Governing equations complex fluids

An alternative and complementary use of CFD in fixed bed simulation has been to solve the actual flow field between the particles (Fig. lb). This approach does not simplify the geometrical complexities of the packing, or replace them by the pseudo-continuum that is used in the first approach. The governing equations for the interstitial fluid flow itself are solved directly. The contrast is thus between the interstitial flow field type of simulation and the superficial flow... 

For the velocity field the situation is a little more complex We assume no-slip boundary conditions, i.e., the velocity of the fluid and the velocity of the plate are the same at the surface of the plate. It is convenient to split the velocity field in to two parts the shear field Vo which satisfies the governing equations and the no-slip boundary condition and the correction vi to this shear field. The boundary condition for v now reads... 

In problems of heat convection, the most complex equations to solve are the fluid flow equations. Often times, the governing equations for the fluid flow are the Navier-Stokes equations. It is useful, therefore, to study a model equation that has similar characteristics to the Navier-Stokes equations. This model equation has to be time-dependent and include both convection and diffusion terms. The viscous Burgers equation is an appropriate model equation. In the first few sections of this chapter, several important numerical schemes for the Burgers equation will be discussed. A simple physical heat convection problem is solved as a demonstration. 

Clearly, the capability of relatively rapid and inexpensive numerical solutions of a proposed set of governing equations or boundary conditions that can be used in an interactive way with experimental observation represents a profound new opportunity that should greatly facilitate the development of a theoretical basis for fluid mechanics and transport phenomena for complex or multiphase fluids that are the particular concern of chemical engineers. 

From a numerical viev point, rapid progress has been made in the last few years in studies generally devoted to the entry flow problem, together with the use of more and more realistic constitutive equations for the fluids. Consequently, more complexity was involved for the munerical problem, in relation to the nonlinearity induced by the rheological model in the governing equations. The use of nonlinear constitutive models required approximate methods for solving the equations, such as finite element techniques, even for isothermal and steady-state conditions related to a simple flow geometry. 

In this chapter we have already learned in terms of Fig. 5.1 that the Nusselt number is the dimensionless wall gradient of fluid temperature. Ignoring the method of nondimensionalized governing equations because of its complexity, we proceed with the n-theorem. 

It is commonly accepted that the finite element methods offer the most rigorous numerical schemes for the simulation of fluid flow phenomena. The inherent flexibility of these schemes and their ability to cope with complicated geometries and boundary conditions can be used very effectively to solve the governing equations of complex flow regimes. In particular, the finite element simulation of steady, incompressible laminar flow is very well-established, and an extensive literature in this area is available. Galerkin finite element schemes based on different types of Lagrange elements are the most frequently used techniques in these simulations [8]. In flow domains with porous walls, however, more recent work... 

The flow becomes highly complex in a spiral-wound module containing a feed-side spacer screen. Numerical solutions of the governing equations incorporating most of these complexities have been/are being implemented (Wiley and Fletcher, 2003) using computational fluid dynamics models (see Schwinge et al. (2003) for the complex flow patterns in a spacer-filled channel). 

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