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Results for “Multiphase flows”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Characterizing the Effect of Capillary Heterogeneity on Multiphase Flow Pulsation in an Intermediate–Scale Beadpack Experiment using Time Series Clustering and Frequency Analysis

An intermediate-scale beadpack drainage experiment was conducted to investigate how simple layered lamination heterogeneity affects CO 2 flow. Two simple layers of capillary barriers are manually packed in the tank and slow drainage was carried out using analog fluids to mimic the capillary- and gravity-dominated CO 2 upward migration process in deep saline aquifers. Nonwetting phase saturation time series clustering analysis and frequency analysis have been conducted on the experimental data. Additionally, modified invasion percolation numerical simulations were done on a digital model of the beadpack to compare to experimental results. Results show that capillary barriers can lead to strong pulsation behavior, which in turn can cause unexpected early breaching through other barriers. The inlet pressure is found to be able to respond to saturation changes in far regions of the domain, indicating that the wetting phase can transmit pressure changes from the other phase. Although static simulations were not able to capture all the dynamic behavior observed in the experiment, Monte Carlo composite simulation results combining many different realizations can better illustrate how the nonwetting phase will behave in the heterogeneous domain. Furthermore, our results suggest the need for CO 2 storage site selection with preference given to aquifers with more capillary barriers with finer grain sizes to avoid flow pulsation and to retard plume upward migration.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Predicting multiphase flow and tracer transport for an underground chemical explosive test

Detecting radionuclide gas seepage from clandestine underground nuclear tests is central to nonproliferation explosion monitoring research. Yet, early-time (<6 day) gas transport driven by the explosive pressure wave remains poorly constrained due to scarcity of field data. We simulate multi-phase gas transport in the vadose zone using pre-shot data from a recent chemical explosion in P-Tunnel at the Nevada National Security Site, USA. Despite using a simplified 2D-radial model, predictions of tracer arrival matched observations within one order-of-magnitude. Our results show how transient blast forcing rapidly mobilizes gases from the cavity into surrounding rock – critical for optimizing sensor placement and test planning. This unique integration of field data and modeling represents a significant improvement in our ability to predict gas migration from underground explosions. More broadly, it offers insights into the coupled dynamics of pressure waves and contaminant transport in the vadose zone, with implications for monitoring and hazard assessment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Pressure evolution equation for the particulate phase in inhomogeneous compressible disperse multiphase flows

An analytical expression describing the unsteady pressure evolution of the dispersed phase driven by variations in the carrier phase is presented. In this article, the term “dispersed phase” represents rigid particles, droplets, or bubbles. Letting both the dispersed and continuous phases be inhomogeneous, unsteady, and compressible, the developed pressure equation describes the particle response and its eventual equilibration with that of the carrier fluid. The study involves impingement of a plane traveling wave of a given frequency and subsequent volume-averaged particle pressure calculation due to a single wave. The ambient or continuous fluid's pressure and density-weighted normal velocity are identified as the source terms governing the particle pressure. Analogous to the generalized Faxén theorem, which is applicable to the particle equation of motion, the pressure expression is also written in terms of the surface average of time-varying incoming flow properties. The surface average allows the current formulation to be generalized for any complex incident flow, including situations where the particle size is comparable to that of the incoming flow. Further, the particle pressure is also found to depend on the dispersed-to-continuous fluid density ratio and speed of sound ratio in addition to dynamic viscosities of both fluids. The model is applied to predict the unsteady pressure variation inside an aluminum particle subjected to normal shock waves. The results are compared against numerical simulations and found to be in good agreement. Furthermore, it is shown that, although the analysis is conducted in the limit of negligible flow Reynolds and Mach numbers, it can be used to compute the density and volume of the dispersed phase to reasonable accuracy. Finally, analogous to the pressure evolution expression, an equation describing the time-dependent particle radius is deduced and is shown to reduce to the Rayleigh-Plesset equation in the linear limit.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Lagrangian investigation of pseudo-turbulence in multiphase flow using superposable wakes

This study proposes a method for approximating the fully resolved flow through a monodisperse array of spherical particles using only the locations of the particles and the volume-averaged Reynolds number, both of which are available in Euler-Lagrange (EL) simulations. To achieve this, we first determine a superposable wake (SW) which best captures the behavior of direct numerical simulations (DNS). By adding the SW for all the particles, the pseudo-turbulence caused by the perturbed flow around a distribution of particles in an EL simulation can be approximated. Finally, a Reynolds stress model is then developed for use in an Euler-Lagrange framework. The range of Reynolds numbers and particle volume fractions considered in this study are 0.3 ≤ Re ≤ 173 and 0.11 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.45 accordingly.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

High-speed (20 kHz) digital in-line holography for transient particle tracking and sizing in multiphase flows

High-speed (20 kHz) digital in-line holography (DIH) is applied for 3D quantification of the size and velocity of fragments formed from the impact of a single water drop onto a thin film of water and burning aluminum particles from the combustion of a solid rocket propellant. To address the depth-of-focus problem in DIH, a regression-based multiframe tracking algorithm is employed, and out-of-plane experimental displacement accuracy is shown to be improved by an order-of-magnitude. Comparison of the results with previous DIH measurements using low-speed recording shows improved positional accuracy with the added advantage of detailed resolution of transient dynamics from single experimental realizations. Furthermore, the method is shown to be particularly advantageous for quantification of particle mass flow rates. For the investigated particle fields, the mass flows rates, which have been automatically measured from single experimental realizations, are found to be within 8% of the expected values.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2017

SISGR: Multiscale Modeling of Multiphase Flow, Transport, and Reactions in Porous Medium Systems

The purpose of this section is to summarize the progress made on this project during the previous funding cycle and to summarize the current state of our work. Advancements have been made in theory, microscale simulation, evaluation and validation of models, applications, and dissemination of research. Each of these areas are summarized in turn in the sections that follow.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Extreme Scale Unstructured Adaptive CFD: From Multiphase Flow to Aerodynamic Flow Control

Understanding the flow of fluid, either liquid or gas, through and around solid bodies has challenged man since the dawn of scientific inquiry. Many of the great minds of science and math have progressively built up a hierarchy of fluid models. This report is concerned with the computational modeling of turbulent flow around aerodynamic bodies such as planes and wind turbines. In this case, viscous effects near the solid bodies create very thin boundary layers that yield highly anisotropic (gradients normal to the surface may be 10^6 times larger than gradients along the surface) solutions to the governing non-linear partial differential equations (PDE); the Navier-Stokes equations. Furthermore, turbulent flows develop extremely broad ranges of length and time scales.This disparity motivates the use of discretization methods capable of employing adaptivity and implicit time integration. The combination of these features (non-linear, anisotropy, adaptivity, andimplicit) dramatically raise the complexity of the discretization, posing large challenges to efficient scalable parallel implementation. However, through careful design, the more complex algorithms can provide great reductions in computational cost relative to simpler methods (e.g., Cartesian grids with explicit time integration) that are easier to mate efficiently to hardware. In this report, we not only describe our approach but we also address the fact that while complex algorithms may never be as efficient flop-for-flop as simple methods, in the important measure of science-per-core-hour, they can still win big by making complex features like adaptivity and implicit methods as efficient and scalable as possible.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

User’s Manual for StrmtbFlow, the Stream Tube Multiphase Flow Part of the FE/NETL CO 2 Prophet Model, Version 2

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has developed the FE/NETL CO 2 Prophet Model, which is an updated version of the CO 2 Prophet. This document is a user’s manual for StrmtbFlow, which is one part of the FE/NETL CO 2 Prophet Model. CO 2 Prophet was originally developed in the 1990s by Texaco Exploration and Production Technology Department for DOE. The FE/NETL CO 2 Prophet Model is an oil reservoir simulator that is suitable for simulating water floods and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The FE/NETL CO 2 Prophet Model uses a number of assumptions to simplify the equations describing the flow of oil, water (or brine), and CO 2 in the oil reservoir.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗