Heat exchanger fouling is the deposition of material onto the heat transfer surface causing a reduction in thermal efficiency. A study using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was conducted to increase understanding of key aspects of fouling in desalination processes. Fouling is a complex phenomenon and therefore this numerical model was developed in stages. Each stage required a critical assessment of each fouling process in order to design physical models to describe the process???s intricate kinetic and thermodynamic behaviour. The completed physical models were incorporated into the simulations through employing extra transport equations, and coding additional subroutines depicting the behaviour of the aqueous phase involved in the fouling phenomena prominent in crystalline streams. The research objectives of creating a CFD model to predict fouling behaviour and assess the influence of key operating parameters were achieved. The completed model of the key crystallisation fouling processes monitors the temporal variation of the fouling resistance. The fouling rates predicted from these results revealed that the numerical model satisfactorily reproduced the phenomenon observed experimentally. Inspection of the CFD results at a local level indicated that the interface temperature was the most influential operating parameter. The research also examined the likelihood that the crystallisation and particulate fouling mechanisms coexist. It was found that the distribution of velocity increased the likelihood of the particulate phase forming within the boundary layer, thus emphasizing the importance of differentiating between behaviour within the bulk and the boundary layer. These numerical results also implied that the probability of this composite fouling was greater in turbulent flow. Finally, supersaturation was confirmed as the key parameter when precipitation occurred within the bulk/boundary layer. This investigation demonstrated the advantages of using CFD to assess heat exchanger fouling. It produced additional physical models which when incorporated into the CFD code adequately modeled key aspects of the crystallisation and particulate fouling mechanisms. These innovative modelling ideas should encourage extensive use of CFD in future fouling investigations. It is recommended that further work include detailed experimental data to assist in defining the key kinetic and thermodynamic parameters to extend the scope of the required physical models.

The separating characteristics of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns, measured in terms of the height equivalent of a theoretical plate (HETP) and skewness of the eluted peak, are investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Gradually expanding and contracting sections are introduced at the inlet and outlet, respectively, in columns with and without frits and their performance was compared with that of the conventional columns without expanding and contracting regions. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

No description available.

The efficiency of nuclear reactors can be improved by increasing the operating pressure of current nuclear reactors. Current CANDU-type nuclear reactors use heavy water as coolant at an outlet pressure of up to 11.5 MPa. Conceptual SuperCritical Water Reactors (SCWRs) will operate at a higher coolant outlet pressure of 25 MPa. Supercritical water technology has been used in advanced coal plants and its application proves promising to be employed in nuclear reactors. To better understand how supercritical water technology can be applied in nuclear power plants, supercritical water loops are used to study the heat transfer phenomena as it applies to CANDU-type reactors. A conceptual design of a loop known as the Supercritical Phenomena Experimental Apparatus (SPETA) has been done. This loop has been designed to fit in a 9 m by 2 m by 2.8 m enclosure that will be installed at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Energy Research Laboratory. The loop include components to safely start up and shut down various test sections, produce a heat source to the test section, and to remove reject heat. It is expected that loop will be able to investigate the behaviour of supercritical water in various geometries including bare tubes, annulus tubes, and multi-element-type bundles. The experimental geometries are designed to match the fluid properties of Canadian SCWR fuel channel designs so that they are representative of a practical application of supercritical water technology in nuclear plants. This loop will investigate various test section orientations which are the horizontal, vertical, and inclined to investigate buoyancy effects. Frictional pressure drop effects and satisfactory methods of estimating hydraulic resistances in supercritical fluid shall also be estimated with the loop. Operating limits for SPETA have been established to be able to capture the important heat transfer phenomena at supercritical conditions. Heat balance and flow calculations have been done to appropriately size components in the loop. Sensitivity analysis has been done to find the optimum design for the loop. / UOIT

A parallel implicit adaptive-mesh-refinement scheme is proposed for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations as applied to two-dimensional steady-state hypersonic laminar flows in conjunction with an equilibrium high-temperature equation of state. A finite-volume discretization is applied to the governing equations. Limited piecewise-linear solution reconstruction and Riemann solvers (Roe and HLLE, both modified for a general equation of state) are used to evaluate the inviscid fluxes. The gradients in the viscous fluxes are calculated using diamond-path reconstruction. The system of non-linear algebraic equations resulting from the finite-volume discretization are solved using an inexact Newton method with GMRES to solve the update step of the Newton method. GMRES is preconditioned with Schwarz preconditioning with local block-fill incomplete lower-upper factorization. Multigrid and pseudo-transient continuation are used for startup. Numerical results, including flows at Mach numbers of 7.0, are discussed and demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the scheme.

The determination of the leakage and consequently the friction factor is an important part of analyzing the flow through a seal. This is done experimentally by means of a flat plate tester, which allows for the simplified representation of the seal pattern on a flat plate surface tested under a range of clearances and pressure drops. The setup mounts a smooth plate opposite a second plate which may be smooth or have a roughened surface while the separation between plates is held constant. The present study analyzes the phenomenon of friction factor 'upset' ? wherein it was seen that as the pressure drop across the parallel plates is increased, there is a sudden increase in the friction factor (i.e. a decrease in flow rate) at a certain Reynolds number and for any further increase in the pressure differential, the friction factor shows the expected trend and decreases slowly. This phenomenon was initially believed to be an anomaly in the rig and was attributed to choking at an upstream flow control valve. The present author differs from that view and hypothesized that the reason for the abrupt change is linked to the flow mechanics of the system and the current study analyzes the same. Preliminary analysis of available data has established that the cause for the 'upset' was not related to the switch from a normal mode resonance driven by the Helmholtz frequency of the cavities on the stator to a shear layer instability, as was seen earlier by Ha. The friction factor jump for this case is therefore proposed to be due to a change of the instability modes as the fluid passes over the cavities in the plate. A detailed analysis of the physics of the flow will be carried out via a numerical simulation using a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model from ANSYS Fluent. Results will be validated through comparisons with experimental data from the flat plate test rig.

A parallel implicit adaptive-mesh-refinement scheme is proposed for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations as applied to two-dimensional steady-state hypersonic laminar flows in conjunction with an equilibrium high-temperature equation of state. A finite-volume discretization is applied to the governing equations. Limited piecewise-linear solution reconstruction and Riemann solvers (Roe and HLLE, both modified for a general equation of state) are used to evaluate the inviscid fluxes. The gradients in the viscous fluxes are calculated using diamond-path reconstruction. The system of non-linear algebraic equations resulting from the finite-volume discretization are solved using an inexact Newton method with GMRES to solve the update step of the Newton method. GMRES is preconditioned with Schwarz preconditioning with local block-fill incomplete lower-upper factorization. Multigrid and pseudo-transient continuation are used for startup. Numerical results, including flows at Mach numbers of 7.0, are discussed and demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the scheme.

No description available.

Ozonation is currently considered as one of the most effective microbial disinfection technologies due to its powerful disinfection capacity and reduction in levels of chlorinated disinfection by-products (DBP). However, ozonation of waters containing bromide can produce bromate ion above regulated levels, leading to tradeoffs between microbial and chemical risks. In efforts to meet increasingly stringent drinking water regulations and to be cost-effective, water suppliers are required to optimize ozone dosage. Therefore, there is a need to develop a robust and flexible tool to accurately describe ozone disinfection processes and contribute to their design and operation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has come into use recently for evaluating disinfection systems. However, the focus of its application has been largely on modelling the hydraulic behaviour of contactors, which is only one component of system design. The significance of this dissertation is that a fully comprehensive three dimensional (3D) multiphase CFD model has been developed to address all the major components of ozone disinfection processes: contactor hydraulics, ozone mass transfer, ozone decay, and microbial inactivation. The model was validated using full-scale experimental data, including tracer test results and ozone profiles from full-scale ozone contactors in two Canadian drinking water treatment plants (WTPs): the DesBaillets WTP in Montréal, Quebec and the Mannheim WTP in Kitchener, Ontario. Good agreement was observed between the numerical simulation and experimental data. The CFD model was applied to investigate ozone contactor performance at the DesBaillets WTP. The CFD-predicted flow fields showed that recirculation zones and short circuiting existed in the DesBaillets contactors. The simulation results suggested that additional baffles could be installed to increase the residence time and improve disinfection efficiency. The CFD model was also used to simulate ozone contactor performance at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant before and after installing new liquid oxygen (LOX) ozone generators and removing some diffusers from the system. The modelling results indicated that such changes led to an increase in effective residence time, and therefore an adjustment to operational parameters was required after system modification. Another significant contribution is that, for the first time, the Eulerian and Lagrangian (or particle tracking) approaches, two commonly utilized methods for predicting microbial inactivation efficiency have been compared for the study of ozone disinfection processes. The modelling results of two hypothetical ozone reactors and a full scale contactor suggested that the effective CT values predicted by the Lagriangian approach were slightly lower than those obtained from the Eulerian approach but their differences were within 10%. Therefore, both approaches can be used to predict ozone disinfection efficiency. For the full scale contactor investigated, the tracer residence time distribution predicted by the Euerlian approach provided a better fit to the experimental results, which indicated that the Eulerian approach might be more suitable for the simulation of chemical tracer performance. The results of this part of work provided important insight in understanding the complex performance of multiphase ozonation systems and played an important role in further improving CFD modelling approaches for full-scale ozone disinfection systems. The third significant contribution of this work is that a CFD model was applied to illustrate the importance of ozone residual monitoring locations and suggest an improved strategy for ozone residual monitoring. For the DesBaillets ozone contactors, the CFD modelling results showed that ozone residuals in the cross section of the outlets of some contactor chambers differed by an order of magnitude. The “optimal” area of monitoring locations however varied at different operational conditions. Therefore, it was suggested that multiple ozone residual sampling points should be installed based on CFD analysis and experimental studies, to provide more accurate indicators to system operators. The CFD model was also used to study the factors affecting the residence time distribution (RTD). The results suggested that the selection of the tracer injection locations as well as tracer sampling locations might affect the RTD prediction or measurement. The CFD-predicted T10 values at different outlet locations varied by more than 10% variation. It is therefore recommended that CFD modelling be used to determine tracer test strategy before conducting a full-scale tracer test, and multiple sampling points should be employed during tracer tests, if possible. In addition, a research based on full-scale investigation has also been done to compare the three different CT prediction approaches: CT10, integrated disinfection design framework (IDDF), and CFD, to determine the most appropriate method for design and operation of ozone systems. The CFD approach yielded more accurate predictions of inactivation efficacy than the other two approaches. The current results also suggested that the differences in the three approaches in CT predictions became smaller at higher contactor T10/T ratios conditions as the contactors performed more closely to ideal plug flow reactors. This study has demonstrated that the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is an efficient tool for improving ozone disinfection performance of existing water treatment plants and designing new ozonation systems. The model developed in this study can be used for ozone contactor design, evaluation, and troubleshooting. It can also be used as a virtual experimental tool to optimize ozone contactor behaviour under varying water quality and operational conditions.

Ozonation is currently considered as one of the most effective microbial disinfection technologies due to its powerful disinfection capacity and reduction in levels of chlorinated disinfection by-products (DBP). However, ozonation of waters containing bromide can produce bromate ion above regulated levels, leading to tradeoffs between microbial and chemical risks. In efforts to meet increasingly stringent drinking water regulations and to be cost-effective, water suppliers are required to optimize ozone dosage. Therefore, there is a need to develop a robust and flexible tool to accurately describe ozone disinfection processes and contribute to their design and operation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has come into use recently for evaluating disinfection systems. However, the focus of its application has been largely on modelling the hydraulic behaviour of contactors, which is only one component of system design. The significance of this dissertation is that a fully comprehensive three dimensional (3D) multiphase CFD model has been developed to address all the major components of ozone disinfection processes: contactor hydraulics, ozone mass transfer, ozone decay, and microbial inactivation. The model was validated using full-scale experimental data, including tracer test results and ozone profiles from full-scale ozone contactors in two Canadian drinking water treatment plants (WTPs): the DesBaillets WTP in Montréal, Quebec and the Mannheim WTP in Kitchener, Ontario. Good agreement was observed between the numerical simulation and experimental data. The CFD model was applied to investigate ozone contactor performance at the DesBaillets WTP. The CFD-predicted flow fields showed that recirculation zones and short circuiting existed in the DesBaillets contactors. The simulation results suggested that additional baffles could be installed to increase the residence time and improve disinfection efficiency. The CFD model was also used to simulate ozone contactor performance at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant before and after installing new liquid oxygen (LOX) ozone generators and removing some diffusers from the system. The modelling results indicated that such changes led to an increase in effective residence time, and therefore an adjustment to operational parameters was required after system modification. Another significant contribution is that, for the first time, the Eulerian and Lagrangian (or particle tracking) approaches, two commonly utilized methods for predicting microbial inactivation efficiency have been compared for the study of ozone disinfection processes. The modelling results of two hypothetical ozone reactors and a full scale contactor suggested that the effective CT values predicted by the Lagriangian approach were slightly lower than those obtained from the Eulerian approach but their differences were within 10%. Therefore, both approaches can be used to predict ozone disinfection efficiency. For the full scale contactor investigated, the tracer residence time distribution predicted by the Euerlian approach provided a better fit to the experimental results, which indicated that the Eulerian approach might be more suitable for the simulation of chemical tracer performance. The results of this part of work provided important insight in understanding the complex performance of multiphase ozonation systems and played an important role in further improving CFD modelling approaches for full-scale ozone disinfection systems. The third significant contribution of this work is that a CFD model was applied to illustrate the importance of ozone residual monitoring locations and suggest an improved strategy for ozone residual monitoring. For the DesBaillets ozone contactors, the CFD modelling results showed that ozone residuals in the cross section of the outlets of some contactor chambers differed by an order of magnitude. The “optimal” area of monitoring locations however varied at different operational conditions. Therefore, it was suggested that multiple ozone residual sampling points should be installed based on CFD analysis and experimental studies, to provide more accurate indicators to system operators. The CFD model was also used to study the factors affecting the residence time distribution (RTD). The results suggested that the selection of the tracer injection locations as well as tracer sampling locations might affect the RTD prediction or measurement. The CFD-predicted T10 values at different outlet locations varied by more than 10% variation. It is therefore recommended that CFD modelling be used to determine tracer test strategy before conducting a full-scale tracer test, and multiple sampling points should be employed during tracer tests, if possible. In addition, a research based on full-scale investigation has also been done to compare the three different CT prediction approaches: CT10, integrated disinfection design framework (IDDF), and CFD, to determine the most appropriate method for design and operation of ozone systems. The CFD approach yielded more accurate predictions of inactivation efficacy than the other two approaches. The current results also suggested that the differences in the three approaches in CT predictions became smaller at higher contactor T10/T ratios conditions as the contactors performed more closely to ideal plug flow reactors. This study has demonstrated that the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is an efficient tool for improving ozone disinfection performance of existing water treatment plants and designing new ozonation systems. The model developed in this study can be used for ozone contactor design, evaluation, and troubleshooting. It can also be used as a virtual experimental tool to optimize ozone contactor behaviour under varying water quality and operational conditions.