Modelling of subgrid-scale phenomena in supercritical transitional mixing layers: an a priori study

A database of transitional direct numerical simulation (DNS) realizations of a supercritical mixing layer is analysed for understanding small-scale behaviour and examining subgrid-scale (SGS) models duplicating that behaviour. Initially, the mixing layer contains a single chemical species in each of the two streams, and a perturbation promotes roll-up and a double pairing of the four spanwise vortices initially present. The database encompasses three combinations of chemical species, several perturbation wavelengths and amplitudes, and several initial Reynolds numbers specifically chosen for the sole purpose of achieving transition. The DNS equations are the Navier-Stokes, total energy and species equations coupled to a real-gas equation of state; the fluxes of species and heat include the Soret and Dufour effects. The large-eddy simulation (LES) equations are derived from the DNS ones through filtering. Compared to the DNS equations, two types of additional terms are identified in the LES equations: SGS fluxes and other terms for which either assumptions or models are necessary. The magnitude of all terms in the LES conservation equations is analysed on the DNS database, with special attention to terms that could possibly be neglected. It is shown that in contrast to atmospheric-pressure gaseous flows, there are two new terms that must be modelled: one in each of the momentum and the energy equations. These new terms can be thought to result from the filtering of the nonlinear equation of state, and are associated with regions of high density-gradient magnitude both found in DNS and observed experimentally in fully turbulent high-pressure flows. A model is derived for the momentum-equation additional term that performs well at small filter size but deteriorates as the filter size increases, highlighting the necessity of ensuring appropriate grid resolution in LES. Modelling approaches for the energy-equation additional term are proposed, all of which may be too computationally intensive in LES. Several SGS flux models are tested on an a priori basis. The Smagorinsky (SM) model has a poor correlation with the data, while the gradient (GR) and scale-similarity (SS) models have high correlations. Calibrated model coefficients for the GR and SS models yield good agreement with the SGS fluxes, although statistically, the coefficients are not valid over all realizations. The GR model is also tested for the variances entering the calculation of the new terms in the momentum and energy equations; high correlations are obtained, although the calibrated coefficients are not statistically significant over the entire database at fixed filter size. As a manifestation of the small-scale supercritical mixing peculiarities, both scalar-dissipation visualizations and the scalar-dissipation probability density functions (PDF) are examined. The PDF is shown to exhibit minor peaks, with particular significance for those at larger scalar dissipation values than the mean, thus significantly departing from the Gaussian behaviour

Procedimento prático para elaboração de uma tabela de produção.

bitstream/CNPF-2009-09/43533/1/Doc165.pd

Orienting versus inhibition in the concealed information test: different cognitive processes drive different physiological measures

The Concealed Information Test (CIT) provides a valid tool for psychophysiological detection of concealed knowledge. However, its precise theoretical underpinnings remain a matter of debate. The differential physiological responses elicited by concealed, relevant items, relative to control items, were traditionally explained as reflecting an orienting response (OR). According to an alternative account, these responses reflect attempts to inhibit arousal. The present study examined whether and to what extent CIT detection efficiency is affected by instructions aimed at manipulating arousal inhibition (AI). One hundred and forty-eight undergraduate students completed a CIT, while electrodermal, cardiac, and respiratory measures were recorded. Half of the participants were requested to imagine that they are suspected of committing a crime and were motivated to avoid detection (presumably eliciting both OR and AI), while the other half were requested to imagine that they are witnesses of a crime and were motivated to be detected (presumably eliciting OR only). All participants were further requested to remain silent throughout the test. In both conditions, concealed items led to a similar increase in skin conductance as compared to the control items. However, the typically observed heart rate deceleration and respiratory suppression were found in suspects, but not in witnesses. These data imply that different mechanisms drive the responding of different psychophysiological measures used in the CIT, with skin conductance reflecting OR, and heart rate and respiration primarily reflecting AI

Uso do dendrograma de manejo de densidade: uma aplicação prática com Hovenia dulcis Thunberg.

O objetivo principal deste trabalho é fazer uma aplicação prática dos dendrogramas de manejo de densidade em uma população de Hovenía dulcís localizada na região central do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, foram utilizados dados de um povoamento de Hovenia dutcis de aproximadamente 1,3 hectares com 25 anos de idade, localizado em área da Fundação de Pesquisa Agropecuária (FEPAGRO). O dendrograma de densidade utilizado para a simulação das intervenções foi elaborado por Selle (2009), para o local e espécie. Estabeleceu-se que a melhor forma de conduzir o povoamento é com a aplicação de duas intervenções silviculturais, sendo uma aplicada imediatamente e outra, quando o diâmetro da árvore de área basal média atingir 27 em. No primeiro desbaste devem ser retiradas 36,6% e no segundo 33,3% das árvores, correspondendo a 33,6 e 45,6% da área basal, respectivamente

Community management in conflict areas: lessons from Southern Sudan

Water and sanitation programmes are usually a key component of many interventions by aid agencies working in emergency or semi-emergency situations created by armed conflict. Many aid agencies adopt a community-based approach that aims to encourage community participation in construction of facilities and community responsibility for their operation and maintenance. This is normally accompanied by extensive backstopping from agencies in the form of technical support and spare parts supply. However, the complex social-dynamics within in affected communities, together with a ‘dependency syndrome’ that may be created by prolonged exposure to other aid (in form of relief hand outs such as food and housing materials) threatens the success of community management as a strategy for sustaining water services. In particular, there is a risk of failure if agency and community expectations regarding the form and level of support do not match. This paper highlights a case of how mismatched expectations could potentially lead to failure

Using LES to Study Reacting Flows and Instabilities in Annular Combustion Chambers

Great prominence is put on the design of aeronautical gas turbines due to increasingly stringent regulations and the need to tackle rising fuel prices. This drive towards innovation has resulted sometimes in new concepts being prone to combustion instabilities. In the particular field of annular combustion chambers, these instabilities often take the form of azimuthal modes. To predict these modes, one must compute the full combustion chamber, which remained out of reach until very recently and the development of massively parallel computers. Since one of the most limiting factors in performing Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of real combustors is estimating the adequate grid, the effects of mesh resolution are investigated by computing full annular LES of a realistic helicopter combustion chamber on three grids, respectively made of 38, 93 and 336 million elements. Results are compared in terms of mean and fluctuating fields. LES captures self-established azimuthal modes. The presence and structure of the modes is discussed. This study therefore highlights the potential of LES for studying combustion instabilities in annular gas turbine combustors