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The computation of turbulent natural convection flows - Turbulence ...

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361<br />

8.4 Time-dependent simulation (Ra = 4.5×10 8 )<br />

Figures 8.17-8.31 show the solution <strong>of</strong> 3D time dependent simulation <strong>of</strong> the<br />

horizontal penetration test case by k-ε-AWF. In the steady-state simulation, it<br />

has been observed that results are not symmetrical, specially inside the tube<br />

away from the open end <strong>of</strong> the tube. That is why time dependent calculations<br />

are employed for this simulation to obtain a better understanding <strong>of</strong> how flow<br />

develops in this horizontal penetration test case.<br />

In the time dependent calculations, the normalized time step is set equal<br />

to 0.083,normalized by D2<br />

V0 (where D2 is the diameter <strong>of</strong> the tube and V0 =<br />

√ gβ∆ΘD2) and the implicit scheme is employed for time descritisation. In<br />

each time step, it is set to iterate 20 times unless it gets to convergence criteria<br />

(all residuals below 10 −3 ).<br />

Figures 8.17-8.20 show velocity contours within the central (X=0) longitu-<br />

dinal plane, inside and outside the penetration. <strong>The</strong>y show that downward<br />

flow which separates from the cold tube is not uniform all along the tube. <strong>The</strong><br />

shape <strong>of</strong> the downward flow changes with time. <strong>The</strong> component <strong>of</strong> velocity<br />

along the tube (W/V0) is time dependent as well. <strong>The</strong> contours show that the<br />

flow generally moves into the tube from the upper part <strong>of</strong> the tube and moves<br />

out from the lower portion <strong>of</strong> the tube but the shape <strong>of</strong> the flow changes with<br />

time.<br />

Figures 8.21-8.26 show vector plots and contour plots <strong>of</strong> V, W and k within<br />

the penetration at cross-sections normal to its axis, at locations Z=0.23, 0.46,<br />

0.69 and 0.87, at different time steps. Both sets <strong>of</strong> mean velocity contours show<br />

that over most <strong>of</strong> the penetration (Z = 0.23 to 0.79) there are strong oscillations.<br />

By the exit, however, these oscillations appear to have died down. This is also<br />

confirmed by flow animation videos. It thus appears that as the buoyancy<br />

effect weakens and the velocities become lower, inside the penetration, flow<br />

conditions become more unstable. <strong>The</strong> corresponding contour plots <strong>of</strong> the in-<br />

stantaneous <strong>turbulent</strong> kinetic energy and also the plots <strong>of</strong> the instantaneous<br />

velocity vectors also confirm the oscillatory nature <strong>of</strong> the flow within the pen-<br />

etration.

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