This thesis has two major purposes: (1) to investigate the impact carshave on Particulate Matter (PM) level in a limited area and (2) to demonstratethrough Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) the possibility toclean a limited area of PM with a system installed on a car.This thesis was performed in collaboration with Volvo Car Corporation(VCC) at Torslanda, Göteborg. All experimental data was sampledat three occasions: 24th of February, 14th of March and 3rd of June andwere compared to similar recent studies for verication. Computer calculationwere conducted in July and August with experimental data asinitial conditions. ANSYS v16.0 Fluent Meshing and ANSYS v16.0 Fluentwere used as computational software to set up and calculate the problem.The result of the experiments shows that with increased number ofcars there is an increased value of PM. It also shows that a cars ventilationsystem can be used to collect small PM. Result from CFD derivationsdisplayed that a cleaning system mounted in a car will decrease number ofPM with 5-20% in 250 seconds in a closed domain and 4% in 135 secondsin a open domain.

Supersonic micronozzles operate in the unique viscosupersonic flow regime, characterized by large Mach numbers (M>1) and low Reynolds numbers (Re<1000). Past research has primarily focused on the design and analysis of converging-diverging de Laval nozzles; however, plug (i.e. centerbody) designs also have some promising characteristics that might make them amenable to microscale operation. In this study, the effects of plug geometry on plug micronozzle performance are examined for the Reynolds number range Re = 80-640 using 2D Navier-Stokes-based simulations. Nozzle plugs are shortened to reduce viscous losses via three techniques: one - truncation, two - the use of parabolic contours, and three - a geometric process involving scaling. Shortened nozzle are derived from a full length geometry designed for optimal isentropic performance. Expansion ratio (ε = 3.19 and 6.22) and shortened plug length (%L = 10-100%) are varied for the full Reynolds number range. The performance of plug nozzles is then compared to that of linear-walled nozzles for equal pressure ratios, Reynolds numbers, and expansion ratios. Linear-walled nozzle half-angle is optimized to to ensure plug nozzles are compared against the best-case linear-walled design. Results indicate that the full length plug nozzle delivers poor performance on the microscale, incurring excessive viscous losses. Plug performance is increased by shortening the nozzle plug, with the scaling technique providing the best performance. The benefit derived from reducing plug length depends upon the Reynolds number, with a 1-2% increase for high Reynolds numbers an up to 14% increase at the lowest Reynolds number examined. In comparison to Linear-walled nozzle, plug nozzles deliver superior performance when under-expanded, however, this trend reverses at low pressure ratios when the nozzles become over-expanded.

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Concentrated solar power (CSP) has the potential of fulfilling the world’s electricity needs. Parabolic-trough system using synthetic oil as the HTF with operating temperature between 300 and 400o C, is the most matured CSP technology. A thermal storage system is required for the stable and cost effective operation of CSP plants. The current storage technology is the indirect two-tank system which is expensive and has high energy consumption due to the need to prevent the storage material from freezing. Latent heat storage (LHS) systems offer higher storage density translating into smaller storage size and higher performance but suitable phase change materials (PCMs) have low thermal conductivity, thus hindering the realization of their potential. The low thermal conductivity can be solved by heat transfer enhancement in the PCM. There is also lack of suitable commercially-available PCMs to cover the operating temperature range. In this study, a hybrid cascaded storage system (HCSS) consisting of a cascaded finned LHS and a high temperature sensible or concrete tube register (CTR) stages was proposed and analysed via modelling and simulation. Fluent CFD code and the Dymola simulation environment were employed. A validated CFD phase change model was used in determining the heat transfer characteristics during charging and discharging of a finned and unfinned LHS shell-and-tube storage element. The effects of various fin configurations were investigated and heat transfer coefficients that can be used for predicting the performance of the system were obtained. A model of the HCSS was then developed in the Dymola simulation environment. Simulations were conducted considering the required boundary conditions of the system to develop the best design of a system having a capacity of 875 MWhth, equivalent to 6 hours of full load operation of a 50 MWe power plant. The cascaded finned LHS section provided ~46% of the entire HCSS capacity. The HCSS and cascaded finned LHS section have volumetric specific capacities 9.3% and 54% greater than that of the two-tank system, respectively. It has been estimated that the capital cost of the system is ~12% greater than that of the two-tank system. Considering that the passive HCSS has lower operational and maintenance costs it will be more cost effective than the twotank system considering the life cycle of the system. There is no requirement of keeping the storage material above its melting temperature always. The HCSS has also the potential of even lower capital cost at higher capacities (>6 hours of full load operation).

A design optimization based on coupled solid–fluid analysis is investigated in this work to achieve specific flow rate through a peristaltic micropump. A micropump consisting of four pneumatically actuated nozzle/diffuser shaped moving actuators on the sidewalls is considered for numerical study. These actuators are used to create pressure difference in the four pump chambers, which in turn drives the fluid through the pump in one direction. Genetic algorithms along with artificial neural networks are used for optimizing the pump geometry and the actuation frequency. A simple example with moving walls is considered for validation by developing an exact analytical solution of Navier–Stokes equation and comparing it with numerical simulations. Possible applications of these pumps are in microelectronics cooling and drug delivery. Based on the results obtained from the fluid–structure interaction analysis, three optimized geometries result in flow rates which match the predicted flow rates with 95% accuracy. These geometries need further investigation for fabrication and manufacturing issues.

Energy storage using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) offers the advantage of higher heat capacity at specific temperature ranges, compared to single phase storage. Incorporating PCMs in lightweight buildings can therefore improve the thermal mass, and reduce indoor temperature fluctuations and energy demand. Large atrium buildings, such as Airport terminal spaces, are typically thermally lightweight structures, with large open indoor spaces, large glazed envelopes, high ceilings and non-uniform internal heat gains. The Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems constitute a major portion of the overall energy demand of such buildings. This study presented a case study of the energy saving potential of three different PCM systems (PCM floor tiles, PCM glazed envelope and a retrofitted PCM-HX system) in an airport terminal space. A quasi-dynamic coupled TRNSYS®-FLUENT® simulation approach was used to evaluate the energy performance of each PCM system in the space. FLUENT® simulated the indoor air-flow and PCM, whilst TRNSYS® simulated the HVAC system. Two novel PCM models were developed in FLUENT® as part of this study. The first model improved the phase change conduction model by accounting for hysteresis and non-linear enthalpy-temperature relationships, and was developed using data from Differential Scanning Calorimetry tests. This model was validated with data obtained in a custom-built test cell with different ambient and internal conditions. The second model analysed the impact of radiation on the phase change behaviour. It was developed using data from spectrophotometry tests, and was validated with data from a custom-built PCM-glazed unit. These developed phase change models were found to improve the prediction errors with respect to conventional models, and together with the enthalpy-porosity model, they were used to simulate the performance of the PCM systems in the airport terminal for different operating conditions. This study generally portrayed the benefits and flexibility of using the coupled simulation approach in evaluating the building performance with PCMs, and showed that employing PCMs in large, open and thermally lightweight spaces can be beneficial, depending on the configuration and mode of operation of the PCM system. The simulation results showed that the relative energy performance of the PCM systems relies mainly on the type and control of the system, the night recharge strategy, the latent heat capacity of the system, and the internal heat gain schedules. Semi-active systems provide more control flexibility and better energy performance than passive systems, and for the case of the airport terminal, the annual energy demands can be reduced when night ventilation of the PCM systems is not employed. The semi-active PCM-HX-8mm configuration without night ventilation, produced the highest annual energy and CO2 emissions savings of 38% and 23%, respectively, relative to a displacement conditioning (DC) system without PCM systems.

La présente thèse comporte trois parties indépendantes.<br>La première partie présente une preuve d'existence de solutions faibles globales pour un modèle de sprays de type Vlasov-Navier-Stokes-incompressible avec densité variable. Ce modèle est obtenu par une limite formelle à partir d'un modèle Vlasov-Navier-Stokes-incompressible avec fragmentation, où seules deux valeurs de rayons de particules sont considérées : un rayon r1 pour les particules avant fragmentation, et un rayon r2<<r1 pour les particules obtenues par fragmentation. Le modèle asymptotique est obtenu dans la limite r2 tendant vers zéro. La démonstration s'appuie sur des techniques de régularisation et de troncature en vitesse, sur le théorème de Schauder et enfin sur une méthode de compacité de Lions-Di-Perna pour l'élimination des régularisations introduites dans le système initial.La deuxième partie concerne la modélisation de l'impact d'une vague de liquide sur une paroi. L'objectif de cette partie est d'obtenir un modèle pour la fuite du gaz environnant sur les "côtés" de la vague. Un modèle numérique est réalisé en remplaçant la vague liquide par une masse solide indéformable et un schéma VFFC-ALE est conçu pour la simulation numérique du modèle. La mise sans dimension des équations permet de montrer les nombres sans dimension qui régissent le phénomène de fuite. La vitesse moyenne de fuite est comparée à la vitesse dans le cas d'un fluide incompressible (pour lequel on a une expression exacte). Enfin, via la simulation numérique, une étude paramétrique est réalisée en fonction des nombres sans dimensions.Dans la troisième partie on présente une méthode numérique pour la simulation d'un modèle Vlasov-Boltzmann-Euler pour les sprays. Cette méthode couple le schéma VFFC à la méthode PIC (Particle In Cell). Les résultats présentés concernent l'écoulement d'un spray dans un pipeline courbe qu'on modélise par un système Vlasov-Boltzmann-Euler quasi-1D. / This thesis contains three independent parts.The first part presents a proof of existence of weak global solutions to a Vlasov-incompressible-Navier-Stokes system with variable density. This system is obtained formally from a classical Vlasov-incompressible-Navier-Stokes model with fragmentation for which only two values for the particules radii are considered: a radius r1 for non fragmented particules and a radius r2<<r1 for particules created by fragmentation. The asymptotic model is obtained in the limit r2 vanishing.The second part deals with the modeling of a wave impact on a rigid wall. The purpose of our work is to study and model the escape of the gas between the liquid and the wall. In the numerical model we have replaced the liquid wave with a solid mass, and developed an ALE-VFFC code for the numerical simulation of the system. Scaling the system of equations allows us to obtain the dimensionless numbers governing the escape phenomena. The mean escape velocity is compared to the velocity in the case of incompressible gas. Finally, a parametric study with respect to the dimensionless numbers is carried out.We present in the third part the principles of the coupling between an efficient numerical method for hyperbolic systems (and non conservative equations arising in multiphase flows), namely the FVCF scheme, on the one hand; and a particle method for the Vlasov-Boltzmann equation (of PIC-DSMC type), on the other hand. Numerical results illustrating this coupling are shown for a problem involving a spray (droplets inside an underlying gas) in a pipe which is mcdeled by a 1D fluid-kinetic system.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering / Naiqian Zhang / An optical sensor for determining water velocity in natural open channels like creeks and rivers has been designed and tested. The sensor consists of a plastic body which is shaped so that water flows through a U-shaped channel into which are mounted LEDs and matching phototransistors at various angles. A small amount of dye is injected into the water just upstream of two sets of LEDs and phototransistors which are spaced 4 cm apart. The time delay between the dye’s effects on these signals depends on water velocity and is determined using a biased cross correlation calculation. In addition to providing velocity, the LEDs and phototransistors can also be used to estimate soil sediment concentration. A previous version of the sensor was tested in enclosed flow to confirm that the general design of the sensor, including LEDs, phototransistors, dye and electronics, would indeed work to detect the velocity of water flowing through the sensor. Although the conditions for the test were unlike those experienced in natural open channels, the ability to catch all the fluid flowing through the sensor provided a simple confirmation of the velocity estimate that was not available in field settings. Further testing in the field then confirmed that the sensor worked in the field but also identified several areas needing improvement. Computational fluid dynamics was used to improve the sensor body. The electronics and program running the sensor were also redesigned. After making these improvements, a new version of the sensor was produced. The testing of the new version of the sensor confirmed its ability to accurately detect velocity in natural open channels. The velocity measurements from this sensor were compared to the commercially available Flowtracker velocity sensor. A regression analysis on the measurements from the two sensors found that the velocity measurements from each sensor were nearly identical across a range of velocities. Other tests established that the electronics and programming running the sensor performed as designed. The development and testing of this sensor has resulted in a system which works in natural open channels like creeks and rivers.

Les avions rencontrent de nombreuses conditions d’opérations au cours de leurs vols, comme le nombre de Mach, l’altitude et l’angle d’attaque. Leur prise en compte durant la conception améliore la robustesse du système et finalement la consommation des flottes d’avions. L’optimisation de formes aérodynamiques contribue à la conception des avions, et repose sur l’automatisation de la génération de géométries ainsi que la simulation numérique de la physique du vol. La minimisation de la trainée des formes aérodynamiques doit prendre en compte de multiples conditions d’opération, étant donne que l’optimisation a une unique condition de vol mène a des formes dont la performance se dégrade fortement quand cette condition de vol est perturbée. De plus, la flexibilité structurelle déforme les ailes différemment selon la condition de vol, et doit donc être simulée lors de telles optimisations. Dans cette thèse, la minimisation de la consommation de carburant au cours d’une mission est formulée en problème d’optimisation. Une attention particulière est apportée au choix des conditions d’opérations à inclure dans le problème d’optimisation, étant donne que celles-ci ont un impact majeur sur la qualité des résultats obtenus, et que le cout de calcul est proportionnel à leur nombre. Un nouveau cadre théorique est proposé pour adresser cette question, offrant un point de vue original et surmontant des difficultés révélées par les méthodes a l’état-de-l’ art en matière de mise en place de problèmes d’optimisation multipoints. Un algorithme appelé Gradient Span Analysis (GSA), est proposé pour automatiser le choix des conditions d’opération. Il est base sur la réduction de dimension de l’espace vectoriel engendre par les gradients adjoints aux différentes conditions de vol. Des contributions de programmation a la chaine d’optimisation ont permis d’évaluer les méthodes aux optimisations du profil académique RAE2822 et de la configuration voilure-fuselage XRF-1, représentative des avions de transport modernes. Alors que les formes résultant d’optimisation mono-point présentent de fortes dégradations de performance hors du point de conception, les optimisations multipoints adéquatement formulées fournissent de bien meilleurs compromis. Il est finalement montre que les interactions fluide-structure ajoutent de nouveaux degrés de liberté, et ont un impact sur les optimisations en de multiples conditions de vol, ouvrant des perspectives en matière d’adaptation passive de forme. / An aircraft encounters a wide range of operating conditions during its missions, i.e. flight altitude, Mach number and angle of attack, which consideration at the design phase enhances the system robustness and consequently the overall fleet consumption. Numerical optimization of aerodynamic shapes contributes to aircraft design, and relies on the automation of geometry generation and numerical simulations of the flight physics. Minimization of aerodynamic shapes drag must take into account multiple operating conditions, since optimization at a single operating condition leads to a strong degradation of performance when this operating condition varies. Besides, structural flexibility deforms the wings differently depending on the operating conditions, so has to be simulated during such optimizations. In the present thesis, the mission fuel consumption minimization is formulated as an optimization problem. The focus is made on the choice of operating conditions to be included in the optimization problem, since they have a major impact on the quality of the results, and the computational cost is proportional to their number. A new theoretical framework is proposed, overcoming and giving new insights on problematic situations revealed by state-of-the-art methods for multipoint optimization problem setup. An algorithm called Gradient Span Analysis is proposed to automate the choice of operating conditions. It is based on a reduction of dimension of the vector space spanned by adjoint gradients obtained at the different operating conditions. Programming contributions to the optimization chain enabled the evaluation of the new method on the optimizations of the academic RAE2822 airfoil, and the XRF-1 wing-body configuration, representative of a modern transport aircraft. While the shapes resulting of single-point optimizations present strong degradations of the performance in off-design conditions, adequately formulated multi-Machmulti- lift optimizations present much more interesting performance compromises. It is finally shown that fluid-structure interaction adds new degrees of freedom, and has consequences on multiple flight conditions optimizations, opening the perspective of passive shape adaptation.

O presente trabalho tem como escopo validar qualitativa e quantitativamente o ensaio de swirl em cabeçotes de motores Diesel realizado de maneira contínua, comparando-o com o padrão estático amplamente aplicado na indústria no controle de qualidade deste componente. A modificação metodológica do ensaio permite ensaios muito mais velozes do que os atuais, podendo, com todas as verificações necessárias, ser extensível a uma linha de montagem, permitindo controle de qualidade diretamente após o processo de usinagem do fundido ou antes de montar o cabeçote no bloco do motor. O presente trabalho apresenta a metodologia aplicada para o tratamento do problema bem como os resultados obtidos até o momento, indicando também os que ainda serão obtidos. No escopo do projeto, apresenta-se de maneira sucinta todo o procedimento utilizado para as simulações estáticas e transiente dos métodos de medição a partir do método do volume finitos de um código comercial, destacando a metodologia para determinação das malhas, seleção dos modelos e esquemas de discretização utilizados, destacando por fim uma comparação entre diferentes aberturas de válvula do ensaio estático e os primeiros resultados da simulação com abertura de válvula ao longo do tempo de simulação. Do ponto de vista experimental, descreveu-se o equipamento utilizado bem como as adaptações realizadas, principalmente no que tangem a automação do controle de válvula, no escopo do presente projeto, apresentando por fim alguns resultados do ensaio contínuo na bancada em comparação com o estático. Os ensaios e simulações numéricas estática e transientes apresentaram coerência em seus resultados. As simulações, quando comparadas entre si e com os resultados do PIV, mostram que os perfis de escoamento são bastante parecidos em todas as situações, o que permite concluir que existe a possibilidade de se realizar o ensaio de swirl de forma dinâmica para esta configuração específica. / The present work aims to validate qualitatively and quantitatively the swirl test in diesel engine heads performed continuously, comparing it with the static standard widely applied in industry in the quality control of this component. The methodological modification of the test allows for tests much faster than the current ones and can be extensible to an assembly line, allowing quality control directly after the cast machining process or before mounting the engine block. The present work presents the applied methodology for the treatment of the problem as well as the results obtained so far, also indicating the ones that will be obtained. In the scope of the project, the whole procedure used for the static and transient simulations of the measurement methods based on the finite volume method of a commercial code is presented, highlighting the methodology for determining the meshes, selection of models and schemes of discretization. At last, a comparison between different valve openings of the static test and the first results of the simulation with valve opening during the simulation time will be presented. From the experimental point of view, the equipment used was described, as well as the adaptations made, mainly in what concerns the automation of valve control, within the scope of the present project. Some results of the continuous test in the bench are presented and compared with the static ones. The static and dynamic tests and simulations presented good coherence among their results. The simulations, when compared one with each other and to the PIV test results, showed great similarities among the in-cylinder flow velocity profiles, what might lead to the conclusion that it is possible to test cylinder heads dynamically, at least with the presented configuration.