scholarly journals Nonlinear Flow Characteristics of a System of Two Intersecting Fractures with Different Apertures

Processes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richeng Liu ◽  
Yujing Jiang ◽  
Hongwen Jing ◽  
Liyuan Yu

The nonlinear flow regimes of a crossed fracture model consisting of two fractures have been investigated, in which the influences of hydraulic gradient, surface roughness, intersecting angle, and scale effect have been taken into account. However, in these attempts, the aperture of the two crossed fractures is the same and effects of aperture ratio have not been considered. This study aims to extend their works, characterizing nonlinear flow through a system of two intersecting fractures with different apertures. First, three experiment models with two fractures having different apertures were established and flow tests were carried out. Then, numerical simulations by solving the Navier-Stokes equations were performed and the results compared with the experiment results. Finally, the effects of fracture aperture on the critical pressure difference and the ratio of hydraulic aperture to mechanical aperture were systematically analyzed. The results show that the numerical simulation results agree well with those of the fluid flow tests, which indicates that the visualization techniques and the numerical simulation code are reliable. With the increment of flow rate, the pressure difference increases first linearly and then nonlinearly, which can be best fitted using Forchheimer’s law. The two coefficients in Forchheimer’s law decrease with the increasing number of outlets. When increasing fracture aperture from 3 mm to 5 mm, the critical pressure difference increases significantly. However, when continuously increasing fracture aperture from 5 mm to 7 mm, the critical pressure difference changes are negligibly small. The ratio of hydraulic aperture to mechanical aperture decreases more significantly for a fracture that has a larger aperture. Increasing fracture aperture from 5 mm to 7 mm, that has a negligibly small effect on the critical pressure difference will however significantly influence the ratio of hydraulic aperture to mechanical aperture.

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 657
Author(s):  
Chaojie Cheng ◽  
Harald Milsch

Fractures efficiently affect fluid flow in geological formations, and thereby determine mass and energy transport in reservoirs, which are not least exploited for economic resources. In this context, their response to mechanical and thermal changes, as well as fluid–rock interactions, is of paramount importance. In this study, a two-stage flow-through experiment was conducted on a pure quartz sandstone core of low matrix permeability, containing one single macroscopic tensile fracture. In the first short-term stage, the effects of mechanical and hydraulic aperture on pressure and temperature cycles were investigated. The purpose of the subsequent intermittent-flow long-term (140 days) stage was to constrain the evolution of the geometrical and hydraulic fracture properties resulting from pressure solution. Deionized water was used as the pore fluid, and permeability, as well as the effluent Si concentrations, were systematically measured. Overall, hydraulic aperture was shown to be significantly less affected by pressure, temperature and time, in comparison to mechanical aperture. During the long-term part of the experiment at 140 °C, the effluent Si concentrations likely reached a chemical equilibrium state within less than 8 days of stagnant flow, and exceeded the corresponding hydrostatic quartz solubility at this temperature. This implies that the pressure solution was active at the contacting fracture asperities, both at 140 °C and after cooling to 33 °C. The higher temperature yielded a higher dissolution rate and, consequently, a faster attainment of chemical equilibrium within the contact fluid. X-ray µCT observations evidenced a noticeable increase in fracture contact area ratio, which, in combination with theoretical considerations, implies a significant decrease in mechanical aperture. In contrast, the sample permeability, and thus the hydraulic fracture aperture, virtually did not vary. In conclusion, pressure solution-induced fracture aperture changes are affected by the degree of time-dependent variations in pore fluid composition. In contrast to the present case of a quasi-closed system with mostly stagnant flow, in an open system with continuous once-through fluid flow, the activity of the pressure solution may be amplified due to the persistent fluid-chemical nonequilibrium state, thus possibly enhancing aperture and fracture permeability changes.


Author(s):  
Shunji Homma ◽  
Haruhisa Honda ◽  
Jiro Koga ◽  
Shiro Matsumoto ◽  
Museok Song ◽  
...  

Numerical simulation code is developed to study the formation of liquid drops from a nozzle into another quiescent liquid. The Navier-Stokes equations for two immiscible, incompressible, Newtonian fluids are solved on a fixed, staggered grid of cylindrical axisymmetric coordinates. Interfacial motion is captured using a Front-Tracking Method. The time variation of interfacial shape simulated by the code is in excellent agreement with experiments. Simulation results show that the viscosity ratio affects the size of the satellite drops.


2017 ◽  
Vol 79 (7-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iham F. Zidane ◽  
Khalid M. Saqr ◽  
Greg Swadener ◽  
Xianghong Ma ◽  
Mohamed F. Shehadeh

Gulf and South African countries have enormous potential for wind energy. However, the emergence of sand storms in this region postulates performance and reliability challenges on wind turbines. This study investigates the effects of debris flow on wind turbine blade performance. In this paper, two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and the transition SST turbulence model are used to analyze the aerodynamic performance of NACA 63415 airfoil under clean and sandy conditions. The numerical simulation of the airfoil under clean surface condition is performed at Reynolds number 460×103, and the numerical results have a good consistency with the experimental data. The Discrete Phase Model has been used to investigate the role sand particles play in the aerodynamic performance degradation. The pressure and lift coefficients of the airfoil have been computed under different sand particles flow rates. The performance of the airfoil under different angle of attacks has been studied. Results showed that the blade lift coefficient can deteriorate by 28% in conditions relevant to the Gulf and South African countries sand storms. As a result, the numerical simulation method has been verified to be economically available for accurate estimation of the sand particles effect on the wind turbine blades.


2011 ◽  
Vol 97-98 ◽  
pp. 698-701
Author(s):  
Ming Lu Zhang ◽  
Yi Ren Yang ◽  
Li Lu ◽  
Chen Guang Fan

Large eddy simulation (LES) was made to solve the flow around two simplified CRH2 high speed trains passing by each other at the same speed base on the finite volume method and dynamic layering mesh method and three dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. Wind tunnel experimental method of resting train with relative flowing air and dynamic mesh method of moving train were compared. The results of numerical simulation show that the flow field structure around train is completely different between wind tunnel experiment and factual running. Two opposite moving couple of point source and point sink constitute the whole flow field structure during the high speed trains passing by each other. All of streamlines originate from point source (nose) and finish with the closer point sink (tail). The flow field structure around train is similar with different vehicle speed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giancarlo Alfonsi

The direct numerical simulation of turbulence (DNS) has become a method of outmost importance for the investigation of turbulence physics, and its relevance is constantly growing due to the increasing popularity of high-performance-computing techniques. In the present work, the DNS approach is discussed mainly with regard to turbulent shear flows of incompressible fluids with constant properties. A body of literature is reviewed, dealing with the numerical integration of the Navier-Stokes equations, results obtained from the simulations, and appropriate use of the numerical databases for a better understanding of turbulence physics. Overall, it appears that high-performance computing is the only way to advance in turbulence research through the front of the direct numerical simulation.


Author(s):  
Надежда Петровна Скибина

Проведено численное исследование нестационарного турбулентного сверхзвукового течения в камере сгорания прямоточного воздушно-реактивного двигателя. Описана методика экспериментального измерения температуры на стенке осесимметричного канала в камере сгорания двигателя. Математическое моделирование обтекания исследуемой модели двигателя проводилось для скоростей набегающего потока M = 5 ... 7. Начальные и граничные условия задачи соответствовали реальному аэродинамическому эксперименту. Проанализированы результаты численного расчета. Рассмотрено изменение распределения температуры вдоль стенки канала с течением времени. Проведена оценка согласованности полученных экспериментальных данных с результатами математического моделирования. Purpose. The aim of this study is a numerical simulation of unsteady supersonic gas flow in a working path of ramjet engine under conditions identical to aerodynamic tests. Free stream velocity corresponding to Mach numbers M=5 ... 7 are considered. Methodology. Presented study addresses the methods of physical and numerical simulation. The probing device for thermometric that allows to recording the temperature values along the wall of internal duct was proposed. To describe the motion of a viscous heat-conducting gas the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier - Stokes equations are considered. The flow turbulence is accounted by the modified SST model. The problem was solved in ANSYS Fluent using finite-volume method. The initial and boundary conditions for unsteady calculation are set according to conditions of real aerodynamic tests. The coupled heat transfer for supersonic flow and elements of ramjet engine model are realized by setting of thermophysical properties of materials. The reliability testing of numerical simulation has been made to compare the results of calculations and the data of thermometric experimental tests. Findings. Numerical simulation of aerodynamic tests for ramjet engine was carried out. The agreement between the results of numerical calculations and experimental measurements for the velocity in the channel under consideration was obtained; the error was shown to be 2%. The temperature values were obtained in the area of contact of the supersonic flow with the surface of the measuring device for the external incident flow velocities for Mach numbers M = 5 ... 7. The process of heating the material in the channel that simulated the section of the engine combustion chamber was analyzed. The temperature distribution was studied depending on the position of the material layer under consideration relative to the contact zone with the flow. Value. In the course of the work, the fields of flow around the model of a ramjet engine were obtained, including the region of supersonic flow in the inner part of axisymmetric channel. The analysis of the temperature fields showed that to improve the quality of the results, it is necessary to take into account the depth of the calorimetric sensor. The obtained results will be used to estimate the time of interaction of the supersonic flow with the fuel surface required to reach the combustion temperature.


2019 ◽  
Vol 878 ◽  
pp. 5-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Hattori ◽  
Francisco J. Blanco-Rodríguez ◽  
Stéphane Le Dizès

The linear instability of a vortex ring with swirl with Gaussian distributions of azimuthal vorticity and velocity in its core is studied by direct numerical simulation. The numerical study is carried out in two steps: first, an axisymmetric simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations is performed to obtain the quasi-steady state that forms a base flow; then, the equations are linearized around this base flow and integrated for a sufficiently long time to obtain the characteristics of the most unstable mode. It is shown that the vortex rings are subjected to curvature instability as predicted analytically by Blanco-Rodríguez & Le Dizès (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 814, 2017, pp. 397–415). Both the structure and the growth rate of the unstable modes obtained numerically are in good agreement with the analytical results. However, a small overestimation (e.g. 22 % for a curvature instability mode) by the theory of the numerical growth rate is found for some instability modes. This is most likely due to evaluation of the critical layer damping which is performed for the waves on axisymmetric line vortices in the analysis. The actual position of the critical layer is affected by deformation of the core due to the curvature effect; as a result, the damping rate changes since it is sensitive to the position of the critical layer. Competition between the curvature and elliptic instabilities is also investigated. Without swirl, only the elliptic instability is observed in agreement with previous numerical and experimental results. In the presence of swirl, sharp bands of both curvature and elliptic instabilities are obtained for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}=a/R=0.1$, where $a$ is the vortex core radius and $R$ the ring radius, while the elliptic instability dominates for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}=0.18$. New types of instability mode are also obtained: a special curvature mode composed of three waves is observed and spiral modes that do not seem to be related to any wave resonance. The curvature instability is also confirmed by direct numerical simulation of the full Navier–Stokes equations. Weakly nonlinear saturation and subsequent decay of the curvature instability are also observed.


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