This simulation was inspired by The Slow Mo Guys’ video “90 ft. Vertical Spike Wave in Slow Mo” which shows the results of an experiment made by the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility. We use part of their video to compare results with our own simulation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWKFPTgkpXo&t=105s The Vertical Spike Wave The Vertical Spike Wave is the result of a concentric wave travelling towards its center. Depending on its velocity, the wave can collide in the middle and form a spike of water. This wave can be generated in a circular pool equipped of moving panels on the entire length of the perimeter that push in one coordinated motion the water towards the center. The pushers have to be activated simultaneously with the same motion in order to have the water travel in one single motion and collide at the same speed with the same energy. If the speed is high enough, the water will rise in the center of the pool in a high spike [Figure 1] and fall back splashing. Figure 1 - Vertical Spike Wave Model setup on FLOW-3D® FLOW-3D was used to setup the simulation of the Vertical Spike Wave, then the result was post-processed on FlowSight. In order to model the circular wave, the mesh was defined on cylindrical coordinates. That allowed to simulate only a part of the pool [Figure 2] then to duplicate it later on Flow Sight to make it look like the entire pool was modeled. Figure 2 - FLOW-3D setup Most of the measurements were given in The Slow Mo Guys’ video, so it was possible to give the simulation the real dimensions. The pool is about 50m wide and is equipped of 168 panels. We estimated that the pushers took 4s to motion back and forth once with an angle of 17.2°. To setup the simulation, a pool was created simply on FLOW-3D using the basic geometry provided by the software, then the panel was imported as an STL file. The pusher was setup as a moving object [Figure 3] to which a motion defined in advance was applied. The water is completely still at first, and a single push is sufficient to create the vertical spike wave. Figure 3 - Panels pushing the water Results The overall motion and energy correspond to the reality with a very good precision. Some differences can be seen only in the disrupted front of the spike: its effects are negligible for our comparison but could be taken into account with a complete 3D and 2-fluid simulation. Figure 4 - Experiment and Simulation side by side … [Read more...]
Design optimization for mass production
Introduction The development of a product involves various phases of calculation and design that provide a series of predefined steps to follow in order to reach mass production. With this aim in mind and considering the high number of parts to be produced, any material saving is advantageous and relevant from an economic perspective. The parties involved in the production need to reduce the waste material (relevant for the foundry) and to reduce the weight of the components (relevant for the end customer). Optimizing the shape of the product helps both parties (foundry and customer) to reach the right compromise to make the adequate savings while obtaining the highest quality parts. In this article we will show the design optimization process of a foundry product destined for mass production using an optimization software and a process simulator. The aim is to analyze the solidification of the metal present in the system of interest and to evaluate how the optimization helps both parties to benefit from it. Component to produce The component to optimize in this study is produced by sand molded casting technique, one of the oldest, simplest and most economical techniques. The preliminary design phase has provided a prototype in stereolithography format (STL), which is already potentially good for production (courtesy of Flow Science Deutschland). In the image [Figure 1] you can see the feeding system (in yellow) and the geometry of the part to be produced (in red). The weight of the part itself in this starting configuration is 2,197kg, and the whole system weight is 3,126kg. The main objective is, by acting on some details of the geometries themselves, to obtain a total weight of the system as small as possible without having significant porosity in the part. In order to obtain the best possible result, the parameters chosen to be modified are the size of the feeder [Figure 2], the thickness of the vertical wall closest to the feeder and the thickness of the transition zone between the two walls [Figure 3]. Figure 2 - First optimization parameter Figure 3 - Second and third optimization parameters The considered variables are thus potentially multiple and exploring manually all the possible combinations can be a very long and complex work. That is why we have chosen to use a numerical optimizer able to explore the solutions independently. Therefore, IMPROVEit was chosen, which thanks to its simple interface allows to perform both the setup phase and the processing of results easily. FLOW-3D® CAST was chosen as the process simulator for its precision, reliability and simple use in foundry simulations. As for modifying the geometrical shape, the optimization software allows both to interact directly with parametric CAD if the file is in original format, and to modify an STL file directly inside IMPROVEit if, as it is the case in this test, only the latter is available. Once the parameters to be corrected have been selected, the software is able to internally modify the shape of the geometries, launch the solidification simulations interacting with the FLOW-3D® CAST process software using the modified geometries, extract the results of the analyses and process them with suitable mathematical nodes to obtain the right optimized quantity. [Figure 4] shows the workflow of our case study. Figure 4 - Optimization workflow In order to detect the shrinkage porosity dimension present at the end of the solidification simulation, four control volumes divide the geometry in four distinct zones: the top part is in dark blue, the central part in yellow, the left part in cyan and the right part in magenta. According to the customers’ exigences, among those four parts only three are relevant for optimization: the porosity in the top part (dark blue) is not considered. In the initial configuration, the total shrinkage porosity volume in the three control volumes is 581mm3. Figure 5 - Control volumes Execution For the purpose of the optimization process, two objectives and one constraint were chosen: minimizing the feeding system and the part’s weight while having the amount of porosity in the three control volumes below a threshold low enough to be able to consider the part free from visible defects. Setting up an optimization with two objectives and a constraint makes the understanding of the problem complex; nevertheless, the IMPROVEit engine being developed specifically for this type of problem, it allows to obtain an excellent result with just a few calls of the process simulator. Since each optimization cycle lasts only a few minutes, it was decided to allow the execution of fifty cycles. Considerations After fifty cycles, IMPROVEit was able to propose a wide range of solutions that reduce the weight of the system with tolerable thresholds of porosity, which was our objective. Moreover, by analyzing the panorama of the solutions found, it is possible to … [Read more...]
Increasing Discharge Capacity with the Piano Key Weir
Piano Key Weir Characteristics The Piano Key Weir is a particular model of the labyrinth discharge spillway. It is composed of an alternation of reclined surfaces, one is the direction of the flow, the other in the opposite direction. Each of these slopes is separated by a vertical wall that follows the geometry of the shape. Seen from above, it is a series of rectangles cut in equally sized sections widthwise. For each of these sections one of the side perpendicular to the stream is pushed down, creating a slope on which the water can either flow or accumulate, depending on which side the section is lowered. This structure tops a smaller wall. The Piano Key Weir is generally used at the outbound of a dam, the idea being to dispose of a construction that is solid enough to resist the pressure created by a high quantity of water contained in a dam or a river during flood season, that can evacuate the overflow of water, and that is simple enough not to be too expensive. Usage of the Piano Key Weir The Piano Key Weir is a free flow discharge spillway. Its geometry allows for a significantly higher evacuation capacity. The studies conducted on this type of spillway have two aims: build solid and cheap discharge spillways, as well as reinforce the older structures. This enables engineers to avoid accidents of dams that break or that don’t have the capacity to discharge water correctly and in a controlled manner when there is a flood. Usually the weir is placed after the dam and before the cities so as to allow a controlled discharge of water. This type of discharge spillway presents several crucial advantages. First it is easy to install on structures that are already there, as opposed to classic labyrinth discharge spillways. Moreover, its shape that alternates between ascending and descending slopes allows the formation of two different flows depending on whether the water arrives on one or the other slope. When the water flows over the descending slope it forms a jet that goes towards the bottom of the dam, and when it is first contained by an ascending slope it forms a kind of film which then flows towards the jet below. This division of flow slows the stream down consequently in a much more efficient way than classic dams do. Simulation results In order to observe the effects of the Piano Key Weir we used FLOW-3D® to make a simulation displaying the weir in a stream. The model setup is the most basic one, given that it has been proved that it enabled the results to be as close to reality as possible. The simulation shows the characteristic flow of the water over the “keys” of the piano as well as the decrease of the flow rate after the weir. We can see that the error percentage between experimental results and the simulation using FLOW-3D is only between 2% and 4% on average. The only determining factor is the mesh resolution when it comes to the accuracy of the simulation, but it only changes the error of 3% or 4% maximum, which means that overall the simulation doesn’t go above an error of 6%. … [Read more...]
Optimisation of the shape of a toilet
The design of sanitary ware not only follows aesthetic criteria but must also be subject to strict regulations that govern its proper functioning. Among these, a sanitary fixture must guarantee a good and effective cleaning of the internal surfaces, making sure that during the drainage phase the water properly removes most of the dirt. This study aims to analyze possible alternative forms for both the water inlet and the toilet bowl itself, which maximize the surface area of the interior of the toilet wetted by water. The variables involved are potentially multiple and interconnected: manually exploring all possible values can be a very long and complex work, as well as understanding the effects on the target set. For this reason we have chosen to use an optimization software that responds to this need: interfacing with the most disparate software you are able to automate the work, analyze the influence of multiple parameters and understand the link between them and the performance you want to improve. The software chosen is IMPROVEit, which thanks to its simple interface allows you to easily perform both the setup phase and the processing of results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KoQHw1VQfk&feature=youtu.be The software is able to internally modify the shape of STL geometries on the basis of parameters set by the user, launch fluid dynamic simulations interfacing with the CFD software FLOW-3D® using the modified geometries, extract the results of the software and process them with appropriate mathematical nodes or invoking Excel to obtain the quantity to be optimized. FLOW-3D® has been chosen for its excellent capabilities, in terms of speed and accuracy, in the calculation of transient and free surface flows. Three geometric parameters were chosen to vary, so as not to complicate the problem too much: the direction of the inlet, the outlet section of the inlet and the slope of the front part of the sanitary, playing with the curvature present here. Optimisation can certainly be complicated with more time available. The objective is to maximize the wetted surface of the inside of the sanitaryware, calculated as the integral area covered by liquid during the entire discharge time divided by the discharge time itself. Moreover, it has been imposed the constraint that the water must not escape from the upper part of the sanitary, even in small quantities, to discard those solutions that while washing the surface cause unwanted splashes. The fluid dynamics simulation was set up by initializing the water in the tank upstream of the toilet and setting as boundary conditions the exit from the exhaust pipe and the atmospheric pressure of the air. In this way, the water flow is free to enter freely and naturally into the sanitaryware. The simulation is stopped when the tank is completely empty. IMPROVEit has the advantage that it does not require knowledge in the field of optimization to be used, as it is able to independently choose the best strategy to achieve the goal. It only requires you to define a budget, which is the time you want to devote to optimization, because the strategy chosen is such as to seek optimal solutions around the end of this period. Since each calculation cycle (variation of the geometries, fluid dynamics simulation and elaboration of the outputs) lasts approximately 40 minutes, a budget of 25 cycles has been chosen, in order to have the result in little more than a day. Considering that there are 3 variables at play and that the problem is complex, it can be considered a rather challenging case for the optimization software. Nevertheless, IMPROVEit has already been able to propose solutions that increase the surface area of the toilet wetted by water by up to 35%. Moreover, by analysing the panorama of the solutions found, it is possible to better understand the influence of the various factors. It can be seen, in fact, as larger outlet diameters premino because they allow a greater leakage of mass in the unit of time, despite a reduced throttle leads to higher speeds. The direction of the inlet that gives the best results, however, is aligned with the horizontal plane, while the shape of the sanitary has more varied effects, without highlighting such a clear trend. … [Read more...]
Pelton turbine simulation – starting transient up to regime
Pelton turbines (or Pelton wheel) are the most worlwide used type turbines for electricity generation in hydraylics powerplant, due to their high efficiency. Its design belongs to 1870 but, with some modifications, they are still the first choiche in modern powerplants. In a Pelton turbine the energy is extracted from the kinetic energy of the water, in contrast with other types of turbines where the hydrostatic pressure is used: the water, coming from an upper basin, is accelerated and ejected against the Pelton paddles. Paddle geometry is designed properly to absorb as much as possible the kinetic energy of the fluid, starting rotating. The rotational speed of the turbine is then converted to electric power through a conductive coil. The simulation analyse the initial transient of the turbine, where water at over 100 m/s impact on the Pelton’s paddle providing torque and angular acceleration. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb2xEbHmWKw All geometries and data used in the simulation are realistic and coherent with the real phenomena: wheel geometry has real shape and mass property, fluid is water with a reasonable speed, and the nozzle contains a doble valve, used in real turbines to adjust water flow rate. Interesting is the plot of the angular speed of the wheel. For Pelton turbines, it is known that the top efficiency is reached when the peripheral speed of the wheel is about half the speed of the water at the nozzle. For this purpose, a probe has been located at the centre of the nozzle in order to monitor the fluid speed, while another probe has been attached to a wheel paddle, in order to catch the peripheral speed. The two quantities can be directly showed as output from the simulation. The videos make a large use of Flowsight features: transparency based on the value of the variables, moving camera, fine tuning of light and reflections, multi-plots and multi-viewport visualization. https://youtu.be/TddbeL1lK9I … [Read more...]
