Flow Field (flow + field)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Engineering


Selected Abstracts


The Importance of dQ/dt on the Flow Field in a Turbodynamic Pump With Pulsatile Flow

ARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 9 2009
Fangjun Shu
Abstract Fluid dynamic analysis of turbodynamic blood pumps (TBPs) is often conducted under steady flow conditions. However, the preponderance of clinical applications for ventricular assistance involves unsteady, pulsatile flow,due to the residual contractility of the native heart. This study was undertaken to demonstrate the importance of pulsatility and the associated time derivative of the flow rate (dQ/dt) on hemodynamics within a clinical-scale TBP. This was accomplished by performing flow visualization studies on a transparent model of a centrifugal TBP interposed within a cardiovascular simulator with controllable heart rate and stroke volume. Particle image velocimetry triggered to both the rotation angle of the impeller and phase of the cardiac cycle was used to quantify the velocity field in the outlet volute and in between the impeller blades for 16 phases of the cardiac cycle. Comparison of the unsteady flow fields to corresponding steady conditions at the same (instantaneous) flow rates revealed marked differences. In particular, deceleration of flow was found to promote separation within the outlet diffuser, while acceleration served to stabilize the velocity field. The notable differences between the acceleration and deceleration phases illustrated the prominence of inertial fluid forces. These studies emphasize the importance of dQ/dt as an independent variable for thorough preclinical validation of TBPs intended for use as a ventricular assist device. [source]


Deformation by examples: a density flow approach

COMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 2 2007
Hoi-Chau Leung
Abstract In this article, a shape transformation technique is introduced for deforming objects based on a given deformation example. The example consists of two reference shapes representing two different states of an object. The reference shapes are assumed to morph from one state to the other. The evolution between the two reference shapes determines the shape transformation function. Any given objects can then be deformed by the same transformation. A continuous 4D Radial Basis Function is used to construct a density flow field (an extension of the optical flow in computer vision) representing the shape transformation of the example in 3-space. Objects embedded in the density flow field are deformed by moving vertices of the objects along the density flow vectors. Additional parameters are introduced to control the process of the deformation. This provides explicit control on the shape of the object obtained in the deformation process. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Hierarchical Vortex Regions in Swirling Flow

COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2009
Christoph Petz
Abstract We propose a new criterion to characterize hierarchical two-dimensional vortex regions induced by swirling motion. Central to the definition are closed loops that intersect the flow field at a constant angle. The union of loops belonging to the same area of swirling motion defines a vortex region. These regions are disjunct but may be nested, thus introducing a spatial hierarchy of vortex regions. We present a parameter free algorithm for the identification of these regions. Since they are not restricted to star- or convex-shaped geometries, we are able to identify also intricate regions, e.g., of elongated vortices. Computing an integrated value for each loop and mapping these values to a vortex region, introduces new ways for visualizing or filtering the vortex regions. Exemplary, an application based on the Rankine vortex model is presented. We apply our method to several CFD datasets and compare our results to existing approaches. [source]


Physically-based Dye Advection for Flow Visualization

COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2008
Guo-Shi Li
Abstract Dye advection is widely used in experimental flow analysis but has seen less use for visualization in computational fluid dynamics. One possible reason for this disconnect is the inaccuracy of the texture-based approach, which is prone to artifacts caused by numeric diffusion and mass fluctuation. In this paper, we introduce a novel 2D dye advection scheme for flow visualization based on the concept of control volume analysis typically used in computational fluid dynamics. The evolution of dye patterns in the flow field is achieved by advecting individual control volumes, which collectively cover the entire spatial domain. The local variation of dye material, represented as a piecewise quasi-parabolic function, is integrated within each control volume resulting in mass conserving transport without excessive numerical diffusion. Due to its physically based formulation, this approach is capable of conveying intricate flow structures not shown in the traditional dye advection schemes while avoiding visual artifacts. [source]


Dye Advection Without the Blur: A Level-Set Approach for Texture-Based Visualization of Unsteady Flow

COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2004
D. Weiskopf
Dye advection is an intuitive and versatile technique to visualize both steady and unsteady flow. Dye can be easily combined with noise-based dense vector field representations and is an important element in user-centric visual exploration processes. However, fast texture-based implementations of dye advection rely on linear interpolation operations that lead to severe diffusion artifacts. In this paper, a novel approach for dye advection is proposed to avoid this blurring and to achieve long and clearly defined streaklines or extended streak-like patterns. The interface between dye and background is modeled as a level-set within a signed distance field. The level-set evolution is governed by the underlying flow field and is computed by a semi-Lagrangian method. A reinitialization technique is used to counteract the distortions introduced by the level-set evolution and to maintain a level-set function that represents a local distance field. This approach works for 2D and 3D flow fields alike. It is demonstrated how the texture-based level-set representation lends itself to an efficient GPU implementation and therefore facilitates interactive visualization. Categories and Subject Descriptors (according to ACM CCS): I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism [source]


Parallelization and scalability of a spectral element channel flow solver for incompressible Navier,Stokes equations

CONCURRENCY AND COMPUTATION: PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE, Issue 10 2007
C. W. Hamman
Abstract Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent flows is widely recognized to demand fine spatial meshes, small timesteps, and very long runtimes to properly resolve the flow field. To overcome these limitations, most DNS is performed on supercomputing machines. With the rapid development of terascale (and, eventually, petascale) computing on thousands of processors, it has become imperative to consider the development of DNS algorithms and parallelization methods that are capable of fully exploiting these massively parallel machines. A highly parallelizable algorithm for the simulation of turbulent channel flow that allows for efficient scaling on several thousand processors is presented. A model that accurately predicts the performance of the algorithm is developed and compared with experimental data. The results demonstrate that the proposed numerical algorithm is capable of scaling well on petascale computing machines and thus will allow for the development and analysis of high Reynolds number channel flows. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Measurements of Directional Flow Using a Directional Langmuir Probe in Weakly Magnetized Plasmas

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 5-6 2006
T. Shikama
Abstract Measurement of flow directed with respect to the magnetic field is performed using a directional Langmuir probe (DLP). A previously proposed practical formula for measurement of the Mach number under a weakly magnetized condition is modified for application to the directional flow field which consists of parallel and azimuthal flow components. The effect of density gradient caused by the rotational DLP measurement in the measurement of the radial profile of ion current angular distribution is modified. For the verification of the DLP measurement, parallel flow velocity is measured from the Doppler shift of HeII emission, while azimuthal flow velocity is calculated from E × B and diamagnetic drifts. It is revealed that this method provides plausible Mach numbers in the parallel and azimuthal directions with inclusion of the effect of density gradient. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Numerical investigation of heat transport and fluid flow during the seeding process of oxide Czochralski crystal growth Part 1: non-rotating seed

CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
M. H. Tavakoli
Abstract For the seeding process of oxide Czochralski crystal growth, the flow and temperature field of the system as well as the seed-melt interface shape have been studied numerically using the finite element method. The configuration usually used initially in a real Czochralski crystal growth process consists of a crucible, active afterheater, induction coil with two parts, insulation, melt, gas and non-rotating seed crystal. At first the volumetric distribution of heat inside the metal crucible and afterheater inducted by the RF coil was calculated. Using this heat source the fluid flow and temperature field were determined in the whole system. We have considered two cases with respect to the seed position: (1) before and (2) after seed touch with the melt. It was observed that in the case of no seed rotation (,seed = 0), the flow pattern in the bulk melt consists of a single circulation of a slow moving fluid. In the gas domain, there are different types of flow motion related to different positions of the seed crystal. In the case of touched seed, the seed-melt interface has a deep conic shape towards the melt. It was shown that an active afterheater and its location with respect to the crucible, influences markedly the temperature and flow field of the gas phase in the system and partly in the melt. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Stability, morphology and surface grain size patterns of channel bifurcation in gravel,cobble bedded anabranching rivers

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2006
Leif M. Burge
Abstract This study presents the first detailed field-based analysis of the morphology of bifurcations within anabranching cobble,gravel rivers. Bifurcations divide the flow of water and sediment into downstream anabranches, thereby influencing the characteristics of the anabranches and the longevity of river islands. The history, morphology, bed grain size, and flow vectors at five bifurcations on the Renous River, New Brunswick, Canada, were studied in detail. The angles of bifurcations within five anabranching rivers in the Miramichi basin were investigated. The average bifurcation angle was 47°, within the range of values cited for braided river bifurcations. Bifurcation angle decreased when anabranches were of similar length. Shields stresses in channels upstream of bifurcations were lower than reported values for braided rivers. Stable bifurcations displayed lower Shields stresses than unstable bifurcations, contrary to experimental results from braided river bifurcations. Bifurcations in anabranching rivers are stabilized by vegetation that slows channel migration and helps to maintain a uniform upstream flow field. The morphology of stable bifurcations enhances their stability. A large bar, shaped like a shallow ramp that increases in elevation to floodplain level, forms at stable bifurcations. Floodplains at stable bifurcations accrete upstream at rates between 0·9 and 2·5 m a,1. Bars may also form within the entrance of an anabranch downstream of the bifurcation node. These bars are associated with bifurcation instability, forming after a period of stability or an avulsion. Channel abandonment occurs when a bar completely blocks the entrance to one anabranch. The stability of channels upstream of bifurcations and the location of bars at bifurcations influence bifurcation stability and the maintenance of river anabranching in the long term. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Numerical modeling of the Joule heating effect on electrokinetic flow focusing

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 10 2006
Kuan-Da Huang
Abstract In electrokinetically driven microfluidic systems, the driving voltage applied during operation tends to induce a Joule heating effect in the buffer solution. This heat source alters the solution's characteristics and changes both the electrical potential field and the velocity field during the transport process. This study performs a series of numerical simulations to investigate the Joule heating effect and analyzes its influence on the electrokinetic focusing performance. The results indicate that the Joule heating effect causes the diffusion coefficient of the sample to increase, the potential distribution to change, and the flow velocity field to adopt a nonuniform profile. These variations are particularly pronounced under tighter focusing conditions and at higher applied electrical intensities. In numerical investigations, it is found that the focused bandwidth broadens because thermal diffusion effect is enhanced by Joule heating. The variation in the potential distribution induces a nonuniform flow field and causes the focused bandwidth to tighten and broaden alternately as a result of the convex and concave velocity flow profiles, respectively. The present results confirm that the Joule heating effect exerts a considerable influence on the electrokinetic focusing ratio. [source]


Response properties of PMLS and PLLS neurons to simulated optic flow patterns

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 5 2000
Bing Li
Abstract The processing of optic flow information has been extensively investigated in the medial superior temporal area (MST) of the macaque. In the cat, the posteromedial area and the posterolateral area in the lateral suprasylvian cortex (PMLS and PLLS, respectively) have been suggested as likely participants according to their direction preferences to moving objects. In the present study, 203 PMLS and 123 PLLS neurons were tested with simulated optic flow patterns composed of random dots (including expansion and contraction, clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation, and translation) and moving bar stimuli. About 90% of the neurons were found to be excited by the optic flow stimuli and most of them were multiple-responsive to different flow patterns. Only 20,25% of the cells were selective to different optic flow modes, and in general, the direction preference was fairly modest. The selective cells showed stronger directionality to both flow field and moving bar than nonselective cells. However, the optic flow response properties in the PMLS and PLLS were not well correlated with the direction preference to moving bars. In accordance with previous findings, the PMLS was analogous to the middle temporal area of the macaque in many respects. As for the PLLS cells, they were sensitive to fewer types of stimuli, but responded better and more selectively to radial motion. All these results suggest that the two lateral suprasylvian areas are unlikely to be specialized for the analysis or discrimination of different flow patterns, but may play some kind of relay role in optic flow information processing. [source]


Scaling of water flow through porous media and soils

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008
K. Roth
Summary Scaling of fluid flow in general is outlined and contrasted to the scaling of water flow in porous media. It is then applied to deduce Darcy's law, thereby demonstrating that stationarity of the flow field at the scale of the representative elementary volume (REV) is a critical prerequisite. The focus is on the implications of the requirement of stationarity, or local equilibrium, in particular on the validity of the Richards equation for the description of water movement through soils. Failure to satisfy this essential requirement may occur at the scale of the REV or, particularly in numerical simulations, at the scale of the model discretization. The latter can be alleviated by allocation of more computational resources and by working on a finer-grained representation. In contrast, the former is fundamental and leads to an irrevocable failure of the Richards equation as is observed with infiltration instabilities that lead to fingered flow. [source]


Impact of transition zones, variable fluid viscosity and anthropogenic activities on coupled fluid-transport processes in a shallow salt-dome environment

GEOFLUIDS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2009
F. MAGRI
Abstract In the Schleswig,Holstein region (S,H) of Germany, most observed near-surface saline ground waters originate from dissolution of shallow salt domes. Previous numerical simulations of thermohaline flow clarified the major mechanisms controlling large-scale density-driven flow. It has been found that, in addition to topographically driven flow, gravitational and thermohaline convection are the primary mechanisms for extensive solute exchange between shallow and deep aquifers. Geological features such as glacial channels control recharge/discharge processes at the surface. Here we address several previously unresolved issues: (i) the impact of a permeable unit (transition zone) between the salt and adjacent units; (ii) the role of variable brine viscosity in affecting regional- (i.e. km-) scale heat and mass patterns; and (iii) the influence of anthropogenic activities such as pumping stations on density-driven flow. We found that geophysical factors play a major role in determining the dynamics of fluid processes. The transition zone significantly influences the flow field and the distribution of heat, slowing the formation of highly concentrated salty plumes. The impact of variable fluid viscosity on the coupled heat and brine flow is twofold. In a colder and highly concentrated environment, such as a shallow salt-dome crest, it retards brine flow. In a less saline environment, variable fluid viscosity enhances thermally induced upward fluid flow. Groundwater extraction from production wells only affects brine and heat flow locally within the upper aquifers. [source]


Simulations to Verify Horizontal Flow Measurements from a Borehole Flowmeter

GROUND WATER, Issue 3 2006
Scott C James
This paper reports on experiments and simulations of subsurface flow from a slotted acrylic tube deployed in a sand-tank flow chamber for two different purposes. In the first instance, the slotted tube is used to represent a single fracture intersected by an uncased well. In the second instance, the slotted tube is used to represent a multislot well screen within a porous medium. In both cases, the scanning colloidal borescope flowmeter (SCBFM) measures ground water velocity within the well by imaging colloids traveling through a well to measure their speed and direction. Measurements are compared against model simulations. For the case of a slotted tube representing a single fracture, SCBFM and model results agree with respect to the flow direction and to within a factor of 1.5 for the speed near the well's center. Model and experimental agreement lend confidence that for an uncased well drilled in a fractured-rock medium, a calibrated SCBFM could be used to identify and quantify flowing features. Next, the SCBFM was deployed in a four-column multislotted casing with slots aligned with the flow direction. Another numerical model was developed to estimate the flow field within this well screen to evaluate the potential usefulness of employing the SCBFM in a screened well to estimate flow speed and direction in the surrounding porous medium. Results indicate that if the slots are not aligned with the flow, the SCBFM may only provide order-of-magnitude speed measurements and direction measurements with an uncertainty of approximately ±25°. [source]


The Development of New Analytic Elements for Transient Flow and Multiaquifer Flow

GROUND WATER, Issue 1 2006
O.D.L. Strack
We deal in this paper with an ongoing development of the analytic element method. We present in outline new analytic line elements that are suitable to model general flow fields, i.e., flow fields that possess a continuously varying areal inflow or outflow. These elements are constructed specifically to model the leakage through leaky layers that separate aquifers in leaky systems and to model transient effects. The leakage or release from storage underneath linear features is modeled precisely by the new elements; the singularity in leakage is matched exactly by the approximate solution. Applications are given for a problem involving leakage and for a case of transient flow. We note that the analytic elements can be used also to reproduce the effect of continuously varying aquifer properties, e.g., the hydraulic conductivity or the elevation of the base of the aquifer. In the latter case, the elements would reproduce the rotation of the flow field caused by the variation in properties, rather than the divergence as for the case of leakage. [source]


Macroscopically Aligned Ionic Self-Assembled Perylene-Surfactant Complexes within a Polymer Matrix,

ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 13 2008
Ari Laiho
Abstract Ionic self-assembled (ISA) surfactant complexes present a facile concept for self-assembly of various functional materials. However, no general scheme has been shown to allow their overall alignment beyond local polydomain-like order. Here we demonstrate that ionic complexes forming a columnar liquid-crystalline phase in bulk can be aligned within polymer blends upon shearing, taken that the matrix polymers have sufficiently high molecular weight. We use an ISA complex of N,N,-bis(ethylenetrimethylammonium)perylenediimide/bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (Pery-BEHP) blended with different molecular weight polystyrenes (PS). Based on X-ray scattering studies and transmission electron microscopy the pure Pery-BEHP complex was found to form a two-dimensional oblique columnar phase where the perylene units stack within the columns. Blending the complex with PS lead to high aspect ratio Pery-BEHP aggregates with lateral dimension in the mesoscale, having internal columnar liquid-crystalline order similar to the pure Pery-BEHP complex. When the Pery-BEHP/PS blend was subjected to a shear flow field, the alignment of perylenes can be achieved but requires sufficiently high molecular weight of the polystyrene matrix. The concept also suggests a simple route for macroscopically aligned nanocomposites with conjugated columnar liquid-crystalline functional additives. [source]


Analysis of a Vertical Dipole Tracer Test in Highly Fractured Rock

GROUND WATER, Issue 5 2002
William E. Sanford
The results of a vertical dipole tracer experiment performed in highly fractured rocks of the Clare Valley, South Australia, are presented. The injection and withdrawal piezometers were both screened over 3 m and were separated by 6 m (midpoint to midpoint). Due to the long screen length, several fracture sets were intersected, some of which do not connect the two piezometers. Dissolved helium and bromide were injected into the dipole flow field for 75 minutes, followed by an additional 510 minutes of flushing. The breakthrough of helium was retarded relative to bromide, as was expected due to the greater aqueous diffusion coefficient of helium. Also, only 25% of the total mass injected of both tracers was recovered. Modeling of the tracer transport was accomplished using an analytical one-dimensional flow and transport model for flow through a fracture with diffusion into the matrix. The assumptions made include: streamlines connecting the injection and withdrawal point can be modeled as a dipole of equal strength, flow along each streamline is one dimensional, and there is a constant Peclet number for each streamline. In contrast to many other field tracer studies performed in fractured rock, the actual travel length between piezometers was not known. Modeling was accomplished by fitting the characteristics of the tracer breakthrough curves (BTCs), such as arrival times of the peak concentration and the center of mass. The important steps were to determine the fracture aperture (240 ,m) based on the parameters that influence the rate of matrix diffusion (this controls the arrival time of the peak concentration); estimating the travel distance (11 m) by fitting the time of arrival of the centers of mass of the tracers; and estimating fracture dispersivity (0.5 m) by fitting the times that the inflection points occurred on the front and back limbs of the BTCs. This method works even though there was dilution in the withdrawal well, the amount of which can be estimated by determining the value that the modeled concentrations need to be reduced to fit the data (,50%). The use of two tracers with different diffusion coefficients was not necessary, but it provides important checks in the modeling process because the apparent retardation between the two tracers is evidence of matrix diffusion and the BTCs of both tracers need to be accurately modeled by the best fit parameters. [source]


Influence of Transient Flow on Contaminant Biodegradation

GROUND WATER, Issue 2 2001
Mario Schirmer
The rate of biodegradation in contaminated aquifers depends to a large extent on dispersive mixing processes that are now generally accepted to result from spatial variations in the velocity field. It has been shown, however, that transient flow fields can also contribute to dispersive mixing. The influence of transient flow on biodegrading contaminants is particularly important since it can enhance mixing with electron acceptors, further promoting the reactive process. Using numerical simulations, the effect of transient flow on the behavior of a biodegradable contaminant is evaluated here both with respect to the development of apparently large horizontal transverse dispersion and also with respect to enhanced mixing between the substrate (electron donor) and electron acceptor. The numerical model BIO3D, which solves for advective-dispersive transport coupled with Monod-type biodegradation of substrates in the presence of an electron acceptor, was used for the simulations. The model was applied in a two-dimensional plan view mode considering a single substrate. Transient flow fields were found to yield larger apparent transverse dispersion because the longitudinal dispersivity also acts transverse to the mean flow direction. In the reactive case, the transient flow field increases substrate-oxygen mixing, which in turn enhances the overall rate of biodegradation. The results suggest that in the case of moderate changes of flow directions, a steady-state flow field can be justified, thereby avoiding the higher computational costs of a fully transient simulation. The use of a higher transverse horizontal dispersivity in a steady flow field can, under these conditions, adequately forecast plume development. [source]


Hydrogeological and Hydrogeochemical Studies for Salt Water Intrusion on the South Coast of Laizhou Bay, China

GROUND WATER, Issue 1 2000
Yuqun Xue
Sea water intrusion has occurred on the east and southeast coasts of Laizhou Bay, China, since the 1970s (Wu et al. 1993). In 1981, on the adjacent south coast, the intrusion of salt water originating from brine was observed. In this area, the salt water intrusion was caused by the excessive pumping of fresh water in aquifers. Moreover, the simultaneous pumping of fresh water and salt water/brine formed a complicated ground water flow field. The data obtained from observation wells were used to analyze the origin of the salt water and brine, and the genesis of the bicarbonate/sodium water zone. All data suggest that the brine originated from ancient sea water, and that the bicarbonate/sodium water was formed by cation exchange. The variations of chemical compositions along representative flowpaths and the relationships between such variations and salt water intrusion were also discussed. [source]


Treatment of a Chromate-Contaminated Soil Site by in situ Gaseous Reduction

GROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 1 2007
E.C Thornton
A proof-of-concept field test for the treatment of hexavalent chromium in the vadose zone using in situ gaseous reduction was successfully completed by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Defense in a joint demonstration conducted at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The test involved injecting hydrogen sulfide, diluted in air, into contaminated vadose zone sediment to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III). The gaseous mixture was injected directly into the contaminated sediment through a central injection well and vacuum extracted through the flow field with six boreholes at the site periphery over a 76-d period. Comparison of soil samples taken before and after the test indicated 70% of the total mass of hexavalent chromium originally present at the site was reduced and immobilized. The zone of highest contamination was nearly completely treated, with average Cr(VI) concentrations decreasing in this interval from an average of 8.1 mg/kg before treatment to 1.1 mg/kg after treatment. Treatment was best in higher permeability clean gypsum sands and less effective in zones containing greater amounts of silt and clay and a slightly higher iron content. All hexavalent chromium concentrations measured in the posttest samples, however, were well below the remedial goal and regulatory limit of 30 mg/kg. In addition, the field test demonstrated that vadose zone treatment of contamination can be safely conducted using diluted hydrogen sulfide gas mixtures. Ongoing development of the technology is being directed toward addressing the limitations of gaseous treatment arising from variations in sediment permeability and iron content and assessing the relationship between hydrogen sulfide consumption and reaction kinetics. [source]


Moderate Bioclogging Leading to Preferential Flow Paths in Biobarriers

GROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 3 2006
Katsutoshi Seki
Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) are an alternative technique for the biological in situ remediation of ground water contaminants. Nutrient supply via injection well galleries is supposed to support a high microbial activity in these barriers but can ultimately lead to changes in the hydraulic conductivity of the biobarrier due to the accumulation of biomass in the aquifer. This effect, called bioclogging, would limit the remediation efficiency of the biobarrier. To evaluate the effects bioclogging can have on the flow field of a PRB, flow cell experiments were carried out in the laboratory using glass beads as a porous medium. Two types of flow cells were used: a 20- × 1- × 1-cm cell simulating a single injection well in a one-dimensional flow field and a 20- × 10- × 1-cm cell simulating an injection well gallery in a two-dimensional flow field. A mineral medium was injected to promote microbial growth. Results of 9 d of continuous operation showed that conditions, which led to a moderate (50%) reduction of the hydraulic conductivity of the one-dimensional cell, led to a preferential flow pattern within the simulated barrier in the two-dimensional flow field (visualized by a tracer dye). The bioclogging leading to this preferential flow pattern did not change the hydraulic conductivity of the biobarrier as a whole but resulted in a reduced residence time of water within barrier. The biomass distribution measured after 9 d was consistent with the observed clogging effects showing step spatial gradients between clogged and unclogged regions. [source]


A spatially advancing turbulent flow and heat transfer in a curved channel

HEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 1 2010
Koji Matsubara
Abstract Direct numerical simulation was performed for a spatially advancing turbulent flow and heat transfer in a two-dimensional curved channel, where one wall was heated to a constant temperature and the other wall was cooled to a different constant temperature. In the simulation, fully developed flow and temperature from the straight-channel driver was passed through the inlet of the curved-channel domain. The frictional Reynolds number was assigned 150, and the Prandtl number was given 0.71. Since the flow field was examined in the previous paper, the thermal features are mainly targeted in this paper. The turbulent heat flux showed trends consistent with a growing process of large-scale vortices. In the curved part, the wall-normal component of the turbulent heat flux was twice as large as the counterpart in the straight part, suggesting active heat transport of large-scale vortices. In the inner side of the same section, temperature fluctuation was abnormally large compared with the modest fluctuation of the wall-normal velocity. This was caused by the combined effect of the large-scale motion of the vortices and the wide variation of the mean temperature; in such a temperature distribution, large-scale ejection of the hot fluid near the outer wall, which is transported into the near inner-wall region, should have a large impact on the thermal boundary layer near the inner wall. Wave number decomposition was conducted for various statistics, which showed that the contribution of the large-scale vortex to the total turbulent heat flux normal to the wall reached roughly 80% inside the channel 135° downstream from the curved-channel inlet. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20275 [source]


The effect of jet array arrangement on the flow characteristics of the outlet hole in short confined channels

HEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 1 2008
Liu Haiyong
Abstract This experimental study is part of the research program related to the aerodynamic characteristics of impingement in a confined channel. Experimental research on better understanding flow structure in confined channel with impingement cooling is rarely found in open literature. The main purposes of this project are (1) gaining greater insight into the structure of the impingement jet flow and flow in the outlet hole; (2) understanding the effect of impingement hole arrangement build up on the flow structure and aerodynamic parameters within holes and channels with different aspect ratios. The test models are two confined channels with three staggered circular jet holes, and a single large size outlet hole placed downstream of the jet plate. The structure parameters of these orifices are different. In this paper, detailed flow field in the outlet hole was measured with a straight five-hole probe, and the discharge coefficient of outlet holes with different aspect ratios was also studied in each channel. Experimental data shows that the jet arrangement has little influence on the flow behavior of the outlet hole when the aspect ratio of the passage was 1, but it played an important role on the discharge coefficient. Distinctively different flow patterns were found in two models with the aspect ratios of 3 and 5, while the variation of the discharge coefficient showed a slight influence on impingement hole arrangement. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 37(1): 20,28, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20188 [source]


PIV measurement and turbulence scale in turbulent combustion

HEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 7 2006
Kazuhiro Yamamoto
Abstract We have investigated turbulent combustion by PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique. Comparing with LDV data, the validity of PIV measurements has been confirmed. Particularly, the conditions of sampling number and spatial resolution have been shown to yield reliable data using PIV. Based on the velocity fields in cold flow and combustion, the interaction between flame and flow has been discussed. It was observed that the flow field is changed by combustion and the turbulence is reduced. In order to determine statistical quantities such as mean velocity and RMS of velocity fluctuation, a sampling number of 1000 is needed. Moreover, the velocity correlation coefficient was evaluated to obtain the integral length scale of the flow. For both cold flow and combustion, the PIV estimated scale is very close to that of LDV based on the assumption of Taylor's hypothesis. As a result, the spatial resolution in this study is about 6 times smaller than the integral length scale. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 35(7): 501,512, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20129 [source]


An unsteady flow structure on a heated rotating disk under mixed convection

HEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 6 2005
Noriyuki Furuichi
Abstract A flow field under mixed convection on a heated rotating disk has been measured using an ultrasonic velocity profiler (UVP). The measured velocity field is a spatio-temporal one as a function of radial coordinates and time. The objective of this paper is to clarify the vortex structure caused by the instability between buoyancy and centrifugal force. The vortex appears under typical conditions of Reynolds numbers and Grashof numbers and it moves toward the outside of the disk. This behavior can be classified into two patterns. The size of the vortex structure decreases with an increasing Reynolds number and increases with the Grashof number. The traveling velocity of the vortex increases with the Grashof number. Moreover, it decreases with an increasing Reynolds number in spite of increasing centrifugal force. According to these results, the region dominated by natural, forced, and mixed convection is classified in the relationship between Reynolds and Grashof numbers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(6): 407,418, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20074 [source]


Large eddy simulation of flow and scalar transport in a round jet

HEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 3 2004
Hitoshi Suto
Abstract Large eddy simulation (LES) was performed for a spatially developing round jet and its scalar transport at four steps of Reynolds number set between 1200 and 1,000,000. A simulated domain, which extends 30 times the nozzle diameter, includes initial, transitional, and established stage of jet. A modified version of convection outflow condition was proposed in order to diminish the effect of a downstream boundary. Tested were two kinds of subgrid scale (SOS) models: a Smagorinsky model (SM) and a dynamic Smagorinsky model (DSM). In the former model, parameters are kept at empirically deduced constants, while in the latter, they are calculated using different levels of space filtering. Data analysis based on the decay law of jet clearly presented the performance of SGS models. Simulated results by SM and DSM compared favorably with existing measurements of jet and its scalar transport. However, the quantitative accuracy of DSM was better than that of SM at a transitional stage of flow field. Computed parameters by DSM, coefficient for SGS stresses, CR and SGS eddy diffusivity ratio, ,SGS, were not far from empirical constants of SM. Optimization of the model coefficient was suggested in DSM so that coefficient CR was nearly equal in the established stage of jet but it was reduced in low turbulence close to the jet nozzle. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(3): 175,188, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20001 [source]


A Continuous Flow Synthesis of Micrometer-Sized Actuators from Liquid Crystalline Elastomers

ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 47 2009
Christian Ohm
We demonstrate the use of a microfluidic setup to prepare monodisperse and spherical beads from a liquid crystalline elastomer. These particles show a strong and reversible shape change into a cigar-like conformation during the transition into the isotropic phase. These properies are a result of the monodomainic alignment of the mesogens in the flow field of the microfluidic setup. [source]


Quantifying the impact of groundwater discharge on the surface,subsurface exchange

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 15 2009
Fulvio Boano
Abstract The exchange of oxygen and nutrients between the well-aerated stream water and the subsurface water is crucial for the biochemical conditions of the hyporheic zone. The metabolic activity of the hyporheic microorganisms controls the fate of nitrogen and phosphorus in the pore water, and influences the fate of these nutrients at the catchment scale. Unfortunately, the incomplete knowledge of the complex hydrodynamics of the coupled surface-subsurface flow field often hinders the understanding of the ecological relevance of the hyporheic processes. Here, we analyse the influence of groundwater discharge through the streambed on bedform-induced hyporheic exchange. A simple mathematical model of a coupled stream-aquifer system is developed in order to describe the essential feature of the surface-subsurface exchange. The most representative characteristics of the hyporheic exchange, e.g. the depth of the hyporheic zone - are parametrized in terms of a small number of easily measurable quantities. This information on the hyporheic flow field provides the fundamental basis for the study of the ecological function of the hyporheic zone. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Analytical power series solutions to the two-dimensional advection,dispersion equation with distance-dependent dispersivities

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 24 2008
Jui-Sheng Chen
Abstract As is frequently cited, dispersivity increases with solute travel distance in the subsurface. This behaviour has been attributed to the inherent spatial variation of the pore water velocity in geological porous media. Analytically solving the advection,dispersion equation with distance-dependent dispersivity is extremely difficult because the governing equation coefficients are dependent upon the distance variable. This study presents an analytical technique to solve a two-dimensional (2D) advection,dispersion equation with linear distance-dependent longitudinal and transverse dispersivities for describing solute transport in a uniform flow field. The analytical approach is developed by applying the extended power series method coupled with the Laplace and finite Fourier cosine transforms. The developed solution is then compared to the corresponding numerical solution to assess its accuracy and robustness. The results demonstrate that the breakthrough curves at different spatial locations obtained from the power series solution show good agreement with those obtained from the numerical solution. However, owing to the limited numerical operation for large values of the power series functions, the developed analytical solution can only be numerically evaluated when the values of longitudinal dispersivity/distance ratio eL exceed 0·075. Moreover, breakthrough curves obtained from the distance-dependent solution are compared with those from the constant dispersivity solution to investigate the relationship between the transport parameters. Our numerical experiments demonstrate that a previously derived relationship is invalid for large eL values. The analytical power series solution derived in this study is efficient and can be a useful tool for future studies in the field of 2D and distance-dependent dispersive transport. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Steady infiltration from buried point source into heterogeneous cross-anisotropic unsaturated soil

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 10 2004
G. J. Chen
Abstract The paper presents the analytical solution for the steady-state infiltration from a buried point source into two types of heterogeneous cross-anisotropic unsaturated half-spaces. In the first case, the heterogeneity of the soil is modelled by an exponential relationship between the hydraulic conductivity and the soil depth. In the second case, the heterogeneous soil is represented by a multilayered half-space where each layer is homogeneous. The hydraulic conductivity varies exponentially with moisture potential and this leads to the linearization of the Richards equation governing unsaturated flow. The analytical solution is obtained by using the Hankel integral transform. For the multilayered case, the combination of a special forward and backward transfer matrix techniques makes the numerical evaluation of the solution very accurate and efficient. The correctness of both formulations is validated by comparison with alternative solutions for two different cases. The results from typical cases are presented to illustrate the influence on the flow field of the cross-anisotropic hydraulic conductivity, the soil heterogeneity and the depth of the source. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]