Faculty Publications
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Publications by NITK Faculty
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Item Computational analysis of unsteady flow in turbine part of turbocharger(Springer Heidelberg, 2017) Rao, H.K.S.; Raviteja, S.; Kumar, G.N.Turbocharging technique is widely employed in internal combustion engines to improve the performance and to reduce the exhaust emissions. Flow analysis through the turbocharger has been a guiding method to optimize the turbocharger design. Usually, the turbocharger turbine is analyzed at steady states. But in practical scenario the turbine operates with unsteady flow due to the reciprocating motion of exhaust port and creates unsteady environment in the turbine. In order to increase turbine efficiencies and effective engine turbocharger matching, proper understanding of unsteady flow physics within the turbine is essential. Currently the turbine and compressors maps are obtained by using 1D code which includes extrapolation techniques. These methods neglect heat transfer and windage effects, hence resulting in lower aerodynamic efficiencies. Three dimensional analysis could lead to a better estimation of the flow field, helping the designer to build a high efficiency turbocharger. The present article concentrates on investigating unsteady flow field in the turbine part of a turbocharger. The necessary unsteady conditions at turbine inlet were obtained using commercially available one dimensional engine simulation software AVL Boost. A turbocharged twin cylinder CRDI diesel engine test rig was modelled within the workspace. The exhaust mass flow rate, pressure and temperature were recorded as a function of crank angle. These results were used as the boundary condition for the 3D analysis of the turbine. ANSYS CFX tools were used to solve the unsteady case. The turbine geometry was generated using ANSYS bladegen. The model selected for analysis is k-? turbulence Model. The pulsating performance, effect of secondary flows and entropy generation are discussed in the paper. © Springer India 2017.Item Computational investigation of hydrodynamics and solid circulation in fluidized bed column(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2021) Sriniketh, A.; Ali, A.A.Gas–solid fluidized beds are commonly used in applications where high heat and mass transfer is required, which are influenced by the quality of mixing in the bed. This largely depends on the design of gas distributor and operating conditions. Hence, in the current work, the influence of distributor design on hydrodynamics in a 3D bubbling fluidized bed column is investigated using CFD. Here, Euler-Euler model is used to predict the flow field. The predicted bed pressure drop is analyzed for various superficial gas velocities, and it has been validated with the experimental data. The solid circulation rate is calculated to quantify the flow field, and it is improved by incorporating various gas distributors such as flat, convex and concave perforated plates. The magnitude of solid circulation rate is found to be the highest for convex plate, showing that it is more advantageous than the conventional flat plate configuration. Further, the effect of operating temperature and the influence of baffle on gas–solid flow are analyzed. The rate of solid circulation is found to decrease with increase in temperature and in the presence of baffle. © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Computational investigation of flow field, mixing and reaction in a T-shaped microchannel(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2021) Madana, V.S.T.; Ali, A.A.Microfluidics plays an essential role in process intensification, carrying out reactions safely and enhancing mass and heat transfer coefficients. In this work, hydrodynamics, mixing and reaction in the microchannel are investigated numerically and experimentally. To predict the flow field, three dimensional transient CFD simulations are performed. The irreversibility induced by the flow is used to quantify the liquid circulation. To improve the flow field, the geometry of the microchannel is modified by placing obstacles. It is found that geometric modifications have a significant effect on the hydrodynamics and hence mixing and reaction. The axial and lateral mixing are analyzed for various obstacles using Residence Time Distribution (RTD). The mixing index is calculated to characterize lateral mixing and to find an optimum configuration that supports flow field and mixing. Further, the implications of these obstacles on a fast neutralization reaction in the microchannel are studied. © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Computational appraisal of fluid flow behavior in two-sided oscillating lid-driven cavities(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Bhopalam, S.R.; Arumuga Perumal, D.A.; Yadav, A.K.The current work employs lattice Boltzmann simulations to compute incompressible flows in two-sided oscillating lid-driven cavities. Vortex dynamics in oscillatory lid-driven cavity flows is more complex than steady lid-driven cavity flows due to the strong dependence of the evolutionary flow field on several parameters of interest: Reynolds number (Re), dimensionless oscillating frequency (?) and Speed Ratio (SR), to name a few. A comprehensive study on the variation of flow patterns in both antiparallel and parallel oscillating wall motions has been performed by systematically varying the parameters (Re, ? and SR) over a wide range of values. To make it easier for the reader, these flow patterns have been appropriately classified into several flow modes, which are later explained using streamline patterns, centerline velocity profiles and three-dimensional flow maps. Simulations show that Re and ? control the penetration depth of the fluid inside the cavity, while SR controls the size and strength of additional primary or corner vortices generated from the bottom lid motion. The significance of the current work may be found in industrial applications, where Re, ? and SR may have to appropriately tuned to yield a specific flow mode. © 2021 Elsevier LtdItem Numerical investigation on the improved reactant mass transport with depth-dependent flow fields in polymer electrolyte fuel cell under inhomogeneous gas diffusion layer compression(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Padavu, P.; Koorata, P.K.; Bhat, S.D.In this work, a numerical model is developed to analyse the effects of depth-dependent reactant flow field geometry under inhomogeneous gas diffusion layer (GDL) compression on the mass transport process and performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). The types of depth-dependent flow channels considered in this study are: converging channel (depth continuously decreasing) and diverging channel (depth continuously increasing), and the conventional flow field designs. The model is investigated for local and global inhomogeneity due to GDL compression. The localized inhomogeneity is introduced in the flow-field rib as well as channel regions. The results are compared for reactant concentration, water concentration, local current density, and the polarization curve for different flow channel combinations. It is observed that the availability of reactants is higher in case of converging channel design, which leads to an increase in cell performance at higher currents. However, this is subjected to GDL inhomogeneity in compression. We observe in this study that such inhomogeneity, instead of having a significant impact on cell performance, lead to minimal influence in terms of reduction in cell performance. This we observe is due to improved H2 availability at anode and reduced O2 distribution at cathode that ultimately impacts respective hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and reduction in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This study aims to investigate the cases for altered variation in cell performance due to change in depth-dependent flow fields. © 2021Item Effect of baffle configuration on hydrodynamics and solid suspension in a continuous stirred vessel(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022) Ali, A.A.; Bharathesh, K.Hydrodynamics of stirred vessel is difficult to predict due to complex flow conditions existing inside the reactor. Hence in this present work, hydrodynamics and solid suspension in a continuous stirred vessel are numerically investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). To predict the flow field, transient 3 D CFD simulations are performed using Multiple Reference Frame along with Sliding Mesh approach and realizable k-ε turbulence model. The flow field is quantified by spatial/temporal variation of liquid velocity magnitude and liquid circulation. To improve the performance of the stirred vessel, draft tube baffle configurations are proposed and these predictions are compared with the unbaffled system. Further, the suspension characteristics of solids are predicted using the Euler-Granular model and quantified by calculating cloud height in stirred vessel system. The solid concentration is found to be uniform in the baffled stirred vessel and it is concentrated at the bottom of the vessel in the unbaffled stirred vessel. Thus, the proposed draft tube configuration supports in achieving the uniform distribution of solids and overcomes sedimentation of solids in stirred vessel system. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Computational investigation of hydrodynamics, flow regimes and bubble size distribution in an airlift reactor(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2023) Ali, A.A.; Bhasme, M.Airlift reactors (ALRs) are widely used in the chemical, petrochemical biological industry. A fundamental understanding of the flow field in these airlift reactors are necessary for efficient design and scaling up. In this work, the behavior of the flow field is investigated using the Euler–Eulerian approach. The liquid phase is modeled as continuous and the gas phase is dispersed in the form of bubbles. Three dimensional (3 D) transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed to characterize flow behavior in ALR. The spatio-temporal variations in the flow field are quantified and an optimum liquid level in the ALR is determined. Various gas source locations are chosen and their effects on bubble plume motion are analyzed to find an optimum gas injection point that supports plume oscillation. Further, CFD simulations are performed to identify the prevailing flow regime in ALR for various gas source locations, and it is compared with experimental observations. The homogeneous and heterogeneous flow regimes are observed at lower and higher flow rates, respectively. The bubble size distribution is predicted using population balance equations through bubble coalescence and breakage models with interphase force formulations. This is computed through the discrete method of moments. The bubble size distribution is found to be narrow at lower gas flow rates and wider at higher gas flow rates. These predictions provide a unified description to characterize flow regimes in ALR. © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Three-dimensional simulations of fluid flows in oscillating lid-driven cavities using lattice Boltzmann method(Institute of Physics, 2023) Bhopalam, S.R.; Arumuga Perumal, D.A.; Yadav, A.K.We utilize the lattice Boltzmann method to conduct three-dimensional simulations of incompressible flows in oscillating cubic lid-driven cavities. Our investigation focuses on examining the impact of Reynolds number and oscillating frequency on the flow field. Notably, we observe that the flow field can be adequately approximated as two-dimensional within the low and intermediate Reynolds number range, but this approximation is no longer valid for high Reynolds numbers. Additionally, we find that high Reynolds numbers correspond to transient flow fields, while low and moderate Reynolds numbers exhibit quasi-steady periodic flow fields. Our study holds significant relevance for industrial processing applications, where the Reynolds numbers and oscillating frequencies can be optimized to achieve a desired flow field. © 2023 The Japan Society of Fluid Mechanics and IOP Publishing Ltd.Item Model based evaluation of water management and membrane hydration in polymer electrolyte fuel cell with reactant flow-field gradients(Elsevier Ltd, 2023) Padavu, P.; Koorata, P.K.; Kattimani, S.Efficient water management and intrinsic membrane hydration are critical requirements of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) under high load current. PEFC undergoes performance loss during high current demand due to reactant depletion, water flooding, and membrane hydration. Hence, water management and membrane hydration become vital for endured life of PEFC itself. Further, flow field optimization assists in overcoming the critical transport factors affecting the PEFC performance. A model-based approach is envisioned to understand effective water management wherein reactant flow channel gradients are designed to investigate its advantages and limitations. Here, we show efficient water management of these cells at high current demand where reactant distribution governs the cell characteristics. On comparing the current density distribution of the flow field designs under both Maximum Humid and Partial Humid inlet conditions, we observe a 16.46% increase in current density distribution in converging design (partial humid condition) compared to the lowest current density obtained in diverging design (max humid condition) at 0.4 V. Further, we observed that the current density distribution in the converging design improved by 3.68% and 6.19% compared to the straight (conventional) and diverging design, respectively, under max humid condition at 0.4 V. Similarly, under the partial humid condition, the current density improved in the converging design by 3.46% and 4.98% compared to conventional and diverging designs respectively at 0.4 V. Using a comprehensive numerical analysis of reactant flow channel gradient designs, we show that the membrane hydration of operating cells is controlled through variation in transport characteristics. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd