In Situ Sensor-Based Monitoring and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling of Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) Process

Author(s):  
Roozbeh (Ross) Salary ◽  
Jack P. Lombardi ◽  
M. Samie Tootooni ◽  
Ryan Donovan ◽  
Prahalad K. Rao ◽  
...  

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate a pathway for in situ real-time monitoring and closed-loop control of aerosol jet printing (AJP) process. To achieve this aim, we instrumented an Optomec AJ-300 aerosol jet printer with multiple temporal and image-based sensors. Experiments were conducted by varying the sheath gas flow rate (ShGFR) and, subsequently, the line morphology was acquired online using a CCD camera mounted coaxial to the nozzle (perpendicular to the platen). To assess the line morphology, we devised a novel digital image processing method that quantifies aspects of line morphology, such as line density, overspray, continuity, edge smoothness, etc. As a result, an optimal process window was established. Next, the underlying aerodynamic phenomena that influence the line morphology are explained based on a two dimensional computational fluid dynamics (2D-CFD) model. Thus, the image processing approach proposed in this work can be used to detect incipient process drifts, while the CFD model will be valuable to suggest the appropriate corrective action to bring the process back in control. We further validate that there is a good agreement between the online and offline results with respect to the quantified morphology of the lines.

Author(s):  
Roozbeh (Ross) Salary ◽  
Jack P. Lombardi ◽  
Darshana L. Weerawarne ◽  
Prahalada K. Rao ◽  
Mark D. Poliks

The objective of this work is to forward a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to explain the aerodynamics behind aerosol transport and deposition in aerosol jet printing (AJP). The CFD model allows for: (i) mapping of velocity fields as well as particle trajectories; and (ii) investigation of post-deposition phenomena of sticking, rebounding, spreading, and splashing. The complex geometry of the deposition head was modeled in the ANSYS-Fluent environment, based on a patented design as well as accurate measurements, obtained from 3D X-ray CT imaging. The entire volume of the geometry was subsequently meshed, using a mixture of smooth and soft quadrilateral elements, with consideration of layers of inflation to obtain an accurate solution near the walls. A combined approach — based on the density-based and pressure-based Navier-Stokes formation — was adopted to obtain steady-state solutions and to bring the conservation imbalances below a specified linearization tolerance (10−6). Turbulence was modeled, using the realizable k-ε viscose model with scalable wall functions. A coupled two-phase flow model was set up to track a large number of injected particles. The boundary conditions were defined based on experimental sensor data. A single-factor factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of sheath gas flow rate (ShGFR) on line morphology, and also validate the CFD model.


Author(s):  
Roozbeh (Ross) Salary ◽  
Jack P. Lombardi ◽  
M. Samie Tootooni ◽  
Ryan Donovan ◽  
Prahalad K. Rao ◽  
...  

The objectives of this paper in the context of aerosol jet printing (AJP)—an additive manufacturing (AM) process—are to: (1) realize in situ online monitoring of print quality in terms of line/electronic trace morphology; and (2) explain the causal aerodynamic interactions that govern line morphology based on a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (2D-CFD) model. To realize these objectives, an Optomec AJ-300 aerosol jet printer was instrumented with a charge coupled device (CCD) camera mounted coaxial to the nozzle (perpendicular to the platen). Experiments were conducted by varying two process parameters, namely, sheath gas flow rate (ShGFR) and carrier gas flow rate (CGFR). The morphology of the deposited lines was captured from the online CCD images. Subsequently, using a novel digital image processing method proposed in this study, six line morphology attributes were quantified. The quantified line morphology attributes are: (1) line width, (2) line density, (3) line edge quality/smoothness, (4) overspray (OS), (5) line discontinuity, and (6) internal connectivity. The experimentally observed line morphology trends as a function of ShGFR and CGFR were verified with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The image-based line morphology quantifiers proposed in this work can be used for online detection of incipient process drifts, while the CFD model is valuable to ascertain the appropriate corrective action to bring the process back in control in case of a drift.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roozbeh (Ross) Salary ◽  
Jack P. Lombardi ◽  
Darshana L. Weerawarne ◽  
Prahalada Rao ◽  
Mark D. Poliks

Abstract Aerosol jet printing (AJP) is a direct-write additive manufacturing technique, which has emerged as a high-resolution method for the fabrication of a broad spectrum of electronic devices. Despite the advantages and critical applications of AJP in the printed-electronics industry, AJP process is intrinsically unstable, complex, and prone to unexpected gradual drifts, which adversely affect the morphology and consequently the functional performance of a printed electronic device. Therefore, in situ process monitoring and control in AJP is an inevitable need. In this respect, in addition to experimental characterization of the AJP process, physical models would be required to explain the underlying aerodynamic phenomena in AJP. The goal of this research work is to establish a physics-based computational platform for prediction of aerosol flow regimes and ultimately, physics-driven control of the AJP process. In pursuit of this goal, the objective is to forward a three-dimensional (3D) compressible, turbulent, multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate the aerodynamics behind: (i) aerosol generation, (ii) aerosol transport, and (iii) aerosol deposition on a moving free surface in the AJP process. The complex geometries of the deposition head as well as the pneumatic atomizer were modeled in the ansys-fluent environment, based on patented designs in addition to accurate measurements, obtained from 3D X-ray micro-computed tomography (μ-CT) imaging. The entire volume of the constructed geometries was subsequently meshed using a mixture of smooth and soft quadrilateral elements, with consideration of layers of inflation to obtain an accurate solution near the walls. A combined approach, based on the density-based and pressure-based Navier–Stokes formation, was adopted to obtain steady-state solutions and to bring the conservation imbalances below a specified linearization tolerance (i.e., 10−6). Turbulence was modeled using the realizable k-ε viscous model with scalable wall functions. A coupled two-phase flow model was, in addition, set up to track a large number of injected particles. The boundary conditions of the CFD model were defined based on experimental sensor data, recorded from the AJP control system. The accuracy of the model was validated using a factorial experiment, composed of AJ-deposition of a silver nanoparticle ink on a polyimide substrate. The outcomes of this study pave the way for the implementation of physics-driven in situ monitoring and control of AJP.


Author(s):  
Ye Jien Yeow ◽  
Mohan Yu ◽  
James B. Day ◽  
Roozbeh (Ross) Salary

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate the underlying physical phenomena behind material transport in pneumatic micro-extrusion (PME) process, using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The geometry of the PME deposition head assembly (including a micro-capillary having a diameter of 200 μm) was set up in the ANSYS-Fluent environment, based on a patented design in addition to direct measurements of the dimensions of the assembly. Subsequently, the geometry was meshed using tetrahedron cells. Besides, five layers of inflation were defined with the aim to obtain an accurate solution near all wall boundaries. The transient, pressure-based Navier-Stokes algorithm (based on absolute velocity formulation) was the mathematical model of choice, used to obtain transient solutions. To account for the effects of compressibility as well as viscose heating, the energy equation (in addition to the continuity and momentum equations) was utilized in the CFD model. Furthermore, the explicit volume of fluid model (composed of two Eulerian phases) and the laminar viscose model were used to collectively establish a viscose two-phase flow model for the molten polymer (PCL) deposition in the PME process. Pressure-velocity coupling was implemented using the semi-implicit method for pressure linked equations (SIMPLE). Finally, experimental sensor data was used with the aim to: (i) define the boundary conditions (as follows), and (ii) validate the CFD model. In this study, PCL powder was loaded into the cartridge, maintained at 120 °C, defined as the temperature of all stationery walls (with no slip condition). Pressure inlet was the type of boundary defined for the high-pressure gas flow in the PME process, set at 550 kPa. The laminar molten PCL flow was deposited on a glass substrate, steadily and uniformly kept at 45 °C, defined as the temperature of the substrate wall, moving with a speed of 0.35 mm/s. Overall, the results of this study pave the way for better understanding of the causal phenomena behind material transport and deposition in the PME process toward fabrication of bone tissue scaffolds with optimal functional properties.


Author(s):  
Jian Qi An ◽  
◽  
Kai Peng ◽  
Wei Hua Cao ◽  
Min Wu ◽  
...  

This paper aims at building a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model which can describe the gas flow three dimensions (3D) distribution in blast furnace (BF) throat. Firstly, the boundary conditions are obtained by rebuilding central gas flow shape in BF based on computer graphics. Secondly, the CFD model is built based on turbulent model by analyzing the features of gas flow. Finally, a method which can get the numerical solutions of the model is proposed by using CFD software ANSYS/FLUENT. The proposed model can reflect the changes of the gas flow distribution, and can help to guide the operation of furnace burdening and to ensure the BF stable and smooth production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-31
Author(s):  
Cuauhtémoc Pérez-Vega ◽  
◽  
José Armando Ramírez-Arias ◽  
Irineo L. López-Cruz ◽  
Ramón Arteaga-Ramírez ◽  
...  

Introduction: Medium and low technology greenhouses use natural ventilation as a method of temperature and humidity control. However, at certain times of the year, this is insufficient to extract excess heat inside the greenhouse, so devices such as hydrophanes (humidifiers) have been implemented to reduce the temperature. It is necessary to know the behavior of temperature and humidity, since both factors influence the development of crops and, therefore, their yield. Objective: To develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a naturally ventilated zenithal greenhouse equipped with hydrophanes to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse. Methodology: The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse equipped with hydrophanes and grown with bell pepper. Temperature and humidity measurements were performed from March 7 to 25, 2014. The ANSYS Workbench program was used for the 3D CFD modeling. Results: The CFD model satisfactorily described the temperature and humidity distribution of the greenhouse, with an error of 0.11 to 3.43 °C for temperature, and 0.44 to 10.80 % for humidity. Limitations of the study: Numerical modeling using CFD is inadequate to model the temporality of the variables. Originality: There are few studies that model humidity behavior with CFD and the use of hydrophanes in Mexico. Conclusions: The CFD model allowed visualizing the distribution of temperature and air humidity inside the greenhouse.


Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Minghan Luo ◽  
Wenjie Xu ◽  
Xiaorong Kang ◽  
Keqiang Ding ◽  
Taeseop Jeong

The ultraviolet photochemical degradation process is widely recognized as a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and sustainable technology for water treatment. This study integrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a photoreactive kinetic model to investigate the effects of flow characteristics on the contaminant degradation performance of a rotating annular photoreactor with a vacuum-UV (VUV)/UV process performed in continuous flow mode. The results demonstrated that the introduced fluid remained in intensive rotational movement inside the reactor for a wide range of inflow rates, and the rotational movement was enhanced with increasing influent speed within the studied velocity range. The CFD modeling results were consistent with the experimental abatement of methylene blue (MB), although the model slightly overestimated MB degradation because it did not fully account for the consumption of OH radicals from byproducts generated in the MB decomposition processes. The OH radical generation and contaminant degradation efficiency of the VUV/UV process showed strong correlation with the mixing level in a photoreactor, which confirmed the promising potential of the developed rotating annular VUV reactor in water treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2391
Author(s):  
Jose I. Huertas ◽  
Javier E. Aguirre ◽  
Omar D. Lopez Mejia ◽  
Cristian H. Lopez

The effects of using solid barriers on the dispersion of air pollutants emitted from the traffic of vehicles on roads located over flat areas were quantified, aiming to identify the geometry that maximizes the mitigation effect of air pollution near the road at the lowest barrier cost. Toward that end, a near road Computational Fluid Dynamics (NR-CFD) model that simulates the dispersion phenomena occurring in the near-surface atmosphere (<250 m high) in a small computational domain (<1 km long), via Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used. Results from the NR-CFD model were highly correlated (R2 > 0.96) with the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) concentrations measured by the US-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US-NOAA) in 2008 downwind a line source emission, for the case of a 6m near road solid straight barrier and for the case without any barrier. Then, the effects of different geometries, sizes, and locations were considered. Results showed that, under all barrier configurations, the normalized pollutant concentrations downwind the barrier are highly correlated (R2 > 0.86) to the concentrations observed without barrier. The best cost-effective configuration was observed with a quarter-ellipse barrier geometry with a height equivalent to 15% of the road width and located at the road edge, where the pollutant concentrations were 76% lower than the ones observed without any barrier.


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