Desenvolvimento de um método para correção de curvas de desempenho em bombas centrífugas submersas operando com fluidos viscosos

Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) is used as an artificial lift technique. However, pumping viscous oil is generally associated with low Reynolds number flows. This condition leads to a performance degradation respect to the performance expected from the regular operation with water that most of the centrifugal pumps are originally designed for. These issues are considered in this investigation through a numerical study of the flow in two different multistage, semi-axial type ESPs. This investigation is carried out numerically using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) package, where the transient RANS equations are solved numerically. The turbulence is modeled using the SST model. Head curves for several operating conditions are compared with manufacturer’s curves and experimental data for a three-stage ESP, showing good agreement for a wide range of fluid viscosities and rotational speeds. Dimensionless numbers (n, n, n e Re) are used to investigate performance degradation of the ESPs. In addition, flow phenomena through the impellers of the ESPs are investigated using flow field from numerical results. Results show that performance degradation is directly related to rotational Reynolds number, Re. In addition, it was verified that performance degradation occurs for constant normalized specific speedn, which shows that performance degradation occurs similarly for different centrifugal pumps. Moreover, experimental data and numerical results agreed with a correlation from literature between head and flow correction factors proposed by Stepanoff (1967). A definition of modified Reynolds number was proposed and relates the head correction factor to viscosity. A correlation between head correction factor and the modified Reynolds number was proposed, which agreed well with numerical and experimental data. Then, a method to predict performance degradation based on the previous correlations was proposed. This method was compared with others from literature. In general, results and conclusions from this work can also be useful to bring more information about the flow of highly viscous fluids in pumps, especially in semi-axial, multistage ESPs.

Simulação numérica do escoamento monofásico em uma bomba centrífuga radial

Centrifugal pumps are vastly used in many industrial applications. Knowledge of how these components behave in several circumstances is crucial for the development of more efficient and, therefore, less expensive pumping installations. The combination of multiple impellers, vaned diffusers and a volute might introduce several complex flow characteristics that largely deviate from regular inviscid pump flow theory. Computational Fluid Dynamics can be very helpful to extract information about which physical phenomena are involved in such flows. In this sense, this work performs a numerical study of the flow in a two-stage centrifugal pump (Imbil ITAP 65-330/2) with a vaned diffuser and a volute. The flow in the pump is modeled using the software Ansys CFX, by means of a multi-block, transient rotor-stator technique, with structured grids for all pump parts. The simulations were performed using water and a mixture of water and glycerin as work fluids. Several viscosities were considered, in a range between 87 and 720 cP. Comparisons between experimental data obtained by Amaral (2007) and numerical head curves showed a good agreement, with an average deviation of 6.8% for water. The behavior of velocity, pressure and turbulence kinetic energy fields was evaluated for several operational conditions. In general, the results obtained by this work achieved the proposed goals and are a significant contribution to the understanding of the flow studied.

Conditions for observing IR chemiluminescence and the role of condensation in metal oxidation reactions

Infrared chemiluminescence (IRCL) studies of cw metal oxidation reactions wherein metal atoms entrained in a carrier gas were mixed with an oxidizer by means of a nozzle system are described. One goal of the work was to determine the vibrational distribution of the product molecule produced by the chemical reaction. In order to observe IRCL it was important to operate the system at the appropriate P-T point in the phase diagram of both the metal and metal salt, otherwise rapid condensation quenched any IRCL that was present. If the nucleation rate was greater 1010 3 than ~ cm-sec-I, then only "black body" radiation could be seen from the reaction. Most of the studies were on the Li/I2 system which is unique in that the phase diagrams of Li and LiI in the P-T ranges of interest are almost identical. This property permitted a relatively easy control with respect to condensation and the measurement of IRCL in the 10-28 um range for the excited LiI molecule.

Studies of turbulent flows in continuous casting of steel with and without magnetic field

This thesis develops and tests various transient and steady-state computational models such as direct numerical simulation (DNS), large eddy simulation (LES), filtered unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) and steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) with and without magnetic field to investigate turbulent flows in canonical as well as in the nozzle and mold geometries of the continuous casting process. The direct numerical simulations are first performed in channel, square and 2:1 aspect rectangular ducts to investigate the effect of magnetic field on turbulent flows. The rectangular duct is a more practical geometry for continuous casting nozzle and mold and has the option of applying magnetic field either perpendicular to broader side or shorter side. This work forms the part of a graphic processing unit (GPU) based CFD code (CU-FLOW) development for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulent flows. The DNS results revealed interesting effects of the magnetic field and its orientation on primary, secondary flows (instantaneous and mean), Reynolds stresses, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budgets, momentum budgets and frictional losses, besides providing DNS database for two-wall bounded square and rectangular duct MHD turbulent flows. Further, the low- and high-Reynolds number RANS models (k-ε and Reynolds stress models) are developed and tested with DNS databases for channel and square duct flows with and without magnetic field. The MHD sink terms in k- and ε-equations are implemented as proposed by Kenjereš and Hanjalić using a user defined function (UDF) in FLUENT. This work revealed varying accuracies of different RANS models at different levels. This work is useful for industry to understand the accuracies of these models, including continuous casting. After realizing the accuracy and computational cost of RANS models, the steady-state k-ε model is then combined with the particle image velocimetry (PIV) and impeller probe velocity measurements in a 1/3rd scale water model to study the flow quality coming out of the well- and mountain-bottom nozzles and the effect of stopper-rod misalignment on fluid flow. The mountain-bottom nozzle was found more prone to the longtime asymmetries and higher surface velocities. The left misalignment of stopper gave higher surface velocity on the right leading to significantly large number of vortices forming behind the nozzle on the left. Later, the transient and steady-state models such as LES, filtered URANS and steady RANS models are combined with ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry (UDV) measurements in a GaInSn model of typical continuous casting process. LES-CU-LOW is the fastest and the most accurate model owing to much finer mesh and a smaller timestep. This work provided a good understanding on the performance of these models. The behavior of instantaneous flows, Reynolds stresses and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis quantified the nozzle bottom swirl and its importance on the turbulent flow in the mold. Afterwards, the aforementioned work in GaInSn model is extended with electromagnetic braking (EMBr) to help optimize a ruler-type brake and its location for the continuous casting process. The magnetic field suppressed turbulence and promoted vortical structures with their axis aligned with the magnetic field suggesting tendency towards 2-d turbulence. The stronger magnetic field at the nozzle well and around the jet region created large scale and lower frequency flow behavior by suppressing nozzle bottom swirl and its front-back alternation. Based on this work, it is advised to avoid stronger magnetic field around jet and nozzle bottom to get more stable and less defect prone flow.

Surface acoustic wave streaming in a PDMS microfluidic system: effect of frequency and fluid geometry & A remote ultrasonic glucose sensor

This thesis describes two separate projects. The first is a theoretical and experimental investigation of surface acoustic wave streaming in microfluidics. The second is the development of a novel acoustic glucose sensor. A separate abstract is given for each here. Optimization of acoustic streaming in microfluidic channels by SAWs Surface Acoustic Waves, (SAWs) actuated on flat piezoelectric substrates constitute a convenient and versatile tool for microfluidic manipulation due to the easy and versatile interfacing with microfluidic droplets and channels. The acoustic streaming effect can be exploited to drive fast streaming and pumping of fluids in microchannels and droplets (Shilton et al. 2014; Schmid et al. 2011), as well as size dependant sorting of particles in centrifugal flows and vortices (Franke et al. 2009; Rogers et al. 2010). Although the theory describing acoustic streaming by SAWs is well understood, very little attention has been paid to the optimisation of SAW streaming by the correct selection of frequency. In this thesis a finite element simulation of the fluid streaming in a microfluidic chamber due to a SAW beam was constructed and verified against micro-PIV measurements of the fluid flow in a fabricated device. It was found that there is an optimum frequency that generates the fastest streaming dependent on the height and width of the chamber. It is hoped this will serve as a design tool for those who want to optimally match SAW frequency with a particular microfluidic design. An acoustic glucose sensor Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterised by an inability to properly regulate blood glucose levels. In order to keep glucose levels under control some diabetics require regular injections of insulin. Continuous monitoring of glucose has been demonstrated to improve the management of diabetes (Zick et al. 2007; Heinemann & DeVries 2014), however there is a low patient uptake of continuous glucose monitoring systems due to the invasive nature of the current technology (Ramchandani et al. 2011). In this thesis a novel way of monitoring glucose levels is proposed which would use ultrasonic waves to ‘read’ a subcutaneous glucose sensitive-implant, which is only minimally invasive. The implant is an acoustic analogy of a Bragg stack with a ‘defect’ layer that acts as the sensing layer. A numerical study was performed on how the physical changes in the sensing layer can be deduced by monitoring the reflection amplitude spectrum of ultrasonic waves reflected from the implant. Coupled modes between the skin and the sensing layer were found to be a potential source of error and drift in the measurement. It was found that by increasing the number of layers in the stack that this could be minimized. A laboratory proof of concept system was developed using a glucose sensitive hydrogel as the sensing layer. It was possible to monitor the changing thickness and speed of sound of the hydrogel due to physiological relevant changes in glucose concentration.

Influência da lubrirrefrigeração na qualidade superficial de metais retificados

Na fabricação de componentes mecânicos precisos, que necessitam de alta resistência mecânica e ao desgaste, utiliza-se o processo de retificação, para conferir o acabamento final desejado e, também, para eliminar as deformações ocorridas durante a têmpera do aço. No entanto, as condições de retificação devem ser adequadas, para que não sejam introduzidas falhas na peça. Novos conceitos de lubrificação e refrigeração, para o processo de retificação, estão sendo pesquisados, de forma a diminuir os custos e os danos ambientais causados pelos fluidos de corte. Nesse trabalho, é analisada a influência das técnicas de mínima quantidade de lubrificante (MQL), refrigeração otimizada e refrigeração convencional, com diferentes vazões e velocidade de aplicação do fluido de corte, na qualidade das peças produzidas com aço ABNT 4340 endurecido, no processo de retificação cilíndrica externa de mergulho com a utilização de rebolos de CBN. O Aço ABNT 4340 apresenta várias aplicações industriais, sendo considerado de uso aeronáutico devido, sua alta resistência mecânica sem aumentar o peso dos componentes que o utilizam. A análise da qualidade das peças foi realizada com a verficação das rugosidades e com a análise de microscopias eletrônicas de varredura. Verificou-se, ainda, a força tangencial de corte. em relação às diferentes formas de aplicação do fluido de corte, notou-se o melhor desempenho da aplicação otimizada, para maiores velocidades, mostrando a eficiência do bocal utilizado. O processo otimizado e o processo MQL foram capazes de manter a integridade superficial das peças produzidas. Exceção somente para a condição MQL com vazão de fluido de corte de 40ml/h, que produziu trincas e queima superficial. Rebolos com baixa concentração de CBN, conseqüentemente mais baratos, proporcionaram bons resultados, quando associados com técnicas mais eficientes de aplicação de fluido de corte apresentando desgaste reduzido.

Revestimentos a base de Ta/Al2O3 produzidos por aspersão térmica sobre substrato metálico

Metal substrates were coated by thermal spraying plasma torch, they were positioned at a distance of 4 and 5 cm from the nozzle exit of the plasma jet. The starting materials were used for deposition of tantalum oxide powder and aluminium. These two materials were mixed and ground into high-energy mill, then immersed in the torch for the production of alumina coating infused with particles of tantalum with nano and micrometric size. The spraying equipment used is a plasma torch arc not transferred, which operating in the range of 250 A and 80 V, was able to produce enough heat to ignite aluminothermic between Ta2O5 and aluminum. Upon reaching the plasma jet, the mixing powders react with the heat of the blaze, which provides sufficient energy for melting aluminum particles. This energy is transferred through mechanisms of self-propagating to the oxide, beginning a reduction reaction, which then hits on the surface of the substrate and forms a coating on which a composite is formed by a junction metal - ceramic (Ta +Al2O3). The phases and quantification of each were obtained respectively by X-ray diffraction and the Rietveld method. Morphology by scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis by energy dispersive spectroscopy EDS. It was also performed measurements of the substrate roughness, Vickers microhardness measurements in sprays and determination of the electron temperature of the plasma jet by optical emission spectroscopy EEO. The results confirmed the expectation generated around the end product of spraying the mixture Ta2O5 + Al, both in the formation of nano-sized particles and in their final form. The electron excitation temperature was consistent with the purpose of work, in addition, the thermodynamic temperature was efficient for the reduction process of Ta2O5. The electron excitation temperature showed values of 3000, 4500 and 8000 K for flows10, 20 and 30 l / min respectively, these values were taken at the nozzle exit of the plasma jet. The thermodynamic temperature around 1200 ° C, was effective in the reduction process of Ta2O5

Uma cidade para pessoas: funcionalidade, racionalidade e emotividade nas relações mobiliário urbano, espaço público e cidadãos

This research investigates how functionality, rationality, and emotionality applied to urban furniture design contribute to the organization, legibility, and qualification of public spaces, according to different layouts, physical and visual qualities of the urban furniture as well as the quality of urban infrastructure that may influence the uses and appropriation of urban spaces by pedestrians, turning those spaces into socially centripetal or centrifugal places. The work consists of two parts. First refers to a bibliographical review concerning two main issues of the investigation: product design and legibility of public space, defining the conceptual and theoretical bases, linked to methodological strategies aimed at systemic planning and integrated management of urban furniture design and legibility of public spaces (sidewalks), that are necessary to define the existing relationships among the user s interface (pedestrians); product (urban artifacts); built environment (sidewalks). The second part refers to the achievement of empirical approach throughout visual analysis of public spaces and the functional and qualitative evaluation of the existing urban furniture in the central neighborhood of Cidade Alta, Natal, RN, according to the theoretical researched concepts and methodological procedures. The results expose the weaknesses and levels of intensity arising from the relations among public space, urban furniture, and users, revealing the need for theoretical and practical approaches which would help the decision-making in planning, designing and integrating innovative, sustainable, and ethical solutions in order to design attractive public spaces that could provide sociability and citizenship throughout integrated public management, city systemic thinking and urban identity. The suggested guidelines at the end of this research will provide the necessary strategies to design suitable urban furniture systems according to aesthetic and practical urban infrastructure and city context, aiming to ease visual and physical conflicts that may negatively interfere with the appropriation of public spaces by the citizens

Jeux de séduction dans la comédie de la Restauration : pratique sociale, expérience théâtrale

Colloque tenu en Sorbonne les 17-19 janvier 2008

Simulação do escoamento monofásico em um estágio de uma bomba centrífuga utilizando técnicas de fluidodinâmica computacional

Oil production and exploration techniques have evolved in the last decades in order to increase fluid flows and optimize how the required equipment are used. The base functioning of Electric Submersible Pumping (ESP) lift method is the use of an electric downhole motor to move a centrifugal pump and transport the fluids to the surface. The Electric Submersible Pumping is an option that has been gaining ground among the methods of Artificial Lift due to the ability to handle a large flow of liquid in onshore and offshore environments. The performance of a well equipped with ESP systems is intrinsically related to the centrifugal pump operation. It is the pump that has the function to turn the motor power into Head. In this present work, a computer model to analyze the three-dimensional flow in a centrifugal pump used in Electric Submersible Pumping has been developed. Through the commercial program, ANSYS® CFX®, initially using water as fluid flow, the geometry and simulation parameters have been defined in order to obtain an approximation of what occurs inside the channels of the impeller and diffuser pump in terms of flow. Three different geometry conditions were initially tested to determine which is most suitable to solving the problem. After choosing the most appropriate geometry, three mesh conditions were analyzed and the obtained values were compared to the experimental characteristic curve of Head provided by the manufacturer. The results have approached the experimental curve, the simulation time and the model convergence were satisfactory if it is considered that the studied problem involves numerical analysis. After the tests with water, oil was used in the simulations. The results were compared to a methodology used in the petroleum industry to correct viscosity. In general, for models with water and oil, the results with single-phase fluids were coherent with the experimental curves and, through three-dimensional computer models, they are a preliminary evaluation for the analysis of the two-phase flow inside the channels of centrifugal pump used in ESP systems

Sistema de sensoriamento eletromagnético utilizado para detecção da contaminação do óleo isolante do motor no método de elevação artificial do tipo bombeio centrífugo submerso

In the artificial lift method by Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP), the energy is transmitted for the well´s deep through a flat electric handle, where it is converted into mechanical energy through an engine of sub-surface, which is connected to a centrifugal pump. This transmits energy to the fluid under the pressure form, bringing it to the surface In this method the subsurface equipment is basically divided into: pump, seal and motor. The main function of the seal is the protect the motor, avoiding the motor´s oil be contaminated by oil production and the consequent burning of it. Over time, the seal will be wearing and initiates a contamination of motor oil, causing it to lose its insulating characteristics. This work presents a design of a magnetic sensor capable of detecting contamination of insulating oil used in the artificial lift method of oil-type Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP). The objective of this sensor is to generate alarm signal just the moment when the contamination in the isolated oil is present, enabling the implementation of a predictive maintenance. The prototype was designed to work in harsh conditions to reach a depth of 2000m and temperatures up to 150°C. It was used a simulator software to defined the mechanical and electromagnetic variables. Results of field experiments were performed to validate the prototype. The final results performed in an ESP system with a 62HP motor showed a good reliability and fast response of the prototype.

Energy harvesting from hydroelectric systems for remote sensors

Hydroelectric systems are well-known for large scale power generation. However, there are virtually no studies on energy harvesting with these systems to produce tens or hundreds of milliwatts. The goal of this work was to study which design parameters from large-scale systems can be applied to small-scale systems. Two types of hydro turbines were evaluated. The first one was a Pelton turbine which is suitable for high heads and low flow rates. The second one was a propeller turbine used for low heads and high flow rates. Several turbine geometries and nozzle diameters were tested for the Pelton system. For the propeller, a three-bladed turbine was tested for different heads and draft tubes. The mechanical power provided by these turbines was measured to evaluate the range of efficiencies of these systems. A small three-phase generator was developed for coupling with the turbines in order to evaluate the generated electric power. Selected turbines were used to test battery charging with hydroelectric systems and a comparison between several efficiencies of the systems was made. Keywords

Energy harvesting from hydroelectric systems for remote sensors

Hydroelectric systems are well-known for large scale power generation. However, there are virtually no studies on energy harvesting with these systems to produce tens or hundreds of milliwatts. The goal of this work was to study which design parameters from large-scale systems can be applied to small-scale systems. Two types of hydro turbines were evaluated. The first one was a Pelton turbine which is suitable for high heads and low flow rates. The second one was a propeller turbine used for low heads and high flow rates. Several turbine geometries and nozzle diameters were tested for the Pelton system. For the propeller, a three-bladed turbine was tested for different heads and draft tubes. The mechanical power provided by these turbines was measured to evaluate the range of efficiencies of these systems. A small three-phase generator was developed for coupling with the turbines in order to evaluate the generated electric power. Selected turbines were used to test battery charging with hydroelectric systems and a comparison between several efficiencies of the systems was made. Keywords