30.06.2013 Views

View/Open

View/Open

View/Open

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

through ADU which is a function of pressure setting as empirically calculated in section<br />

3.2. However, when reverse flow occurs, the air flowing into the chamber is the air from<br />

the HADT re-entering the chamber with its already heated and humidified properties.<br />

The CPAP air flow rate may have a wide range from 0 to 100 L/min. as well as reverse<br />

flow. Therefore, both natural and forced convections need to be considered.<br />

Natural convection Nusselt number over this horizontal round water surface can be<br />

calculated using the same values of C=0.54 and n=1/4 as that at the water bottom.<br />

Figure 3.11 Airflow direction in the chamber<br />

Flow pattern in the chamber is considered as turbulent [19]. Figure 3.11 shows the inlet<br />

and outlet air directions. When air flows into the chamber, it blows upward towards the<br />

chamber top then scatters and may return to directly impact onto the water surface.<br />

After touching the water surface, the air may flow horizontally over the surface to the<br />

other half of the chamber through the lower half of the opening which connects the two<br />

halves of the chamber. In the outlet half, the airflow may surf over the water surface<br />

then flow upward and finally leaves the chamber from outlet.<br />

The impact of the inlet air on the water surface occurs only in the inlet half of the<br />

chamber. For chamber wall 2 and wall 3 surrounding the chamber air part, air is<br />

modelled as a single pass air flow over each of them.<br />

51

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!