Numerical study of melting of a phase change material (PCM) enhanced by deformation of a liquid-gas interface

Numerical simulations are performed in order to examine the time-dependent melting, and heavily deforming processes of phase change material (PCM) subjected to local heating. By comparing cases with and without deformation, the impact of the inclusion of a deformation model is firstly addressed to understand what influences the precise melting behavior. Mass, momentum and energy conservation equations are solved in a 2-D system based on a fixed grid by means of a finite volume method. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method and the Enthalpy-Porosity method are applied to model the deformable liquid-gas interface and the melting processes, respectively. Results successfully show the melting, subsequent deformation and dropping-off behavior of the molten PCM. It is found that the inclusion of the deformation model enhances the melting owing to the increase of the total received heat; namely, widening of the contact area at the melting front and induced flow motion inside molten PCM improve the heat transfer toward the melting front. Parametric studies by varying the applied Stefan number so as to change the surface tension are also made to ensure the above-mentioned enhancement mechanism is universally applicable. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

ANALYSIS FOR AERODYNAMICS OF THE SIMPLIFIED MODEL OF A COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE CRUISING AT TRANSONIC SPEED

This paper describes the computational analysis and visualization of flow around the model of a commercial airplane, Boeing 747-400. The geometry was realized through reverse engineering technique based on the photo scanning measurement. The steady three-dimensional viscous compressible governing equations were solved in the unstructured grid system. The basic conditions for computation were chosen as the same to those of Boeing 747-400’s cruising state. The high Reynolds turbulence models are tried. The angle of attack is varied to investigate the effect of the flight conditions to the aerodynamic performance. And flow and aerodynamic characteristics due to the existence of winglet were compared

Application of Artificial Neural Networks in Assessing Mining Subsidence Risk

Subsidence at abandoned mines sometimes causes destruction of local areas and casualties. This paper proposes a mine subsidence risk index and establishes a subsidence risk grade based on two separate analyses of A and B to predict the occurrence of subsidence at an abandoned mine. For the analyses, 227 locations were ultimately selected at 15 abandoned coal mines and 22 abandoned mines of other types (i.e., gold, silver, and metal mines). Analysis A predicts whether subsidence is likely using an artificial neural network. Analysis B assesses a mine subsidence risk index that indicates the extent of risk of subsidence. Results of both analyses are utilized to assign a subsidence risk grade to each ground location investigated. To check the model’s reliability, a new dataset of 22 locations was selected from five other abandoned mines; the subsidence risk grade results were compared with those of the actual ground conditions. The resulting correct prediction percentage for 13 subsidence locations of the abandoned mines was 83–86%. To improve reliability of the subsidence risk, much more subsidence data with greater variations in ground conditions is required, and various types of analyses by numerical and empirical approaches, etc. need to be combined

A Study of the Effects of Geological Conditions on Korean Tunnel Construction Time Using the Updated NTNU Drill and Blast Prediction Model

This paper analyses the construction time and advance rate of a 3 km long drill and blast tunnel under various geological conditions using an upgraded NTNU drill and blast prediction model. The analysis was carried out for the five types of Korean tunnel supports according to the rock mass quality (from Type 1, meaning a very good rock mass quality; to Type 5, meaning a very poor rock mass quality). Four kinds of rock properties, as well as the rock mass quality, for each tunnel support type were applied to simulate different geological conditions based on previous studies and the NTNU model. The construction time was classified into five categories: basic, standard, gross, tunnel and total, according to the operation characteristics to more effectively analyse the time. In addition, to consider the actual geological conditions in tunnelling, the construction times for the three mixed geological cases were analysed. It was found that total construction time of a tunnel covering all the operations and site preparations with a very poor rock mass quality was more than twice that of a tunnel with a very good rock mass quality for the same tunnel length. It is thought that this study can be a useful approach to estimating the construction time and advance rate in the planning or design stage of a drill and blast tunnel

Risk Assessment Method Combining Independent Protection Layers (IPL) of Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) and RISKCURVES Software: Case Study of Hydrogen Refueling Stations in Urban Areas

The commercialization of eco-friendly hydrogen vehicles has elicited attempts to expand hydrogen refueling stations in urban areas; however, safety measures to reduce the risk of jet fires have not been established. The RISKCURVES software was used to evaluate the individual and societal risks of hydrogen refueling stations in urban areas, and the F–N (Frequency–Number of fatalities) curve was used to compare whether the safety measures satisfied international standards. From the results of the analysis, it was found that there is a risk of explosion in the expansion of hydrogen refueling stations in urban areas, and safety measures should be considered. To lower the risk of hydrogen refueling stations, this study applied the passive and active independent protection layers (IPLs) of LOPA (Layer of Protection Analysis) and confirmed that these measures significantly reduced societal risk as well as individual risk and met international standards. In particular, such measures could effectively reduce the impact of jet fire in dispensers and tube trailers that had a high risk. Measures employing both IPL types were efficient in meeting international standard criteria; however, passive IPLs were found to have a greater risk reduction effect than active IPLs. The combination of RISKCURVES and LOPA is an appropriate risk assessment method that can reduce work time and mitigate risks through protective measures compared to existing risk assessment methods. This method can be applied to risk assessment and risk mitigation not only for hydrogen facilities, but also for hazardous materials with high fire or explosion risk