Experimental and numerical study on energy separation in vortex tube with a hollow helical fin (Joint research)

Kureta, Masatoshi; Yamagata, Yoji*; Miyakoshi, Ken*; Mashii, Tatsuya*; Miura, Yoshiaki*; Takahashi, Kazunori*

JAEA-Research 2022-007, 28 Pages, 2022/09

JAEA-Research-2022-007.pdf:8.17MB

To enhance energy separation in a counter-current Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, a newly designed hollow helical fin was inserted into the hot tube of the vortex tube. In this study, the effect of the fin on the energy separation was investigated using three types of the vortex tube, and then computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation has been conducted to understand the experimental results and discuss the flow structure in the vortex tube with the hollow helical fin. As a result, it was found from the experimental data that the fin effectively enhanced energy separation, and that the tube length could be shorten. When the inlet air pressure was 0.5 MPa, the maximum temperature difference from the inlet to the cold exit was 62.2C. The CFD code employing the Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) turbulence model was used to analyze the fluid dynamics in the vortex tube. As a result, it was confirmed that the temperature, velocity, and pressure distributions changed significantly at the stagnation point, and that the distributions in the tube with the fin were completely different from those without the fin. It was thought that a strong reversing helical vortex flow with small recirculating vortex structure formed between the fin end and the stagnation point on the cold exit side would enhance energy separation in the vortex tube with the hollow helical fin.

Evaluation of gas entrainment flow rate by free surface vortex

Torikawa, Tomoaki*; Odaira, Naoya*; Ito, Daisuke*; Ito, Kei*; Saito, Yasushi*; Matsushita, Kentaro; Ezure, Toshiki; Tanaka, Masaaki

Konsoryu, 36(1), p.63 - 69, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.3811/jjmf.2022.004

On free surface of a sodium cooled fast reactor, gas entrainment can be caused by free surface vortices, which may result in disturbance in core power. It is important to develop an evaluation model to predict accurately entrained gas flow rate. In this study, entrained gas flow rate a simple gas entrainment experiment is conducted with focusing on effect of pressure difference between upper and lower tanks. Pressure difference between upper and lower tanks are controlled by changing gas pressure in lower tank. As a result, it is confirmed that the entrained gas flow rate increases with increasing pressure difference between upper and lower tanks. By visualization of swirling annular flow in suction pipe, it is also observed that pressure drop in suction pipe increases with increase in entrained gas flow rate, which implies that entrained gas flow rate can be predicted by evaluation model based on pressure drop in swirling annular flow region.

Flow separation at inlet causing transition and intermittency in circular pipe flow

Ogawa, Masuro*

JAEA-Technology 2019-010, 22 Pages, 2019/07

JAEA-Technology-2019-010.pdf:1.5MB

Transition phenomena from laminar to turbulent flow are roughly classified into three categories. Circular pipe flow of the third category is linearly stable against any small disturbance, despite that flow actually transitions and transitional flow exhibits intermittency. These are among major challenges that are yet to be resolved in fluid dynamics. Thus, author proposes hypothesis as follows; "Flow in a circular pipe transitions from laminar flow because of vortices released from separation bubble forming in vicinity of inlet of pipe, and transitional flow becomes intermittent because vortex-shedding is intermittent." Present hypothesis can easily explain why linear stability theory has not been able to predict transition in circular pipe flow, why circular pipe flow actually transitions, why transitional flow actually exhibits intermittency even due to small disturbance, and why numerical analysis has not been able to predict intermittency of transitional flow in circular pipe.

Study on surface tension modeling for mechanistic evaluation of vortex cavitation

Ito, Kei; Ezure, Toshiki; Ohshima, Hiroyuki; Kawamura, Takumi*; Nakamine, Yoshiaki*

Proceedings of 9th Korea-Japan Symposium on Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Safety (NTHAS-9) (CD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2014/11

The authors have been studied the vortex cavitation in sodium-cooled fast reactors. In this paper, the authors present a modified evaluation method for vortex cavitation, in which a surface tension is modeled mechanistically. Namely, the cavity radius is calculated in consideration of radial pressure distribution, saturated vapor pressure and the pressure jump condition at an interface. As the basic validation of the developed surface tension model, numerical analyses of a simple experiment under various velocity conditions are performed. The evaluation results give qualitatively appropriate tendency, that is, the cavity radius becomes larger with the higher liquid velocity and/or lower reference pressure which cause the larger pressure drop at the vortex. In addition, the authors evaluate the influence of the kinematic viscosity which plays an important role in the vortex cavitation occurrences in the experiments.

Effect of physical properties on gas entrainment rate from free surface by vortex, 2

Koizumi, Yasuo*; Ote, Naosuke*; Kamide, Hideki; Ohno, Shuji; Ito, Kei

Proceedings of 22nd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-22) (DVD-ROM), 7 Pages, 2014/07

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE22-30959

Penetration of vortices into micro-superconductors observed with a scanning SQUID microscope

Nishio, Taichiro; Okayasu, Satoru; Suzuki, Junichi; Kadowaki, Kazuo

Physica C, 412-414(Part1), p.379 - 384, 2004/10

We have studied the vortex states in a meoscopic superconductor with geometrical constraints such as disks, triangles, squares, etc. with dimensions between 30-50m using a scanning SQUID microscope (SQM2000,Seiko Instruments Inc.). The sample was fabricated by electron lithography and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) techniques. Quantized vortices enter into a mesoscopic superconductor discretely as a function of magnetic field accompanied by the sequential step-wise jump of magnetization of the superconductor. Quantitative as well as qualitative analyses of spatial vortex arrangement as a function of the number of vortices will be shown in comparison with the recent theoretical predictions.

Vortex imaging of magnetic superconductor HoNiBC by scanning SQUID microscopy

Hata, Yoshiaki; Suzuki, Junichi; Kakeya, Itsuhiro*; Kadowaki, Kazuo*; Nakayama, Satoshi*; Nagata, Atsushi*; Odawara, Akikazu*; Chinone, Kazuo*

Physica C, 378-381(Part1), p.420 - 423, 2002/10

no abstracts in English

Water flow simulation test on flow-induced oscillation of thermowell in prototype fast breeder reactor "MONJU"

Kondo, Masaya; Anoda, Yoshinari

JSME International Journal, Series B, 44(4), p.688 - 694, 2001/11

no abstracts in English

Study on oscillated flow around excited cylinder using built-in electromagnetic flowmeters

Kondo, Masaya; Anoda, Yoshinari

Emerging Technologies for Fluids, Structures and Fluid-Structure Interaction, 2001 (PVP-Vol.431), p.111 - 117, 2001/07

no abstracts in English

Study of alternate vortices effect on in-line oscillations of flexible cylinder

Kondo, Masaya; Anoda, Yoshinari

Emerging Technologies in Fluids, Structures, and Fluid/Structure Interactions (PVP-Vol.414-1), p.171 - 177, 2000/07

no abstracts in English