Showing papers in "International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow in 2018"

Numerical solutions for the Robin time-fractional partial differential equations of heat and fluid flows based on the reproducing kernel algorithm

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to introduce the reproducing kernel algorithm for treating classes of time-fractional partial differential equations subject to Robin boundary conditions with parameters derivative arising in fluid flows, fluid dynamics, groundwater hydrology, conservation of energy, heat conduction and electric circuit.,The method provides appropriate representation of the solutions in convergent series formula with accurately computable components. This representation is given in the W(Ω) and H(Ω) inner product spaces, while the computation of the required grid points relies on the R(y,s) (x, t) and r(y,s) (x, t) reproducing kernel functions.,Numerical simulation with different order derivatives degree is done including linear and nonlinear terms that are acquired by interrupting the n-term of the exact solutions. Computational results showed that the proposed algorithm is competitive in terms of the quality of the solutions found and is very valid for solving such time-fractional models.,Future work includes the application of the reproducing kernel algorithm to highly nonlinear time-fractional partial differential equations such as those arising in single and multiphase flows. The results will be published in forthcoming papers.,The study included a description of fundamental reproducing kernel algorithm and the concepts of convergence, and error behavior for the reproducing kernel algorithm solvers. Results obtained by the proposed algorithm are found to outperform in terms of accuracy, generality and applicability.,Developing analytical and numerical methods for the solutions of time-fractional partial differential equations is a very important task owing to their practical interest.,This study, for the first time, presents reproducing kernel algorithm for obtaining the numerical solutions of some certain classes of Robin time-fractional partial differential equations. An efficient construction is provided to obtain the numerical solutions for the equations, along with an existence proof of the exact solutions based upon the reproducing kernel theory.

Stagnation-point flow of an aqueous titania-copper hybrid nanofluid toward a wavy cylinder

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate analytically the steady general three-dimensional stagnation-point flow of an aqueous titania-copper hybrid nanofluid past a circular cylinder that has a sinusoidal radius variation. Design/methodology/approach First, the analytic modeling of hybrid nanofluid is presented, and using appropriate similarity variables, the governing equations are transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations in the dimensionless stream function, which is solved by the well-known function bvp4c from MATLAB. Findings The current solution demonstrates good agreement with those of the previously published studies in the special cases of regular fluid and nanofluids. Graphical results are presented to investigate the influences of the titania and copper nanoparticle volume fractions and also the nodal/saddle indicative parameter on flow and heat transfer characteristics. Here, the thermal characteristics of hybrid nanofluid are found to be higher in comparison to the base fluid and fluid containing single nanoparticles. An important point to note is that the developed model can be used with great confidence to study the flow and heat transfer of hybrid nanofluids. Originality/value Analytic modeling of hybrid nanofluid is the important originality of present study. Hybrid nanofluids are potential fluids that offer better heat transfer performance and thermophysical properties than convectional heat transfer fluids (oil, water and ethylene glycol) and nanofluids with single nanoparticles. In this investigation, titania (TiO2, 50 nm), copper (Cu, 20 nm) and the hybrid of these two are separately dispersed into the water as the base fluid and analyzed.

MHD natural convection and entropy analysis of a nanofluid inside T-shaped baffled enclosure

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to numerically study MHD natural convection and entropy generation of Al2O3-water alumina nanofluid inside of T-shaped baffled cavity which is subjected to a magnetic field. Design/methodology/approach Effect of various geometrical, fluid and flow factors such as aspect ratio of enclosure and baffle length, Rayleigh and Hartmann number of nanofluid have been considered in detail. The hydrodynamics and thermal indexes of nanofluid have been described using streamlines, isotherms and isentropic lines. Findings It is found that by enhancing Hartmann number, symmetrical streamlines gradually lose symmetry and their values decline. It is found that by enhancing Hartmann number, symmetrical streamlines gradually lose symmetry and their values decline. The interesting finding is an increase in the impact of Hartmann number on heat transfer indexes with augmenting Rayleigh number. However, with augmenting Rayleigh number and, thus, strengthening the buoyant forces, the efficacy of Hartmann number one, an index indicating the simultaneous impact of natural heat transfer to entropy generation increases. It is clearly seen that the efficacy of nanofluid on increased Nusselt number enhances with increasing aspect ratio of the enclosure. Based on the results, the Nusselt number generally enhances with the larger baffle length in the enclosure. Finally, with larger Hartmann number and lesser Nusselt one, entropy production is reduced. Originality/value The authors believe that all the results, both numerical and asymptotic, are original and have not been published elsewhere.

Effects of cavity and heat source aspect ratios on natural convection of a nanofluid in a C-shaped cavity using Lattice Boltzmann method

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to consider natural convection of a nanofluid inside of a C-shaped cavity using Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM).,Effects of some geometry and flow parameters consisting of the aspect ratio of the cavity, aspect ratio of the heat source; Rayleigh number (Ra = 103 − 106) have been investigated. The validity of the method is checked by comparing the present results with ones from the previously published work.,The results demonstrate that for Ra = 103, the aspect ratio of the heat source has more influence on the average Nusselt number in contrast to the case of Ra = 106. Contrary to the fact that the average Nusselt number increases non-linearly more than twice because of the increase of the aspect ratio of the enclosure at Ra = 103, the average Nusselt number has a linear relation with the aspect ratio for of Ra = 106. Therefore, upon increasing the Rayleigh number, the efficiency of the aspect ratio of the cavity on the thermal convection, gradually diminishes.,The authors believe that all the results, both numerical and asymptotic, are original and have not been published elsewhere.

MHD natural convection of Cu/H2O nanofluid in a horizontal semi-cylinder with a local triangular heater

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate free convection of copper-water nanofluid in an upper half of circular horizontal cylinder with a local triangular heater under the effects of uniform magnetic field and cold cylinder shell using control volume finite element method (CVFEM). Design/methodology/approach Governing equations formulated in dimensionless stream function, vorticity and temperature variables using the single-phase nanofluid model with Brinkman correlation for the effective dynamic viscosity and Hamilton and Crosser model for the effective thermal conductivity have been solved numerically by CVFEM. Findings The impacts of control parameters such as the Rayleigh number, Hartmann number, nanoparticles volume fraction, local triangular heater size, shape factor on streamlines and isotherms as well as local and average Nusselt numbers have been examined. The outcomes indicate that the average Nusselt number is an increasing function of the Rayleigh number, shape factor and nanoparticles volume fraction, while it is a decreasing function of the Hartmann number. Originality/value A complete study of the free convection of copper-water nanofluid in an upper half of circular horizontal cylinder with a local triangular heater under the effects of uniform magnetic field and cold cylinder shell using CVFEM is addressed.

Numerical simulation of Fe3O4-water nanofluid flow in a non-Darcy porous media

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to investigate non-Darcy magnetohydrodynamic nanofluid flow in a uniformly porous medium. It is assumed that viscosity of nanofluid (Fe3O4-water) is a function of external magnetic field. Roles of Darcy number, inclination angle, volume fraction of nanofluid, Hartmann and Rayleigh numbers are demonstrated graphically. Design/methodology/approach The problem is modeled, and simulation has been done by means of control volume base finite element method. Findings Results proved that Nusselt number enhances with augment of buoyancy forces and Darcy number while it decreases with the increase of Lorentz forces. Isotherms become denser near the inner cylinder with increase of inclination angle and the Darcy number. Originality/value As per the authors’ knowledge, this problem is new and not been published before.

Heat and mass transfer characteristics of MHD three-dimensional flow over a stretching sheet filled with water-based alumina nanofluid

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to understand the influence of velocity slip, nanoparticle volume fraction, chemical reaction and non-linear thermal radiation on MHD three-dimensional heat and mass transfer boundary layer flow over a stretching sheet filled with water-based alumina nanofluid. To get more meaningful results, the authors have taken nonlinear thermal radiation in the heat transfer process. Design/methodology/approach Suitable similarity variables are introduced to convert governing partial differential equations into the set of ordinary differential equations, and are solved numerically using a versatile, extensively validated finite element method with Galerkin’s weighted residual simulation. The velocity, temperature and concentration profiles of nanoparticles as well as skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number and Sherwood number for different non-dimensional parameters such as volume fraction, magnetic, radiation and velocity slip parameters as well as the Prandtl number are examined in detail, and are presented through plots and tables. Findings It is noticed that the rate of heat transfer enhances with higher values of nanoparticle volume fraction parameter. It is worth mentioning that the heat transfer rates improve as the values of increase. Increasing values of M, R, θw and β decelerates the thickness of the thermal boundary layer in the fluid regime. The heat transfer rates decelerate as the values of suction parameter increase. Originality/value The authors have written this paper based on the best of their knowledge on heat and mass transfer analysis of nanofluids. The information in this paper is new and not copied from any other sources.

Effects of moving wall on the flow of micropolar fluid inside a right angle triangular cavity

Abstract: Purpose The main purpose of this study is to examine the effects of moving wall on the mixed convection flow and heat transfer in a right-angle triangular cavity filled with a micropolar fluid. Design/methodology/approach It is assumed that the bottom wall is uniformly heated and the right inclined wall is cold, whereas the vertical wall is adiabatic and moving with upward/downward velocity v0/−v0, respectively. The micropolar fluid is considered to satisfy the Boussinesq approximation. The governing equations and boundary conditions are solved using the Galerkin finite element method. The Penalty method is used to eliminate the pressure term from the momentum equations. To accomplish the consistent solution, the value of the penalty parameter is taken 107. The simulations are performed for a wide range of Richardson number, micropolar parameter, Prandtl number and Reynolds number. Findings The results are presented in the form of streamlines, isotherms and variations of average Nusselt number and fluid flow rate depending on the Richardson number, Prandtl number, micropolar parameter and direction of the moving wall. The flow field and temperature distribution in the cavity are affected by these parameters. An average Nusselt number into the cavity in both cases increase with increasing Prandtl and Richardson numbers and decreases with increasing micropolar parameter, and it has a maximum value when the lid is moving in the downward direction for all the physical parameters. Research limitations/implications The present investigation is conducted for the steady, two-dimensional mixed convective flow in a right-angle triangular cavity filled with micropolar fluid. An extension of the present study with the effects of cavity inclination, square cavity, rectangular, trapezoidal and wavy cavity will be the interest of future work. Originality/value This work studies the effects of moving wall, micropolar parameter, Richardson number, Prandtl number and Reynolds number parameter in a right-angle triangular cavity filled with a micropolar fluid on the fluid flow and heat transfer. This study might be useful to flows of biological fluids in thin vessels, polymeric suspensions, liquid crystals, slurries, colloidal suspensions, exotic lubricants, solar engineering for construction of triangular solar collector, construction of thermal insulation structure and geophysical fluid mechanics, etc.

Natural convection combined with thermal radiation in a square cavity filled with a viscoelastic fluid

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to study natural convective heat transfer and viscoelastic fluid flow in a differentially heated square cavity under the effect of thermal radiation.,The cavity filled with a viscoelastic fluid is heated uniformly from the left wall and cooled from the right side while insulated from horizontal walls. Governing partial differential equations formulated in non-dimensional stream function, vorticity and temperature with corresponding boundary conditions have been solved by finite difference method of second order accuracy. The effects of Rayleigh number (Ra = 1e+3−1e+5), radiation parameter (Rd = 0 − 10), Prandtl number (Pr = 1 − 30) and elastic number (E = 0.0001 − 0.001) on flow patterns, temperature fields, average Nusselt number at hot vertical wall and rate of fluid flow have been studied.,It has been found that a growth of elastic number leads to the heat transfer reduction and convective flow attenuation. The heat conduction is a dominating heat transfer mechanism for high values of radiation parameter.,The originality of this work is to analyze heat transfer and fluid flow of a viscoelastic fluid inside a differentially heated cavity. The results would benefit scientists and engineers to become familiar with the flow and heat behavior of non-Newtonian fluids, and the way to predict the properties of this flow for possibility of using viscoelastic fluids in compact heat exchangers, electronic cooling systems, polymer engineering, etc.

The influence of thermal radiation on unsteady free convection in inclined enclosures filled by a nanofluid with sinusoidal boundary conditions

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study is a numerical analysis of transient natural convection in an inclined square cavity filled with an alumina-water nanofluid under the effects of sinusoidal wall temperature and thermal radiation by using a single-phase nanofluid model with empirical correlations for effective viscosity and thermal conductivity. Design/methodology/approach The domain of interest includes the nanofluid-filled cavity with a sinusoidal temperature distribution along the left vertical wall. Horizontal walls are supposed to be adiabatic, while right vertical wall is kept at constant low temperature. Temperature of left wall varies sinusoidally along y-coordinate. It is assumed in the analysis that the thermophysical properties of the fluid are independent of temperature and the flow is laminar. The governing equations have been discretized using the finite difference method with the uniform grid. Simulations have been carried out for different values of the Rayleigh number, cavity inclination angle, nanoparticles volume fraction and radiation parameter. Findings It has been found that a growth of radiation parameter leads to the heat transfer enhancement and convective flow intensification. At the same time, an inclusion of nanoparticles illustrates a reduction in the average Nusselt number and fluid flow rate. Originality/value The originality of this work is to analyze unsteady natural convection in a square cavity filled with a water-based nanofluid in the presence of a sinusoidal temperature distribution along one wall. The results would benefit scientists and engineers to become familiar with the analysis of convective heat and mass transfer in nanofluids and the way to predict the properties of nanofluid convective flow in advanced technical systems, in industrial sectors including transportation, power generation, chemical sectors, electronics, etc.

Unsteady MHD boundary layer flow of tangent hyperbolic two-phase nanofluid of moving stretched porous wedge

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to address the thermo-physical impacts of unsteady magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) boundary layer flow of non-Newtonian tangent hyperbolic nanofluid past a moving stretching wedge. To delineate the nanofluid, the boundary conditions for normal fluxes of the nanoparticle volume fraction are chosen to be vanish.,The local similarity transformation is implemented to reformulate the governing PDEs into coupled non-linear ODEs of higher order. Then, numerical solution is obtained for the simplified governing equations with the aid of finite difference technique.,Numerical calculations point out that pressure gradient parameter leads to improve all skin friction coefficient, rate of heat transfer and absolute value of rate of nanoparticle concentration. As well as, lager values of Weissenberg number tend to upgrade the skin friction coefficient, while power law index and velocity ratio parameter reduce the skin friction coefficient. Again, the horizontal velocity component enhances with upgrading power law index, unsteadiness parameter, velocity ratio parameter and Darcy number and it reduces with rising values of Weissenberg number.,A numerical treatment of unsteady MHD boundary layer flow of tangent hyperbolic nanofluid past a moving stretched wedge is obtained. The problem is original.

Transient natural convection in a partially open trapezoidal cavity filled with a water-based nanofluid under the effects of Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study about the natural convection of water-based nanofluid in a partially open trapezoidal cavity under the influence of Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis. Design/methodology/approach Governing equations formulated in dimensionless stream function – vorticity variables – have been solved by finite difference method with a homemade code C++. Effects of Rayleigh number (Ra = 50-1,000), Lewis number (Le = 10-1,000), buoyancy-ratio parameter (Nr = 0.1-5.0), Brownian motion parameter (Nb = 0.1, 1.0) and thermophoresis parameter (Nt = 0.1, 1.0) on nanofluid flow and heat transfer have been studied. Findings It is found that high values of Rayleigh and Lewis numbers lead to the homogenization of nanoparticles distributions. For high values of Nt and Nb, heating is more essential and the cavity average temperature rises. Originality/value The originality of this work is to analyze natural convection in an open-sided trapezoidal cavity with Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis.

Improved wall boundary conditions in the incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve the 2D incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) method by working on the wall boundary conditions in ISPH method. Here, two different wall boundary conditions in ISPH method including dummy wall particles and analytical kernel renormalization wall boundary conditions have been discussed in details. Design/methodology/approach The ISPH algorithm based on the projection method with a divergence velocity condition with improved boundary conditions has been adapted. Findings The authors tested the current ISPH method with the improved boundary conditions by a lid-driven cavity for different Reynolds number 100 ≤ Re ≤ 1,000. The results are well validated with the benchmark problems. Originality/value In the case of dummy wall boundary particles, the homogeneous Newman boundary condition was applied in solving the linear systems of pressure Poisson equation. In the case of renormalization wall boundary conditions, the authors analytically computed the renormalization factor and its gradient based on a quintic kernel function.

A numerical study on unsteady natural/mixed convection in a cavity with fixed and moving rigid bodies using the ISPH method

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to conduct numerical simulations of unsteady natural/mixed convection in a cavity with fixed and moving rigid bodies and different boundary conditions using the incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) method. Design/methodology/approach In the ISPH method, the pressure evaluation is stabilized by including both of divergence of velocity and density invariance in solving pressure Poisson equation. The authors prevented the particles anisotropic distributions by using the shifting technique. Findings The proposed ISPH method exhibited good performance in natural/mixed convection in a cavity with fixed, moving and free-falling rigid body. In natural convection, the authors investigated the effects of an inner sloshing baffle as well as fixed and moving circular cylinders on the heat transfer and fluid flow. The heated baffle has higher effects on the heat transfer rate compared to a cooled baffle. In the mixed convection, a free-falling circular cylinder over a free surface cavity and heat transfer in the presence of a circular cylinder in a lid-driven cavity are simulated. Fixed or moving rigid body in a cavity results in considerable effects on the heat transfer rate and fluid flow. Originality/value The authors conducted numerical simulations of unsteady natural/mixed convection in a cavity with fixed and moving rigid bodies and different boundary conditions using the ISPH method.

Effects of two-phase nanofluid model on natural convection in a square cavity in the presence of an adiabatic inner block and magnetic field

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to study problem of conjugate MHD natural convection of Al2O3-water nanofluid in a square cavity with conductive inner block using Buongiorno’s two-phase model numerically,An isothermal heater is placed on the left wall of the square cavity, while the right wall is maintained at a constant cold temperature The horizontal top and bottom walls are kept adiabatic The boundaries of the annulus are assumed to be impermeable, the fluid within the cavity is a water-based nanofluid having Al2O3 nanoparticles The Boussinesq approximation is applicable The governing equations subject to the boundary conditions are solved using the finite difference method,Numerical results are presented graphically in the form of streamlines, isotherms and nanoparticles distributions as well as the local and average Nusselt numbers The results show that the effect of the nanoparticles addition on the average Nusselt number is essential for low Rayleigh, high Hartmann and high values of length ratio when attenuated the convective flow,According to exist studies and to the authors’ best knowledge, so far, there have been no studies of conjugate natural convection of Al2O3-water nanofluid in a square cavity with a conductive inner block using Buongiorno’s two-phase model with the effect of the magnetic field Thus, the authors believe that this work is new and valuable The aim of this study is to investigate the MHD natural convection of Al2O3-water nanofluid in a square cavity with conductive inner block using Buongiorno’s two-phase model

Darcy-Forchheimer flow of nanofluid in a rotating frame

Abstract: Purpose The aim of this study is to elaborate three dimensional rotating flow of nanoliquid induced by a stretchable sheet subject to Darcy–Forchheimer porous space. Thermophoretic diffusion and random motion aspects are retained. Prescribed surface heat flux and prescribed surface mass flux conditions are implemented at stretchable surface. Convergent series solutions have been derived for velocities, temperature and concentration. Design/methodology/approach Optimal homotopy analysis method is implemented for the solution development. Findings The current solution demonstrates very good agreement with those of the previously published studies in the special cases of regular fluid and nanofluids. Graphical results are presented to investigate the influences of the titania and copper nanoparticle volume fractions and also the nodal/saddle indicative parameter on flow and heat transfer characteristics. Here, the thermal characteristics of hybrid nanofluid are found to be higher in comparison to the base fluid and fluid containing single nanoparticles, respectively. An important point to note is that the developed model can be used with great confidence to study the flow and heat transfer of hybrid nanofluids. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such consideration has been given in the literature yet.

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of free convection in nanofluid filled cavity with partially active walls – entropy generation and heatline visualization

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to perform the lattice Boltzmann simulation of natural convection heat transfer in cavities included with active hot and cold walls at the side walls and internal hot and cold obstacles. Design/methodology/approach The cavity is filled with double wall carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs)-water nanofluid. Different approaches such as local and total entropy generation, local and average Nusselt number and heatline visualization are used to analyze the natural convection heat transfer. The cavity is filled with DWCNTs-water nanofluid and the thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity are measured experimentally at different solid volume fractions of 0.01 per cent, 0.02 per cent, 0.05 per cent, 0.1 per cent, 0.2 per cent and 0.5 per cent and at a temperature range of 300 to 340 (K). Findings Two sets of correlations for these parameters based on temperature and solid volume fraction are developed and used in the numerical simulations. The influences of different governing parameters such as Rayleigh number, solid volume fraction and different arrangements of active walls on the fluid flow, heat transfer and entropy generation are presented, comprehensively. It is found that the different arrangements of active walls have pronounced influence on the flow structure and heat transfer performance. Furthermore, the Nusselt number has direct relationship with Rayleigh number and solid volume fraction. On the other hand, the total entropy generation has direct and reverse relationship with Rayleigh number and solid volume fraction, respectively. Originality/value The originality of this work is to analyze the two-dimensional natural convection using lattice Boltzmann method and different approaches such as entropy generation and heatline visualization.

Natural convection in a rectangular cavity filled with nanofluids: Effect of variable viscosity

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to develop a numerical study of the steady natural convection in a rectangular cavity filled with the CuO–water-based nanofluid. It is assumed that the viscosity of nanofluids depends on the temperature and on the nanofluids volume fraction. Design/methodology/approach The mathematical nanofluid model has been formulated on the basis of the model proposed by Buongiorno (2006). The system of partial differential equations is written in terms of a dimensionless stream function, vorticity, temperature and the volume fraction of the nanoparticles, and is solved numerically using the finite difference method for different values of the governing parameters. Findings It is found that both fluid flow and heat transfer coefficient are affected by the considered parameters. Thus, the Nusselt number is slowly increasing with increasing volume fraction from 2 per cent to 5 per cent and it is more pronounced increasing with increasing Rayleigh number from 103 to 105. Originality/value Buongiorno’s (2006) nanofluid model has been applied for the flow with the characteristics as mentioned in the paper. A comprehensive survey on the behavior of flow and heat transfer characteristics has been presented. All plots presented in the paper are new and are not reported in any other study.

Numerical analysis on thermal performance of cooling plates with wavy channels in PEM fuel cells

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the thermal performance of the cooling plates with conventional straight channel and wavy channel designs Design/methodology/approach: A three-dimensional model involving coupled fluid flow and heat transfer processes is developed to study the thermal performance of the cooling plates The effects of wavelength and amplitude on the cooling performance are also studied In addition, two novel wavy channels with varying wavelength are proposed and investigated Findings: The simulated results are compared in terms of pressure drop, average temperature, maximum surface temperature, temperature difference between the maximum temperature and minimum temperature and surface temperature uniformity index It is concluded that the cooling performance is significantly improved by the wavy channel Practical implications: The current study can improve the understanding of transport characterization of the cooling plates with wavy channel design and provide guidelines for the design of cooling plates Originality/value: The design of cooling plates with wavy channels can be used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells to improve the cooling performance (Less)

Numerical simulation of two-phase flow regime in horizontal pipeline and its validation

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate oil-gas slug formation in horizontal straight pipe and its associated pressure gradient, slug liquid holdup and slug frequency. Design/methodology/approach: The abrupt change in gas/liquid velocities, which causes transition of flow patterns, was analyzed using incompressible volume of fluid method to capture the dynamic gas-liquid interface. The validity of present model and its methodology was validated using Baker�s flow regime chart for 3.15 inches diameter horizontal pipe and with existing experimental data to ensure its correctness. Findings: The present paper proposes simplified correlations for liquid holdup and slug frequency by comparison with numerous existing models. The paper also identified correlations that can be used in operational oil and gas industry and several outlier models that may not be applicable. Research limitations/implications: The correlation may be limited to the range of material properties used in this paper. Practical implications: Numerically derived liquid holdup and holdup frequency agreed reasonably with the experimentally derived correlations. Social implications: The models could be used to design pipeline and piping systems for oil and gas production. Originality/value: The paper simulated all the seven flow regimes with superior results compared to existing methodology. New correlations derived numerically are compared to published experimental correlations to understand the difference between models. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Numerical simulation of transient flow field in a mixed-flow pump during starting period

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to study the transient flow characteristics in a mixed-flow pump during the start-up period. Design/methodology/approach In this study, numerical calculation of the internal flow field in a mixed-flow pump using the sliding mesh method was carried out. The regulation of the pressure, streamline and the relative speed during the start-up period was analyzed. Findings The trend of the simulated head is consistent with the experimental results, and the calculated head is around 0.3 m higher than the experimental head when the rotation speed reached the stable stage, indicating that the numerical method for the start-up process simulation of the mixed-flow pump has a high accuracy. At the beginning, the velocity inside the impeller changes little along the radius direction and the flow rate increases slowly during the start-up process. As the rotation speed reached the stable stage, the flow inside the impeller became steady, the vortex reduced and transient effects disappeared gradually. Originality/value The study results have significant value for revealing the internal unsteady flow characteristics of the mixed-flow pump and providing the reference for the design optimization of the mixed-flow pump.

Modelling electro-osmotic flow in porous media: a review

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to provide a comprehensive literature review on modelling electro-osmotic flow in porous media Design/methodology/approach Modelling electro-osmosis in fluid systems without solid particles has been firstly introduced Then, after a brief description of the existing approaches for porous media modelling, EOF in porous media has been considered by analysing the main contributions to the development of this topic Findings The analysis of literature has highlighted the absence of an universal model to analyse electro-osmosis in porous media, whereas many different methods and assumptions are used Originality/value For the first time, the existing approaches for modelling electro-osmotic flow in porous have been collected and analysed in order to provide detailed indications for future works concerning this topic

Solving a mixture model of two-phase flow with velocity non-equilibrium using WENO wavelet methods

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this work is to present the implementation of weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) wavelet methods for solving multiphase flow problems. The particular interest is gas–liquid two-phase mixture with velocity non-equilibrium. Numerical simulations are carried out on different scenarios of one-dimensional Riemann problems for gas–liquid flows. Results are validated and qualitatively compared with solutions provided by other standard numerical methods. Design/methodology/approach This paper extends the framework of WENO wavelet adaptive method to a fully hyperbolic two-phase flow model in a conservative form. The grid adaptivity in each time step is provided by the application of a thresholded interpolating wavelet transform. This facilitates the construction of a small yet effective sparse point representation of the solution. The method of Lax–Friedrich flux splitting is used to resolve the spatial operator in which the flux derivatives are approximated by the WENO scheme. Findings Hyperbolic models of two-phase flow in conservative form are efficiently solved, as shocks and rarefaction waves are precisely captured by the chosen methodology. Substantial computational gains are obtained through the grid reduction feature while maintaining the quality of the solutions. The results indicate that WENO wavelet methods are robust and sufficient to accurately simulate gas–liquid mixtures. Originality/value Resolution of two-phase flows is rarely studied using WENO wavelet methods. It is the first time such a study on the relative velocity is reported in two-phase flows using such methods.

Morphing airfoils analysis using dynamic meshing

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to use dynamic meshing to perform CFD analyses of a NACA 0012 airfoil fitted with a morphing trailing edge (TE) flap when it undergoes static and time-dependent morphing. The steady CFD predictions of the original and morphing airfoils are validated against published data. The study also investigates an airfoil with a hinged TE flap for aerodynamic performance comparison. The study further extends to an unsteady CFD analysis of a dynamically morphing TE flap for proof-of-concept and also to realise its potential for future applications.,An existing parametrization method was modified and implemented in a user-defined function (UDF) to perform dynamic meshing which is essential for morphing airfoil unsteady simulations. The results from the deformed mesh were verified to ensure the validity of the adopted mesh deformation method. ANSYS Fluent software was used to perform steady and unsteady analysis and the results were compared with computational predictions.,Steady computational results are in good agreement with those from OpenFOAM for a non-morphing airfoil and for a morphed airfoil with a maximum TE deflection equal to 5 per cent of the chord. The results obtained by ANSYS Fluent show that an average of 6.5 per cent increase in lift-to-drag ratio is achieved, compared with a hinged flap airfoil with the same TE deflection. By using dynamic meshing, unsteady transient simulations reveal that the local flow field is influenced by the morphing motion.,An airfoil parametrisation method was modified to introduce time-dependent morphing and used to drive dynamic meshing through an in-house-developed UDF. The morphed airfoil’s superior aerodynamic performance was demonstrated in comparison with traditional hinged TE flap. A methodology was developed to perform unsteady transient analysis of a morphing airfoil at high angles of attack beyond stall and to compare with published data. Unsteady predictions have shown signs of rich flow features, paving the way for further research into the effects of a dynamic flap on the flow physics.

A reliable convergent Adomian decomposition method for heat transfer through extended surfaces

Abstract: This paper aims to revisite the traditional Adomian decomposition method frequently used for the solution of highly nonlinear extended surface problems in order to understand the heat transfer enhancement phenomenon. It is modified to include a parameter adjusting and controlling the convergence of the resulting Adomian series.,It is shown that without such a convergence control parameter, some of the published data in the literature concerning the problem are lacking accuracy or the worst is untrustful. With the proposed amendment over the classical Adomian decomposition method, it is easy to gain the range of parameters guaranteeing the convergence of the Adomian series.,With the presented improvement, the reliable behavior of the fin tip temperature and the fin efficiency of the most interested from practical perspective are easily predicted.,The relevant future studies involving the fin problems covering many physical nonlinear properties must be properly treated as guided in this paper, while the Adomian decomposition method is adopted for the solution procedure.

Variable viscosity effects on third-grade liquid flow in post-treatment analysis of wire coating in the presence of nanoparticles

Abstract: Purpose The features of coated wire product are measured by the flow and heat transport occurring in the interior of dies. Therefore, an understanding of characteristics of polymers momentum, heat mass transfer and wall shear stress is of great interest. Enhancement of heat transfer rate is fundamental need of wire coating process. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of suspended nanoparticles in heat and mass transport phenomena of third-grade liquid in post-treatment of wire coating process. Buongiorno model for nanofluid is adopted. Two cases of temperature dependent viscosity are considered. Design/methodology/approach The governing equations are modelled with the help of steady-state conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy and nanoparticle concentration. Some appropriate dimensionless variables are introduced. Numerical solutions for the nonlinear problem are developed through Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg technique. The outcome of sundry variables for dimensionless flow, thermal and nanoparticle volume fraction fields are scrutinised through graphical illustrations. Findings The study’s numerical results disclose that the force on the total wire surface and shear stress at the surface in case of Reynolds Model dominate Vogel’s Model case. Impact of nanoparticles is constructive for force on the total wire surface and shear stress at the surface. The velocity of the coating material can be enhanced by the non-Newtonian property. Practical implications This study may provide useful information to improve the wire coating technology. Originality/value Effect of nanoparticles in wire coating analysis by using Brownian motion and thermophoresis slip mechanisms is investigated for the first time. Two different models for variable viscosity are used.

Stability analysis on the stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a permeable stretching/shrinking sheet with heat source effect

Abstract: Purpose This paper aims to analyze the behavior of the stagnation-point flow and heat transfer over a permeable stretching/shrinking sheet in the presence of the viscous dissipation and heat source effects. Design/methodology/approach The governing partial differential equations are converted into ordinary differential equations by similarity transformations before being solved numerically using the bvp4c function built in Matlab software. Effects of suction/injection parameter and heat source parameter on the skin friction and heat transfer coefficients as well as the velocity and temperature profiles are presented in the forms of tables and graphs. A temporal stability analysis will be conducted to verify which solution is stable for the dual solutions exist for the shrinking case. Findings The analysis indicates that the skin friction coefficient and the local Nusselt number as well as the velocity and temperature were influenced by suction/injection parameter. In contrast, only the local Nusselt number, which represents heat transfer rate at the surface, was affected by heat source effect. Further, numerical results showed that dual solutions were found to exist for the certain range of shrinking case. Then, the stability analysis is performed, and it is confirmed that the first solution is linearly stable and has real physical implication, while the second solution is not. Practical implications In practice, the study of the steady two-dimensional stagnation-point flow and heat transfer past a permeable stretching/shrinking sheet in the presence of heat source effect is very crucial and useful. The problems involving fluid flow over stretching or shrinking surfaces can be found in many industrial manufacturing processes such as hot rolling, paper production and spinning of fibers. Owing to the numerous applications, the study of stretching/shrinking sheet was subsequently extended by many authors to explore various aspects of skin friction coefficient and heat transfer in a fluid. Besides that, the study of suction/injection on the boundary layer flow also has important applications in the field of aerodynamics and space science. Originality/value Although many studies on viscous fluid has been investigated, there is still limited discoveries found on the heat source and suction/injection effects. Indeed, this paper managed to obtain the second (dual) solutions and stability analysis is performed. The authors believe that all the results are original and have not been published elsewhere.

Numerical simulation of wet steam transonic condensation flow in the last stage of a steam turbine

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the condensation flow of wet steam in the last stage of a steam turbine and to obtain the distribution of condensation parameters such as nucleation rate, Mach number and wetness. Design/methodology/approach Because of the sensitivity of the condensation parameter distribution, a double fluid numerical model and a realizable k-e-kd turbulence model were applied in this study, and the numerical solution for the non-equilibrium condensation flow is provided. Findings The simulation results are consistent with the experimental results of the Bakhtar test. The calculation results indicate that the degree of departure from saturation has a significant impact on the wet steam transonic condensation flow. When the inlet steam deviates from the saturation state, shock wave interference and vortex mixing also have a great influence on the distribution of water droplets. Originality/value The research results can provide reference for steam turbine wetness losses evaluation and flow passage structure optimization design.

Simulation of a macrosegregation benchmark with a meshless diffuse approximate method

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this paper is to simulate a macrosegregation solidification benchmark by a meshless diffuse approximate method. The benchmark represents solidification of Al4.5wt%Cu alloy in a 2D rectangular cavity, cooled at vertical boundaries. Design/methodology/approach A coupled set of mass, momentum, energy and species equations for columnar solidification is considered. The phase fractions are determined from the lever solidification rule. The meshless diffuse approximate method is structured by weighted least squares method with the second-order monomials for trial functions and Gaussian weight functions. The spatial localization is made by overlapping thirteen point subdomains. The time-stepping is performed in an explicit way. The pressure-velocity coupling is performed by the fractional step method. The convection stability is achieved by upstream displacement of the weight function and the evaluation point of the convective operators. Findings The results show a very good agreement with...

An efficient iterative algorithm for the natural convection equations based on finite element method

Abstract: This paper aims to propose a new highly efficient iterative method based on classical Oseen iteration for the natural convection equations.,First, the authors solve the problem by the Oseen iterative scheme based on finite element method, then use the error correction strategy to control the error arising.,The new iterative method not only retains the advantage of the Oseen scheme but also saves computational time and iterative step for solving the considered problem.,In this work, the authors introduce a new iterative method to solve the natural convection equations. The new algorithm consists of the Oseen scheme and the error correction which can control the errors from the iterative step arising for solving the nonlinear problem. Comparing with the classical iterative method, the new scheme requires less iterations and is also capable of solving the natural convection problem at higher Rayleigh number.