This article explores the possibility of analyzing combustion instabilities in liquid rocket engines by making use of Large Eddy Simulations (LES). Calculations are carried out for a complete ...small-scale rocket engine, including the injection manifold thrust chamber and nozzle outlet. The engine comprises 42 coaxial injectors feeding the combustion chamber with gaseous hydrogen and liquid oxygen and it operates at supercritical pressures with a maximum thermal power of 80 MW. The objective of the study is to predict the occurrence of transverse high-frequency combustion instabilities by comparing two operating points featuring different levels of acoustic activity. The LES compares favorably with the experiment for the stable load point and exhibits a nonlinearly unstable transverse mode for the experimentally unstable operating condition. A detailed analysis of the instability retrieves the experimental data in terms of spectral features. It is also found that modifications of the flame structures and of the global combustion region configuration have similarities with those observed in recent model scale experiments. It is shown that the overall acoustic activity mainly results from the combination of one transverse and one radial mode of the chamber, which are also strongly coupled with the oxidizer injectors.
We present a novel interpretation of the γ-ray diffuse emission measured by Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. in the Galactic center (GC) region and the Galactic ridge (GR). In the first part we perform a ...data-driven analysis based on PASS8 Fermi-LAT data: We extend down to a few GeV the spectra measured by H.E.S.S. and infer the primary cosmic-ray (CR) radial distribution between 0.1 and 3 TeV. In the second part we adopt a CR transport model based on a position-dependent diffusion coefficient. Such behavior reproduces the radial dependence of the CR spectral index recently inferred from the Fermi-LAT observations. We find that the bulk of the GR emission can be naturally explained by the interaction of the diffuse steady-state Galactic CR sea with the gas present in the central molecular zone. Although we confirm the presence of a residual radial-dependent emission associated with a central source, the relevance of the large-scale diffuse component prevents to claim a solid evidence of GC pevatrons.
•First DNS of nucleate pool boiling in micro-layer regime (fully resolved).•Parametric study on the transition between micro-layer and contact line regimes.•A micro-layer is formed if the growth of ...the bubble exceeds a limit velocity.•The depletion is mainly induced by capillary actions.•Correlation on the limit between micro-layer and contact line regimes.
The physical mechanisms associated with the evolution of a micro-layer beneath a bubble and the transition between contact line and micro-layer regimes are investigated with fully resolved numerical simulations, in the framework of nucleate pool boiling. Capturing the transition between these two regimes has been possible for the first time using very refined grids and parallel computations. Indeed, grids with a cell size under 1 μm must be used in order to capture thermal and dynamical effects in the micro-layer. Such multiscale computations require advanced code capabilities. The present simulations are used to analyse the physical processes involved in the formation and depletion of a micro-layer. A parametric study is carried out to investigate the impact of the main parameters affecting the presence of the micro-layer. From these results, the limit conditions between nucleate boiling in micro-layer and contact line regimes are deduced. Neglecting the micro-layer would lead to erroneous results because it has a strong influence on the overall bubble growth. Therefore the present results could be of major interest for designing models of nucleate pool boiling in larger scales computations, when the micro-layer cannot be resolved.
•A solver to simulate two-phase compressible flows is presented.•A semi-implicit projection method for compressible flows is employed.•The methodology developed is asymptotically preserving.•The ...numerical method is thermodynamically consistent.•A real fluid equation of state is used to describe liquid and gaseous phases.
The development of numerical solvers able to simulate compressible two-phase flows is still a great challenge in computational fluid dynamics. The interaction between acoustic waves and interfaces is of major concern for several engineering and biomedical applications, among which atomization in combustion chambers, cavitation problems, underwater explosions and bubble shock interactions. For instance, there are experimental evidences that acoustic waves can have an important effect on the atomization process, and this could have a great impact on combustion. However, usual approaches for DNS of primary atomization are based on incompressible solvers and therefore are not able to capture the propagation of acoustic waves and therefore cannot be used to simulate such phenomena. The numerical problem associated with the simulation of compressible two-phase flows is challenging, mostly because of the huge spatial variations of the speed of sound and the corresponding low Mach number in the liquid phase. In the present work, a numerical solver able to study subsonic compressible two-phase flows is presented. The solver is based on a complete formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations with real fluid equations of state, which are solved with a semi-implicit projection method. It is shown that the solver can handle a large range of compressible subsonic flows, both for a single phase or for two phases, as the flow induced by free convection, a bubble expansion in isothermal or isentropic conditions, and interaction between acoustic waves and liquid-gas interfaces. Eventually, attention will be given to the simulation of a water droplet in air, under the excitation of a stationary acoustic wave. It is also shown that the solver exhibits equivalent performances as an incompressible solver in configurations where compressible effects have no effects.
•DNS of nucleate boiling in partly sub-cooled and zero gravity conditions.•Analytical model and numerical correlation for the bubble equilibrium radius.•Analysis of the main parameters: Jakob ...numbers, contact angle, thermal gradient.•Analysis of the heat transfer behaviour in zero-gravity conditions.•Heat transfer model based on Nusselt numbers extracted from the simulations.
Understanding and controlling nucleate pool boiling phenomena in zero gravity conditions is fundamental for space applications. An analytical model for the equilibrium radius reached by a bubble nucleated in sub-cooled conditions is established in this work and verified numerically. Indeed, direct numerical simulations of two phase flows conjugated with the heat conduction in the solid wall are carried out in order to verify and correct the analytical model. Fine grids, with cells size of the order of the micron, are mandatory in order to capture the subtle equilibrium between condensation and evaporation that characterises stationary conditions. This has been possible thanks to the house made solver DIVA, validated for nucleate pool boiling simulations, and that permits to carry out parallel numerical simulations. Results show that the equilibrium radius of the bubble is a function of the thermal gradient, of the Jakob numbers associated with condensation and evaporation and of the apparent contact angle. The analysis of the thermal field is carried out and an interpretation of the physical processes that characterise the equilibrium is given. In addition, useful information on the heat transfer behaviour, reported in terms of Nu numbers, completes the work.
Identification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) in young athletes is challenging when left ventricular (LV) wall thickness is between 13 and 15 mm. The aim of this study was to revise the ability ...of simple echocardiographic and clinical variables for the differential diagnosis of HC versus athlete's heart. Twenty-eight athletes free of cardiovascular disease were compared with 25 untrained patients with HC, matched for LV wall thickness (13 to 15 mm), age, and gender. Clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic variables were compared. Athletes had larger LV cavities (60 ± 3 vs 45 ± 5 mm, p <0.001), aortic roots (34 ± 3 vs 30 ± 3 mm, p <0.001), and left atria (42 ± 4 vs 33 ± 5 mm, p <0.001) than patients with HC. LV cavity <54 mm distinguished HC from athlete's heart with the highest sensitivity and specificity (both 100%, p <0.001). Left atrium >40 mm excluded HC with sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 71% (p <0.001). Athletes showed higher e′ velocity by tissue Doppler imaging than patients with HC (12.5 ± 1.9 vs 9.3 ± 2.3 cm/second, p <0.001), with values <11.5 cm/second yielding sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 61% for the diagnosis of HC (p <0.001). Absence of diffuse T-wave inversion on electrocardiography (specificity 92%) and negative family history for HC (specificity 100%) also proved useful for excluding HC. In conclusion, in athletes with LV hypertrophy in the “gray zone” with HC, LV cavity size appears the most reliable criterion to help in diagnosis, with a cut-off value of <54 mm useful for differentiation from athlete's heart. Other criteria, including LV diastolic dysfunction, absence of T-wave inversion on electrocardiography, and negative family history, further aid in the differential diagnosis.
This work presents the analysis of a transverse combustion instability in a reduced-scale rocket engine. The study is conducted on a time-resolved database of three-dimensional fields obtained via ...large-eddy simulation. The physical mechanisms involved in the response of the coaxial hydrogen/oxygen flames are discussed through the analysis of the Rayleigh term in the disturbance-energy equation. The interaction between acoustics and vorticity, also explicit in the disturbance-energy balance, is shown to be the main damping mechanism for this instability. The relative contributions of Rayleigh and damping terms, depending on the position of the flame with respect to the acoustic field, are discussed. The results give new insight into the phenomenology of transverse combustion instabilities. Finally, the applicability of spectral analysis on the nonlinear Rayleigh and dissipation terms is discussed.
The objective of this study was to characterize the chemical composition and lipid profile of colostrum and milk of purebred Quarter Horse mares. Thirty-four (34) purebred mares were selected, which ...were then separated into groups according to age, birth order and lactation stage. Colostrum samples were collected in the first six hours after delivery and milk samples from the 7.sup.th postpartum day, with intervals of 14 days until the end of lactation. The samples were refrigerated and sent to the Milk Laboratory of the University (Laboleite-UFRN), where they were analyzed for chemical composition. Colostrum was assessed by refractometry. The lipid profile was determined by gas chromatography through a separation of methyl esters. The data were tabulated and subjected to descriptive statistics and analysis of variance by the F-Test, and the groups were compared by the Tukey test using a significance level of 5%. There was high protein content and reduced lactose content for the colostrum of the Quarter Horse mares, differing from other breeds. The milk composition was not influenced by the mares' age. However, variations in the lactation stage and in the birth order of the Quarter Horse mares altered the milk's chemical composition. There is variation in the lipid composition of milk according to the lactation stage, without changing the characteristic profile of the mares' milk or diminishing the nutritional quality of the lipid fraction.
For over a century, chromium (Cr) has found widespread industrial and commercial use, namely as a pigment, in the production of stainless steel and in chrome plating. The adverse health effects to ...the skin and respiratory tract of prolonged exposure to Cr have been known or suspected for a long time, but it was much more recently that the toxicity of this element was unequivocally attributed to its hexavalent state. Based on the combined results of extensive epidemiological studies, animal carcinogenicity studies and several types of other relevant data, authoritative regulatory agencies have found sufficient evidence to classify hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) compounds as encountered in the chromate production, chromate pigment production and chromium plating industries as carcinogenic to humans. Crucial for the development of novel strategies to prevent, detect and/or treat Cr(VI)-induced cancers is a detailed knowledge of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these pathologies. Unfortunately, in spite of a considerable research effort, crucial facets of these mechanisms remain essentially unknown. This review is intended to provide a concise, integrated and critical perspective of the current state of knowledge concerning multiple aspects of Cr(VI) carcinogenesis. It will present recent theories of Cr(VI)-induced carcinogenesis and will include aspects not traditionally covered in other reviews, such as the possible involvement of the energy metabolism in this process. A brief discussion on the models that have been used in the studies of Cr(VI)-induced carcinogenicity will also be included, due to the impact of this parameter on the relevance of the results obtained.