Search results

While many stepped spillways geometry design guidelines were developed for flat steps, designing pooled steps might be an appropriate alternative to spillways working more efficiency. This paper aims to deal with the inception point of air-entrainment and void fraction in the different height of the pools. Following that, pressure distribution was evaluated in aerated and non-aerated regions under the effect of different heights of the pools and slopes through the use of the FLOW-3D software. Comparison of obtained numerical results with experimental ones was in good agreement for all discharges used in this study. Pools height had the insignificant effect on the inception point location. The value of void fraction was more affected in lower discharges in comparison with higher ones. Negative pressure was not seen over the crest of spillway (non-aerated region), and the maximum pressure values were obtained for pools with 15 cm height along the crest in each discharge. In all slopes, negative pressure was not formed near the step bed in the pooled and flat stepped spillways. However, negative pressure was formed in more area near the vertical face in the flat stepped spillway compared with the pooled stepped spillway which increases the probability of cavitation phenomenon in the flat stepped chute.

A pooled stepped spillway was used in order to evaluate pressure, void fraction, and inception point. Also, different height of the pools was used. Numerical simulation of this study was fulfilled through Flow-3D software. The obtained results indicated that pools can affect two-phase flow characteristics including pressure, void fraction and inception point.

Over the crest, negative pressure was not seen. Pressure values were different for all used heights and the maximum ones obtained for 15 cm height. Also, pooled stepped played a more effective role in reducing the negative pressure points compared with flat cases. Inception point location was more affected in nappe and transition flow regimes in comparison with skimming flow regime particularly for 9 and 15 cm heights.

The research results of Felder et al. (2012a) from the University of Queensland were used to numerically simulate the flow over the pooled stepped spillway.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development process of the fire whirl in the fixed-frame facility and focus on the impacts of the fire whirl’s vortex core on the formation and flame structure of the fire whirl.

The complex turbulent reacting flame surface is captured by the large eddy simulation turbulence closure coupled with two sub-grid scale (SGS) kinetic schemes (i.e. the chemistry equilibrium and steady diffusion flamelet). Numerical predictions are validated thoroughly against the measurements by Lei et al. (2015) with excellent agreements. A double maximum tangential velocity refinement approach is proposed to quantify the vortex cores’ instantaneous location and region, addressing the missing definition in other studies.

The numerical results show that the transition process of the fire whirl is dominated by the vortex core movement, which is related to the centripetal force. The unsteadiness of the fully developed fire whirl was found depending on the instantaneous fluctuation of heat release rate. The steady diffusion flamelet scheme is essential to capture the instantaneous fluctuation. Furthermore, the axial velocity inside the vortex core is the key to determining the state of fire whirl.

Due to intensive interactions between buoyant fires and ambient rotating flow, the on-set and formation of fire whirl still remain largely elusive. This paper focused on the transition process of fire whirl between different development stages. This paper provides insights into the transition process from the inclined flame to the fire whirls based on the centripetal force.

This paper presented and compared two SGS kinetic schemes to resolve the fire whirl development process and the unsteadiness of its vortical structures. The modelling framework addresses the shortcoming of previous numerical studies where RANS turbulence closure and simplified combustion kinetics was adopted. Numerical results also revealed the fire whirl transition process and its relationship to centripetal force.

Societal needs produce infrastructural demands that often, require innovative industrial solutions to optimally satisfy them. One such need is fresh clean water and this has been met in part, by a global infrastructure of dams and reservoirs. Dams have borne witness to their innovative construction design, technology and management (CDTM) over the years and the purpose of this paper is to examine an example of this, relating to Claerwen dam in Great Britain.

The study used historical case study method based on Busha and Harter's (1980) model, to accommodate synthesis of extant, historical and archive data. Subsequent archival data analysis is founded predominately on document synthesis and embraces a longitudinal character.

Benefiting incontrovertibly from industrial innovations, Claerwen was constructed in markedly different ways from its “sister” phase 1 Elan Valley dams built 50 years earlier, to uniquely combine vernacular aesthetic with contemporary CDTM of the time and create a reservoir with capacity almost equal to that of the entire phase 1 dams combined.

Findings offset a dearth of historical construction research more generally; and that relating to dam infrastructure, more specifically.

Minimal literature exists regarding innovations in British dam building so the study is especially original in that respect.