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1 – 10 of over 2000R. Elshereef, J. Vlachopoulos and A. Elkamel
The main purpose of this paper is to present and compare two different models for bubble growth and foam formation and to conduct a thorough assessment in terms of their numerical…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to present and compare two different models for bubble growth and foam formation and to conduct a thorough assessment in terms of their numerical implementation and prediction accuracy.
Design/methodology/approach
The two models are assessed and validated against experimental measurements. The first model is known as a single bubble growth model and treats the foaming process as a single bubble growing in a large pool with enough gas available for growth, while the second model (cell model) takes into account the finiteness of gas supply availability as well as the effects of surrounding bubbles. The models are based on the application of the conservation of continuity and momentum principles and on constitutive equations to represent the viscosity of the melt. The models are numerically implemented using a finite difference scheme and their predictions are compared against experimental measurements.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the single bubble model predicts an infinite bubble growth with time due to the assumption of unlimited supply of the blowing agent. Meanwhile the cell model gives an equilibrium bubble size because it accounts for gas depletion. From this work, it was concluded that the cell model is the best model that adequately describes experimental data.
Practical implications
The problem of bubble growth and foam formation is of great importance in the process industry as it plays a key role in diverse technological fields such as the production of foamed plastics.
Originality/value
The findings here are important for the appropriate modeling of bubble growth and foam formation and for scheduling and optimizing the process. A simple model will suffice for the early stage of the process while a cell model is more appropriate for the entire duration of the process.
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Ali Alhelfi and Bengt Ake Sunden
The purpose of this paper is to present numerical investigation of the gas/vapor bubble dynamics under the influence of an ultrasonic field to give a more comprehensive…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present numerical investigation of the gas/vapor bubble dynamics under the influence of an ultrasonic field to give a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and present new results
Design/methodology/approach
In order to formulate the mathematical model, a set of governing equations for the gas inside the bubble and the liquid surrounding it are used. All hydrodynamics forces acting on the bubble are considered in the typical solution. The systems of equations required to be solved consist of ordinary and partial differential equations, which are both nonlinear and time dependent equations. A fourth order Runge-Kutta method is applied to solve the ordinary differential equations. On the other hand, the finite difference method is employed to solve the partial differential equations and a time-marching technique is applied.
Findings
The numerical model which is developed in the current study permits a correct prediction of the bubble behavior and its characteristics in an acoustic field generated at this occasion.
Originality/value
Previous studies considering numerical simulations of an acoustic bubble were performed based on the polytropic approximation or pressure uniformity models of the contents inside the bubble. In this study, an enhanced numerical model is developed to study the acoustic cavitation phenomenon and the enhancement concerns taking into account both the pressure and temperature gradients inside the bubble as well as heat transfer through the bubble surface into account which is very important to obtain the temperature of the liquid surrounding the bubble surface.
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DESPITE the quite extensive literature on foam, the mechanism of its formation and decay does not appear to be widely appreciated. Most fundamental research has been orientated…
Abstract
DESPITE the quite extensive literature on foam, the mechanism of its formation and decay does not appear to be widely appreciated. Most fundamental research has been orientated towards maximum foam in aqueous solutions, whereas the desire in aircraft engines is for minimum foam in oil ‘solutions’. Further, the numerical results obtained experimentally depend on the details of experimental procedure, which makes correlation of existing data very uncertain.
Van Luc Nguyen, Tomohiro Degawa and Tomomi Uchiyama
This paper aims to provide discussions of a numerical method for bubbly flows and the interaction between a vortex ring and a bubble plume.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide discussions of a numerical method for bubbly flows and the interaction between a vortex ring and a bubble plume.
Design/methodology/approach
Small bubbles are released into quiescent water from a cylinder tip. They rise under the buoyant force, forming a plume. A vortex ring is launched vertically upward into the bubble plume. The interactions between the vortex ring and the bubble plume are numerically simulated using a semi-Lagrangian–Lagrangian approach composed of a vortex-in-cell method for the fluid phase and a Lagrangian description of the gas phase.
Findings
A vortex ring can transport the bubbles surrounding it over a distance significantly depending on the correlative initial position between the bubbles and the core center. The motion of some bubbles is nearly periodic and gradually extinguishes with time. These bubble trajectories are similar to two-dimensional-helix shapes. The vortex is fragmented into multiple regions with high values of Q, the second invariant of velocity gradient tensor, settling at these regional centers. The entrained bubbles excite a growth rate of the vortex ring's azimuthal instability with a formation of the second- and third-harmonic oscillations of modes of 16 and 24, respectively.
Originality/value
A semi-Lagrangian–Lagrangian approach is applied to simulate the interactions between a vortex ring and a bubble plume. The simulations provide the detail features of the interactions.
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Van Luc Nguyen, Tomohiro Degawa and Tomomi Uchiyama
This study aims to provide discussions of the numerical method and the bubbly flow characteristics of an annular bubble plume.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide discussions of the numerical method and the bubbly flow characteristics of an annular bubble plume.
Design/methodology/approach
The bubbles, released from the annulus located at the bottom of the domain, rise owing to buoyant force. These released bubbles have diameters of 0.15–0.25 mm and satisfy the bubble flow rate of 4.1 mm3/s. The evolution of the three-dimensional annular bubble plume is numerically simulated using the semi-Lagrangian–Lagrangian (semi-L–L) approach. The approach is composed of a vortex-in-cell method for the liquid phase and a Lagrangian description of the gas phase.
Findings
First, a new phenomenon of fluid dynamics was discovered. The bubbly flow enters a transition state with the meandering motion of the bubble plume after the early stable stage. A vortex structure in the form of vortex rings is formed because of the inhomogeneous bubble distribution and the fluid-surface effects. The vortex structure of the flow deforms as three-dimensionality appears in the flow before the flow fully develops. Second, the superior abilities of the semi-L–L approach to analyze the vortex structure of the flow and supply physical details of bubble dynamics were demonstrated in this investigation.
Originality/value
The semi-L–L approach is applied to the simulation of the gas–liquid two-phase flows.
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Van Luc Nguyen, Tomohiro Degawa, Tomomi Uchiyama and Kotaro Takamure
The purpose of this study is to design numerical simulations of bubbly flow around a cylinder to better understand the characteristics of flow around a rigid obstacle.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to design numerical simulations of bubbly flow around a cylinder to better understand the characteristics of flow around a rigid obstacle.
Design/methodology/approach
The bubbly flow around a circular cylinder was numerically simulated using a semi-Lagrangian–Lagrangian method composed of a vortex-in-cell method for the liquid phase and a Lagrangian description of the gas phase. Additionally, a penalization method was applied to account for the cylinder inside the flow. The slip condition of the bubbles on the cylinder’s surface was enforced, and the outflow conditions were applied to the liquid flow at the far field.
Findings
The simulation clarified the characteristics of a bubbly flow around a circular cylinder. The bubbles were shown to move around and separate from both sides of the cylinder, because of entrainment by the liquid shear layers. Once the bubbly flow fully developed, the bubbles distributed into groups and were dispersed downstream of the cylinder. A three-dimensional vortex structure of various scales was also shown to form downstream, whereas a quasi-stable two-dimensional vortex structure was observed upstream. Overall, the proposed method captured the characteristics of a bubbly flow around a cylinder well.
Originality/value
A semi-Lagrangian–Lagrangian approach was applied to simulate a bubbly flow around a circular cylinder. The simulations provided the detail features of these flow phenomena.
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Sam Ban, William Pao and Mohammad Shakir Nasif
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.
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.
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The purpose of this paper is to show how particle scale simulation of industrial particle flows using DEM (discrete element method) offers the opportunity for better understanding…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show how particle scale simulation of industrial particle flows using DEM (discrete element method) offers the opportunity for better understanding of the flow dynamics leading to improvements in equipment design and operation.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explores the breadth of industrial applications that are now possible with a series of case studies.
Findings
The paper finds that the inclusion of cohesion, coupling to other physics such fluids, and its use in bubbly and reacting flows are becoming increasingly viable. Challenges remain in developing models that balance the depth of the physics with the computational expense that is affordable and in the development of measurement and characterization processes to provide this expanding array of input data required. Steadily increasing computer power has seen model sizes grow from thousands of particles to many millions over the last decade, which steadily increases the range of applications that can be modelled and the complexity of the physics that can be well represented.
Originality/value
The paper shows how better understanding of the flow dynamics leading to improvements in equipment design and operation can potentially lead to large increases in equipment and process efficiency, throughput and/or product quality. Industrial applications can be characterised as large, involving complex particulate behaviour in typically complex geometries. The critical importance of particle shape on the behaviour of granular systems is demonstrated. Shape needs to be adequately represented in order to obtain quantitative predictive accuracy for these systems.
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This paper seeks to discuss a mechanistic modeling concept for local phenomena governing two‐ and multi‐phase flows and heat transfer.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to discuss a mechanistic modeling concept for local phenomena governing two‐ and multi‐phase flows and heat transfer.
Design/methodology/approach
An overview is given of selected issues concerning the formulation of multidimensional models of two‐phase flow and heat transfer. A complete computational multiphase fluid dynamics (CMFD) model of two‐phase flow is presented, including local constitutive models applicable to two‐phase flows in heated channels. Results are shown of model testing and validation.
Findings
It has been demonstrated that the overall model is capable of capturing various local flow and heat transfer phenomena in general, and the onset of temperature excursion (CHF) in low quality forced‐convection boiling, in particular.
Research limitations/implications
Whereas the multiphase model formulation is applicable to a large class of problems, geometries and operating conditions, the closure laws and results are focused on forced‐convection boiling in heated channels.
Practical implications
The proposed approach can be used to predict multidimensional velocity field and phase distribution in two‐phase flow devices and components used in thermal power plants, nuclear power plants and chemical processing plants.
Originality/value
A complete mechanistic multidimensional model of forced‐convection boiling in heated channels is given. The potential of a CMFD approach is demonstrated to perform virtual experiments that can be used in system design and optimization, and in safety analysis.
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Chiew Loon Goh, Ruzairi Abdul Rahim and Mohd Hafiz Fazalul Rahiman
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a review of types of tomographic systems that have been widely researched within the past 10 years. Decades of research on non-invasively…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a review of types of tomographic systems that have been widely researched within the past 10 years. Decades of research on non-invasively and non-intrusively visualizing and monitoring gas-liquid multi-phase flow in process plants in making sure that the industrial system has high quality control. Process tomography is a developing measurement technology for industrial flow visualization.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of types of tomographic systems that have been widely researched especially in the application of gas-liquid flow within the past 10 years was conducted. The sensor system operating fundamentals and assessment of each tomography technology are discussed and explained in detail.
Findings
Potential future research on gas-liquid flow in a conducting vessel using ultrasonic tomography sensor system is addressed.
Originality/value
The authors would like to undertake that the above-mentioned manuscript is original, has not been published elsewhere, accepted for publication elsewhere or under editorial review for publication elsewhere and that my Institute’s Universiti Teknologi Malaysia representative is fully aware of this submission.