Numerical simulation of bubble generation in a T-junction

We present a numerical study of the formation of mini-bubbles in a 2D T-junction by means of the fluid dynamics numerical code JADIM. Numerical simulations were carried out for different flow conditions, giving rise to results on the behavior of bubble velocity, void fraction, bubble generation frequency and length. Numerical results are compared with existing experimental data thanks to non-dimensional analysis

Experimental study of pedestrian flow through a T-junction

In this study, series of experiments under laboratory conditions were carried out to investigate pedestrian flow through a T-junction, i.e., two branches merging into the main stream. The whole duration of the experiments was recorded by video cameras and the trajectories of each pedestrian were extracted using the software Petrack from these videos. The Voronoi method is used to resolve the fine structure of the fundamental diagram and spatial dependence of the measured quantities from trajectories. In our study, only the data in the stationary state are used by analyzing the time series of density and velocity. The density, velocity and specific flow profiles are obtained by refining the size of the measurement area (here 10 cm \times 10 cm are adopted). With such a high resolution, the spatial distribution of density, velocity and specific flow can be obtained separately and the regions with higher value can be observed intuitively. Finally, the fundamental diagrams of T-junction flow is compared in three different locations. It is shown that the fundamental diagrams of the two branches match well. However, the velocities in front of the merging are significantly lower than that in the main stream at the same densities. After the merging, the specific flow increases with the density \rho till 2.5 m-2. While in the branches, the specific flow is almost independent of the density between \rho = 1.5 m-2 and 3.5 m-2Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, TGF'1

Zero-range process with long-range interactions at a T-junction

A generalized zero-range process with a limited number of long-range interactions is studied as an example of a transport process in which particles at a T-junction make a choice of which branch to take based on traffic levels on each branch. The system is analysed with a self-consistent mean-field approximation which allows phase diagrams to be constructed. Agreement between the analysis and simulations is found to be very good.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

Microscopic Investigation of Vortex Breakdown in a Dividing T-Junction Flow

3D-printed microfluidic devices offer new ways to study fluid dynamics. We present the first clear visualization of vortex breakdown in a dividing T-junction flow. By individual control of the inflow and two outflows, we decouple the effects of swirl and rate of vorticity decay. We show that even slight outflow imbalances can greatly alter the structure of vortex breakdown, by creating a net pressure difference across the junction. Our results are summarized in a dimensionless phase diagram, which will guide the use of vortex breakdown in T-junctions to achieve specific flow manipulation.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Influence of contact angle boundary condition on CFD simulation of T-Junction

“This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Microgravity Science and Technology. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-018-9605-x ”.In this work, we study the influence of the contact angle boundary condition on 3D CFD simulations of the bubble generation process occurring in a capillary T-junction. Numerical simulations have been performed with the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics solver ANSYS Fluent v15.0.7. Experimental results serve as a reference to validate numerical results for four independent parameters: the bubble generation frequency, volume, velocity and length. CFD simulations accurately reproduce experimental results both from qualitative and quantitative points of view. Numerical results are very sensitive to the gas-liquid-wall contact angle boundary conditions, confirming that this is a fundamental parameter to obtain accurate CFD results for simulations of this kind of problems.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Mixing in T-junctions

The transport processes that are involved in the mixing of two gases in a T-junction mixer are investigated. The turbulent flow field is calculated for the T-junction with the k- turbulence model by FLOW3D. In the mathematical model the transport of species is described with a mixture fraction variable for the average mass fraction and the variance of the mixture fraction for the temporal fluctuations. The results obtained by numerical simulations are verified in a well-defined experiment. The velocity as well as the concentration field are measured in several types of T-junctions. Comparison of the predicted and measured average concentration fields show good agreement if the Schmidt number for turbulent diffusion is taken as 0.2. Temporal concentration fluctuations are calculated and found to be of equal magnitude as spatial fluctuations. Good mixing is obtained in a T-junction if the branch inlet flow is designed to penetrate to the opposite tube wall in the mixer

The distribution of two-phase R32 over an impacting T-junction

This experimental work studies the distribution of a two-phase refrigerant flow over a horizontal impacting T-junction. A setup was built which consists of two parts: a flow conditioner and a test section. The flow conditioner creates a two-phase mixtures (R32) at a saturation temperature between 10 °C and 20 °C with a mass flux of 150 to 700 kg/(m².s) and a vapour quality between 0 and 1. In the test section, the two-phase flow is distributed over two identical parallel sections using an impacting T-junction. The backpressure and heat input of each parallel section can be regulated. The mass flow rates and vapour qualities are measured before and after the T-junction. Further, the pressure gradient over the T-junction is measured. Also the void fraction before the T-junction is determined using a capacitive void fraction sensor. Using design of experiments, the main effects of superficial vapour velocity, superficial liquid velocity and saturation pressure on the distribution of R32 were studied. For R32, the two phases only distribute uniformly over the T-junction when the mass flow rate through the two outlet branches is equal. Furthermore, the experiments show a decreased tendency of the liquid to exit through the outlet with the lowest mass flow rate with increasing superficial vapour velocity. The opposite is noticed with an increased superficial liquid velocity at a high superficial vapour velocity. Finally, no effect of the saturation pressure was found. The obtained results were then compared with the results of water-air mixtures found in literature

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Single Phase Flow in a micro T-junction

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.In this work the fluid-dynamic behaviour of a micro T-junction has been investigated both numerically and experimentally for low Reynolds numbers (Re<14) with water as working fluid. The velocity profiles within the T-junction has been experimentally determined by using the micro Particle Image Velocimetry (μPIV). The experimental data have been compared with the numerical results obtained by means of a 3D model implemented in Comsol Multiphysics® environment for incompressible, isothermal, laminar flows with constant properties. The comparison between the experimental and the numerical data puts in evidence a perfect agreement among the results. In the central region of the T-junction where the velocity profiles of the inlet branches interact, the maximum difference is less than 5.8% for different flow rates imposed at the inlet (with the ratio 1:2) and less than 4.4% in the case of the same flow rate at the inlets (1:1). Since the estimated uncertainty of the experimental velocity is about 3%, the obtained result can be considered very good and it demonstrates that no significant scaling effects influences the liquid mixing for low Reynolds numbers (Re<14) and the behaviour of the micro T-junction can be considered as conventional. The detailed analysis of the velocity profile evolution within the central region of the mixer has allowed to determine where the fully developed laminar profile is reached (for instance 260 mm far from the centre of the T-junction when a maximum water flow rate of 8 ml/h is considered)

Lattice Boltzmann Simulations of Droplet formation in confined Channels with Thermocapillary flows

Based on mesoscale lattice Boltzmann simulations with the "Shan-Chen" model, we explore the influence of thermocapillarity on the break-up properties of fluid threads in a microfluidic T-junction, where a dispersed phase is injected perpendicularly into a main channel containing a continuous phase, and the latter induces periodic break-up of droplets due to the cross-flowing. Temperature effects are investigated by switching on/off both positive/negative temperature gradients along the main channel direction, thus promoting a different thread dynamics with anticipated/delayed break-up. Numerical simulations are performed at changing the flow-rates of both the continuous and dispersed phases, as well as the relative importance of viscous forces, surface tension forces and thermocapillary stresses. The range of parameters is broad enough to characterize the effects of thermocapillarity on different mechanisms of break-up in the confined T-junction, including the so-called "squeezing" and "dripping" regimes, previously identified in the literature. Some simple scaling arguments are proposed to rationalize the observed behaviour, and to provide quantitative guidelines on how to predict the droplet size after break-up.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure