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At least 415 records · Page 23

Imaging Faults with Reverse-Time Migration for Geothermal Exploration at Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico

The fault zones at Jemez Pueblo may dominate the flow paths of hot water, or confine the boundaries of the geothermal reservoir. Therefore, it is crucial to image the geometry of these fault zones for geothermal exploration in the area. We use reverse-time migration with a separation imaging condition to image the faults at Jemez Pueblo. A finite-difference full-wave equation method with a perfectly-matching-layer absorbing boundary condition is used for backward propagation of seismic reflection data from receivers and forward propagation of wavefields from sources. In the imaging region, the wavefields are separated into the upgoing and downgoing waves, and leftgoing and rightgoing waves. The upgoing and downgoing waves are used to obtain the downward-looking image, and the leftgoing and rightgoing waves are used to form the left-looking image and right-looking image from sources. The left-looking and right-looking images are normally weaker than the downward-looking image because the reflections from the fault zones are much weaker than those from sedimentary layers, but these migration results contain the images of the faults. We apply our reverse-time migration with a wavefield separation imaging condition to seismic data acquired at Jemez Pueblo, and our preliminary results reveal many faults in the area.

BOUNDARY CONDITIONS↗

A study of changes in deep fractured rock permeability due to coupled hydro-mechanical effects

This paper presents a numerical study of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a fractured rock domain at 1000. m depth below the land surface as a function of different levels of fluid pore pressure. A 2D fractured rock domain is adopted based on data obtained from outcrop mapping, displaying multiple fracture sets, fracture intersections, dead-end and curved fractures. A continuum based numerical model is used to evaluate the effects of compressive boundary stresses, cracking by tension failure in the intact rock and fractures and shear displacement along fractures on its equivalent permeability. Two in situ stress boundary conditions are considered: an isotropic case SR1 with the two horizontal boundary compressive stresses having the same magnitude, and an anisotropic case SR2 with the ratio between these compressive stress components set to be 2. In the SR2 case, changes in the local stress and stress ratio distributions due to different fluid pore pressure levels are anisotropic and more significant than in the SR1 case, because of tension failures in the intact rock forming bridges between fractures. These failure regions opened new flow connections between fractures and thereby caused important anisotropic changes in the flow paths, and significant decrease in local gradients of fluid pore pressure. The equivalent permeability increases sharply when the fluid pore pressure is approximately 90% of the magnitude of the minimum stress at the boundaries of the fractured rock domain. Results show that the equivalent permeability of the fractured rock domain is most sensitive to the fractures normal stiffness, the permeability of the tension failure regions and the power-law exponent for permeability change.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Comparison of Equivalence Ratio Transients on Combustion Instability in Single-Nozzle and Multi-Nozzle Combustors

Low-emissions gas turbine combustion, achieved through the use of lean, premixed fueling strategies, is susceptible to combustion instability. The driving mechanism for this instability arises from fluctuations of pressure, fuel/air flow rate, and heat release rate. If these fluctuations are relatively in-phase, the combustion system will evolve to a self-excited state. The self-excited instability frequency and amplitude depend mainly on the operating condition and the geometry of the combustor. In this study, we consider the onset and decay of self-excited instabilities, resulting from transients in fuel/air ratio, in both single-nozzle and multi-nozzle combustors. In particular, we examine the differences in the instability onset and decay processes between these two flame configurations, as most gas turbine combustors have multiple nozzles, but most gas turbine combustor experiments utilize a single-nozzle. A nonlinear logistic regression analysis is applied to study the timescales of the decay and onset transients. Variations in the equivalence ratio change the heat release rate distribution inside the combustor, which is captured using chemiluminescence imaging. The normalized Rayleigh index, which shows the spatial distribution of the instability driving, is calculated to analyze the driving strength in different regions of the flame. Comparisons between the single- and multi-nozzle flame transients, including both center and outer flames for the multi-nozzle combustor, suggest that both confinement from the wall and flame-flame interaction are crucial to determining flame dynamics as the equivalence ratio transient changes the heat release rate distribution near corner recirculation zone and flame shear layers.

Chen, Xiaoling↗

Blind Modeling Validation Exercises Using the Horizontal Dry Cask Simulator

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established a need to understand the thermal-hydraulic properties of dry storage systems for commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in response to a shift towards the storage of high-burnup (HBU) fuel (> 45 gigawatt days per metric ton of uranium, or GWd/MTU). This shift raises concerns regarding cladding integrity, which faces increased risk at the higher temperatures within spent fuel assemblies present within HBU fuel compared to low-burnup fuel (≤ 45 GWd/MTU). A dry cask simulator (DCS) was built at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico to produce validation-quality data that can be used to test the accuracy of the modeling used to predict cladding temperatures. These temperatures are critical to evaluating cladding integrity throughout the storage cycle of commercial spent nuclear fuel. A model validation exercise was previously carried out for the DCS in a vertical configuration. Lessons learned during the previous validation exercise have been applied to a new, blind study using a horizontal dry cask simulator (HDCS). Three modeling institutions – the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Empresa Nacional del Uranio, S.A., S.M.E. (ENUSA) – were granted access to the input parameters from the DCS Handbook, SAND2017-13058R, and results from a limited data set from the horizontal BWR dry cask simulator tests reported in the HDCS update report, SAND2019-11688R. With this information, each institution was tasked to calculate peak cladding temperatures and air mass flow rates for ten HDCS test cases. Axial as well as vertical and horizontal transverse temperature profiles were also calculated. These calculations were done using modeling codes (ANSYS/Fluent, STAR-CCM+, or COBRA-SFS), each with their own unique combination of modeling assumptions and boundary conditions. For this validation study, the ten test cases of the horizontal dry cask simulator were defined by three independent variables – fuel assembly decay heat (0.5 kW, 1 kW, 2.5 W, and 5 kW), internal backfill pressure (100 kPa and 800 kPa), and backfill gas (helium and air). The plots provided in Chapter 3 of this report show the axial, vertical, and horizontal temperature profiles obtained from the dry cask simulator experiments in the horizontal configuration and the corresponding models used to describe the thermal-hydraulic behavior of this system. The tables provided in Chapter 3 illustrate the closeness of fit of the model data to the experiment data through root mean square (RMS) calculations of the error in peak cladding temperatures (PCTs), PCT axial locations, axial temperature profiles, vertical and horizontal temperature profiles at two different axial locations, and air mass flow rates for the ten test cases, normalized by the experimental results. The model results are assigned arbitrary model numbers to retain anonymity. Due to the relatively flat axial temperature profiles, small temperature gradients resulted in large deviations of all models’ PCT axial location from the experimental PCT axial location. When the PCT axial location error is excluded in the calculation of the combined RMS of the normalized errors that considers PCT, the temperature profiles, and the air mass flow rates, the model data fits the experimental data to within 5%. When the vault information is excluded, the model data fits the experimental data to within 2.5%. An error analysis was developed further for one model, using the model and experimental uncertainties in each validation parameter to calculate validation uncertainties. The uncertainties for each parameter were used to define quantifiable validation criteria. For this analysis, the model was considered validated for a given comparison metric if the normalized error in that metric divided by the validation uncertainty was less than or equal to 1. When considering the combined RMS of the normalized errors of all metrics divided by their validation uncertainties, the model was found to have satisfied the criterion for model validation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Investigating the relationship between simulation parameters and flow variables in simulating atmospheric gravity waves for wind energy applications

Wind farms, particularly offshore clusters, are becoming larger than ever before. Besides influencing the surface wind flow and the inflow for downstream wind farms, large wind farms can trigger atmospheric gravity waves in the inversion layer and the free atmosphere aloft. Wind-farm-induced gravity waves can cause adverse pressure gradients upstream of the wind farm, which contribute to the global blockage effect, and can induce favorable pressure gradients above and downstream of the wind farm that enhance wake recovery. Numerical modeling is a powerful means of studying these wind-farm-induced atmospheric gravity waves, but it comes with the challenge of handling spurious reflections of these waves from domain boundaries. Typically, approaches which employ radiation boundary conditions and forcing zones are used to avoid these reflections. However, the simulation setup of these approaches relies heavily on ad hoc processes. For instance, the widely used Rayleigh damping method requires ad hoc tuning to produce a setup that may only produce satisfactory results for a particular case. To provide more systematic guidance on setting up realistic simulations of atmospheric gravity waves, we conduct a large-eddy simulation (LES) study of flow over a 2D hill and through a wind farm canopy that explores the optimum domain size and damping layer setup depending on the fundamental parameters which determine the flow characteristics. In this work, we only consider linearly stratified conditions (i.e., no inversion layer), thereby focusing on internal gravity waves in the free atmosphere and their reflections from the domain boundaries. This type of flow is governed by a single Froude number, which dictates most of the internal wave properties, such as wavelength, amplitude, and direction. This, in turn, will dictate the optimum domain size and Rayleigh damping layer setup. We find the effective horizontal and vertical wavelengths (the representative wavelengths of the entire wave spectrum) to be the appropriate length scales to size the domain and damping layer thickness, and the optimal Rayleigh damping coefficient scales with the Brunt–Väisälä frequency. Considering Froude numbers seen in wind farm applications, we propose recommendations to limit the reflections to less than 10 % of the total upward-propagating wave energy. Typically, damping is done at the top boundary, but given the non-periodic lateral boundary conditions of practical wind farm simulation domains, we find that damping the inflow–outflow boundaries is of equal importance to damping the top boundary. The Brunt–Väisälä frequency-normalized damping coefficient should be between 1 and 10. The damping layer thickness should be at least one effective vertical wavelength; damping layers exceeding 1.5 times the vertical wavelength are found to be unnecessary. The domain length and height should accommodate at least one effective horizontal and vertical wavelength, respectively. Moreover, Rayleigh damping does not damp the waves completely, and the non-damped energy might accumulate over the simulation time.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Comparison of equivalence ratio transients on combustion instability in single-nozzle and multi-nozzle combustors

Low-emissions gas turbine combustion, achieved through the use of lean, premixed fueling strategies, is susceptible to combustion instability. The driving mechanism for this instability arises from fluctuations of pressure, fuel/air flow rate, and heat release rate. If these fluctuations are relatively in-phase, the combustion system will evolve to a self-excited state. The self-excited instability frequency and amplitude depend mainly on the operating condition and the geometry of the combustor. In this study, we consider the onset and decay of self-excited instabilities, resulting from transients in fuel/air ratio, in both single-nozzle and multi-nozzle combustors. In particular, we examine the differences in the instability onset and decay processes between these two flame configurations, as most gas turbine combustors have multiple nozzles, but most gas turbine combustor experiments utilize a single-nozzle. A nonlinear logistic regression analysis is applied to study the timescales of the decay and onset transients. Variations in the equivalence ratio change the heat release rate distribution inside the combustor, which is captured using chemiluminescence imaging. The normalized Rayleigh index, which shows the spatial distribution of the instability driving, is calculated to analyze the driving strength in different regions of the flame. Comparisons between the single- and multi-nozzle flame transients, including both center and outer flames for the multi-nozzle combustor, suggest that both confinements from the wall and flame-flame interaction are crucial to determining flame dynamics as the equivalence ratio transient changes the heat release rate distribution near corner recirculation zone and flame shear layers.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Hyporheic Oxygen Dynamics in the East River, Colorado: Insights From an In–Situ, High Frequency Time Series During Two Distinct Flow Seasons

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is critical for aquatic ecosystems, however, few studies have focused on the long-term DO dynamics in hyporheic zones, which are a function of both transport (hydrologic exchange between river and hyporheic zone) and uptake by biogeochemical reactions or respiration. We explore the dynamics of temperature and DO at 10, 20, and 35 cm depth beneath the East River, Colorado, from July–October 2017 (relatively normal water year) and April to October 2018 (comparatively low flow year), enabled by distinctive, in-situ, high frequency (Δt = 5 min) sensors that provided continuous time-series from the undisturbed study site over 14 months. We expect that hyporheic DO, which has a regular daily fluctuation pattern, is supplied by the surface water (at all times we estimate downwelling) and that diurnal hyporheic DO temporal patterns should be aligned with diurnal hyporheic temperature patterns. However, this was not found to be the case. Hyporheic DO becomes depleted briefly at 20 and 35 cm depths in 2017, and at all three hyporheic depths for extended periods in 2018. Whereas diurnal temperature fluctuations have consistent timings of maxima and minima, hyporheic DO rarely has as regular a pattern, and daily ranges are inconsistent. Rainfall events caused some of these changes to diurnal hyporheic DO patterns without repeatable effects. Antecedent snowpack conditions influence streamflow dynamics and therefore hyporheic DO dynamics in this alpine river. These results also point to the strong and variable influence of hyporheic microbial communities regulating hyporheic DO.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Mechanical response of 99.999% purity aluminum under dynamic uniaxial strain and near melting temperatures

In this study, a series of reverse geometry normal plate impact experiments are employed to investigate the incipient plastic behavior of commercial purity polycrystalline aluminum under ultra-high strain-rates (~105 /s) and test temperatures up to melt (i.e. 643 °C). The applied stress at the aluminum/target interface, as inferred from the measured normal free-surface particle velocity record, shows progressive weakening with increasing test temperatures ranging from 23–620 °C; at higher temperatures (470–620 °C) this rate of weakening is observed to decrease, and at the highest test temperatures employed in the study, i.e. temperatures approaching the melt point of aluminum (643 °C), a net increase in the longitudinal stress is observed. Additionally, estimates of longitudinal elastic impedance of the sample material, as inferred via impedance matching from the particle velocity states at shock plateau show similar monotonic decrease with temperature, except for the highest test temperature case, in which reversal of this trend is observed. Though slight, these noticeable changes in the impedance, and stress/velocity states likely indicate variances in the strengthening/hardening response of the material, which can be linked to transition in the dominant plastic flow mechanisms as the sample approaches the melting point. Scanning electron microscopy of the impact surface of the post-test samples reveal coarsening of the sample grains due to static recrystallization during the heating phase of the experiment. Additional experiments are performed on annealed specimens to probe the effects of microstructural changes, i.e. grain size, and/or relief of residual strains in the interpretation of the measured response of aluminum. Finally, the results, which show a decrease in the longitudinal acoustic impedance, and decrease in the levels of stress/particle velocity under shock loading, indicate that the effects of annealing may play a role in the observed response by promoting softening of the dynamic strength, and/or lessening of the rate of hardening in a post-yield regime.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Turbulent Pressure Spectrum Within the Roughness Sublayer of a Subarctic Forest Canopy

The turbulent static pressure spectrum E pp (k x ) as a function of longitudinal wavenumber k x in the roughness sublayer of forested canopies is of interest to a plethora of problems such as pressure transport in the turbulent kinetic energy budget, pressure pumping from snow or forest floor, and coupling between flow within and above canopies. Long term static pressure measurements above a sub-arctic forested canopy for near-neutral conditions during the winter and spring were collected and analyzed for three snow cover conditions: trees and ground covered with snow, trees are snow free but the ground is covered with snow, and snow free cover. In all three cases, it is shown that E pp (k x ) obeys the attached eddy hypothesis at low wavenumbers (1/δ < k x < 1/z) —with E pp (k x ) ∝ u$^4_*$k$^{-1}_x$ and Kolmogorov scaling in the inertial subrange at higher wavenumbers—with E pp (k x ) ∝ ϵ 4/3 k x -7/3 , where u * is the friction velocity at the canopy top, is the mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate, z is the distance from the snow top, and is the boundary layer depth. The implications of these two scaling laws to the normalized root-mean squared pressure C p = o p /u$^2_*$ and its newly proposed logarithmic scaling with normalized wall-normal distance z/δ are discussed for snow covered and snow free vegetation conditions. The work here also shows that k$^{-1}_x$ the in the E pp (k x ) appears more extensive and robust than its longitudinal velocity counterpart.

Aslan, Toprak [Finnish Meteorological Inst., Helsi↗

Differential effects of ambient or diminished CO 2 and O 2 levels on thylakoid membrane structure in light‐stressed plants

Summary Over‐reduction of the photosynthetic electron transport chain may severely damage the photosynthetic apparatus as well as other constituents of the chloroplast and the cell. Here, we exposed Arabidopsis leaves to saturating light either under normal atmospheric conditions or under CO 2 ‐ and O 2 ‐limiting conditions, which greatly increase excitation and electron pressures by draining terminal electron acceptors. The two treatments were found to have very different, often opposing, effects on the structure of the thylakoid membranes, including the width of the granal lumenal compartment. Modulation of the latter is proposed to be related to movements of ions across the thylakoid membrane, which alter the relative osmolarity of the lumen and stroma and affect the partitioning of the proton motive force into its electrical and osmotic components. The resulting changes in thylakoid organization and lumenal width should facilitate the repair of photodamaged photosystem II complexes in response to light stress under ambient conditions, but are expected to inhibit the repair cycle when the light stress occurs concurrently with CO 2 and O 2 depletion. Under the latter conditions, the changes in thylakoid structure are predicted to complement other processes that restrict the flow of electrons into the high‐potential chain, thus moderating the production of deleterious reactive oxygen species at photosystem I.

Tsabari, Onie↗

Mechanistic Modeling of TEG Dehydrator Emissions in Oil and Gas Industry

This work presents a mechanistic modeling approach for simulating methane emissions from triethylene glycol (TEG) dehydrators used in oil & gas (O&G) operations. The model was developed as a modular component of the Mechanistic Air Emissions Simulator (MAES) tool, incorporating species-specific absorption and emission dynamics through two-level, second-order polynomial regression (PR) models trained on ProMax simulation data: (1) species-level regression models that track the transfer rates of individual gas species within the dehydrator unit streams, and (2) outlet flow stream regression models that predict the fraction of inlet gas distributed among the outlet streams of the dehydrator unit. These behaviors were characterized over a range of glycol circulation ratios, wet gas pressures, and temperatures. The model was validated using root mean square error (RMSE) analysis. The species-level PR achieved low root mean square error (RMSE) values (<0.03) for light hydrocarbon species across all dehydrator components, ranging from 0.0009 for methane to 0.029 for normal pentane. Similarly, the outlet-level PR yielded RMSE values below 0.002 for the dry gas fraction, 0.001 for the flash tank fraction, and 0.002 for the still vent fraction, demonstrating strong agreement between predicted and reference ProMax values. When deployed at field facilities, the model significantly improved MAES-simulated dehydrator emissions, revealing that gas-assisted glycol pump emissions are the dominant contributors to both dehydrator-level and site-level methane emissions under uncontrolled conditions. Further analysis of the 154 dehydrator units reported by operators under the AMI 2024 project showed that 54 units (31%) used gas-driven glycol pumps, of which 6 units (11%) operated with uncontrolled flash tanks, and 22 units (40.7%) were identified as potentially oversized. Of the six dehydrator units with uncontrolled gas-assisted pumps, pump emissions accounted for 90.25% of total dehydrator emissions and 63.10% of total site-level emissions. These findings highlight substantial opportunities for emissions mitigation through equipment upgrades.

MAES↗

Off-design operation and performance of pumped thermal energy storage

In this article, we describe off-design models and control strategies for a Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) system that uses liquid thermal energy storage: specifically molten salt for hot storage and methanol for cold storage. Off-design conditions arise when load-following, or due to variations in storage tank temperatures or ambient temperatures. We propose a control strategy that uses inventory control to manage the mass flow rate in the thermodynamic cycles, which facilitates load following. We also propose a control strategy for the storage fluid mass flow rates, which are varied to ensure the molten salt is maintained at its design temperature. This maximizes efficiency and minimizes problems with salt freezing or degradation. The cold storage fluid mass flow rate is varied so that the cold tanks have the same state-of-charge as the hot tanks. This leads to variations in cold fluid temperature, but these variations are shown to be acceptably small (e.g. 7.5% increase), and this control method is shown to be simpler and more efficient than an alternative strategy where tanks become unbalanced. The ambient temperature and storage tank temperatures are moved ±50 °C from the design values and the impact on power, duration, and tank temperatures is quantified. Results demonstrate that the proposed control strategy is stable and self-correcting - that is, storage temperatures converge on stable values after two-to-three charge-discharge cycles. When inputs return to design values, the system returns to its design point after two charge-discharge cycles. We also demonstrate that inventory control enables delivery of the target power output even when off-design conditions exist that would normally reduce the power output.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Floodplain and Wetland Assessment for the Mortandad Wetland Enhancement and the DP Dissipater Projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory

This floodplain and wetland assessment was prepared in accordance with 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1022 Compliance with Floodplain and Wetland Environmental Review Requirements, which was promulgated to implement the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requirements under Executive Order 11988 Floodplain Management and Executive Order 11990 Wetlands Protection. According to 10 CFR 1022, a 100-year floodplain is defined as “the lowlands adjoining inland and coastal waters and relatively flat areas and flood prone areas of offshore islands” and a wetland is defined as “an area that is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, including swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.” In this action, DOE is proposing two projects to improve wetland and floodplain function at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The proposed work will comply with corrective action requirements under the Settlement Agreement and Stipulated Final Compliance Order (Settlement Agreement)1 Number HWB-14-20. The first project is located in Technical Areas (TA)-03 in upper Mortandad Canyon. The upper Mortandad wetlands have existing stormwater controls that need to be rehabilitated. Head-cut formation is occurring at the downstream portion of the wetland. This project will repair damages to the wetland and reduce the future erosion potential. The second project is located in TA-21 in Delta Prime (DP) Canyon. The intent of the DP Dissipater Project in DP Canyon is to install stormwater control structures in DP Canyon to retain low channel flows and reduce downstream sediment transport as well as peak flows during low and moderate storm events. Due to increased erosion, the stream bank in this area has unstable vertical walls within the stream channel. The DOE prepared this floodplain and wetland assessment to evaluate the potential impacts of implementing the proposed actions within the wetland and floodplain, as required by 10 CFR 1022.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

End-of-life flows of multiple cycle consumer products

Explicit expressions for the end-of-life flows (EOL) of single and multiple cycle products (MCPs) are presented, including deterministic and stochastic EOL exit. The expressions are given in terms of the physical parameters (maximum lifetime, T, annual cycling frequency, f, number of cycles, N, and early discard or usage loss). EOL flows are also obtained for hi-tech products, which are rapidly renewed and thus may not attain steady state (e.g. electronic products, passenger cars). A ten-step recursive procedure for obtaining the dynamic EOL flow evolution is proposed. Applications of the EOL expressions and the ten-step procedure are given for electric household appliances, industrial machinery, tyres, vehicles and buildings, both for deterministic and stochastic EOL exit, (normal, Weibull and uniform exit distributions). The effect of the physical parameters and the stochastic characteristics on the EOL flow is investigated in the examples: it is shown that the EOL flow profile is determined primarily by the early discard dynamics; it also depends strongly on longevity and cycling frequency: higher lifetime or early discard/loss imply lower dynamic and steady state EOL flows. The stochastic exit shapes the overall EOL dynamic profile: Under symmetric EOL exit distribution, as the variance of the distribution increases (uniform to normal to deterministic) the initial EOL flow rise becomes steeper but the steady state or maximum EOL flow level is lower. The steepest EOL flow profile, featuring the highest steady state or maximum level, as well, corresponds to skew, earlier shifted EOL exit (e.g. Weibull). Since the EOL flow of returned products consists the sink of the reuse/remanufacturing cycle (sink to recycle) the results may be used in closed loop product lifecycle management operations for scheduling and sizing reverse manufacturing and for planning recycle logistics. Decoupling and quantification of both the full age EOL and of the early discard flows is useful, the latter being the target of enacted legislation aiming at increasing reuse.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Pore-resolved investigation of turbulent open channel flow over a randomly packed permeable sediment bed

Pore-resolved direct numerical simulations are performed to investigate the interactions between streamflow turbulence and groundwater flow through a randomly packed porous sediment bed for three permeability Reynolds numbers, Re K = 2.56 , 5.17 and 8.94, representative of natural stream or river systems. Time–space averaging is used to quantify the Reynolds stress, form-induced stress, mean flow and shear penetration depths, and mixing length at the sediment–water interface (SWI). Here, the mean flow and shear penetration depths increase with Re K and are found to be nonlinear functions of non-dimensional permeability. The peaks and significant values of the Reynolds stresses, form-induced stresses, and pressure variations are shown to occur in the top layer of the bed, which is also confirmed by conducting simulations of just the top layer as roughness elements over an impermeable wall. The probability distribution functions (p.d.f.s) of normalized local bed stress are found to collapse for all Reynolds numbers, and their root-mean-square fluctuations are assumed to follow logarithmic correlations. The fluctuations in local bed stress and resultant drag and lift forces on sediment grains are mainly a result of the top layer; their p.d.f.s are symmetric with heavy tails, and can be well represented by a non-Gaussian model fit. The bed stress statistics and the pressure data at the SWI potentially can be used in providing better boundary conditions in modelling of incipient motion and reach-scale transport in the hyporheic zone.

turbulence simulation↗

PARTICLE RESOLVED DNS STUDY OF TURBULENCE EFFECTS ON HYPORHEIC MIXING IN RANDOMLY PACKED SEDIMENT BEDS

Pore-resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS) are used to investigate the interactions between stream-water flow turbulence and groundwater flow through a porous sediment bed in the hyporheic zone. Two permeability Reynolds numbers (2.56 and 5.17), representative of aquatic systems and representing ratio of permeability to viscous length scales, were simulated to understand its influence on the momentum exchange at the sediment-water interface (SWI). A doubleaveraging methodology is used to compute the Reynolds stresses, form-induced stresses, and pressure fluctuations. It is observed that both shear layer and turbulent shear stress penetration increases with ReK. Reynolds and form-induced bed-normal stresses increase with ReK. The peak values of the form-induced stresses for the lower (2.56) and higher (5.17) ReK happen within the top layer of the sediment bed. The sum of turbulent and form-induced pressure fluctuations, analyzed at their respective zero-displacement planes, are statistically similar and can be well approximated by a t location-scale distribution fit providing with a model that could potentially be used to impose boundary conditions at the SWI in reach scale simulations.

Karra, Shashank↗

Inertial collapse of a gas bubble in a shear flow near a rigid wall

Despite the extensive research on bubble collapse near rigid walls, the bubble collapse dynamics in the presence of shear flow near a rigid wall is poorly understood. We conduct direct simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations to explore the bubble dynamics and pressures during bubble collapse near a rigid, flat wall under linear shear flow conditions. We examine the dependence of the bubble collapse morphology and wall pressures on the initial bubble location and shear rate. We find that shear distorts the bubble, generating two re-entrant jets – one developing from the side opposite to the mean flow and the other from the far end toward the wall. Upon impact of the jet on the opposite side of the bubble, water-hammer shocks are produced, which propagate outward and interact with the convoluted bubble shape. The shock stretches the bubble towards the wall, resulting in a closer impact location for the jet originating from the far end compared with the case with no shear flow. The water-hammer pressure location can be approximated as the theoretical distance travelled by a particle initialised at the bubble centre with the corresponding constant shear flow velocity. The maximum wall pressures can thus be predicted by considering the distance between the far jet impingement location and the wall along the wall-normal direction. As the shear rate is increased, the maximum wall pressure increases, although only marginally. We determine the critical initial stand-off distance from the wall at which the bubble morphology is shear dominated, i.e. characterised by converging re-entrant jets.

Bhola, Sahil (ORCID:0000000236766302)↗