arXiv subjects

Purushotam Kumar

Publications and source records attributed to Purushotam Kumar.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Dynamics of two air bubbles rising in a shear-thinning fluid

In this paper, we have studied the three-dimensional dynamics of two equally sized air bubbles rising in a shear-thinning fluid. We have used the combined level set and volume of fluid (CLSVOF) method to track interface, maintain mass balance and estimate the interface curvature. Additionally, we have incorporated a Sharp Surface Force Method (SSF) for surface tension forces. This method significantly suppressed the spurious velocities commonly observed with the conventional volume of fluid method and the Continuum Surface Force (CSF). The algorithm is implemented in an in-house code called CUFLOW and runs on multiple GPUs platform. We have explored the effects of fluid rheology on the three-dimensional dynamics of two in-line bubbles. Two power-law indices (0.5 and 1) are investigated to highlight differences in shear-thinning and Newtonian fluids. For a range of parameters examined here, bubbles motion in a shear-thinning fluid is seen to be unsteady with significant shape oscillations. Further, we have examined the rise velocity, droplets rise path, transient shapes and found that modification of viscosity by the motion of the leading bubble changes the dynamics of the trailing bubble.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2023

Dynamics of Argon Gas Bubbles Rising in Liquid Steel in the Presence of Transverse Magnetic Field

Bubbly flows are present in various industrial processes including metallurgical processes in which gas bubbles are injected at the bottom of bulk liquid metal to stir the liquid metal and homogenize the metal. Understanding the motion of such bubbles is essential, as it has been shown that bubble flotation can remove inclusions. In this work, we have numerically studied three-dimensional dynamics of a pair of inline Argon bubbles rising in molten steel under the influence of a transverse magnetic field. We have explored the effects of two transverse magnetic field strengths (Bx = 0 and 0.2 T). The bubbles' motion and transient rise velocities are compared under different magnetic fields. The shape deformations and path of the bubbles are discussed. The flow structures behind the bubbles are analyzed. We found that structures are more organized and elongated under a magnetic field, whereas it is complex and intertwined when the magnetic field is not included. We have used a geometry construction-based volume of fluid (VOF) method to track interface, maintain mass balance and estimate the interface curvature. Additionally, we have incorporated a Sharp Surface Force Method (SSF) for surface tension forces. The algorithm is able to minimize the spurious velocities.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Sensitivity Analysis of Lift and Drag Coefficients for Flow over Elliptical Cylinders of Arbitrary Aspect Ratio and Angle of Attack using Neural Network

Flow over bluff bodies has multiple engineering applications and thus, has been studied for decades. The lift and drag coefficients are practically important in the design of many components such as automobiles, aircrafts, buildings etc. These coefficients vary significantly with Reynolds number and geometric parameters of the bluff body. In this study, we have analyzed the sensitivity of lift and drag coefficients on single and tandem elliptic cylinders to cylinder aspect ratios, angles of attack, cylinder separation, and flow Reynolds number. Sensitivity analysis with Monte-Carlo algorithm requires several function evaluations, which is infeasible with high-fidelity computational simulations. We have therefore trained multilayer perceptron neural networks (MLPNN) using computational fluid dynamics data to estimate the lift and drag coefficients efficiently. Line plots of the variations in lift and drag as functions of the governing parameters are also presented. The present approach is applicable to study of various other bluff body configurations.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Large Scale GPU Based Simulations of Turbulent Bubbly Flow in a Square Duct

In this paper, we present the results of a numerical study of air-water turbulent bubbly flow in a periodic vertical square duct. The study is conducted using a novel numerical technique which leverages Volume of Fluid method for interface capturing and Sharp Surface Force method for accurate representation of the surface tension forces. A three-dimensional geometry construction method is employed during solution of interface equation which gives absolute conservation of mass and sharp interface between gas and liquid phases. The entire algorithm has been implemented on a data parallel mode on multiple graphics processing units (GPU) taking advantage of the large number of available cores. We have studied the dynamics of a swarm of spherical bubbles co-flowing with the upward turbulent flow and compared results with an unladen turbulent flow. The frictional Reynolds number of the unladen $Re_{\tau}$ is 360, which is sufficient to sustain a turbulent flow. We observe the turbulence-driven secondary flows in the mean flow, with complex instantaneous turbulent vortical structures. The interaction of these secondary flows with the upwards rising bubbles is very complex and leads to significant changes in the instantaneous and time-averaged flow field. We present the results of mean void fraction distribution, mean velocities, longitudinal and transverse turbulence intensities along the wall, corner bisector, and wall bisector. A peak in the void fraction distribution near the walls is observed representing the migration of bubbles to a preferred section of the duct. The effects of turbulence-driven secondary flows and instantaneous large eddies on preferential concentration of the bubbles are discussed. The dispersed bubbles are seen to break the long elongated turbulent structures commonly observed in the unladen turbulent flow.

physics.flu-dyn↗