Analysis of Fluid Flow in Redox Flow Batteries

Redox flow batteries (RFB) hold great potential for large-scale stationary energy storage. However, their low energy density compared to other energy storage systems must improve for feasibility. Electrolyte flow distribution affects current density distribution and providing a uniform current density distribution is one way to improve RFB performance. Additionally, reducing the power consumption of the electrolytes’ pump as a source of energy loss in RFB systems increases their efficiency. Investigating both subjects requires analysis of the fluid dynamics in RFB cells. In this thesis, a novel, computationally cost-effective hydraulic-electrical analogous model (HEAM) was developed to study fluid dynamics by implementing scaling analysis on Navier-Stokes and Darcy’s equations. The accuracy of the model was tested by comparing it to experimental data, and it proved to be more accurate than other similar models in the literature. HEAM demonstrated the deficiencies of flow distribution in interdigitated flow fields (IFF) and suggested that lower viscous resistance at the flow distribution manifold or higher resistance in the xiv parallel channels remedies the flow maldistribution. Further analysis showed that RFBs with IFFs need lower pump power to operate than those with serpentine flow fields (SFF) with similar properties. The HEAM may serve as an accurate tool for predicting the electrolyte flow behavior in RFB cells in future analyses. Moreover, this study indicates numerous ways to improve the electrolyte flow distribution of RFB cells with IFF and demonstrates the appeal of IFFs despite their complicated geometry and deficiencies for large-scale RFB applications

Non-Newtonian Microfluidics

Microfluidics has seen a remarkable growth over recent decades, with its extensive applications in engineering, medicine, biology, chemistry, etc. Many of these real applications of microfluidics involve the handling of complex fluids, such as whole blood, protein solutions, and polymeric solutions, which exhibit non-Newtonian characteristics—specifically viscoelasticity. The elasticity of the non-Newtonian fluids induces intriguing phenomena, such as elastic instability and turbulence, even at extremely low Reynolds numbers. This is the consequence of the nonlinear nature of the rheological constitutive equations. The nonlinear characteristic of non-Newtonian fluids can dramatically change the flow dynamics, and is useful to enhance mixing at the microscale. Electrokinetics in the context of non-Newtonian fluids are also of significant importance, with their potential applications in micromixing enhancement and bio-particles manipulation and separation. In this Special Issue, we welcomed research papers, and review articles related to the applications, fundamentals, design, and the underlying mechanisms of non-Newtonian microfluidics, including discussions, analytical papers, and numerical and/or experimental analyses

Continuous data assimilation with blurred-in-time measurements of the surface quasi-geostrophic equation

An intrinsic property of almost any physical measuring device is that it makes observations which are slightly blurred in time. We consider a nudging-based approach for data assimilation that constructs an approximate solution based on a feedback control mechanism that is designed to account for observations that have been blurred by a moving time average. Analysis of this nudging model in the context of the subcritical surface quasi-geostrophic equation shows, provided the time-averaging window is sufficiently small and the resolution of the observations sufficiently fine, that the approximating solution converges exponentially fast to the observed solution over time. In particular, we demonstrate that observational data with a small blur in time possess no significant obstructions to data assimilation provided that the nudging properly takes the time averaging into account. Two key ingredients in our analysis are additional boundedness properties for the relevant interpolant observation operators and a non-local Gronwall inequality.Comment: 44 page

Analytical and Numerical Aspects of Porous Media Flow

The Brinkman equations model fluid flow through porous media and are particularly interesting in regimes where viscous shear effects cannot be neglected. Two model parameters in the momentum balance function as weights for the terms related to inter-particle friction and bulk resistance. If these are not in balance, then standard finite element methods might suffer from instabilities or error estimates might deteriorate. In particular the limit case, where the Brinkman problem reduces to a Darcy problem, demands for special attention. This thesis proposes a low-order finite element method which is uniformly stable with respect to the flow regimes captured by the Brinkman model, including the Darcy limit. To that end, linear equal-order approximations are combined with a pressure stabilization technique, a grad-div stabilization, and a penalty-free non-symmetric Nitsche method. The combination of these ingredients allows to develop a robust method, which is proven to be well-posed for the whole family of problems in two spatial dimensions, even if any Brinkman parameter vanishes. An a priori error analysis reveals optimal convergence in the considered norm. A convergence study based on problems with known analytic solutions confirms the robust first order convergence for reasonable ranges of numerical (stabilization) parameters. Further, numerical investigations that partly extend the theoretical framework are considered, revealing strengths and weaknesses of the approach. An application motivated by the optimization of geothermal energy production completes the thesis. Here, the proposed method is included in a multi-physics discrete model, appropriate to describe the thermo-hydraulics in hot, sedimentary, essentially horizontal aquifers. An immersed boundary method is adopted in order to allow a flexible, automatic optimization without regenerating the computational mesh. Utilizing the developed computational framework, the optimized multi-well arrangements with respect to the net energy gain are presented and discussed for different geothermal and hydrogeological setups. The results show that taking into account heterogeneous permeability structures and variable aquifer temperatures might drastically affect the optimal configuration of the wells

Recent Trends in Coatings and Thin Film–Modeling and Application

Over the past four decades, there has been increased attention given to the research of fluid mechanics due to its wide application in industry and phycology. Major advances in the modeling of key topics such Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids and thin film flows have been made and finally published in the Special Issue of coatings. This is an attempt to edit the Special Issue into a book. Although this book is not a formal textbook, it will definitely be useful for university teachers, research students, industrial researchers and in overcoming the difficulties occurring in the said topic, while dealing with the nonlinear governing equations. For such types of equations, it is often more difficult to find an analytical solution or even a numerical one. This book has successfully handled this challenging job with the latest techniques. In addition, the findings of the simulation are logically realistic and meet the standard of sufficient scientific value

Onset of convective instability in an inclined porous medium

The diffusion of a solute from a concentrated source into a horizontal, stationary, fluid-saturated porous medium can lead to a convective motion when a gravitationally unstable density stratification evolves. In an inclined porous medium, the convective flow becomes intricate as it originates from a combination of diffusion and lateral flow, which is dominant near the source of the solute. Here, we investigate the role of inclination on the onset of convective instability by linear stability analyses of Darcy's law and mass conservation for the flow and the concentration field. We find that the onset time increases with the angle of inclination ($\theta$) until it reaches a cut-off angle beyond which the system remains stable. The cut-off angle increases with the Rayleigh number, $Ra$. The evolving wavenumber at the onset exhibits a lateral velocity that depends non-monotonically on $\theta$ and linearly on $Ra$. Instabilities are observed in gravitationally stable configurations ($\theta \geq 90^{\circ}$) solely due to the non-uniform base flow generating a velocity shear commonly associated with Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. These results quantify the role of medium tilt on convective instabilities, which is of great importance to geological CO$_2$ sequestration.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure

Current Perspective on the Study of Liquid-Fluid Interfaces: From Fundamentals to Innovative Applications

Fluid interfaces are promising candidates for confining different types of materials - e.g., polymers, surfactants, colloids, and even small molecules - and for designing new functional materials with reduced dimensionality. The development of such materials requires a deepening of the Physico-chemical bases underlying the formation of layers at fluid interfaces, as well as on the characterization of their structures and properties. This is of particular importance because the constraints associated with the assembly of materials at the interface lead to the emergence of equilibrium and dynamics features in the interfacial systems, which are far from those conventionally found in the traditional materials. This Special Issue is devoted to studies on fundamental and applied aspects of fluid interfaces, trying to provide a comprehensive perspective on the current status of the research field

The Influence of Pulsating Throughflow on the Onset of Electro-Thermo-Convection in a Horizontal Porous Medium Saturated by a Dielectric Nanofluid

The joint effect of pulsating throughflow and external electric field on the outset of convective instability in a horizontal porous medium layer saturated by a dielectric nanofluid is investigated. Pulsating throughflow alters the basic profiles for temperature and the volumetric fraction of nanoparticle from linear to nonlinear with layer height, which marks the stability expressively. To treat this problem, the Buongiorno’s two-phase mathematical model is used taking the flux of volumetric fraction of nanoparticle is vanish on the horizontal boundaries. Using the framework of linear stability theory and frozen profile approach, the stability equations are derived and solved analytically applying the Galerkin weighted residuals method with thermal Rayleigh-Darcy number as the eigenvalue. The effect of increasing the external AC electric Rayleigh-Darcy number , the modified diffusivity ratio and the nanoparticle Rayleigh number is to favorable for the convective motion, while the Lewis number and porosity parameter have dual influence on the stability scheme in the existence of pulsating throughflow. The frozen profile method shows that the result of pulsating throughflow in both directions is stabilizing. An enlarged amplitude of throughflow fluctuations offers to increased stability by an amount that vary on frequency. It is also found that the oscillatory mode of convection is not favorable for nanofluids if the vertical nanoparticle flux is vanish on the boundaries