Volume of fluid method

About: Volume of fluid method is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5338 publications have been published within this topic receiving 116760 citations.

Computational Approach to Characterize the Mass Transfer between the Counter‐Current Gas‐Liquid Flow

Abstract: Structured packed columns are widely used in the chemical industry for distillation and absorption. However, the understanding of the transfer mechanism behind the counter-current gas-liquid flow in structured packed columns is still limited. In this work, a three-dimensional CFD model that considers the local absorption and the local momentum transfer mechanism is developed for a film flow on a small plate with a counter-current gas flow. The model, based on the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method, is built up on the basis of a pressure drop model and the penetration theory to quantitatively investigate the instantaneous hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics of the liquid phase. Simulations and experiments are carried out for a system consisting of propane and toluene. A comparison of the simulation results with the experimental data for the outlet concentrations shows good agreement.

Towards an Efficient, High-Fidelity Methodology for Liquid Jet Atomization Computations

Abstract: The aim of this work is to show how adaptive mesh refinement and Lagrangian tracking can be integrated to enable high-fidelity computations of jet atomization and dispersion for industrially relevant configurations. In its present form, the Coupled Level Set and Volume of Fluid (CLSVOF) method for multiphase flow calculations is embedded in a dynamic, block-structured Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) data structure which maximizes grid density at the liquid-gas interface. With the treatment proposed here, small liquid structures formed by atomization can be removed from the Eulerian description, transformed into Lagrangian particles, and advected using, for instance, a simple spherical model. As a result, mesh refinement is not required in the dilute spray region and can be contained to a smaller portion of the computational domain with minimal loss of accuracy. Two validation studies of liquid jet atomization by crossflowing gas and by jet-on-jet impingement are presented to demonstrate this new approach.

Advection on graphs

Abstract: This paper examines the dynamics of a networked, multi-agent system operating with an advection-based coordination algorithm. Flow advection is a close relative of diffusion whose discretized version forms the basis of the popular consensus dynamics. We endeavor to demonstrate in this paper that discretizing the continuous advection equation also forms an attractive set of system dynamics for coordinated control. The key advantage of advection-based algorithms over directed consensus is that the sum of the states is always conserved. This paper includes a formulation of the advection dynamics on directed graphs and a presentation of some of its characteristics, which are compared to the consensus dynamics. We also provide examples of the versatility of the advection dynamics: a formation control and sensor coverage example.

Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in Keyhole Plasma Arc Welding

Abstract: Modeling and simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in keyhole plasma arc welding is of great significance for optimizing the process parameters, and obtaining deep insight of the process mechanisms. In this study, a three-dimensional transient model is established to analyze numerically the evolution of the weld pool, the keyhole shape and dimensions, and the fluid convection and temperature profiles in a PAW weld pool. The keyhole boundary is tracked by the VOF method, and the enthalphy–porosity technique is used to model latent heat during melting and solidification. The temperature distribution, fluid velocity field, and keyhole formation are computed. The dynamic development of keyhole geometry and its interaction with the weld pool are numerically simulated. The model is validated through comparing the predicted fusion lines of the PAW weld to the experimentally measured ones.