Investigation of Hydro-Mechanical Losses in External Gear Machines: Simulation and Experimental Validation

Author(s):  
Divya Thiagarajan ◽  
Andrea Vacca

This paper presents a comprehensive study to estimate the total torque losses which contribute to the hydro-mechanical efficiency in external gear machines (EGMs). A study of these losses at different operating conditions is an important design factor in prototyping many positive displacement machines to achieve efficient and reliable designs. Although semi-empirical models for the description of the steady-state behavior of positive displacement machines accounting for both volumetric and torque losses are available in literature, their fidelity is often based on the availability of reliable experimental data. In the case of EGMs, it is difficult to consider intricate operating features such as the micro-motion of the different components in these generic models. A numerical evaluation of these special features in an EGM using dedicated models for EGMs can potentially contribute to an accurate prediction of the hydro-mechanical efficiency of a given design. In the present work, different sources of the torque losses are methodically determined for a reference EGM unit through various numerical models which were previously developed and validated in the authors’ research team. The cumulative predictions of the torque losses from the different simulation models are then validated against the corresponding measured experimental torque losses at various operating conditions for the reference EGM unit.

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-254
Author(s):  
Matthias Wegerhoff ◽  
Georg Jacobs ◽  
Pascal Drichel

Numerical models for vibro-acoustic analyses of complex mechanical systems are becoming more and more popular, in particular in the field of virtual product development. Therefore, reliable, comprehensive, and validated modeling methodologies remain crucial. However, system characteristics such as elasticities of the drive train components and nonlinear characteristics can lead to complex, and costly numerical models with a huge number of degrees of freedom. This may raise not only the need for novel and reasonable modeling strategies, but also exacerbates validation process, due to the wide scope in terms of operating conditions. In practice, structure-borne noise signals, for example, from accelerometers, are often used for the validation of mechanical systems. By choice of a sufficient number of measurement points, the interpretation becomes more complex. A lot of vibration response curves then need to be compared and interpreted over a wide operating range. In general, the interpretation focuses on deviations in quality and quantity. In this paper, to overcome these mentioned challenges, a validation methodology is proposed allowing a fast and transparent check of a number of captured signals. Therefore, it is shown how the original information can be reduced in a meaningful manner, making it possible to run a fast and accurate validation. The method is demonstrated on a real application with high mechanical complexity and it is shown that the chosen parameters are reliable.


2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-58
Author(s):  
Chao Liu ◽  
Zongde Fang ◽  
Fang Guo ◽  
Long Xiang ◽  
Yabin Guan ◽  
...  

Presented in this study is investigation of dynamic behavior of a helical gear reduction by experimental and numerical methods. A closed-loop test rig is designed to measure vibrations of the example system, and the basic principle as well as relevant signal processing method is introduced. A hybrid user-defined element model is established to predict relative vibration acceleration at the gear mesh in a direction normal to contact surfaces. The other two numerical models are also constructed by lumped mass method and contact FEM to compare with the previous model in terms of dynamic responses of the system. First, the experiment data demonstrate that the loaded transmission error calculated by LTCA method is generally acceptable and that the assumption ignoring the tooth backlash is valid under the conditions of large loads. Second, under the common operating conditions, the system vibrations obtained by the experimental and numerical methods primarily occur at the first fourth-order meshing frequencies and that the maximum vibration amplitude, for each method, appears on the fourth-order meshing frequency. Moreover, root-mean-square (RMS) value of the acceleration increases with the increasing loads. Finally, according to the comparison of the simulation results, the variation tendencies of the RMS value along with input rotational speed agree well and that the frequencies where the resonances occur keep coincident generally. With summaries of merit and demerit, application of each numerical method is suggested for dynamic analysis of cylindrical gear system, which aids designers for desirable dynamic behavior of the system and better solutions to engineering problems.


Author(s):  
Yiqi Cheng ◽  
Xinhua Wang ◽  
Waheed Ur Rehman ◽  
Tao Sun ◽  
Hasan Shahzad ◽  
...  

This study presents a novel cylindrical vane pump based on the traditional working principle. The efficiency of the cylindrical vane pump was verified by experimental validation and numerical analysis. Numerical analysis, such as kinematics analysis, was performed in Pro/Mechanism and unsteady flow-field analysis was performed using ANSYS FLUENT. The stator surface equations were derived using the geometric theory of the applied spatial triangulation function. A three-dimensional model of the cylindrical vane pump was established with the help of MATLAB and Pro/E. The kinematic analysis helped in developing kinematic equations for cylindrical vane pumps and proved the effectiveness of the structural design. The maximum inaccuracy error of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was 5.7% compared with the experimental results, and the CFD results show that the structure of the pump was reasonable. An experimental test bench was developed, and the results were in excellent agreement with the numerical results of CFD. The experimental results show that the cylindrical vane pump satisfied the three-element design of a positive-displacement pump and the trend of changes in efficiency was the same for all types of efficiency under different operating conditions. Furthermore, the volumetric efficiency presented a nonlinear positive correlation with increased rotational velocity, the mechanical efficiency showed a nonlinear negative correlation, and the total efficiency first increased and then decreased. When the rotational velocity was 1.33[Formula: see text] and the discharge pressure was 0.68[Formula: see text], the total efficiency reached its maximum value.


Author(s):  
John J. Adamczyk

This paper summarizes the state of 3D CFD based models of the time average flow field within axial flow multistage turbomachines. Emphasis is placed on models which are compatible with the industrial design environment and those models which offer the potential of providing credible results at both design and off-design operating conditions. The need to develop models which are free of aerodynamic input from semi-empirical design systems is stressed. The accuracy of such models is shown to be dependent upon their ability to account for the unsteady flow environment in multistage turbomachinery. The relevant flow physics associated with some of the unsteady flow processes present in axial flow multistage machinery are presented along with procedures which can be used to account for them in 3D CFD simulations. Sample results are presented for both axial flow compressors and axial flow turbines which help to illustrate the enhanced predictive capabilities afforded by including these procedures in 3D CFD simulations. Finally, suggestions are given for future work on the development of time average flow models.


Author(s):  
N.M. Dignard ◽  
M.I. Boulos

Abstract An experimental study of the spheroidization efficiency of induction plasma processes was completed. The main objective being to obtain models which could be subsequently used for the prediction of the spheroidization efficiency for various powders and plasma operating conditions. Silica, alumina, chromium oxide and zirconia powders were treated during the experimentation. For the plasma treatment of the powders the installation used had a maximum available power of 50 kW with an operating frequency of 3 MHz. Operating conditions were varied such to minimize side reactions and the evaporation of powders. The resulting powders did show the presence of cavities and a slight change in the mean diameters. The maximum energy efficiency based semi-empirical model did predict the spheroidization efficiency of the particles beyond a defined critical point known as the maximum energy efficiency point. For the model, the maximum energy efficiency is distinct for the individual powders but remain within a defined range which is reflected in the small variations in the Z constant.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Gisela Vanegas ◽  
John Nejedlik ◽  
Pascale Neff ◽  
Torsten Clemens

Summary Forecasting production from hydrocarbon fields is challenging because of the large number of uncertain model parameters and the multitude of observed data that are measured. The large number of model parameters leads to uncertainty in the production forecast from hydrocarbon fields. Changing operating conditions [e.g., implementation of improved oil recovery or enhanced oil recovery (EOR)] results in model parameters becoming sensitive in the forecast that were not sensitive during the production history. Hence, simulation approaches need to be able to address uncertainty in model parameters as well as conditioning numerical models to a multitude of different observed data. Sampling from distributions of various geological and dynamic parameters allows for the generation of an ensemble of numerical models that could be falsified using principal-component analysis (PCA) for different observed data. If the numerical models are not falsified, machine-learning (ML) approaches can be used to generate a large set of parameter combinations that can be conditioned to the different observed data. The data conditioning is followed by a final step ensuring that parameter interactions are covered. The methodology was applied to a sandstone oil reservoir with more than 70 years of production history containing dozens of wells. The resulting ensemble of numerical models is conditioned to all observed data. Furthermore, the resulting posterior-model parameter distributions are only modified from the prior-model parameter distributions if the observed data are informative for the model parameters. Hence, changes in operating conditions can be forecast under uncertainty, which is essential if nonsensitive parameters in the history are sensitive in the forecast.


1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (01) ◽  
pp. 15-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Brandner ◽  
Martin Renilson

To assist in predicting the performance of omni-directional propelled vehicles a series of experiments has been conducted to measure the interaction between two closely spaced ductedazimuthing thrusters. The thrusters were tested below a shallow draft ground board in a towing tank at a spacing of approximately 2 propeller diameters. Measurements were made of forces acting on a single thruster for a range of operating conditions and similarly on two thrusters for a range of relative positions. The results show that forces from the trailing thruster are heavily affected by interaction, particularly due to impingement of the race from the leading thruster, where as forces from the leading thruster remain essentially unaffected despite its proximity to the trailing thruster. A semi-empirical mathematical model suitable for simulation of omni-directional vehicle dynamics is presented. The model is based on the trajectory of the race from the leading thruster derived from momentum considerations with additional empirical relations to account for other more minor flow effects. Comparison of the predicted and measured results show satisfactory agreement.


Author(s):  
Sílvio Aparecido Verdério Júnior ◽  
Vicente Luiz Scalon ◽  
Santiago del Rio Oliveira ◽  
Elson Avallone ◽  
Paulo César Mioralli ◽  
...  

Due to their greater flexibility in heating and high productivity, continuous tunnel-type ovens have become the best option for industrial processes. The geometric optimization of ovens to better take advantage of the heat transfer mechanisms by convection and thermal radiation is increasingly researched; with the search for designs that combine lower fuel consumption, greater efficiency and competitiveness, and lower costs. In this sense, this work studied the influence of height on heat exchanges by radiation and convection and other flow parameters to define the best geometric height for the real oven under study. From the dimensions and real operating conditions of continuous tunnel-type ovens were built five numerical models of parametric variation, which were simulated with the free and open-source software OpenFOAM®. The turbulent forced convection regime was characterized in all models. The use of greater heights in the ovens increased and intensified the recirculation regions, reduced the rates of heat transfer by thermal radiation, and reduced the losses of heat by convection. The order of magnitude of heat exchanges by radiation proved to be much higher than heat exchanges by convection, confirming the results of the main references in the technical-scientific literature. It was concluded that the use of ovens with a lower height provides significant increases in the thermal radiation heat transfer rates.


Author(s):  
Tatsuya Kaneko ◽  
Ryota Wada ◽  
Masahiko Ozaki ◽  
Tomoya Inoue

Offshore drilling with drill string over 10,000m long has many technical challenges. Among them, the challenge to control the weight on bit (WOB) between a certain range is inevitable for the integrity of drill pipes and the efficiency of the drilling operation. Since WOB cannot be monitored directly during drilling, the tension at the top of the drill string is used as an indicator of the WOB. However, WOB and the surface measured tension are known to show different features. The deviation among the two is due to the dynamic longitudinal behavior of the drill string, which becomes stronger as the drill string gets longer and more elastic. One feature of the difference is related to the occurrence of high-frequency oscillation. We have analyzed the longitudinal behavior of drill string with lumped-mass model and captured the descriptive behavior of such phenomena. However, such physics-based models are not sufficient for real-time operation. There are many unknown parameters that need to be tuned to fit the actual operating conditions. In addition, the huge and complex drilling system will have non-linear behavior, especially near the drilling annulus. These features will only be captured in the data obtained during operation. The proposed hybrid model is a combination of physics-based models and data-driven models. The basic idea is to utilize data-driven techniques to integrate the obtained data during operation into the physics-based model. There are many options on how far we integrate the data-driven techniques to the physics-based model. For example, we have been successful in estimating the WOB from the surface measured tension and the displacement of the drill string top with only recurrent neural networks (RNNs), provided we have enough data of WOB. Lack of WOB measurement cannot be avoided, so the amount of data needs to be increased by utilizing results from physics-based numerical models. The aim of the research is to find a good combination of the two models. In this paper, we will discuss several hybrid model configurations and its performance.


Author(s):  
Mehmet Demiroglu ◽  
Mustafa Gursoy ◽  
John A. Tichy

Thanks to their compliant nature and superior leakage performance over conventional labyrinth seals, brush seals found increasing use in turbomachinery. Utilizing high temperature super-alloy fibers and their compliance capability these seals maintain contact with the rotor for a wide range of operating conditions leaving minimal passage for parasitic leakage flow. Consequently, the contact force/pressure generated at seal rotor interface is of importance for sustained seal performance and longevity of its service life. Although some analytical and numerical models have been developed to estimate bristle tip pressures, they simply rely on linear beam equation calculations and other such assumptions for loading cases. In this paper, previously available analytical and/or numerical models for bristle tip force/pressure have been modified and enhanced. The nonlinear cantilever beam equation has been solved and results are compared to a linear cantilever beam equation solution to establish application boundaries for both methods. The results are also compared to experimental data. With the support of testing, an empirical model has been developed for tip forces under operating conditions.


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