HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER BETWEEN XDEM & OPENFOAM USING PRECICE COUPLING LIBRARY

Scientific Conference (2022, June 09)

This work demonstrates the rapid development of a simulation environment to achieve Heat and Mass Transfer (HMT) between Discrete Element Methods (DEM) and Computa- tional Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The HMT ... [more ▼]

This work demonstrates the rapid development of a simulation environment to achieve Heat and Mass Transfer (HMT) between Discrete Element Methods (DEM) and Computa- tional Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The HMT coupling can be employed to simulate processes such as drying, pyrolysis, combustion, melting, solid-fluid reactions etc and have indus- trial applications such as biomass furnaces, boilers, heat exchangers, and flow through packed beds. This shows that diverse CFD features and solvers need to be coupled with DEM in order to achieve various applications mentioned above. The proposed DEM-CFD Eulerian-Lagrangian coupling for heat and mass transfer is achieved by employing the preCICE coupling library[1] on volumetric meshes. In our prototype, we use the eXtended Discrete Element Method (XDEM)[2] for handling DEM calculations and OpenFOAM for the CFD. The XDEM solver receives various CFD data fields such as fluid properties, and flow conditions exchanged through preCICE, which are used to set boundary conditions for particles. Various heat transfer and mass transfer laws have been implemented in XDEM to steer HMT source term computations. The heat and mass source terms computed by XDEM are transferred to CFD solver and added as source. These source terms represent particles in CFD. The generic coupling interface of preCICE, XDEM and its adapter allows to tackle a di- verse range of applications. We demonstrate the heat, mass & momentum coupling capa- bilities through various test cases and then compared with our legacy XDEM-OpenFOAM coupling and experimental results. [less ▲]

Thermo-mechanical modelling for metal additive manufacturing

Scientific Conference (2021, October 27)

[1] Alnaes, M. S. Blechta, J. Hake, J. Johansson, A. Kehlet, B. Logg, A. Richardson, C. Ring, J.Rognes, M. E. and Wells, G. N. The FEniCS Project Version 1.5. Archive of Numerical Software(2015), Vol. 3 ... [more ▼]

[1] Alnaes, M. S. Blechta, J. Hake, J. Johansson, A. Kehlet, B. Logg, A. Richardson, C. Ring, J.Rognes, M. E. and Wells, G. N. The FEniCS Project Version 1.5. Archive of Numerical Software(2015), Vol. 3., 100:9–23. [2] Carraturo, M. and Kollmannsberger, S. and Reali, A. and Auricchio, F. and Rank, E. An immersed boundary approach for residual stress evaluation in SLM processes. [less ▲]

AWJC Nozzle simulation by 6-way coupling of DEM+CFD+FEM using preCICE coupling library

Scientific Conference (2021, June 16)

The objective of this work is to study the particle-laden fluid-structure interaction within an Abrasive Water Jet Cutting Nozzle. Such coupling is needed to study the erosion phenomena caused by the ... [more ▼]

The objective of this work is to study the particle-laden fluid-structure interaction within an Abrasive Water Jet Cutting Nozzle. Such coupling is needed to study the erosion phenomena caused by the abrasive particles inside the nozzle. So far, the erosion in the nozzle was predicted only through the number of collisions, using only a simple DEM+CFD[1] coupling. To improve these predictions, we extend our model to a 6-way Eulerian-Lagrangian momentum coupling with DEM+CFD+FEM to account for deformations and vibrations in the nozzle. Our prototype uses the preCICE coupling library[2] to couple 3 numerical solvers: XDEM[3] (for the particle motion), OpenFOAM[4] (for the water jet), and CalculiX[5] (for the nozzle deformation). XDEM handles all the particle motions based on the fluid properties and flow conditions, and it calculates drag terms. In the fluid solver, particles are modeled as drag and are injected in the momentum equation as a source term. CalculiX uses the forces coming from the fluid solver and XDEM as boundary conditions to solve for the displacements. It is also used for computing the vibrations induced by particle impacts. . The preliminary 6-way DEM+CFD+FEM coupled simulation is able to capture the complex particle-laden multiphase fluid-structure interaction inside AWJC Nozzle. The erosion concentration zones are identified and are compared to DEM+CFD coupling[1]. The results obtained are planned to be used for predicting erosion intensity in addition to the concentration zones. In the future, we aim to compare the erosions predictions to experimental data in order to evaluate the suitability of our approach. The FEM module of the coupled simulation captures the vibration frequency induced by particles and compares it with the natural frequency of the nozzle. Thus opening up opportunities for further investigation and improvement of the Nozzle design. [less ▲]

HPC Multi-physics Biomass Furnace simulations as a Service

Scientific Conference (2020, November)

Data Centric Engineering and Data-Driven Modelling - Computational Engineering Lab Report 2019

Report (2019)

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/data-centric-engineering

Parallel Coupling of CFD-DEM simulations

Presentation (2018, August 20)

A Parallel Multiscale DEM-VOF Method For Large-Scale Simulations Of Three-Phase Flows

in Proceedings of ECCM-ECFD 2018 (2018)

A parallel dual-grid multiscale DEM-VOF coupling is here investigated. Dual- grid multiscale couplings have been recently used to address different engineering problems involving the interaction between ... [more ▼]

A parallel dual-grid multiscale DEM-VOF coupling is here investigated. Dual- grid multiscale couplings have been recently used to address different engineering problems involving the interaction between granular phases and complex fluid flows. Nevertheless, previous studies did not focus on the parallel performance of such a coupling and were, therefore, limited to relatively small applications. In this contribution, we propose an insight into the performance of the dual-grid multiscale DEM-VOF method for three- phase flows when operated in parallel. In particular,we focus on a famous benchmark case for three-phase flows and assess the influence of the partitioning algorithm on the scalability of the dual-grid algorithm. [less ▲]

Comparison of Several RANS Modelling for the Pavia TRIGA Mark II Research Reactor

Poster (2017)

In this study, a detailed analysis of the turbulent regime within the core of the Pavia TRIGA Mark II reactor is perfomed by means of an in-depth comparison of the RAS (Reynolds-Averaged Simulation ... [more ▼]

In this study, a detailed analysis of the turbulent regime within the core of the Pavia TRIGA Mark II reactor is perfomed by means of an in-depth comparison of the RAS (Reynolds-Averaged Simulation) turbulence models implemented in OpenFOAM. Aim of this analysis is to give some important information with respect to the flow regime within the core. The performance of the various models is tested against a LES (Large Eddy Simulation) of the innermost channel. [less ▲]

A discrete-continuous approach to describe CaCO3 decarbonation in non-steady thermal conditions

in Powder Technology (2015), 275

In cement production, direct measurements of thermal and chemical variables are often unfeasible as a consequence of aggressive environments, moving parts and physical inaccessibility, and therefore ... [more ▼]

In cement production, direct measurements of thermal and chemical variables are often unfeasible as a consequence of aggressive environments, moving parts and physical inaccessibility, and therefore prediction models are essential tools in these types of industrial applications. This article addresses the problem of the numerical prediction of the CaCO3 calcination process, which is the first and the most energy expensive process in clinker production. This study was conducted using the Extended Discrete Element Method (XDEM), a framework which allows a Eulerian approach for the gas phase to be combined with a Lagrange one for the powder phase. A detailed validation of the numerical model was performed by comparison to non-isothermal TG curves for mass loss during the CaCO3 decarbonation process. The complex three-dimensional predictions for solid and gas phases are believed to represent a first step towards a new insight into the cement production process. Thus, the high accuracy and detailed description of the problem addressed, serve as a basis to assess the uncertainty of more simplified models such as those used in soft sensors. [less ▲]

The extended discrete element method (XDEM) for multi-physics applications

in Scholarly Journal of Engineering Research (2013), 2

The Extended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) is a novel numerical simulation technique that extends the dynamics of granular materials or particles as described through the classical Discrete Element ... [more ▼]

The Extended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) is a novel numerical simulation technique that extends the dynamics of granular materials or particles as described through the classical Discrete Element Method (DEM) by additional properties such as the thermodynamic state, stress/strain, or electromagnetic field for each particle coupled to a continuum phase such as fluid flow or solid structures. Contrary to a continuum mechanics concept, XDEM aims at resolving the particulate phase through the various processes attached to particles, while DEM predicts the special-temporal position and orientation for each particle; XDEM additionally estimates properties such as the internal temperature and/or species distribution. These predictive capabilities are further extended by an interaction to fluid flow by heat, mass and momentum transfer and impact of particles on structures. These superior features as compared to traditional and pure continuum mechanic approaches are highlighted by predicted examples of relevant engineering applications. [less ▲]