<p> The separation of a mixture of carbon tetrachloride in water was studied in a 2 inch diameter glass hydrocyclone. First, the effect of a mixing valve and of oil/water ratio on the volume/surface diameter of the dispersion in the feed to the hydrocyclone was studied using a statistical experiment design. Secondly, the effect of feed drop size distribution, oil/water ratio, and overflow/underflow split on the separation in the hydrocyclone was determined, again using a statistical experiment design. In both designs, five levels of each variable were studied. Flow rate, design shape, and temperature were kept constant. The range of variables was: </p> <p> 1. Mixing Value Pressure Drop 17.95 to 88.25 mm. Hg </p> <p> 2. Oil/Water Ratio 0.132 to 0.211 </p> <p> 3. Overflow/Underflow Split 4/1 to 8/1 </p> <p> From the first part of the work it was found that oil/water ratio had no significant effect on the volume/surface diameter, and that there was a linear relationship between the volume/surface diameter and mixing valve pressure drop. </p> <p> From the second part of the work it was found that volume split had most significant effect on hydrocyclone separation for the range of variables studied. The oil/water ratio had the next most significant effect on separation, and finally, drop size distribution was also found to be significant, but was the least important of the three variables. The interactions of the variables were no significant. The hydrocyclone separation could be predicted. The prediction of the overflow drop-size distribution agreed very well with the distribution observed photographically. Both predictions required assumptions that short-circuit flow and drop-drop coalescence was negligible. </p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

Emulsion explosives have become the preferred choice as blasting agents for numerous industries including mining, agriculture, and construction. One of the most important components in such an emulsion is an emulsifier, which controls the emulsification properties of the explosive. The present study involves the production of one such emulsifier, which is produced by reacting two immiscible liquids, PIBSA (polyisobutylene succinic anhydride) and MEA (monoethanolamine). The study examines the effect of design variable such as the impeller speed, impeller type and the dispersed phase volume fraction on interfacial area. Experiments were carried out in a 0.15 m diameter fully baffled stirred tank using a 6-bladed Rushton turbine impeller and a marine propeller. Drop size was determined using a microscope with a video camera and image processing system. The transient concentration of PIBSA was determined using FTIR analysis and used to estimate the volume fraction of the dispersed phase (ƒÖ). The effective interfacial area was calculated using the Sauter mean drop diameter, d32 and ƒÖ. Impeller speeds ranging from 150 to 600 rpm and dispersed phase volume fractions, ƒÖ ranging from 0.01 to 0.028 were examined in the experimental study. It was found that that the evolution of Sauter mean drop diameter, d32 has four different trends depending on ƒÖ and impeller speed. At high impeller speeds and high ƒÖ, d32 values decrease initially and reach constant values after a long period of time. This trend is consistent with the findings in previous investigations. Under certain operating conditions, d32 values increase initially with stirring time to reach a maximum value and then decrease to reach a steady state value. The presence of these trends has been attributed to the effect of changing physical properties of the system as a result of chemical reaction. Results indicate that, in general, Sauter mean drop diameter d32 decreases with an increase in agitation intensity. However a decrease in the dispersed phase volume fraction is found to increase d32. These trends are found to be the same for both impeller types studied. Comparing the drop size results produced by the two impellers, it appears that low-power number propeller produces s ignificantly smaller drops than the Rushton turbine. It was found that the concentrations of reactants decrease with time for all impeller speeds thereby leading to a decrease in interfacial area with the progress of the reaction. Interfacial area values obtained at higher impeller speeds are found to be lower in spite of lower d32 values at these speeds. Also, these values decrease with time and become zero in a shorter duration indicating the rapid depletion of MEA. The interfacial area values obtained with the propeller at a given impeller speed are lower as compared to those for Rushton turbine. They also decrease and become zero in a shorter duration as compared to those for Rushton turbine suggesting propeller¡¦s performance is better in enhancing the reaction rate.

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Cooling tower spray nozzle performance characteristics such as the water distribution onto the fill material, air side pressure drop, pump head, drop size distribution and heat transfer in the spray zone were investigated experimentally and theoretically. The aim was to evaluate and simulate the performance characteristics of new and existing types of cooling tower spray nozzles with emphasis on the spray zone. Two medium and two low pressure type spray nozzles were tested and the results analysed. Single nozzle water distribution data obtained from tests was used to predict the water distribution obtained from four evenly spaced nozzles by superposition. The results were compared to data obtained from corresponding four nozzle tests. Computer codes and CFD models were developed to predict the drop trajectories, water distribution, total heat transfer and pressure drop for single nozzles and four nozzle grids. This was compared to correlated data found in literature. The performance characteristics expected from an ideal nozzle was discussed and compared to actual nozzle performance characteristics.

"The primary purpose of this research was to quantify fire suppression and fire intensification phenomena for water spray application to high flash point hydrocarbon oil pool fires. Test data and analyses of the phenomena include the drop size distribution and application and delivered densities of various water sprays, and spray-induced oil cooling and oil splattering for mineral seal oil and for cooking oil 30-cm diameter pool fires. Four different types of tests were conducted as described below. A Dantec Particle Dynamic, phase Doppler, Analyzer was used to measure the water drop sizes and velocities generated by 13 selected nozzles and sprinkler heads. Most measurements were made 0.91 m (3 ft) below the nozzles/sprinklers, since this was the location of the center of the hydrocarbon pool in later fire tests. The correlations for the volume-median drop diameter, dw, were of the form , where D is the nozzle orifice and is the spray Weber number based on D and the nozzle velocity. A ring burner was designed and constructed for uniformly heating oil pool surfaces from above and igniting them. The resulting oil temperatures while the oil was heated to its flash point satisfied the one-dimensional transient heat conduction model for a semi-infinitely thick solid with a shallow heated layer near the surface. Water sprays actuated when the oil surface temperature reached its flash point rapidly cooled the heated layer and caused mixing with the cooler oil below. Fire suppression tests were conducted to determine the relationship between required water spray density, drop size, and oil temperature in order to achieve suppression. A data correlation using non-dimensional parameters was developed to quantify the fire suppression criteria for the high flash point oil fires. Oil pool fires with the higher flash point oils, such as the 291oC flash point soybean oil, could be suppressed with much lower water densities than those of the lower flash point (137oC) mineral seal oil. However, if the water spray drop sizes are sufficiently small, the lower flash point oil fires can also be extinguished with lower spray densities. The NFPA 15 specified critical water density (0.30 gpm/ft2, 12 mm/min) to extinguish high flash point pool fires is only valid for mineral seal oil when the drop size is lower than about 300 µm. It is valid with larger drop sprays only when the flash point of the oil is higher than 190 according to the correlation developed here. Spray-induced pool fire intensification tests were conducted under a fire products calorimeter for measuring heat release rates. Supplemental oil vaporization rate tests were also conducted to determine the contributions of oil vaporization and oil splattering to the intensified fire. Results showed that vaporization could only account for between 1% and 1.7% of the heat release rate in intensified mineral seal oil fires, and less than 1% of the heat release rate in intensified soybean oil fires. The remainder is due to spray-induced oil splattering, which increased with increasing drop Weber number as well as increased oil temperature. The heat release rate is enhanced by factor from 2.12 to 5.55 compared to the heat release rate of free burning cooking oil. For mineral seal oil, this ratio is in the range 0.92 to 1.25 for the spray conditions tested. Correlations with the dimensionless factors of and the Weber number of the water spray were also developed to quantify the ratio of the splattered oil to applied spray density."

L’estimation quantitative des précipitations à l’échelle locale est une nécessité sociétale, à cause de l’augmentation des dégâts provoqués par des inondations exacerbées par l’urbanisation croissante. Or, des estimations locales sont particulièrement difficiles à réaliser à cause de la forte variabilité des précipitations. De plus, ce genre d’estimation est sollicité par de petits organismes tels qu’une commune, pour lesquels il n’est pas envisageable d’utiliser des instruments à la pointe de la recherche technologique à cause de leur coût prohibitif. Ainsi, il est nécessaire de développer des méthodes d’estimation quantitative des précipitations applicables à un dispositif expérimental de prix abordable. Dans ce but, un dispositif expérimental innovant est utilisé dans cette thèse. Il est constitué d’instruments de mesure directe, au sol, tels que des pluviomètres et des disdromètres, et d’un prototype de radar à balayage horizontal basé sur un radar nautique commercial, associé à un MRR (Micro Rain Radar) à visée verticale qui fournissent une estimation en altitude de la pluie, respectivement sur une surface donnée et le long d’un profil vertical. Le radar à balayage horizontal est un radar en bande X, c’est-à-dire qu’il fonctionne à une longueur d’onde lui procurant une très haute résolution radiale, mais qui est très atténuée par les précipitations. Le MRR permet d’obtenir une description précise de la microphysique des précipitations et sert de relais entre les mesures au sol et les mesures en altitude du radar en bande X. Ces deux radars étant novateurs, une grande partie de cette thèse consiste à valider leurs mesures : étalonnage, filtrage d’échos aberrants, correction de l’atténuation, etc. Une fois les mesures rendues exploitables, cette thèse se focalise sur l’étude de la variabilité des précipitations afin de proposer et développer différentes méthodes de classification, selon leur type ou leur variations locales, et de vérifier leur potentiel pour l’amélioration de l’estimation des précipitations. Les résultats montrent que cet objectif ne peut être atteint que si la qualité des mesures des radars est encore améliorée : moins d’échos parasites pour le radar en bande X et prise en compte du vent vertical pour le MRR. / Due to the increase of damage associated with floods enhanced by expanding urbanisation, the quantitative estimation of precipitation on a local scale is a societal need. However, such estimations are difficult because of the high variability of precipitation. Moreover, these estimations are requested by small organisations such as local authorities which cannot afford top level research instruments. Hence, new methods of estimation applicable to a cheap experimental set are needed. Toward this goal, an innovative experimental set is used in this work. It consists of ground instruments such as raingauges and disdrometers, and two radars, a prototype of a scanning radar based on a modified marine radar and a vertically pointing MRR (Micro Rain Radar), which give estimation of rain aloft, over an area and along a profile, respectively. The scanning radar works at X-band, meaning that it uses a longwave very attenuated by precipitation, but which provides a high range resolution. The MRR yields a detailed description of microphysics of precipitation and fills the gap between ground measurements and X-band radar measurements aloft. As both these radars are innovative, a large part of this PhD thesis was spent on the measurements validation : radar calibration, abnormal echoes filtering, attenuation consideration, etc. Using these corrected measurements, this PhD focus then on the study of the variability of precipitation, and aims to propose and develop several classification methods based on precipitation type or local variability, and to check their potential for the improvement of precipitation estimation. Results show that this goal can be reached only if the radar measurements quality is further improved : less interference echoes for the X-band radar, and consideration of vertical wind for the MRR.

Cette thèse concerne l’étude de l’influence de la formulation sur le comportement rhéologique des émulsions inverses très concentrées. Nous avons utilisé une démarche originale consistant à positionner le module élastique (G’) de ces émulions sur une carte bidimensionnelle formulation-composition, afin d’étudier, en particulier, l’effet de la formulation dite optimale. Deux effets nets sont liés à celle-ci: les émulsions préparées à HLB=10, c’est-à-dire à proximité de la valeur optimale (HLB=10,5), présentent des valeurs de G’ nettement plus faibles que les autres formulations, tandis qu’à une distance particulière (HLB=7,7), les valeurs de G’ sont toujours plus élevées comparativement aux autres formulations. Cette valeur particulière de HLB correspond aussi à une stabilité maximale de la dispersion et à une taille moyenne des gouttes minimale. Les émulsions très concentrées étant généralement opaques et fragiles, l’analyse du transport stationnaire incohérent de lumière polarisée, qui ne nécessite pas de dilution, a été utilisée comme méthode alternative aux techniques classiques pour déterminer l’épaisseur moyenne du film interfacial (h). La taille moyenne des gouttes (R) a pu ensuite être déterminée à partir d’un modèle géométrique qui relie R à l’épaisseur moyenne du film interfacial (h), à la fraction volumique de phase dispersée (f) et à un facteur géométrique moyen (f9) tenant compte du caractère polyédrique des gouttes. Ainsi, une expression modifiée du modèle proposé par Mougel et al. (2006) a été établie pour modéliser le module élastique (G’) en le reliant à la taille moyenne de gouttes (R), la tension interfaciale (s) et la fraction volumique de phase dispersée (f) / This thesis deals with the study of the influence of formulation on the rheological behavior of highly concentrated reverse emulsions. We used an original approach consisting in representing the elastic modulus (G’) of these emulsions on a formulation-composition bidimensional map to study, in particular, the effect of the so-called optimum formulation. Two major effects are observed in relation to this one: emulsions prepared at HLB=10, i.e. at the proximity of optimum value (HLB=10.5) present values of G’ remarkably lower than those at other formulations, while at a certain distance (HLB=7.7) the values of G’ are higher in comparison to others formulations. This last particular HLB matches with the occurrence of a maximum stability and a minimum drop size of dispersion. Highly concentrated emulsions being generally opaque and fragile, the analysis of incoherent polarized steady light transport, that does not imply any dilution, has been used as an alternative method to classical techniques to determine the average film thickness (h). The average drop size (R) has then to be determined from a geometrical model linking it to the average film thickness (h), to the dispersed phase volume fraction (f) and to a geometrical factor (f9) that takes into account the polyhedral shape of the drops. Hence, a modified expression of the model proposed by Mougel et al. (2006) has been established to model the elastic modulus (G’) by relating it to the average drop size (R), the interfacial tension (s) and the dispersed phase volume fraction (f)

Cette thèse présente la Simulation des Grandes Echelles (LES) de l’injection, de la pulvérisation et de la cavitation dans un injecteur pour les applications liées aux moteurs à combustion interne. Pour la modélisation de l’atomisation, on utilise le modèle ELSA (Eulerian Lagrangian Spray Atomization). Le modèle résout la fraction volumique du combustible liquide ainsi que la densité de surface d’interface liquide-gaz pour décrire le processus complet d’atomisation. Dans cette thèse, l’écoulement à l’intérieur de l’injecteur est également pris en compte pour une étude ultérieure de l’atomisation. L’étude présente l’application du modèle ELSA à un injecteur Diesel typique, à la fois dans le contexte de RANS et de LES.Le modèle est validé à l’aide de données expérimentales disponibles dans Engine Combustion Network (ECN). Le modèle ELSA, qui est normalement conçu pour les interfaces diffuses (non résolues), lorsque l’emplacement exact de l’interface liquide-gaz n’est pas pris en compte, est étendu pour fonctionner avec une formulation de type Volume of Fluid (VOF) de flux à deux phases, où l’interface est explicitement résolu. Le couplage est réalisé à l’aide de critères IRQ (Interface Resolution Quality), qui prennent en compte à la fois la courbure de l’interface et la quantité modélisée de la surface de l’interface. Le modèle ELSA est développé en premier lieu en considérant les deux phases comme incompressibles. L’extension à la phase compressible est également brièvement étudiée dans cette thèse. Il en résulte une formulation ELSA compressible qui prend en compte la densité variable de chaque phase. En collaboration avec l’Imperial College de Londres, la formulation de la fonction de densité de probabilité (PDF) avec les champs stochastiques est également explorée afin d’étudier l’atomisation. Dans les systèmes d’injection de carburant modernes, la pression locale à l’intérieur de l’injecteur tombe souvent en dessous de la pression de saturation en vapeur du carburant, ce qui entraîne une cavitation. La cavitation affecte le flux externe et la formulation du spray. Ainsi, une procédure est nécessaire pour étudier le changement de phase ainsi que la formulation du jet en utilisant une configuration numérique unique et cohérente. Une méthode qui couple le changement de phase à l’intérieur de l’injecteur à la pulvérisation externe du jet est développée dans cette thèse. Ceci est réalisé en utilisant le volume de formulation de fluide où l’interface est considérée entre le liquide et le gaz; le gaz est composé à la fois de vapeur et d’airambiant non condensable. / This thesis presents Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of fuel injection, atomization and cavitation inside the fuel injector for applications related to internal combustion engines. For atomization modeling, Eulerian Lagrangian Spray Atomization (ELSA) model is used. The model solves for volume fraction of liquid fuel as well as liquid-gas interface surface density to describe the complete atomization process. In this thesis, flow inside the injector is also considered for subsequent study of atomization. The study presents the application of ELSA model to a typical diesel injector, both in the context of RANS and LES. The model is validated with the help of experimental data available from Engine Combustion Network (ECN). The ELSA model which is normally designed for diffused (unresolved) interfaces, where the exact location of the liquid-gas interface is not considered, is extended to work with Volume of Fluid (VOF) type formulation of two phase flow, where interface is explicitly resolved. The coupling is achieved with the help of Interface Resolution Quality (IRQ) criteria, that takes into account both the interface curvature and modeled amount of interface surface. ELSA model is developed first considering both phases as incompressible, the extension to compressible phase is also briefly studied in this thesis, resulting in compressible ELSA formulation that takes into account varying density in each phase. In collaboration with Imperial College London, the Probability Density Function (PDF) formulation with Stochastic Fields is also explored to study atomization. In modern fuel injection systems, quite oftenthe local pressure inside the injector falls below the vapor saturation pressure of the fuel, resulting in cavitation. Cavitation effects the external flow and spray formulation. Thus, a procedure is required to study the phase change as well as jet formulation using a single and consistent numerical setup. A method is developed in this thesis that couples the phase change inside the injector to the external jet atomization. This is achieved using the volume of fluid formulation where the interface is considered between liquid and gas; gas consists of both the vapor and non condensible ambient air.