In this dissertation, an experimental and numerical study of dense coarse solids-liquid flows has been performed. The experimental work mainly involved pressure drop measurements in a vertical flow loop. A limited number of measurements of solids velocity profiles were also obtained in the upward flow section of the flow loop. The numerical work involved simulations of coarse particles-in-water flows in vertical and horizontal pipes. The vertical flow simulations were performed using the commercial CFD software, ANSYS CFX-4.4, while ANSYS CFX-10 was used to simulate the flows in the horizontal pipes. The simulations were performed to investigate the applicability of current physically-based models to very dense coarse-particle flows.<p> In the experimental study, measurements of pressure drop and local solids velocity profiles were obtained. The experiments were conducted in a 53 mm diameter vertical flow loop using glass beads of 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm diameter solids for concentration up to 45%. The liquid phase was water. The measured pressure drop exhibited the expected dependence on bulk velocity and solids mean concentration. The wall shear stress was determined by subtracting the gravitational contribution from the measured pressure drop. For flow with the 0.5 mm particles at high bulk velocities, the values of the wall shear stress were essentially similar for each concentration in the upward flow sections but more variation, indicating the effect of concentration, was noted in the downward flow section. At lower bulk velocities, the wall shear stresses with the 0.5 mm glass beads-water flow showed a dependence on concentration in both test sections. This was attributed to an increase in the slip velocity. For the large particle (2.0 mm glass beads), similar observations were made but the effect of concentration was much less in the upward test section. In the downward test section, the wall shear stress for the flow of the 2.0 mm glass beads increased by almost a constant value for the bulk velocities investigated. The solids velocity profiles showed that the solids velocity gradient is large close to the wall. In addition, the solids velocity profiles indicated that the slip velocity increased at lower velocities due to increase in the bulk concentration in the upward flow section.<p> For the vertical flow simulations, different physical models based on the kinetic theory of granular flows were programmed and implemented in ANSYS CFX-4.4. These models, referred to as the kf-ef-ks-es, kf-ef-ks-es-Ts and kf-ef-ks-kfs models, were investigated by focusing on the closure laws for the solids-phase stress. The treatment of the granular temperature Ts depends on whether small- or large-scale fluctuating motion of the particles is considered. The models were implemented via user-Fortran routines. The predicted results were compared with available experimental results. The predicted solids-phase velocity profiles matched the measured data quite well close to the pipe wall but over-predicted it in the core region. The solids concentration, on the other hand, was significantly under-predicted for concentrations higher than 10%. Variations in the predictions of the phasic turbulent kinetic energy and the eddy viscosity were noted; the effect of solids concentration on them was mixed. A general conclusion drawn from the work is that a more accurate model is required for accurate and consistent prediction of coarse particle flows at high concentrations (less than 10%). In a related study, attention was given to wall boundary conditions again focusing on the effect of the solids-phase models at the wall. Comparison between numerical predictions, using some of the existing wall boundary condition models for the solids phase in particulate flows, with experimental results indicated that the physical understanding of the influence of the fluid and solids-phase on each other and their effect on frictional head loss is far from complete. The models investigated failed to reproduce the experimental results. At high solids concentration, it was apparent from the present study that the no-slip and free-slip wall boundary conditions are not appropriate for liquid-solid flows.<p> For the horizontal flow case, three-dimensional simulations were performed with a focus on the velocity and concentration distributions. Medium and coarse sand-in-water flows in three pipe diameters were considered to investigate the default solids stress models in ANSYS CFX-10. Simulations were performed for three cases by considering: 1) no additional solids-phase stress, i.e. no model for Ts; 2) a zero equation, and 3) an algebraic equilibrium model for the granular temperature. The model predictions were compared to experimental results. The effect of particle size, solids-phase concentration, and pipe diameter was explored using the algebraic equilibrium model. All the cases for the models considered exhibited the characteristic features of horizontal coarse particle slurry flows. The zero equation and the algebraic equilibrium model for the granular temperature produced similar results that were not significantly different from the prediction obtained when no solids-phase stress was considered. The comparison with experimental results was mixed. Locally, the measured solids-phase velocity distributions were over-predicted, whereas the solids concentration was reasonably reproduced in the core of all the pipes. The concentration at the bottom and top walls were over-, and under-predicted, respectively. This was attributed to the inappropriate phasic wall boundary condition models available.

No description available.

In this dissertation, an experimental and numerical study of dense coarse solids-liquid flows has been performed. The experimental work mainly involved pressure drop measurements in a vertical flow loop. A limited number of measurements of solids velocity profiles were also obtained in the upward flow section of the flow loop. The numerical work involved simulations of coarse particles-in-water flows in vertical and horizontal pipes. The vertical flow simulations were performed using the commercial CFD software, ANSYS CFX-4.4, while ANSYS CFX-10 was used to simulate the flows in the horizontal pipes. The simulations were performed to investigate the applicability of current physically-based models to very dense coarse-particle flows.<p> In the experimental study, measurements of pressure drop and local solids velocity profiles were obtained. The experiments were conducted in a 53 mm diameter vertical flow loop using glass beads of 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm diameter solids for concentration up to 45%. The liquid phase was water. The measured pressure drop exhibited the expected dependence on bulk velocity and solids mean concentration. The wall shear stress was determined by subtracting the gravitational contribution from the measured pressure drop. For flow with the 0.5 mm particles at high bulk velocities, the values of the wall shear stress were essentially similar for each concentration in the upward flow sections but more variation, indicating the effect of concentration, was noted in the downward flow section. At lower bulk velocities, the wall shear stresses with the 0.5 mm glass beads-water flow showed a dependence on concentration in both test sections. This was attributed to an increase in the slip velocity. For the large particle (2.0 mm glass beads), similar observations were made but the effect of concentration was much less in the upward test section. In the downward test section, the wall shear stress for the flow of the 2.0 mm glass beads increased by almost a constant value for the bulk velocities investigated. The solids velocity profiles showed that the solids velocity gradient is large close to the wall. In addition, the solids velocity profiles indicated that the slip velocity increased at lower velocities due to increase in the bulk concentration in the upward flow section.<p> For the vertical flow simulations, different physical models based on the kinetic theory of granular flows were programmed and implemented in ANSYS CFX-4.4. These models, referred to as the kf-ef-ks-es, kf-ef-ks-es-Ts and kf-ef-ks-kfs models, were investigated by focusing on the closure laws for the solids-phase stress. The treatment of the granular temperature Ts depends on whether small- or large-scale fluctuating motion of the particles is considered. The models were implemented via user-Fortran routines. The predicted results were compared with available experimental results. The predicted solids-phase velocity profiles matched the measured data quite well close to the pipe wall but over-predicted it in the core region. The solids concentration, on the other hand, was significantly under-predicted for concentrations higher than 10%. Variations in the predictions of the phasic turbulent kinetic energy and the eddy viscosity were noted; the effect of solids concentration on them was mixed. A general conclusion drawn from the work is that a more accurate model is required for accurate and consistent prediction of coarse particle flows at high concentrations (less than 10%). In a related study, attention was given to wall boundary conditions again focusing on the effect of the solids-phase models at the wall. Comparison between numerical predictions, using some of the existing wall boundary condition models for the solids phase in particulate flows, with experimental results indicated that the physical understanding of the influence of the fluid and solids-phase on each other and their effect on frictional head loss is far from complete. The models investigated failed to reproduce the experimental results. At high solids concentration, it was apparent from the present study that the no-slip and free-slip wall boundary conditions are not appropriate for liquid-solid flows.<p> For the horizontal flow case, three-dimensional simulations were performed with a focus on the velocity and concentration distributions. Medium and coarse sand-in-water flows in three pipe diameters were considered to investigate the default solids stress models in ANSYS CFX-10. Simulations were performed for three cases by considering: 1) no additional solids-phase stress, i.e. no model for Ts; 2) a zero equation, and 3) an algebraic equilibrium model for the granular temperature. The model predictions were compared to experimental results. The effect of particle size, solids-phase concentration, and pipe diameter was explored using the algebraic equilibrium model. All the cases for the models considered exhibited the characteristic features of horizontal coarse particle slurry flows. The zero equation and the algebraic equilibrium model for the granular temperature produced similar results that were not significantly different from the prediction obtained when no solids-phase stress was considered. The comparison with experimental results was mixed. Locally, the measured solids-phase velocity distributions were over-predicted, whereas the solids concentration was reasonably reproduced in the core of all the pipes. The concentration at the bottom and top walls were over-, and under-predicted, respectively. This was attributed to the inappropriate phasic wall boundary condition models available.

During the production and transportation of oil and gas, flow assurance issues may occur due to the solid deposits that are formed and carried by the flowing fluid. Solid deposition may cause serious damage and possible failure to production equipment in the flow lines. The major flow assurance problems that are faced in the fields are concerned with asphaltene, wax and scale deposition, as well as hydrate formations. Hydrates, wax and asphaltene deposition are mostly addressed in deep-water environments, where fluid flows through a long path with a wide range of pressure and temperature variations (Hydrates are generated at high pressure and low temperature conditions). In fact, a large change in the thermodynamic condition of the fluid yields phase instability and triggers solid deposit formations. In contrast, scales are formed in aqueous phase when some incompatible ions are mixed. Among the different flow assurance issues in hydrocarbon reservoirs, asphaltenes are the most complicated one. In fact, the difference in the nature of these molecules with respect to other hydrocarbon components makes this distinction. Asphaltene molecules are the heaviest and the most polar compounds in the crude oils, being insoluble in light n-alkenes and readily soluble in aromatic solvents. Asphaltene is attached to similarly structured molecules, resins, to become stable in the crude oils. Changing the crude oil composition and increasing the light component fractions destabilize asphaltene molecules. For instance, in some field situations, CO₂ flooding for the purpose of enhanced oil recovery destabilizes asphaltene. Other potential parameters that promote asphaltene precipitation in the crude oil streams are significant pressure and temperature variation. In fact, in such situations the entrainment of solid particulates in the flowing fluid and deposition on different zones of the flow line yields serious operational challenges and an overall decrease in production efficiency. The loss of productivity leads to a large number of costly remediation work during a well life cycle. In some cases up to $5 Million per year is the estimated cost of removing the blockage plus the production losses during downtimes. Furthermore, some of the oil and gas fields may be left abandoned prematurely, because of the significance of the damage which may cause loss about $100 Million. In this dissertation, we developed a robust wellbore model which is coupled to our in-house developed compositional reservoir model (UTCOMP). The coupled wellbore/reservoir simulator can address flow restrictions in the wellbore as well as the near-wellbore area. This simulator can be a tool not only to diagnose the potential flow assurance problems in the developments of new fields, but also as a tool to study and design an optimum solution for the reservoir development with different types of flow assurance problems. In addition, the predictive capability of this simulator can prescribe a production schedule for the wells that can never survive from flow assurance problems. In our wellbore simulator, different numerical methods such as, semi-implicit, nearly implicit, and fully implicit schemes along with blackoil and Equation-of-State compositional models are considered. The Equation-of-State is used as state relations for updating the properties and the equilibrium calculation among all the phases (oil, gas, wax, asphaltene). To handle the aqueous phase reaction for possible scales formation in the wellbore a geochemical software package (PHREEQC) is coupled to our simulator as well. The governing equations for the wellbore/reservoir model comprise mass conservation of each phase and each component, momentum conservation of liquid, and gas phase, energy conservation of mixture of fluids and fugacity equations between three phases and wax or asphaltene. The governing equations are solved using finite difference discretization methods. Our simulation results show that scale deposition is mostly initiated from the bottom of the wellbore and near-wellbore where it can extend to the upper part of the well, asphaltene deposition can start in the middle of the well and the wax deposition begins in the colder part of the well near the wellhead. In addition, our simulation studies show that asphaltene deposition is significantly affected by CO₂ and the location of deposition is changed to the lower part of the well in the presence of CO₂. Finally, we applied the developed model for the mechanical remediation and prevention procedures and our simulation results reveal that there is a possibility to reduce the asphaltene deposition in the wellbore by adjusting the well operation condition. / text

La compréhension des écoulements à bulles dans les centrales nucléaires demeure encore un élément limitant dans l’analyse des opérations et de la sûreté des installations. Pour ne citer qu’un exemple, l’amélioration de la durée de vie etde la performance des générateurs de vapeur nécessite d’appréhender les régimes d’écoulement au sein des tubes qui sont responsables de leur vibration. Cependant, pour simuler avec précision ces écoulements, les codes de simulation numérique doivent relever de nombreux défis parmi lesquels la capacité à simuler des inclusions ayant des tailles très variées. Dans cette thèse, une nouvelle approche, appelée approche multi-champ, est implémentée dans le code NEPTUNE_CFD, basé sur un modèle bi-fluide. Cette approche inclut une méthode de suivi d’interface pour les grandes structures déformables et prend en compte les effets liés à la turbulence et aux changements de phase.Pour simuler de tels écoulements complexes en limitant le coût CPU, l’approche multi-champ considère séparément les petites inclusions sphériques des grandes inclusions déformables. Ainsi, les petites structures sphériques sont définies via un champ eulérien dispersé évoluant au sein d’un champ continu porteur, comme c’est habituellement le cas avec le modèle bi-fluide. Les grosses bulles déformables sont considérées comme des interfaces entre deux champs continus, un champ liquide et un champ gaz. Si on prend l’exemple d’un écoulement diphasique avec de l’eau et des bulles d’air de différentes tailles, trois champs sont alors définis pour cet écoulement: un champ continu liquide, un champ continu gaz et un champ dispersé gaz contenant les petites bulles sphériques. Cependant, simuler avec précision des interfaces entre deux champscontinus avec le modèle bi-fluide nécessite le développement de traitements spécifiques afin de coupler les deux champs à l’interface et de limiter la diffusion de cette interface.Après avoir amélioré la simulation des interfaces dans des écoulements laminaires, les effets liés à la turbulence sont étudiés. Une étude a priori de simulations aux grandes échelles est proposée pour identifier les termes sous-mailles et comparer différents modèles de turbulence disponibles dans la littérature. L’implémentation et la validation du modèle de turbulence retenu suite à l’étude sont détaillées. Les changements de phase sont ensuite explorés via le développement d’un modèle spécifique pour le terme de transfert de masse. Pour finir, des simulations trois champs sont présentées. De nouveauxcritères sont définis pour modéliser la fragmentation des grandes inclusions déformables en petites bulles sphériques ainsi que la coalescence de ces dernières pour former de grandes bulles déformables.A chaque étape de l’implémentation des différents modèles évoqués, des validations basées sur des données analytiques et issues d’expériences sont présentées afin de s’assurer que les phénomènes physiques sont bien prédits. Des cas tests dans des configurations industrielles sont également détaillés pour montrer la capacité de l’approche développée à simuler des écoulements complexes / Bubbly flows occurring in nuclear power plants remain a major limiting phenomenon for the analysis of operation and safety. As an example, the improvement of steam generator lifetime and performance relies on the comprehension of flow regimes inside the tubes responsible for tube vibrations. However, to ensure an accurate simulation of these flows, theComputational Multi-Fluid Dynamics (CMFD) codes have to take up many challenges, among others the ability of dealing with a variety of inclusion sizes. The classical two-fluid model allows simulating small spherical inclusions but is not able to compute large deformable inclusions. Thus, in this thesis, a new approach, called the multifield approach, is implementedin the CMFD code NEPTUNE_CFD, based on a two-fluid model. This approach includes an interface tracking method for large and deformable structures and takes into account turbulence and phase change effects.To simulate such complex flows with reasonable computational costs, the multifield approach considers separately the small spherical inclusions and the large deformable ones. Thus, the small spherical structures are defined as a dispersed field evolving in a continuous carrier field, as usually done in the two-fluid model. The large deformable bubbles are considered as interfaces between two continuous phases treated as two different fields in the two-fluid model. In the example of a two-phase flow with water and air bubbles of different sizes, three fields are defined: a continuous liquid field, a continuous gas field and a dispersed gas field containing the small spherical bubbles. However, the accurate simulation of interfaces between the two continuous fields within the two-fluid model requires specific treatments to couple the two fields at the interface and to limit the interface smearing.After improving the interface simulation in laminar flows, turbulence effects are investigated. An a priori Large Eddy Simulation (LES) study is performed to identify the predominant subgrid terms and to compare different availableturbulence models. The implementation and validation of the most suitable model is proposed. Phase change interfaces are then explored with the development of a specific model for the mass transfer term. Finally, three fields simulations are performed. New criteria are defined for the breakup of the large deformable inclusions into small spherical bubbles and for the coalescence of the latter forming large deformable bubbles.Validation at each step of the models implementations are presented using analytical and experimental data to ensure that the physical phenomena are well predicted. Test cases in industrial configurations are finally performed to show the ability of the developed approach to deal with complex flows

[pt] O escoamento bifásico no regime de golfadas é um padrão de escoamento que requer esforço em sua caracterização e modelagem, devido às características marcantes da distribuição espacial das fases, que gera intermitência ao escoamento. Este escoamento ocorre na presença de uma grande faixa de vazões de gás e líquido, em tubulações de diâmetro médio e pequeno, com variação periódica da densidade, fração de vazio e pressões na seção transversal da tubulação. No presente trabalho estuda-se numericamente o regime de golfadas ao longo de tubulações horizontais utilizando-se o Modelo de Dois Fluidos. Uma análise detalhada das estatísticas do escoamento é realizada com a caracterização dos principais parâmetros de uma golfada, como comprimento, velocidade da frente e cauda e freqüência de passagem das golfadas ao longo da tubulação. Os dados obtidos das simulações são analisados através de histogramas de distribuição assim como de funções densidade de probabilidade (PDF) das variáveis hidrodinâmicas, destacando-se o caráter estocástico do escoamento no padrão de golfadas. Adicionalmente, comparações com dados de trabalhos experimentais da literatura foram realizadas com concordância muito boa. / [en] Slug flow is a two-phase flow pattern that requires large effort in its characterization and modeling, due to special characteristics of the phase’s spatial distribution, which causes flow intermittency. This flow occurs in a wide range of gas and liquid flow rates in pipes of medium and small diameters, with periodic variation of density, void fraction and pressures in pipe-cross-section. This work presents a numerical study of the slug regime through horizontal pipes using the Two-Fluid Model. A detailed statistical analysis of the flow was carried out with characterization of main slug parameters, such as slug length, front and tail velocities and slug frequency along the pipeline. The numerical results were analyzed through distribution histograms as well as probability density function (PDF) of the hydrodynamic variables, showing the stochastic characteristic of slug flow pattern. Further, comparisons with experimental data from the literature were performed, showing very good agreement.

La possibilité de produire de l'énergie en utilisant la fusion par confinement magnétique est un défi scientifique et technologique. La perspective d'ITER transmet des signaux forts afin d'intensifier les efforts de modélisation pour les plasmas de fusion. Le succès de la fusion est conditionnée par la qualité du confinement du plasma dans le cœur du réacteur et par le contrôle des flux de particules et de chaleur qui arrivent sur la paroi. Les deux phénomènes sont liés au transport turbulent. L'étude de ces phénomènes est d'autant plus compliquée que la géométrie magnétique est complexe. Cela nécessite une amélioration de notre capacité à développer des outils numériques capables de reproduire les propriétés du transport turbulent fiables.Cette thèse présente le modèle fluide du code TOKAM3X pour simuler plasma de bord turbulent. Une attention particulière a été portée sur la vérification et la validation de ce code, ce qui est une étape nécessaire avant d'utiliser un code comme un outil prédictif. Ensuite, de nouvelles études sur les propriétés physiques de la turbulence bord du plasma sont examinées. En particulier, les asymétries poloïdales induites par la turbulence et observées expérimentalement côté faible champ sont étudiées en détail. Un grand soin est dédié à la reproduction du scénario MISTRAL, qui consiste à changer la configuration magnétique et à en observer l'impact sur les flux parallèles dans le plan poloïdal. Les simulations reproduisent les mesures expérimentales et fournissent de nouvelles informations sur l'effet du point de contact plasma-paroi sur les caractéristiques de la turbulence, qui ne sont pas accessibles dans les expériences. / The possibility to produce power by using magnetically confined fusion is a scientific and technological challenge. The perspective of ITER conveys strong signals to intensify modeling effort on magnetized fusion plasmas. The success of the fusion operation is conditioned by the quality of plasma confinement in the core of the reactor and by the control of plasma exhaust on the wall. Both phenomena are related to turbulent cross-field transport that is at the heart of the notion of magnetic confinement studies, particle and heat losses. The study of edge phenomena is therefore complicated by a particularly complex magnetic geometry.This calls for an improvement of our capacity to develop numerical tools able to reproduce turbulent transport properties reliable to predict particle and energy fluxes on the plasma facing components. This thesis introduces the TOKAM3X fluid model to simulate edge plasma turbulence. A special focus is made on the code Verification and the Validation. It is a necessary step before using a code as a predictive tool. Then new insights on physical properties of the edge plasma turbulence are explored. In particular, the poloidal asymmetries induced by turbulence and observed experimentally in the Low-Field-Side of the devices are investigated in details. Great care is dedicated to the reproduction of the MISTRAL base case which consists in changing the magnetic configuration and observing the impact on parallel flows in the poloidal plane. The simulations recover experimental measurements and provide new insights on the effect of the plasma-wall contact position location on the turbulent features, which were not accessible in experiments.

La question de la propulsion spatiale a été un enjeu politique au coeur de la guerre froide et reste un enjeu stratégique de nos jours. La technologie chimique déjà en place sur les moteurs fusées s'avère être limitée par la vitesse d'éjection et la durée de vie des appareils. La propulsion électrique et plus particulièrement le moteur à effet Hall apparait ainsi comme la technologie la plus performante et la plus utilisée pour diriger un satellite dans l'espace. Cependant, la physique à l'intérieur d'un propulseur étant complexe, de par les champs électromagnétiques ou les processus de collisions importants, toutes les particularités de fonctionnement du moteur ne sont pas parfaitement expliquées. Au bout de centaines d'heures d'essais, certains prototypes voient leur paroi s'éroder de façon anormale et des instabilités électromagnétiques se développent au sein de la chambre d'ionisation. La mobilité des électrons mesurée est en contradiction avec les modèles analytiques et soulèvent des problématiques sur la physique du plasma à l'intérieur de ces moteurs. Par conséquent, le code AVIP a été développé afin de proposer un code 3D massivement parallèle et non-structuré à Safran Aircraft Engines modélisant le plasma instationnaire à l'intérieur du propulseur. Des méthodes lagrangiennes et eulériennes sont utilisées et intégrées dans le code et mon travail s'est concentré sur le développement d'un modèle fluide, étant plus rapide et donc mieux adapté à la conception et au design industriel. Le modèle fluide est basé sur un modèle aux moments avec une expression rigoureuse des termes de collisions et une description précise des conditions limites pour les gaines. Ce modèle a été implémenté numériquement dans un formalisme non structuré et optimisé de façon à être performant sur les nouvelles architectures de calcul. La modélisation retenue et les efforts d'optimisation ont permis de réaliser un calcul réel de moteur à effet Hall afin de retrouver les propriétés globales de fonctionnement telles que l'accélération des ions ou encore la localisation de la zone d'ionisation. Un second cas d'application a finalement reproduit avec succès les instabilités azimutales dans le propulseur avec un modèle fluide et a justifié le rôle de ces instabilités dans le transport anormal des électrons et l'érosion des parois / The space propulsion has been a political issue in the midst of the Cold War and remains nowadays a strategic and industrial issue. The chemical propulsion on rocket engines is limited by its ejection velocity and its lifetime. Electric propulsion and more particularly Hall effect thrusters appear then as the most powerful and used technology for space satellite operation. The physic inside a thruster is complex because of the electromagnetic fields and important collision processes. Therefore, all specificities of the engine operation are not perfectly understood. After hundreds of hours of tests, thruster walls are curiously eroded and electromagnetic instabilities are developping within the ionization chamber. The measured electron mobility is in contradiction with the analytical models and raises issues on the plasma behavior inside the discharg chamber. As a result, the AVIP code was developed to provide a massively parallel and unstructured 3D code to Safran Aircraft Engines modeling unsteady plasma inside the thruster. Lagrangian and Eulerian methods are used and integrated in the solver and my work has focused on the development of a fluid model which is faster and therefore better suited to industrial conception. The model is based on a set of equations for neutrals, ions and electrons without drift-diffusion hypothesis, combined with a Poisson equation to describe the electric potential. A rigorous expression of collision terms and a precise description of the boundary conditions for sheaths have been established. This model has been implemented numerically in an unstructured formalism and optimized to obtain good performances on new computing architectures. The model and the numerical implementation allow us to perform a real Hall effect thruster simulation. Overall operating properties such as the acceleration of the ions or the location of the ionization zone are captured. Finally, a second application has successfully reproduced azimuthal instabilities in the Hall thruster with the fluid model and justified the role of these instabilities in the anomalous electron transport and in theerosion of the walls

The positive column of the oxygen and argon-oxygen direct current glow discharge was investigated using a fluid plasma model at pressures around hundreds of pascals and discharge currents from ten to forty miliampers. The model describes the infinitely long positive column in cylindrical discharge tube. It is based on the continuity equation for particle concentration with the collisional right hand side. The model utilises the drift-diffusion approximation of particle flux and the mean-electron-energy approximation for the description of the electron interaction. The radial profile of particle concentration and interaction with the glass wall of the discharge tube is taken into account. The model predicts the electric field and the particle concentration in the positive column. The simulation results were compared with the measured intensity of electric field strength in the oxygen and argon-oxygen mixture. The impact of discharge conditions, like the pressure and gas composition, on the properties of the positive column was investigated. The model confirmed that the strength of longitudinal electric field at medium pressures is about 40 V/cm in oxygen, molecular gas, and it is about 3 V/cm in argon, noble gas.

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. / <p>QC 20170224</p>