Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for inviscid low Mach number flows

In this work we present two preconditioning techniques for inviscid low Mach number flows. The space discretization used is a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin finite element method. The time discretizations analyzed are explicit and implicit schemes. The convective physical flux is replaced by a flux difference splitting scheme. Computations were performed on triangular and quadrangular grids to analyze the influence of the spatial discretization. For the preconditioning of the explicit Euler equations we propose to apply the fully preconditioning approach: a formulation that modifies both the instationary term of the governing equations and the dissipative term of the numerical flux function. For the preconditioning of the implicit Euler equations we propose to apply the flux preconditioning approach: a formulation that modifies only the dissipative term of the numerical flux function. Both these formulations permit to overcome the stiffness of the governing equations and the loss of accuracy of the solution that arise when the Mach number tends to zero. Finally, we present a splitting technique, a proper manipulation of the flow variables that permits to minimize the cancellation error that occurs as an accumulation effect of round-off errors as the Mach number tends to zero

a predicting model of pats performance in off design operating conditions

Abstract The aim of this work is to propose a predicting model for evaluating Pump-as-Turbines' (PaTs) performance in off-design operating conditions. The predicting model has been derived from an elaboration of experimental test data available in literature on a set of several pumps operating in reverse mode. The performance prediction capability of the model has been compared with the results of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of a centrifugal pump running in turbine mode for several operating conditions. The comparison of the performance predicted by the model and the ones obtained with the numerical analysis has allowed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model, highlighting its pros and cons and possible improvements. In general, it is possible to conclude that the proposed model is able to correctly assess the work and the efficiency of the studied PaT within errors in the range of few percentage points, especially for operating conditions not so far from the designed one

Study of a Pump-as-Turbine (PaT) speed control for a Water Distribution Network (WDN) in South-Tyrol subjected to high variable water flow rates

Abstract The development of renewable energy technologies for producing clean energy has more and more become a priority worldwide. Research activities have not just to target the technological improvement of such systems, but they have also to consider their market deployment. In such a scenario, hydraulic machines, in particular Pumps-as-Turbines (PaTs), can play a key role in energy recovery applications. One of the main open issues of PaTs is the performance forecast in turbine mode, due to the lack of data from manufacturers, and their use in some applications with high flow rate and pressure variability, especially at part-load operating conditions like in energy recovery applications within Water Distribution Networks (WDNs). In this work, a MATLAB® Simulink model is developed for simulating a branch of the WDN located in Laives (South-Tyrol), where specific PaTs have been selected and used to substitute Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs). A speed control by means of an inverter is performed due to the high variability of the flow rate inside the grid branch, allowing the machines to operate at their Best Efficiency Point (BEP). A preliminary analysis showed that it is possible to increase the energy production of about 23% with respect to a constant-speed machine, leading to a significant decrease of the PayBack Period (PBP)

technical and economic analysis of pumps as turbines pats used in an italian water distribution network wdn for electrical energy production

Abstract The use of renewable resources is fundamental for achieving the emissions reduction targets. Small-scale hydropower is a viable solution that has only partially been exploited so far for producing electrical energy in rural/remote zones and for recovering energy where there is availability of pressure gradients and flow rates, like in Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) or in other industrial processes. In this paper, Pumps-as-Turbines (PaTs) are studied as a potential energy recovery and pressure regulation device, considering the case study of the Egna municipality WDN, a city located in the North of Italy. An innovative analytical approach is used for selecting PaTs, depending on WDN operating data, and for forecasting the machine performance under varying operating conditions. A MATLAB® Simulink model is developed for simulating two different set-ups configurations and installation of PaTs. Finally, an economic analysis is performed by evaluating the potential energy recovery and the PayBack Periods (PBPs)

A Comparison between High-order Temporal Integration Methods Applied to the Discontinuous Galerkin Discretized Euler Equations

Abstract In this work we present a high-order Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) space approximation coupled with two high-order temporal integration methods for the numerical solution of time-dependent compressible flows. The time integration methods analyzed are the explicit Strong-Stability-Preserving Runge-Kutta (SSPRK) and the Two Implicit Advanced Step-point (TIAS) schemes. Their accuracy and efficiency are evaluated by means of an inviscid test case for which an exact solution is available. The study is carried out for several time-steps using different polynomial order approximations and several levels of grid refinement. The effect of mesh irregularities on the accuracy is also investigated by considering randomly perturbed meshes. The analysis of the results has the twofold objective of (i) assessing the performances of the temporal schemes in the context of the high-order DG discretization and(ii) determining if high-order implicit schemes can displace widely used high-order explicit schemes

A fully-discrete entropy conserving/stable discretization for inviscid unsteady flows

The aim of this work is to contribute to the development of a high-order accurate discretization that is entropy conserving and entropy stable both in space and in time. To do this, the general framework is based on a high-order accurate discontinuous Galerkin (dG) method in space with entropy working variables, several entropy conservative and stable numerical fluxes and an entropy conserving modified Crank-Nicolson method. We present the first results, obtained with the discretizations here proposed, for two bi-dimensional unsteady viscous test-case: the Taylor-Green vortex and the double shear layer

On the algebraic modifications of traditional turbulence models to predict by-pass and separation induced transition

Many reliable and robust turbulence models are nowadays available for the ReynoldsAveraged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations to accurately simulate a wide range of engineering flows. However, turbulence models are not able to correctly predict flow phenomena with low to moderate Reynolds numbers, which are characterized by strong transitions. Laminar to turbulent transition is common in aerospace, turbomachinery, maritime, and automotive. Therefore, numerical models able to accurately predict transitional flows are mandatory to overcome the limits of turbulence models for the efficient design of many industrial applications. A modified version of the k-~ and Spalart-Allmaras turbulence models is proposed in order to predict transition due to the bypass and separation-induced modes. The modifications here proposed are based on the kand the SA-BCM transition models. Both the models are correlation-based algebraic transition models that relies on local flow information and include an intermittency function instead of an intermittency equation. The basic idea behind the models is that, instead of writing a transport equation for intermittency, an intermittency function multiplies the production terms of the turbulent working variables of the formulation of the turbulence models. In particular, the turbulence production is damped until it satisfies some transition onset requirements. The proposed models are implemented in a high-order discontinuous Galerkin (dG) solver and validated on different transitional benchmark cases from the ERCOFTAC T3 suite, with bypass (T3A, T3Aand T3B) and separation-induced (T3L1 and T3L3) transition

DAPT plus anticoagulant therapy: The difficult coexistence post-ACS in older patients with atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and coronary artery disease requiring percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stenting often coexist in older patients. This poses the difficult problem of concurrent anticoagulant and double antiplatelet therapy (triple therapy). Current treatment guidelines do recommend triple therapy, especially in the course of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), with limitations due to an excessive risk of bleeding associated with this therapeutic regimen. This review summarizes randomized clinical trials and observational studies that compared triple therapy with a variety of different therapeutic options. Although the available evidence is not completely satisfactory and other studies are urgently needed, alternative regimens to triple therapy in AF patients undergoing PCI and stenting are promising, at least in terms of safety

Mystery(n) Phenotypic Presentation in Europeans: Report of Three Further Novel Missense RNF213 Variants Leading to Severe Syndromic Forms of Moyamoya Angiopathy and Literature Review

Moyamoya angiopathy (MMA) is a rare cerebral vasculopathy in some cases occurring in children. Incidence is higher in East Asia, where the heterozygous p.Arg4810Lys variant in RNF213 (Mysterin) represents the major susceptibility factor. Rare variants in RNF213 have also been found in European MMA patients with incomplete penetrance and are today a recognized susceptibility factor for other cardiovascular disorders, from extracerebral artery stenosis to hypertension. By whole exome sequencing, we identified three rare and previously unreported missense variants of RNF213 in three children with early onset of bilateral MMA, and subsequently extended clinical and radiological investigations to their carrier relatives. Substitutions all involved highly conserved residues clustered in the C-terminal region of RNF213, mainly in the E3 ligase domain. Probands showed a de novo occurring variant, p.Phe4120Leu (family A), a maternally inherited heterozygous variant, p.Ser4118Cys (family B), and a novel heterozygous variant, p.Glu4867Lys, inherited from the mother, in whom it occurred de novo (family C). Patients from families A and C experienced transient hypertransaminasemia and stenosis of extracerebral arteries. Bilateral MMA was present in the proband's carrier grandfather from family B. The proband from family C and her carrier mother both exhibited annular figurate erythema. Our data confirm that rare heterozygous variants in RNF213 cause MMA in Europeans as well as in East Asian populations, suggesting that substitutions close to positions 4118-4122 and 4867 of RNF213 could lead to a syndromic form of MMA showing elevated aminotransferases and extracerebral vascular involvement, with the possible association of peculiar skin manifestations

Metabolomic fingerprinting of renal disease progression in Bardet-Biedl syndrome reveals mitochondrial dysfunction in kidney tubular cells.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major clinical sign of patients with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), especially in those carrying BBS10 mutations. Twenty-nine patients with BBS and 30 controls underwent a serum-targeted metabolomic analysis. In vitro studies were conducted in two kidney-derived epithelial cell lines, where Bbs10 was stably deleted (IMCD3-Bbs10-/-cells) and over-expressed. The CKD status affected plasmatic metabolite fingerprinting in both patients with BBS and controls. Specific phosphatidylcholine and acylcarnitines discriminated eGFR decline only in patients with BBS. IMCD3-Bbs10-/ cells displayed intracellular lipidaccumulation, reduced mitochondrial potential membrane and citrate synthase staining. Mass-Spectrometry-based analysis revealed that human BBS10 interacted with six mitochondrial proteins, in vitro. In conclusion, renal dysfunction correlated with abnormal phosphatidylcholine and acylcarnitines plasma levels in patients with BBS; in vitro, Bbs10 depletion caused mitochondrial defects while human BBS10 interacted with several mitochondria-related proteins, suggesting an unexplored role of this protein