ce point : (1) une petite fontaine subaquatique propulse un jet contre l’interface eau-air créant ainsi en surface un écoulement centrifuge radial; (2) une microbille chauffée par laser, en mouillage partiel à la surface de l’eau, engendre un écoulement thermocapillaire divergent. Lorsque la vitesse du jet ou la puissance du laser est suffisamment forte, il se produit une brisure de symétrie de l’écoulement torique initial en paires de vortex contrarotatifs entourant la source.Nous précisons les caractères morphologiques du tore ainsi que du dipôle par le biais d’expériences de tomographie laser et d’injection de colorant. Dans l’expérience du jet d’eau, nous montrons que la taille du tore est essentiellement déterminée par la distance séparant l’injecteur de la surface. Dans les deux expériences, un état "bloqué" de l’interface en régime toroïdal mais "débloqué" en régime dipolaire est mis en évidence par suivi de traceurs. Ce type de phénomène est piloté par l’élasticité de surface. Une preuve convaincante est la réponse élastique, à l’extinction du laser, de la couche de surfactants adsorbés à l’interface. Le principal intérêt de ce travail est de mettre en avant le rôle – clé que joue l’élasticité interfaciale dans le scénario de l’instabilité. D’un point de vue théorique, nous étudions la convection thermocapillaire induite par une source fixe ponctuelle à l’interface eau-air. Nous résolvons l’équation de Stokes incompressible au sein du demi – espace contenant le liquide et déterminons la solution exacte du problème advectif, non-linéaire, dans le régime axisymétrique en limite de champ lointain. Enfin, nous posons les bases sur lesquelles élaborer une théorie de l’instabilité. Ce travail de thèse devrait permettre de comprendre comment une petite sphère chaude à la surface de l’eau déclenche le type d’instabilité étudié ici, devenant de ce fait une "particule active" capable de s’autopropulser à grande vitesse
Axisymmetric flows on a water-air interface prove to be azimuthally unstable. In this thesis work, we design two setups to explore this fact : (1) a small subaquatic fountain propelling a jet against the water-air interface where it creates a centrifugal radial flow, (2) a laser – heated microbead in partial wetting at the surface of water that induces a divergent thermocapillary flow. At sufficiently high jet speeds or laser powers appears a symmetry – breaking of the toroidal base flow in the form of counter – rotating vortex pairs surrounding the source. Morphological traits of the torus and the dipole are uncovered through a wealth of laser tomography and dye injection experiments. In the water jet experiment, we show that the torus size is primarily fixed by the distance between the injector and the surface. In both experiments,the tracking of tracer particles evidences a ‘locked’ interface in the toroidal regime, whereas it ‘unlocks’ when a dipole sets in. Such a phenomenon is conditioned by surface elasticity. Cogent evidence is brought by the elastic response to laser shutdown of a surfactant layer adsorbed at the water surface. Unveiling the key role of surface elasticity in the scenario of the instability is the main achievement of this work.On a theoretical level, we focus on thermocapillary convection induced by a fixed point source of heat sitting across the water-air interface. We solve the incompressible Stokes equation within the water – filled half – space and derive an exact solution to the advective nonlinear regime in the far – field axisymmetric limit. We then lay the groundwork on which to build a model of the instability. This thesis work paves the way for understanding how a hot microsphere found on the water surface triggers such an instability, thereby becoming an ‘active particle’ able to achieve self – propulsion at large speeds

Ein neues, verallgemeinertes Modell für Blasenkoaleszenz und –zerfall wurde entwickelt. Es basiert auf physikalischen Überlegungen und berücksichtigt verschiedene Mechanismen, die zu Blasenkoaleszenz und –zerfall führen können. In einer ausführlichen Literaturrecherche wurden zunächst die verfügbaren Modelle zusammengestellt und analysiert. Es zeigte sich, dass viele widersprüchliche Modelle veröffentlicht wurden. Keins dieser Modelle erlaubt die Vorhersage der Entwicklung der Blasengrößenverteilungen entlang einer Rohrströmung für einen breiten Bereich an Kombinationen von Volumenströmen der Gas- und der Flüssigphase. Das neue Modell wurde ausführlich in einem vereinfachten Testsolver untersucht. Dieser erfasst zwar nicht alle Einzelheiten einer sich entlang des Rohres entwickelten Strömungen, erlaubt aber im Gegensatz zu den CFD-Simulationen eine Vielzahl von Variationsrechnungen zur Untersuchung des Einflusses einzelner Größen und Modelle. Koaleszenz und Zerfall kann nicht getrennt von anderen Phänomenen und Modellen, die diese widerspiegeln, betrachtet werden. Es bestehen enge Wechselwirkungen mit der Turbulenz der Flüssigphase und dem Impulsaustausch zwischen den Phasen. Da die Dissipationsrate der turbulenten kinetischen Energie ein direkter Eingangsparameter für das neue Modell ist, wurde die Turbulenzmodellierung besonders genau untersucht. Zur Validierung des Modells wurde eine TOPFLOW-Experimentalserie zur Luft-Wasser-Strömungen in einem 8 m langen DN200-Rohr genutzt. Die Daten zeichnen sich durch eine hohe Qualität aus und wurden im Rahmen des TOPFLOW-IIVorhabens mit dem Ziel eine Grundlage für die hier vorgestellten Arbeiten zu liefern, gewonnen. Die Vorhersage der Entwicklung der Blasengrößenverteilung entlang des Rohrs konnte im Vergleich zu den bisherigen Standardmodellen für Blasenkoaleszenz und -zerfall in CFX deutlich verbessert werden. Einige quantitative Abweichungen bleiben aber bestehen. Die vollständigen Modellgleichungen sowie eine Implementierung über „User-FORTRAN“ in CFX stehen zur Verfügung und können für weitere Arbeiten zur Simulation polydisperser Blasenströmungen genutzt werden.

Les écoulements au sein d'ouvrages hydrauliques – déversement au-dessus d'un barrage, déferlement d'une vague sur une digue, etc. – sont le siège de forts mélanges d'eau et d'air qui se traduisent visuellement par la formation d'eaux blanches à la dynamique complexe. Représenter fidèlement le phénomène d'entraînement/capture des bulles d'air dans l'eau revêt donc un aspect stratégique important pour le dimensionnement de ces ouvrages. La modélisation tant physique que numérique de tels cas s'avère délicate à cause du fort rapport de densité entre les phases et de la nature multi-échelle de ces écoulements impliquant des effets de turbulence et de tension de surface. La méthode numérique SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics), approche totalement lagrangienne qui représente l'écoulement comme un ensemble de particules en mouvement sans recours à un maillage, est particulièrement adaptée à la simulation de tels écoulements fortement déformés. Néanmoins, les limites actuelles de puissance de calcul empêchent encore de simuler finement des cas d'application industriels à large emprise en hydraulique. On se propose donc dans cette thèse de modéliser ces écoulements de manière macroscopique via un modèle de mélange qui consiste à voir chaque particule SPH comme un volume de mélange d'eau et d'air en mouvement. On détaille d'abord la dérivation des équations continues de ce modèle de mélange, puis on présente un état de l'art des simulations multiphasiques SPH. A partir du modèle continu et des outils actuels de discrétisation, un modèle de mélange diphasique SPH est ensuite mis en place en vue de son implémentation sur GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Un accent tout particulier est mis sur les éléments originaux de discrétisation développés, notamment la dérivation d'un schéma aux bonnes propriétés numériques pour le suivi de l'évolution des volumes par phase et l'écriture d'un formalisme de frontières ouvertes pour un mélange. La turbulence, centrale dans le phénomène d'entraînement d’air, est modélisée via un modèle k-ϵ incluant un terme de flottabilité. Ce modèle de mélange est validé sur des cas académiques bidimensionnels de complexité croissante tels que la séparation d'un mélange eau-huile, un écoulement de Poiseuille diphasique, l'instabilité de Rayleigh–Taylor et un lâché de sédiments, illustrant sa polyvalence. La phénoménologie de l'entraînement d'air est ensuite décrite, et le modèle appliqué à des structures communément rencontrées en hydraulique, comme des jets plongeants et des coursiers en marches d'escalier, en introduisant une fermeture spécifique de la vitesse relative entre les phases. Enfin, on présente des premiers cas d'application industriels aux géométries et dynamiques complexes
Flows over hydraulic works – a nappe falling over a spillway, a wave breaking on a dike, etc. – undergo strong mixtures of air and water that lead to the appearance of white waters with complex dynamics. Faithfully capture the phenomenon of air bubbles entrainment/entrapment in the flowing water is therefore pivotal for the design of those works. Both experimental and numerical modeling prove to be complex due to high density ratio between phases and the multiscale nature of those flows involving turbulence and surface tension effects. The SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) method, a fully Lagrangian approach that models the flow as a set of moving particles without any mesh, is particularly well-suited to simulate such highly-distorted flows. Nevertheless, the current computational limits still prevent one from finely simulating industrial application cases with large domains in hydraulics. In this work, we aim at simulating macroscopically those flows with a mixture model in which each SPH particle stands for a moving volume of air and water. The derivation of the continuous equations of this mixture model is first detailed, then a state of the art of multiphase simulations in SPH is presented. Equipped with this continuous model and the existing discretization tools, a two-phase SPH mixture model is then derived and implemented on GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). A focus is made on original elements developed in the discretization, especially the derivation of a scheme with good numerical properties to follow the phase volume variations and the writing of an open boundary framework for mixtures. Turbulence, prominent for the air entrainment phenomenon, is modeled with a k-ϵ model including a buoyancy term. This model is validated against bidimensional academic test cases of increasing complexity, namely an oil-water separation, a two-phase Poiseuille flow, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and a sand dumping case, proving its versatility. The air entrainment phenomenology is then described and the model is applied to common structures in hydraulics such as plunging jets and stepped spillways by introducing a specific closure for the relative velocity between phases. Finally, first industrial application cases with complex geometries and dynamics are presented

Cette thèse de doctorat est dédiée au développement de modèles physiques pour l’étude des systèmes d’aspersion de gouttelettes d’eau en milieu réactif d’hydrogène-air pré-mélangée dans les centrales nucléaires. Des modèles d’ordre réduit sont développés pour décrire l’évaporation des gouttelettes d’eau dans la flamme, la dispersion des nuages de particules après le passage des ondes de choc et l’évolution de l’échelle caractéristiques de turbulence avec la présence d’un jet d’eau. Une nouvelle méthodologie est proposée pour évaluer les effets de l’évaporation par l’aspersion sur la propagation de la flamme d’hydrogène turbulente à l’intérieur d’un volume fermé et un modèle simple est développé pour la quantification de la décélération de la vitesse laminaire avec l’évaporation des gouttelettes à l’intérieur de la flamme. Également, un modèle analytique est proposé pour la prédiction de la dispersion de nuage de particule après le passage d’une onde de choc en s’appuyant sur le one-way formalisme avec une extension afin de prédire l’apparition d’un pic de densité du nombre de particules en utilisant le two-way formalisme. En ce qui concerne la modulation de la turbulence induite par les particules, un modèle simple est utilisé pour l’estimation des échelles intégrales de la turbulence induites par l’injection de nuage des particules. Ces modèles numériques développés peuvent être couplés pour être mis en œuvre dans les simulations numériques à grande échelle de l’effet du système d’aspersion sur les explosions accidentelles d’hydrogène dans les centrales nucléaires
This PhD dissertation is dedicated to develop simple models to investigate the effect of water spray system on the premixed hydrogen-air combustion in the nuclear power plants. Specific simple models are developed to describe the water droplet evaporation in the flame, particle cloud dispersion after the shock wave passage, and turbulence length scale evolution with the presence of a water spray. A methodology is proposed to evaluate the spray evaporation effects on the propagation of the turbulent hydrogen flame inside a closed volume and a simple model is developed for the quantification of the laminar velocity deceleration with the droplets evaporation inside the flame. An analytical model is proposed for the prediction of particle cloud dispersion after the shock passage in the one-way formalism and another analytical model is dedicated to describe the spray-shock interaction mechanism and predict the appearance of a particle number density peak using the two-way formalism. A review of the important criteria and physical modelings related to the particle-induced turbulence modulation is given and a mechanistic model is used for the estimation of the turbulent integral length scales induced by the injection of particle clouds. These developed numerical models can be coupled to implement in the large-scale numerical simulations of the spray system effects on the accidental hydrogen explosions in the nuclear power plants

In this thesis study, air bubble motion in counter-current water flow conditions in a vertical pipe is investigated experimentally. For this purpose, a test set-up was designed and constructed. Images of motions of single bubbles, having different diameters in the range of 3.0-4.8 mm, generated by specially designed bubble injectors were recorded by using a monochrome camera, an image capture card and a PC. Recorded video images were processed to obtain the necessary data for the The purpose of the study is to determine variation as a function of the equivalent bubble diameter, water flow velocity and related dimensionless numbers
Reynolds, Re
Eö
tvö
s, Eo
and Weber, We, and is to investigate the bubble shapes and bubble travel paths. Bubble behaviour was investigated at six different counter-current water flow velocities (6.5 cm/s, 7.9 cm/s, 10.5 cm/s, 12.9 cm/s, 15.4 cm/s, and 18.2 cm/s) in addition to stagnant water condition which is taken as the reference case. The direction of the bubble motion is upwards and the direction of the water flow is downwards (i.e. counter-current). Distilled water was used in the experiments. The results of this thesis study for the stagnant water condition have shown good consistency with the previous theoretical and experimental studies found in the literature. For the studied range of bubble diameters, it is observed that the bubble average relative velocity for a certain bubble diameter is less under counter-current water flow conditions than that under stagnant water condition and the drag coefficient values for a certain bubble diameter is higher under counter-current water flow conditions than those under stagnant water condition.

Measurement of the volumetric flow rate of each of the flowing components in multiphase flow is often required and this is particularly true in Production Logging applications. Thus, an increasing level of interest has been shown in making flow rate measurements in multiphase flow. A new generation of tomographic instrument, which enables measurement of the instantaneous local velocity vector and the instantaneous local volume fraction of the dispersed phase, is now being introduced. However validation and calibration of such instruments is necessary. This thesis describes the development of a miniaturised local four-sensor conductivity probe capable of acquiring measurements of the local velocity vector, gas volume fraction and the local axial gas velocity in the bubbly gas-liquid flows. Experimental techniques in which the probe was used to obtain the local gas velocity vector and the local gas volume fraction in a bubbly gas-liquid flow are also described. High speed cameras are introduced for the measurement of the reference velocity of the bubbles. The camera images are also used to plot the trajectory of any bubble that hits all four-sensor of the probe. Extensive experimental results showing the distribution of the local gas volume fraction and the local axial, azimuthal and the radial bubble velocity components in vertical and swirling gas-liquid flows are presented.

The extensive experimental results presented in this report provide a high-quality database for air-/water flows in a vertical pipe with a nominal diameter of 200 mm. This database can be used for the development and validation of CFD-like models for two-phase flows, e.g. for bubble coalescence and fragmentation. In particular, the investigations aim on the evolution of the two-phase flow along the pipe height. Therefore, up to 18 single measurements with varying distances between the gas injection and measurement plane were realised for each of the 92 combinations of gas and water flow rates. The pressure at the position of the activated gas injection was kept constant at 0.25 MPa(a). This boundary condition has the advantage that the measured data represent exactly the evolution of the flow along the pipe, i.e. they reflect a configuration at which the gas injection is at a fixed height position, while the measurement plane varies. Important results of this test series are time averaged radial profiles of the gas fraction, and the gas velocity, as well as the time and cross-section averaged bubble size distributions. Furthermore, gas fraction data resolved regarding the bubble size and spatial distribution are presented. As in previous test series, flow patterns were analysed, whereby the classification results from the bubble size. A substantial part of these new air/water experiments were quality and plausibility checks of the measured data. In the result, a clear and consistent trend regarding their evolution with increasing distance from the position of the gas injection was found. Comparisons of the trend of time and cross section averaged gas volume fraction along the pipe height with the theoretically expected values were carried out. The influence of the orifice diameter of the gas injection on flow patterns is also discussed in the report.

The extensive experimental results presented in this report provide a high-quality database for air-/water flows in a vertical pipe with a nominal diameter of 200 mm. This database can be used for the development and validation of CFD-like models for two-phase flows, e.g. for bubble coalescence and fragmentation. In particular, the investigations aim on the evolution of the two-phase flow along the pipe height. Therefore, up to 18 single measurements with varying distances between the gas injection and measurement plane were realised for each of the 92 combinations of gas and water flow rates. The pressure at the position of the activated gas injection was kept constant at 0.25 MPa(a). This boundary condition has the advantage that the measured data represent exactly the evolution of the flow along the pipe, i.e. they reflect a configuration at which the gas injection is at a fixed height position, while the measurement plane varies. Important results of this test series are time averaged radial profiles of the gas fraction, and the gas velocity, as well as the time and cross-section averaged bubble size distributions. Furthermore, gas fraction data resolved regarding the bubble size and spatial distribution are presented. As in previous test series, flow patterns were analysed, whereby the classification results from the bubble size. A substantial part of these new air/water experiments were quality and plausibility checks of the measured data. In the result, a clear and consistent trend regarding their evolution with increasing distance from the position of the gas injection was found. Comparisons of the trend of time and cross section averaged gas volume fraction along the pipe height with the theoretically expected values were carried out. The influence of the orifice diameter of the gas injection on flow patterns is also discussed in the report.

Thesis (S.M. in Mechanical Engineering and S.M. in Ocean Engineering)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-164).
Air-water interaction flow between two parallel flat plates, known as Couette flow, is simulated by direct numerical simulation. The two flowing fluids are coupled through continuity of velocity and shear stress condition across the interface. Pseudo-spectral method is used in each flow subdomain with Fourier expansion in streamwise and spanwise directions and finite difference in vertical direction. Statistically quasi-steady flow properties, such as mean velocity profiles, turbulent intensities, Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget terms show significant differences between air-water interface turbulence near the water side (IntT-w) and wall-bounded turbulence(WT) while there are some similarities between IntT-w and free surface turbulence (FST). Due to the velocity fluctuation at the interface, water side near interface turbulence flow (IntT-w) is characterized with a thinner viscous sub-layer and decreased intercept parameter B in log-law layer, strengthened Reynolds stress and eddy viscosity, together with a stronger production term, decreasing-then-increasing dissipation term and negative turbulent diffusion term in TKE budget.
(cont.) Abundant physical phenomena exist on the water side turbulent flow with four major types of three-dimensional vortex structures identified near the interface by variable-interval spacing averaging (VISA) techniques. Each type of vortex structures is found to play an essential role in the turbulent energy balance and passive scalar transport.
by Song Liu.
S.M.in Mechanical Engineering and S.M.in Ocean Engineering

[ES] El análisis de los fenómenos transitorios durante las operaciones de llenado en conducciones de agua ha sido estudiado de manera detallada comparado con las maniobras de vaciado. En este último se encontró que no existen modelos matemáticos capaces de predecir el fenómeno. Esta investigación inicia estudiando el fenómeno transitorio generado durante el vaciado en una tubería simple, como paso previo para entender el comportamiento de las variables hidráulicas y termodinámicas durante el vaciado de agua en conducciones presurizadas de perfil irregular. Los análisis son realizados considerando dos situaciones: (i) la situación No. 1 corresponde al caso donde no hay válvulas de aire instaladas o cuando éstas han fallado por problemas operacionales o de mantenimiento, que representa la condición más desfavorable con respecto a la depresión máxima alcanzada; y (ii) la situación No. 2 corresponde al caso en donde se han instalado válvulas de aire en los puntos más elevados de la conducción para dar fiabilidad mediante el aire introducido al sistema previniendo de esta manera la depresión máxima. En esta tesis doctoral se ha desarrollado un modelo matemático para predecir el comportamiento de las operaciones de vaciado. El modelo matemático es propuesto para las dos situaciones mencionadas anteriormente. La fase líquida (agua) es simulada con un modelo de columna rígida, en el cual se desprecia la elasticidad del agua y de la tubería debido a que la elasticidad del aire es mucho mayor que estas; y la interfaz aire-agua es modelada con un modelo de flujo pistón, el cual asume que la columna de agua es perpendicular a la dirección principal del flujo. La fase de aire es modelada usando tres ecuaciones: (a) un modelo politrópico basado en el comportamiento energético, que considera la expansión de las bolsas de aire; (b) la formulación de las válvulas de aire para cuantificar la magnitud del caudal de aire admitido; y (c) la ecuación de continuidad de la bolsa de aire. Un sistema ordinario de ecuaciones diferenciales es solucionado utilizando la herramienta de Simulink de Matlab. El modelo matemático es validado empleando bancos experimentales localizados en los laboratorios de hidráulica de la Universitat Politècnica de València (Valencia, España) y en el Instituto Superior Técnico de la Universidad de Lisboa (Lisboa, Portugal). Los resultados muestran que el modelo matemático predice adecuadamente los datos experimentales de las presiones de las bolsas de aire, las velocidades del agua y las longitudes de las columnas de agua. Finalmente, el modelo matemático es aplicado a un caso de estudio para mostrar su aplicabilidad a situaciones prácticas, con el fin de poder ser empleado por ingenieros para estudiar el fenómeno en conducciones reales y así tomar decisiones acerca de la planificación de esta operación.
[CAT] L'anàlisi dels fenòmens transitoris durant les operacions d'ompliment en conduccions d'aigua ha sigut estudiat de manera detallada comparat amb les maniobres de buidatge. En este últim es va trobar que no hi ha models matemàtics capaços de predir el fenomen. Esta investigació inicia estudiant el fenomen transitori generat durant el buidatge en una canonada simple, com a pas previ per a entendre el comportament de les variables hidràuliques i termodinàmiques durant el buidatge d'aigua en conduccions pressuritzades de perfil irregular. Les anàlisis són realitzats considerant dos situacions: (i) la situació No. 1 correspon al cas on no hi ha vàlvules d'aire instal·lades o quan estes han fallat per problemes operacionals o de manteniment, que representa la condició més desfavorable respecte a la depressió màxima aconseguida; i (ii) la situació No. 2 correspon al cas on s'han instal·lat vàlvules d'aire en els punts més elevats de la conducció per a donar fiabilitat per mitjà de l'aire introduït al sistema prevenint d'esta manera la depressió màxima. En esta tesi doctoral s'ha desenrotllat un model matemàtic per a predir el comportament de les operacions de buidatge. El model matemàtic és proposat per a les dos situacions mencionades anteriorment. La fase líquida (aigua) és simulada amb un model de columna rígida, en el qual es desprecia l'elasticitat de l'aigua i de la canonada pel fet que l'elasticitat de l'aire és molt major que estes; i la interfície aire-aigua és modelada amb un model de flux pistó, el qual assumix que la columna d'aigua és perpendicular a la direcció principal del flux. La fase d'aire és modelada usant tres equacions: (a) un model politròpic basat en el comportament energètic, que considera l'expansió de les bosses d'aire; (b) la formulació de les vàlvules d'aire per a quantificar la magnitud del cabal d'aire admés; i (c) l'equació de continuïtat de la bossa d'aire. Un sistema ordinari d'equacions diferencials és solucionat utilitzant la ferramenta de Simulink de Matlab. El model matemàtic és validat emprant bancs experimentals localitzats en els laboratoris d'hidràulica de la Universitat Politècnica de València (València, Espanya) i en l'Institut Superior Tècnic de la Universitat de Lisboa (Lisboa, Portugal). Els resultats mostren que el model matemàtic prediu adequadament les dades experimentals de les pressions de les bosses d'aire, les velocitats de l'aigua i les longituds de les columnes d'aigua. Finalment, el model matemàtic és aplicat a un cas d'estudi per a mostrar la seua aplicabilitat a situacions pràctiques, a fi de poder ser empleat per enginyers per a estudiar el fenomen en conduccions reals i així prendre decisions sobre la planificació d'esta operació.
[EN] The analysis of transient phenomena during water filling operations in pipelines of irregular profiles has been studied much more compared to emptying maneuvers. In the literature, there is a lack of knowledge about mathematical models of emptying operations. This research starts with the analysis of a transient phenomenon during emptying maneuvers in single pipelines, which is a previous stage to understand the emptying operation in pipelines of irregular profiles. Analysis are conducted under two typical situations: (i) one corresponding to either the situation where there are no air valves installed or when they have failed due to operational and maintenance problems which represents the worse condition due to causing the lowest troughs of subatmospheric pressure, and (ii) the other one corresponding to the situation where air valves have been installed at the highest point of hydraulic installations to give reliability by admitting air into the pipelines for preventing troughs of subatmospheric pressure. Particularly, this research developed a mathematical model to predict the behavior of the emptying operations. The mathematical model is proposed for the two aforementioned situations. The liquid phase (water) is simulated using a rigid water column model (RWCM), which neglects the pipe and water elasticity given that the elasticity of the entrapped air pockets is much higher than the one from the pipe and the water. The air-water interface is simulated with a piston flow model assuming that the water column is perpendicular with the main direction of the flow. Gas phase is modeled using three formulations: (a) a polytropic model based on its energetic behavior, which considers an expansion of air pockets; (b) an air valve characterization to quantify the magnitude of admitted air flow; and (c) a continuity equation of the air. An ordinary differential equations system is solved using the Simulink tool of Matlab. The proposed model has been validated using experimental facilities at the hydraulic laboratories of the Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain, and the Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal. The results show how the mathematical model adequately predicts the experimental data, including the pressure oscillation patterns, the water velocities, and the lengths of the water columns. Finally, the mathematical model is applied to a case study to show a practical application, which can be used for engineers to study the phenomenon in real pipelines to make decisions about performing of the emptying operation.
Coronado Hernández, ÓE. (2019). Transient phenomena during the emptying process of water in pressurized pipelines [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/120024
TESIS

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-101).
An experimental method for simultaneously measuring the velocity fields on the air and water side of unsteady breaking waves is presented. The method is applied to breaking waves to investigate the physics of the air and water flow fields to further our knowledge of the impact of wave breaking on air-sea interaction. The method includes a novel technique for seeding the air flow such that the air velocity can be resolved in the absence of wind. Low density particles which have large Stokes drag and ability to respond to high frequency flow fluctuations are used to seed the air flow. Multi-camera, multi-laser particle image velocimetry (PIV) setups are applied to small-scale shoaling breaking waves, yielding fully time-resolved velocity fields. The surface tension of the fluid is altered and controlled to form both spilling and plunging breaking waves. Application of the developed experimental method to these breaking waves reveals interesting flow physics in the air and water. Results for the velocity and vorticity fields on the water side show qualitative agreement to published data, and comparisons are drawn where applicable. Quantitative experimental data for the air flow induced by wave breaking in the absence of wind has not previously been observed, to the author's knowledge. Revealing physical insights and observations are drawn from this novel data.
by Jesse Belden.
S.M.

Thesis (MScEng (Process Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mass transfer efficiency in distillation, absorption and stripping depends on both thermodynamic efficiency and hydrodynamic behaviour. Thermodynamic efficiency is dependent on the system kinetics while hydrodynamics is the study of fluid flow behaviour. The focus of this thesis is the hydrodynamic behaviour in tray columns, which affects entrainment. In order to isolate hydrodynamic behaviour from the thermodynamic behaviour that occurs inside sieve tray columns, investigations are conducted under conditions of zero mass transfer. When the gas velocity is sufficiently high to transport liquid droplets to the tray above, entrainment occurs. The onset of entrainment is one of the operating limits that determines the design of the column and thus impacts on the capital cost. By improving the understanding of the parameters that affect entrainment, the design of the tray and column can be improved which will ultimately increase the operability and capacity while reducing capital costs. Existing correlations predicting entrainment in sieve tray columns are based on data generated mainly from an air/water system. Previous publications recommend that more testing should be performed over larger ranges of gas and liquid physical properties. An experimental setup was therefore designed and constructed to test the influence of the following parameters on entrainment: 1. gas and liquid physical properties 2. gas and liquid flow rates 3. tray spacing The experimental setup can also measure weeping rates for a continuation of this project. The hydrodynamic performance of a sieve tray was tested with air and water over a wide range of gas and liquid flow rates and at different downcomer escape areas. It was found that the downcomer escape area should be sized so that the liquid escaping the downcomer always exceeds a velocity of approximately 0.23 m/s in order to create a sufficient liquid seal in the downcomer. For liquid velocities between 0.23 and 0.6 m/s the area of escape did not have an effect on the percentage of liquid entrained. It was also established that entrainment increases with increasing gas velocity. The rate at which entrainment increases as the gas velocity increase depends on the liquid flow rate. As soon as the liquid flow rate exceeded 74 m3/(h.m) a significant increase in entrainment was noted and the gas velocity had to be reduced to maintain a constant entrainment rate. This is because the increased liquid load requires a longer flow path length for the froth to fully develop. The undeveloped froth, caused by the short (455 mm) flow path, then creates a non-uniform froth that is pushed up against the column wall above the downcomer. Consequently, the froth layer is closer to the tray above resulting in most of the droplets ejected from the froth reaching the tray above and increasing entrainment. By reducing the gas velocity, the froth height and ejecting droplet velocity is reduced, resulting in a decrease in entrainment. The results from the experiments followed similar trends to most of the entrainment prediction correlations found in literature, except for the change noted in liquid flow rates above 74 m3/(h.m). There was, however, a significant difference between the experimental results and the correlations developed by Hunt et al. (1955) and Kister and Haas (1988). Although the gas velocities used during the air/water experiments were beyond the suggested range of application developed by Bennett et al. (1995) their air/water correlation followed the results very well. The entrainment prediction correlation developed by Bennett et al. (1995) for non-air/water systems was compared with the experimental air/water results to test for system uniformity. A significant difference was noted between their non-air/water prediction correlation and the air/water results, which motivates the need for a general entrainment prediction correlation over a wider range of gas and liquid physical properties. Based on the shortcomings found in the literature and the observations made during the experiments it is suggested that the influence of liquid flow path length should be investigated so that the effect on entrainment can be quantified. No single correlation was found in the literature, which accurately predicts entrainment for a large range of liquid loads (17 – 112 m3/(h.m)), high superficial gas velocities (3 – 4.6 m/s) and different gas and liquid physical properties. It is therefore recommended that more work be done, as an extension of this project, to investigate the influence of gas and liquid physical properties on entrainment (under zero mass transfer conditions) for a large range of liquid (5 – 74 m3/(h.m)) and gas (2 – 4.6 m/s) flow rates. In order to understand the effect of droplet drag on entrainment, tray spacing should be varied and increased to the extent where droplet ejection velocity is no longer the mechanism for entrainment and droplet drag is responsible for droplet transport to the tray above. Since it is difficult and in most cases impossible to measure exact gas and liquid loads in commercial columns, another method is required to measure or determine entrainment. Since liquid hold-up was found to be directly related to the entrainment rate (Hunt et al. (1955), Payne and Prince (1977) and Van Sinderen et al. (2003) to name but a few), it is suggested that a correlation should be developed between the dynamic pressure drop (liquid hold-up) and entrainment. This will contribute significantly to commercial column operation from a hydrodynamic point of view.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Ocean Engineering, 2005.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-140).
The dynamics of breaking waves significantly affect air-sea fluxes of heat, momentum, mass and energy across the ocean interface. Breaking waves also contribute considerable loading to offshore and coastal structures, and furthermore, the quasi-steady bow wave on a ship increases drag and ease of detection by the bubbly wake. However, the complexity of the phenomenon has severely limited our ability to describe it and predict its occurrence. Research has typically involved field observations, controlled laboratory studies, and numerical simulations. A recent simulation presented new information about local energy dissipation and the coupled air-water effects of small breaking waves. In light of these findings, the objective of this thesis is to experimentally study small-scale breaking waves and examine the combined air-water flow fields using advanced visualization techniques. This research was performed in a narrow wavetank which was 2.5m long. Waves were generated with a hinged paddle and breaking occurred as the train propagated up a 15 degree slope to a level plateau. Waves were studied using surface piercing wave probes, high speed video, and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).
(cont.) Surface tension was found to have a significant effect on the breaking dynamics at this scale. After a thorough exploration of its effect on surface tension, isopropyl alcohol was added to distilled water in a 10% solution by volume, which reduced the surface tension to approximately 43 dynes/cm. A wave breaking database was created which included 26 different wave trains over a frequency band of 1.5-4Hz. The corresponding Weber numbers ranged from 400 through 14,600 with Reynolds numbers from 38,200 through 280,000. The wave probes measured significant potential energy losses to breaking which are expected. The air- water flow fields are studied by seeding the air and water with reflective particle and processing the video results with PIV software. Qualitative results from PIV including vector and vorticity maps agree well with previous theory and recent numerical results.
by Angus Kai McDonald.
S.M.

External loop airlift reactors are widely used for biochemical applications such as syngas fermentation and wastewater treatment. To further understand the inherent gas-liquid flow physics within the reactors, computational modeling and simulations of hydrodynamics for air-water external loop airlift reactors were investigated. The gas-liquid flow dynamics in a bubble column were simulated using a FORTRAN code developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory, CFDLib, which employs an Eulerian-Eulerian ensemble averaged method. A two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system was used to conduct an extensive grid resolution study; it was found that grid cells smaller than the bubble diameter produced unstable solutions. Next, closure models for drag force and turbulent viscosity were investigated for a simple bubble column geometry. The effects of using a bubble pressure model and two drag coefficient models, the White model and the Schiller-Naumann model, were investigated. The bubble pressure model performed best for homogeneous (low velocity) flows and the Schiller-Naumann model was best for all flow regimes. Based on the studies for bubble column flows, an external loop airlift reactor was simulated using both two- and three-dimensional coordinates and results for gas holdup and riser velocity agreed better with experimental data for the 3D simulations. It was concluded that when performing 2D and 3D simulations, care must be taken when specifying the effective bubble diameter size, especially at high flow rates. Population balance models (PBM) for bubble break-up and coalescence were implemented into CFDLib, validated with experiments, and simulated for the external loop airlift reactor at high inlet superficial gas velocities. The PBM predictions for multiple bubble sizes were comparable with the single bubble size simulations; however, the PBM simulations better predicted the formation of the gas bubble in the downcomer. The 3D PBM simulations also gave better predictions for the average bubble diameter size in the riser. It was concluded that a two-dimensional domain is adequate for gas-liquid flow simulations of a simple bubble column geometry, whereas three-dimensional simulations are required for the complex airlift reactor geometry. To conclude, a two-fluid Eulerian-Eulerian model coupled with a PBM is needed for quantitative as well as physical predictions of gas-liquid external loop airlift reactor flows at high inlet superficial gas velocities.
Ph. D.

Two-phase flow in small tubes and channels is becoming a common phenomenon in industrial processes. However, the study of two-phase flow regimes in small tubes is still at its infancy. The previous studies are reviewed and discussed in the literature section. The problems and inconsistencies encountered in the earlier studies are presented and discussed. The experimental facility is introduced in the chapters that follow. They include a section on the design of the experimental system and the test sections, the selection of the experimental parameters and the introduction of the purposely-developed programs to control the experiments and collect and process the data. The methodology of the calibration and the uncertainty analysis, the problems encountered and their solutions and the single-phase validation experiments are also described. In this project we studied the effect of tube diameter and fluid flow parameters on flow patterns in small tubes using R134a as the working fluid. The tested tube diameters were 1.10, 2.01, 2.88 and 4.26 mm; the fluid pressures were 6, 10 and 14 bar; the liquid and gas superficial velocities covered a range of 0.04-5.0 m/s and 0.01-10.0 m/s respectively. The observed flow patterns included bubbly, dispersed bubble, confined bubble, slug, chum, annular and mist flow. Twelve integrated flow maps are sketched in this report. The obtained results were compared with earlier experiments by other workers and with existing models, with obvious differences in the prediction of the transition boundaries. A set of new models and correlations were developed, based on the new data for boiling R134a presented in this thesis, to predict the effect of tube diameter and fluid properties on the transition boundaries. Some also agreed with the limited data available from earlier studies for adiabatic air-water flow in small to normal size tubes.

The study presented herewith was mainly focused on the numerical analysis of air-sand-water three-phase turbulent flow through converging-diverging nozzle. For this purpose dispersed flow of air-sand-water by various air inlet pressures, ambient air inlet temperature, sand particles and water droplets by different mass flow rates and temperature were considered. This study puts emphasis on sand blasting nozzle which is employed in Farrow abrasive system. Two-way turbulence coupling between particles/droplets and air flow as well as interference between the incident stream of particles and rebounded from the wall were applied in the numerical model. In addition, the shock wave which is produced in supersonic flow at diverging part of nozzle was considered. In order to capture the turbulent flow features accurately, Standard, RNG and Realizable k-e models as well as Spalart-Allmaras and Reynolds Stress turbulence models were tested. Meanwhile, Eulerian Model and Discrete Phase Model were employed for simulating of multi-phase flow through the nozzle. Eventually, Realizable k-ε Discrete Phase model was utilized in the present study. Since there is not any experimental or analytical result on three-phase flow through the nozzle, for validation of model, the same turbulent and multi-phase models were utilized on air-water two-phase flow. The obtained results were in good agreement with the experimental data. According to the results of three-phase flow simulation, the averaged exhaust momentum of sand particles had inverse proportion with water mass flow rate. The increasing of air inlet pressure had significant effect on mean exhaust velocity of sand particles. Moreover, the air exhaust velocity had direct proportion with inlet temperature of water droplets and sand particles. This investigation may be used in further studies related to the optimisation of sand blasting nozzle in different working conditions.

To improve the control of a steel casting process ABB has developed an Electro Magnetic Brake (EMBR). This product is designed to improve steel quality, i.e. reduce non-metallic inclusions and blisters as well as risk of surface cracks. There is a demand of increasing the steel quality and in order to optimize the steel casting, simulations and experiments play an important role in achieving this. An advanced CFD simulation model has been created to carry out this task.

The validation of the simulation model is performed on a water model that has been built for this purpose. This water model also makes experiments possible. One step to the simulation model is to measure the velocity and motion pattern of the seeding particles and the air bubbles in the water model to see if it corresponds to the simulation results.

Since the water is transparent, seeding particles have been added to the liquid in order to observe the motion of the water. They have the same density as water. Hence the particles will follow the flow accurately. The motions of the air bubbles that are added into the water model need also to be observed since they influence the flow pattern.

An algorithm - ”Transparent motions” - is thoroughly inspected and implemented. ”Transparent motions” was originally designed to post process x-ray images. However in this thesis, it is investigated whether the algorithm might be applicable to the water model and the image sequences containing seeding particles and air bubbles that are going to be used for motion estimation.

The result show satisfying results for image sequences of particles only, however with a camera with a faster sampling interval, these results would improve. For image sequences with both bubbles and particles no results have been achieved.

The research included in this thesis consists of the following two geophysical surveys: a cross-borehole resistivity and induced polarization tomography survey to track the flow of water in the unsaturated zone at Avra Valley, Arizona; and a cross-borehole resistivity tomography survey to monitor air flow resulting from air sparging in the saturated zone in Florence, Oregon. In Avra Valley, the resistivity decreases from background values in the areas saturated by the injected water, while the IP in these saturated areas increases, indicating that salts may have been flushed out by the descending water. In Florence, Oregon, resistivity increases from background values, delineating the cone-shaped region beginning at the injection point and extending up to the water table where air has displaced water in the saturated zone during sparging, and delineating entrapped air below the water table long after sparging has ceased.

Two different air-water interfacial flows are studied including plunging wave breaking and flow past a vertical surface-piercing circular cylinder using complementary CFDShip-Iowa version 6 including Cartesian grid solver and orthogonal curvilinear grid solver. The plunging wave-breaking process for impulsive flow over a bump in a shallow water flume has been simulated using the exact experimental initial and boundary conditions. The overall plunging wave breaking process is described with major wave breaking events identified: jet plunge, oblique splash and vertical jet. These major events repeat up to four times before entering the chaotic breaking. The simulations show a similar time line as the experiments consisting of startup, steep wave formation, plunging wave, and chaotic wave breaking swept downstream time phases. Detailed wave breaking processes, including wave profile at maximum height, first plunge, entrapped air bubble trajectories and diameters, kinetic, potential, and total energy, and bottom pressures are discussed along with the experimental results. The simulations show differences and similarities with other experimental and computational studies for wave breaking in deep water and sloping beaches. The geometry and conditions in the present study are relevant to ship hydrodynamics since it includes effects of wave-body interactions and wave breaking direction is opposite to the mean flow. Large-eddy simulation with the Lagrangian dynamic subgrid-scale model has been performed to study the flow past a surface-piercing circular cylinder for Re and Fr effect. The flow features near the air-water interface show significant changes with different Reynolds numbers from sub-critical to critical regime. It is shown that the interface makes the separation point more delayed for all regime of Re. Remarkably reduced separated region below the interface is observed for critical Re regime and it is responsible for much reduced wake and recirculation region behind the cylinder and it recovers in the deep flow. At different Fr, significant changes are shown on the air-water interface structures. At lower Fr, relatively smaller bow waves are observed in front of the cylinder with Kelvin waves behind the cylinder and small amount of free-surface roughness and turbulence are also seen in the wake region. For higher Fr, the bow wave increases remarkably with the larger wake region and deeper depression and it breaks with similar features of plunging breakers. Much more small air-water interface structures including splashes and bubbles are observed behind the cylinder. It is hard to distinguish the Kelvin waves behind the cylinder due to much larger free-surface oscillations and turbulence. As Fr increases, the Kelvin wave angle decreases and deeper and narrower depression region behind the cylinder are observed. The flow features around the cylinder are significantly changed due to this cavity region behind the cylinder.

Práce komplexně popisuje vodní a vodovzdušné chlazení pomocí metod CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) konkrétně s využitím software ANSYS FLUENT. Skládá se ze dvou hlavních částí, z nichž první se zabývá numerickým popisem jediné vodní kapky a druhá popisem směsí kapek představující paprsek válcové a ploché trysky. Je založena převážně na vícefázových modelech proudění a vlastních uživatelsky definovaných funkcí (User Defined Functions, UDF) představujících stěžejní část práce. Uvedené výpočtové modely jsou ve většině případů verifikovány pomocí experimentálních dat nebo jiných numerických modelů. V první části práce jsou teoreticky postupně rozebrány všechny tři použité vícefázové modely proudění. První z nich, Volume Of Fluid model (VOF), byl použit pro modelování jediné kapky (mikromodel). Zatímco zbývající dva, Euler-Euler model a Euler-Lagrange model, byly aplikovány v modelu celého paprsku trysky (makromodel). Mikromodel popisuje dynamiku volného pádu vodní kapky. Pro malé průměry kapek (~100µm) standardní model povrchového napětí (Continuum Surface Force, CSF) způsoboval tzv. parazitní proudy. Z toho důvodu je v práci rozebrána problematika výpočtu normál, křivostí volných povrchů a povrchového napětí jako zdroje objemových sil v pohybových rovnicích. Makromodel se zabývá studiem dynamiky celého paprsku tj. oblastí od ústí trysky po dopad na horký povrch, bere v úvahu kompletní geometrii, tzn. např. podpůrné válečky, bramu, spodní část krystalizátoru apod. V práci je rozebrána 2D simulace dopadu paprsku válcové trysky pomocí VOF modelu Euler-Lagrange modelu na horký povrch. Pro případ s VOF modelem byl navržen model blánového varu. Euler-Euler model a Euler-Lagrange model byly využity pro simulaci paprsku ploché trysky horizontálně ostřikující horkou bramu přímo pod krystalizátorem nad první řadou válečků. Pro Euler-Euler model byl navržen model sekundárního rozpadu paprsku založený na teorii nejstabilnější vlnové délky (Blob jet model). Jelikož diskrétní Lagrangeovy částice tvořily v určitých místech spíše kontinuální fázi, byl navržen a otestován model pro konverzi těchto částic do VOF.