There is an ongoing interest in analyzing the flow characteristics of swimming fish. Biology has resulted in some very efficient motions and formulating these motions is of interest to engineers. One such theory was written by Dr. William Vorus and Dr. Brandon Taravella involving ideal efficiency. It is therefore interesting to test the calculations to see if it is possible to design a motion that can create thrust without necessarily creating vorticity. The computational fluid dynamics software of ANSYS Fluent was used to calculate the resulting flow field of the eel motion to compare with the theoretical values.

Theoretical, numerical and experimental investigations have been successfully carried out to characterise the thermal performance of an air-to-water multi-pass heat exchanger equipped with thermosyphon technology. Air and water are the heat source and the heat sink on the evaporator and condenser, respectively. Evaporator and condenser are connected by six thermosyphons, through which thermal energy is transferred. The investigation was performed for two multi-pass configurations at various inlet conditions: a range of air inlet temperatures (100, 150, 200 and 250°C) and mass flow rates (0.05, 0.08, 0.11 and 0.14 kg/s). The water inlet conditions were kept constant (a temperature of 15°C and a mass flow rate of 0.08 kg/s). The theoretical model was built by applying the thermal resistance analogy with the aid of convection, boiling and condensation correlations found in the literature. It was found that the thermal resistances in the first pass act in parallel mode along the ones in the second pass. Similarly, in the case of three passes. Also, the external convective thermal resistance were found to be the major contributor to the overall thermal resistance in the entire heat exchanger. ANSYS Fluent was the numerical tool used to investigate the shell-side convective heat transfer for two multi-pass configurations. The CFD model has been experimentally validated. The two-phase change processes inside the thermosyphons were not modelled during the simulation. Instead, the thermosyphons were treated as solid rods with a constant thermal conductivity, which was calculated. The overall rate of heat transfer was obtained by both CFD and a theoretical model, and the results lay within 15% of the experimental data. The numerical predictions demonstrated that the K-ε Realizable turbulence model with scalable wall function is a reliable tool for predicting heat transfer and fluid flow in such types of heat exchangers. This investigation will add a great knowledge to the academia in terms of both experimentation and modelling in the area of multi-pass thermosyphons-based heat exchangers. Also, it provides the industries with a cost effect design tool for future modelling of similar heat exchanger systems.

The probability of a fire occurring in space vehicles and facilities is amplified by the amounts of electrical equipment used. Additionally, the lack of egress for space personnel and irreplaceable resources used aboard space vehicles and facilities require a rapid response of a suppression system and quick extinguishment. Current experimental means that exist to gather data in space vehicles and facilities are limited by both size of the experiment and cost. Thus, more economical solutions must be considered. The aim of this research was to develop a reliable and inexpensive methodology for the prediction of flame extinction and suppression in any three-dimensional environment. This project was split into two parts. Part one included the identification and validation of a computational model for the prediction of gas dispersion. Part two involved the development of an analytical parameter for predicting flame extinction. For model validation, an experimental apparatus was constructed. The experimental apparatus was one-eighth of the volume of electronics racks found aboard typical space facilities. The experimental apparatus allowed for the addition of parallel plates to increase the complexity of the geometry. Data acquisition consisted of gas concentration measurements through planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitrogen dioxide and velocity field measurements through particle image velocimetry (PIV). A theoretical framework for a generalized Damköhler number for the prediction of local flame extinction was also developed. Based on complexities in this parameter, the computational code FLUENT was determined to be the ideal means for predicting this quantity. The concentration and velocity field measurements provided validation data for the modelling analysis. Comparison of the modelling analysis with experimental data demonstrated that the FLUENT code adequately predicted the transport of gas to a remote location. The 5 FLUENT code was also used to predict gas transport at microgravity conditions. The model demonstrated that buoyancy decreases the time to achieve higher gas concentrations between the parallel plates. As an example of the use of this methodology for a combustion scenario, the model was used to predict flame extinction in a blow-off case (i.e., rapid increase in strain rate) and localized flame extinction (i.e., flame shrinking) in a low-strain dilution case with carbon dioxide over time. The model predictions demonstrated the potential of this methodology with a Damköhler number for the prediction of extinction in three-dimensional environments.

Tese de mestrado. Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Civil - Especialização em Hidráulica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2012

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2010

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)

Cette étude porte sur l'utilisation conjointe (appelée ” couplage ”) de modèle de turbulence à grandes échelles LES (Large Eddy Simulation) et du modèle multiphasique VOF (Volume of Fluid). Cette utilisation conjointe est nécessaire dans de nombreuses applications industrielles comme celles de l'automobile où l'on recherche par exemple à évaluer les prestations diphasiques de l'auvent liées au phénomène d'entraînement et d'ingestion d'une nappe d'eau par le HVAC (système d'air conditionné). Cependant, l'utilisation conjointe de ces méthodes nécessite un traitement particulier de la turbulence proche de la surface liquide afin de reproduire convenablement la quantité de mouvement transmise depuis la phase gazeuse, motrice, jusque dans la phase liquide. Basée sur une approche numérique et expérimentale, notre étude est articulée autour de trois axes. Tout d'abord, le développement de techniques de mesures spécifiques pour l'étude expérimentale de notre problématique: le LeDaR pour mesurer les déformées d'une interface et la PIV d'interface afin d'accéder aux champs de vitesse et de turbulence dans chacune des deux phases. Le second axe est la constitution d'une base de données expérimentales sur une configuration de type jet impactant sur une surface liquide représentative des phénomènes rencontrés dans l'auvent. Enfin, le troisième axe de travail est l'évaluation des modèles existants dans le code Ansys Fluent et à partir de cette analyse le développement et la validation de modèles de couplage LES-VOF. L'évaluation des modèles développés a permis de valider une stratégie de calcul adaptée aux simulations de l'entraînement d'une surface d'eau par un écoulement d'air turbulent.

Ventilation systems are closely connected to indoor environment. In industrial spaces it has a major impact due to air quality and thermal comfort requirements, which leads into health and economy improvements. Confluent jets ventilation system has been assess in Söderhamn Eriksson, a machinery company located in Mariannelund, Sweden, since it has been proved as the best ventilation performance. Moreover this system is worthy for both heating and cooling purposes, although just heating case will be developed in this thesis. By means of modelling software such as Gambit and Airpak, the company’s case could have been analyzed via Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, i.e. Fluent. The analyzed models were accepted after a thorough study of meshing parameters, bearing in mind computational limitations. Every temperature data gathered from simulation results has been verified with infrared camera figures taken at the company, thus contributing to reach reliable conclusions. As it is inferred from previous papers and empiric theory, the flow field observed is also justified. Then, thermal comfort and air quality analysis relies on consistent facts. It has been found that current ventilation at the company is slightly misadjusted, since supplied air’s temperature and velocity are slightly off point. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce these values to reach better working environment.

This thesis has been a part of Forsmarks Kraftgrupp AB's evaluation of a turbulence model used in simulation of turbulent flow called PRNS (Partially Resolved Numerical Simulation). This model has promising properties and may be of use in saving computational resources. The purpose of this thesis was to analyze this model and compare it with industrially applied models such as k-omega SST and LES (Large Eddy Simulations). PRNS works as a hybrid of the k-omega SST and DNS (Direct Numerical Simulation) where a constant, RCP (Resolution Control Parameter) with a value between 0 and 1 are selected. This constant is then used in the calculations and determines the behavior of the simulation. When RCP is set to zero the equation are the same as for a DNS simulation and when RCP is set to one the equations for k-omega SST is solved. In this report four different PRNS models have been used, three where RCP was given a constant value (0.1, 0.4 and 0.6). In the fourth model RCP is calculated from the flow field variables The models have been compared to an experiment from 2008 and simulations have been made to resemble the experiment. In the experiment a Particle Image Velocimeter (PIV) was used as method of measurement. From the experimental report data such as velocity (U), turbulent kinetic energy (k) and standard deviation (URMS) have been obtained and have formed the basis for comparison. The models have been simulated in two different software programs: OpenFOAM and Fluent. The data have thereafter been post processed in the software programs MatLab and ParaView, to be compared with experimental data. The results of the simulations have shown that PRNS models generally show a good accordance with experimental data. In particular, PRNS models with constant RCP have shown good results, however, there are some discrepancies. The PRNS model with varying RCP has in most cases showed the largest deviation from experimental data but also a deviation from the other models, including the reference models. Due to the design of the mesh (coarse) further evaluation of the PRNS models will be needed. First, simulate with a finer mesh, but also more complex geometries should be simulated in order to sort out PRNS strengths and weaknesses and thus determine if the model can be used in the daily work at Forsmarks Kraftgrupp AB.

The present study aims to explore the dynamical behavior in the uniform flow by numerical method. The theoretical model is based on transient of continuity equation and momentum equation in CFD software: Fluent. With User Define Function¡]UDF¡^, we can simulate the Vortex-induced vibration¡]VIV¡^under the uniform flow by numerical method and plot the contour of amplitude and flow field under different Reynolds number. We will identify the accurate and capable of central difference method in UDF by comparing with the previous study. Also, we focus on whether the amplitude and flow situation will effect by uniform flow in different degrees or not. Furthermore, this study shows how the time step size and mesh effect the conclusion so that we could have the best choice on model.