Three-Dimensional CFD Simulation of Prime Mover Stirling Engine

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Rogdakis ◽  
P. Bitsikas ◽  
G. Dogkas

A three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics - CFD simulation is conducted on a Stirling engine. The temperature in the engine spaces and the temperature profile along the regenerator are graphically presented, along with the density and the gas flow patterns in selected parts of the engine. The maximum value of pressure drop is slightly more than 6% of the mean engine pressure at the same instance. The maximum loss due to pressure drop is equal to 5 kW. In addition, the CFD results are compared to those coming from a one-dimensional model. The comparison includes data regarding the pressure of the gas during the engine cycle, the gas mass flow-rate in all the engine spaces, the respective points of flow reversal and the gas pressure drop. Finally, the net work output and efficiency of the engine are calculated. The net work output of the engine is equal to 6.7 kW and the engine’s efficiency is equal to 51%. The possible sources of further losses are discussed.

2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xidong Zhang ◽  
Hulin Huang ◽  
Yin Zhang ◽  
Hongyan Wang

The predictions of flow structure, vortex shedding, and drag force around a circular cylinder are promoted by both academic interest and a wide range of practical situations. To control the flow around a circular cylinder, a magnetic obstacle is set upstream of the circular cylinder in this study for active controlling the separated flow behind bluff obstacle. Moreover, the changing of position, size, and intensity of magnetic obstacle is easy. The governing parameters are the magnetic obstacle width (d/D = 0.0333, 0.1, and 0.333) selected on cylinder diameter, D, and position (L/D) ranging from 2 to 11.667 at fixed Reynolds number Rel (based on the half-height of the duct) of 300 and the relative magnetic effect given by the Hartmann number Ha of 52. Results are presented in terms of instantaneous contours of vorticity, streamlines, drag coefficient, Strouhal number, pressure drop penalty, and local and average Nusselt numbers for various magnetic obstacle widths and positions. The computed results show that there are two flow patterns, one with vortex shedding from the magnetic obstacle and one without vortex shedding. The optimum conditions for drag reduction are L/D = 2 and d/D = 0.0333–0.333, and under these conditions, the pressure drop penalty is acceptable. However, the maximum value of the mean Nusselt number of the downstream cylinder is about 93% of that for a single cylinder.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Rogdakis ◽  
P. Bitsikas ◽  
G. Dogkas

In the present work, a three dimensional (3D) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is applied to a designed small compact regenerator with specific porosity and wire diameter. The regenerator was studied as a part of a Stirling Engine designed in a simple way. The gas temperature along the regenerator followed an approximately linear profile, while the metal temperature showed a small deviation during the engine cycle. The heat transfer coefficient between the gas and the matrix of the regenerator, along with the associate heat transferred were also derived. The heat exchanged in the regenerator is significantly higher to the respective heat in the engine’s heater and cooler. Additionally, the pressure drop and the related energy dissipation are studied. Their variation is largely dependent on both mass flow-rate and working gas velocity. The friction factor coefficient for the designed regenerator is correlated with Reynolds number and an equation of two variables is derived. Finally, the results of the CFD simulation are compared to those produced by a one-dimensional numerical model. These results include gas mass, mass flow-rate and Reynolds number, as well as the heat transferred between the gas and the regenerator matrix. Except for the case of the exchanged heat, the deviation between the two approaches is very small.


Author(s):  
Michel Arnal ◽  
Christian Precht ◽  
Thomas Sprunk ◽  
Tobias Danninger ◽  
John Stokes

The present paper outlines a practical methodology for improved virtual prototyping, using as an example, the recently re-engineered, internally-cooled 1st stage blade of a 40 MW industrial gas turbine. Using the full 3-D CAD model of the blade, a CFD simulation that includes the hot gas flow around the blade, conjugate heat transfer from the fluid to the solid at the blade surface, heat conduction through the solid, and the coolant flow in the plenum is performed. The pressure losses through and heat transfer to the cooling channels inside the airfoil are captured with a 1-D code and the 1-D results are linked to the three-dimensional CFD analysis. The resultant three-dimensional temperature distribution through the blade provides the required thermal loading for the subsequent structural finite element analysis. The results of this analysis include the thermo-mechanical stress distribution, which is the basis for blade life assessment.


2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (02) ◽  
pp. 117-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang-Yao Niu ◽  
Ding-Yu Chang

In this work, a preliminary numerical simulation of the lower urinary system using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is performed. Very few studies have been done on the simulation of three-dimensional urine through the lower urinary system. In this study, a simplified lower urinary model with rigid body assumption is proposed. The distributions of urine flow velocity, wall pressure and shear stress along the urethra are simulated based on MRI scanned uroflowmetry of a normal female. Numerical results show that violent secondary flows appear on the cross surface near the end of the urethra when the inflow rate is increased. The oscillative variation of pressure and shear stress distributions are found around the beginning section of the urethra when flow rate is at the peak value.


Author(s):  
Alexander Grahn ◽  
Eckhard Krepper ◽  
Frank-Peter Weiß ◽  
So¨ren Alt ◽  
Wolfgang Ka¨stner ◽  
...  

The present study aims at modelling the pressure drop of flows across growing cakes of compressible, fibrous materials which may form on the upstream side of containment sump strainers after a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). The model developed is based on the coupled solution of a differential equation for the change of the pressure drop in terms of superficial liquid velocity and local porosity of the fibre cake and a material equation that accounts for the compaction pressure dependent cake porosity. Details of its implementation into a general-purpose three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics code (CFD) are given. An extension to this basic model is presented, which simulates the time dependent clogging of the fibre cake due to capturing of suspended particles as they pass trough the cake. The extended model relies on empirical relations which model the change of pressure drop and removal efficiency in terms of particle deposit in the fibre cake.


2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayhel Sharma ◽  
Rakesh Kumar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish a freestream computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a three-dimensional non-spinning semi-cylindrical missile model with a single wrap around fin in Mach 2.70-3.00M range and 0° angle of attack, and ultimately establishing itself for future research study. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the behaviour of flow around the fin was investigated using a κ-ϵ turbulence model of second-order of discretization. This was done using a highly structured mesh. Additionally, an inviscid CFD simulation involving the same boundary conditions have also been carried out for comparison. Findings The obtained values of aerodynamic coefficients and pressure contours visualizations are compared against their experimental and computational counterparts. A typical missile aerodynamic characteristic trend can be seen in the current CFD. Practical implications The predicted values of the aerodynamic coefficients of this single fin model have also been compared to those of the full missile body comprising of four fins from the previous research studies, and a similar aerodynamic trend can be seen. Originality/value This study explores the possibility of the use of turbulence modelling in a single fin model of a missile and provides a basic computational model for further understanding the flow behaviour near the fin.


10.5772/50903 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-bo Lai ◽  
Hai-shun Wang ◽  
Hua-shan Liu

The duct of a robot vacuum cleaner is the length of the flow channel between the inlet of the rolling brush blower and the outlet of the vacuum blower. To cope with the pressure drop problem of the duct flow field in a robot vacuum cleaner, a method based on Pressure Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PRISO) algorithm is introduced and the optimisation design of the duct flow field is implemented. Firstly, the duct structure in a robot vacuum cleaner is taken as a research object, with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) theories adopted; a three-dimensional fluid model of the duct is established by means of the FLUENT solver of the CFD software. Secondly, with the k-∊ turbulence model of three-dimensional incompressible fluid considered and the PRISO pressure modification algorithm employed, the flow field numerical simulations inside the duct of the robot vacuum cleaner are carried out. Then, the velocity vector plots on the arbitrary plane of the duct flow field are obtained. Finally, an investigation of the dynamic characteristics of the duct flow field is done and defects of the original duct flow field are analysed, the optimisation of the original flow field has then been conducted. Experimental results show that the duct flow field after optimisation can effectively reduce pressure drop, the feasibility as well as the correctness of the theoretical modelling and optimisation approaches are validated.


Author(s):  
Brian Dotson ◽  
Kent Eshenberg ◽  
Chris Guenther ◽  
Thomas O’Brien

The design of high-efficiency lower-emission coal-fed power plants is facilitated by the extensive use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. This paper describes work conducted at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) to provide an environment for the immersive three-dimensional visualization of CFD simulation results. A low-cost high-resolution projection system has been developed in the visualization lab at NETL. This multi-wall system consists of four projection screens, three of which are tiled into four quadrants. The graphics for the multi-wall system are rendered using a cluster of eight personal computers. A high-level visualization interface named Mavis has also been developed to combine the powerful 3D modules of OpenDX with methods developed at NETL for studying multiphase CFD data. With Python, a completely new OpenDX user interface was built that extends and simplifies the features of a basic graphics library.


Author(s):  
Sung-In Park ◽  
Min-Ho Kim ◽  
Seungmin Kwon ◽  
Hye-Ryoun Chi ◽  
Jae-Bong Lee ◽  
...  

The aim of this study is to investigate methods of assessing the turbulence effect for the helideck availability study. Due to the limited space on offshore platforms, a helideck is normally positioned on cramped areas and this makes turbulence flows around the helideck. CAP 437, the representative standard for the offshore helideck design suggests various criteria for the helideck availability assessment and recommends a Standard Deviation of Vertical airflow Velocity (SDVV) value to be used for the turbulence effect assessment. Although there is a specific value of SDVV recommended in CAP 437, different interpretations are possible in the calculation of the value resulting in totally different assessment outcomes even under the same analysis condition. In this study, two different approaches are investigated and their results are compared. One approach is based on the spatial variation of the mean vertical velocity while the other utilizes the Turbulence Kinetic Energy (TKE) value from the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. With a CFD tool, Kamelon FireEX (KFX), a couple of 3-dimensional simulations is performed and turbulence flows around an offshore semi-rig are obtained. SDVV values are calculated using both approaches and compared each other as well as with criteria recommended in CAP 437. It is hoped that the result of this study is helpful to engineers for understanding evaluation methods of turbulence effects in the helideck availability assessment.


2011 ◽  
Vol 55-57 ◽  
pp. 343-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Gang Luan ◽  
Hai Ou Sun

In this article, computational fluid dynamics(CFD) method is used to predict the effect of blade numbers on the pressure drop of axial cyclone separators. A three-dimensional model is built to acquire the resistance of axial cyclone separators with different blade numbers. The flow field inside cyclone separators is calculated using 3D Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. And turbulence model is used to simulate the Reynold stress. Also pressure drop of cyclone separators with different blade numbers is expressed as a function of different inlet velocities. At the same inlet velocity with increasing the blade numbers, pressure drops of cyclones reduce greatly. And changing the blade number of cyclone separator is an effective method to improve its resistance performance.


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