Academic literature on the topic 'Supercritical Regime'

The recent study of Ren et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 871, 2019, pp. 831–864) investigated the hydrodynamic linear stability of a compressible boundary layer over an insulated flat plate for a non-ideal gas (supercritical $\text{CO}_{2}$). In particular, the authors showed that in the transcritical regime (across the pseudo-critical line) the flow is strongly convectively unstable due to the co-existence of two unstable modes: Mode I, related to Tollmien–Schlichting instabilities and a new inviscid two-dimensional mode (Mode II) with a spatial growth rate one order of magnitude larger than Mode I for high Eckert numbers. In contrast to the transcritical regime, in the sub- and supercritical regimes, Mode II does not exist. Only Mode I drives the instabilities: viscous and two-dimensional for the subcritical regime and inflectional and three-dimensional for the supercritical regime.

AbstractSide weirs with triangular channel are used as flow controlling devices in draining and irrigation networks. By installing a side weir on the main conduits side walls, the runoff overflows from the weir and are conducted toward the diversion channel. In this study, changing of the flow free surface and the turbulence of the flow field in triangular channels with side weir are numerically simulated using volume of fluid (VOF) scheme and RNG k–ε turbulence model. In the present paper, the pattern of the spatially varied flow with decreasing discharge in both subcritical and supercritical flow regimes for triangular channels with side weirs was simulated. The present numerical model has precisely predicted the changes of the water surface and the specific energy. In subcritical regime, the flow depth is from the beginning of the weir toward its end is followed by an increase and in supercritical conditions is followed by a reduction in depth. For both subcritical and supercritical regimes, a drop in the surface in the first third of the weir’s opening and a surface jump in the final third of its length has occurred. Along the mentioned surface jump the amount of the kinetic energy increases and the potential energy reduces. According to results of the simulation, the maximum longitudinal velocity for subcritical flow regime occurs in the first third of the length of the side weir and for supercritical flow regime, almost in the middle of the weir opening happens. In both subcritical and supercritical regimes, the maximum transverse velocity has occurred in the final third of the length of the side weir.

AbstractWe present in situ and remote observations of a Mississippi plume front in the Louisiana Bight. The plume propagated freely across the bight, rather than as a coastal current. The observed cross-front circulation pattern is typical of density currents, as are the small width (≈100 m) of the plume front and the presence of surface frontal convergence. A comparison of observations with stratified density current theory is conducted. Additionally, subcritical to supercritical transitions of frontal propagation speed relative to internal gravity wave (IGW) speed are demonstrated to occur. That is in part due to IGW speed reduction with decrease in seabed depth during the frontal propagation toward the shore. Theoretical steady-state density current propagation speed is in good agreement with the observations in the critical and supercritical regimes but not in the inherently unsteady subcritical regime. The latter may be due to interaction of IGW with the front, an effect previously demonstrated only in laboratory and numerical experiments. In the critical regime, finite-amplitude IGWs form and remain locked to the front. A critical to supercritical transition eventually occurs as the ambient conditions change during frontal propagation, after which IGWs are not supported at the front. The subcritical (critical) to critical (supercritical) transition is related to Froude number ahead (under) the front, consistently with theory. Finally, we find that the front-locked IGW (critical) regime is itself dependent on significant nonlinear speed enhancement of the IGW by their growth to finite amplitude at the front.

Summary Hydraulic fracturing using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) has a recognized potential to grow in importance for unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. It is characterized by higher compressibility than traditional liquid-phase hydraulic-fracturing fluids. Motivated by the larger compressibility of supercritical CO2, this paper considers the problem of a hydraulic fracture in which a compressible fluid is injected at a constant rate to drive a hydraulic fracture in a permeable and brittle rock. The two cases of a plane-strain fracture and a penny-shaped fracture are considered. It is shown that for many practical cases, the formation has a large enough fracture toughness that the propagation is in a regime for which the pressure inside the hydraulic fracture can be treated as spatially uniform (“toughness dominated”). Both numerical simulations and analytical solutions for the relevant limiting regimes show that fluid compressibility affects fracture shape only at the very beginning period, which corresponds to the storage regime, and has little effect on fracture growth in the leakoff regime. Overall, because the transition from the storage regime to the leakoff regime is expected to often take place in a short time after the fracture starts propagating, the influence of compressibility in the storage regime is very brief and can be quickly ignored. Therefore, even relatively sizable fluid compressibility has almost no effect on fracture growth in the toughness-dominated regime when leakoff is taken into account.

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate existence and non-existence of a nontrivial solution to the pseudo-relativistic nonlinear Schrödinger equation $$\left( \sqrt{-c^2\Delta + m^2 c^4}-mc^2\right) u + \mu u = \vert u \vert^{p-1}u\quad {\rm in}~{\open R}^n~(n \ges 2) $$ involving an H1/2-critical/supercritical power-type nonlinearity, that is, p ⩾ ((n + 1)/(n − 1)). We prove that in the non-relativistic regime, there exists a nontrivial solution provided that the nonlinearity is H1/2-critical/supercritical but it is H1-subcritical. On the other hand, we also show that there is no nontrivial bounded solution either (i) if the nonlinearity is H1/2-critical/supercritical in the ultra-relativistic regime or (ii) if the nonlinearity is H1-critical/supercritical in all cases.

The local climate in Southern Patagonia is strongly influenced by the interaction between the topography and persistent westerlies, which can generate föhn events, dry and warm downslope winds. The upstream flow regime influences different föhn types which dictate the lee-side atmospheric response regarding the strength, spatial extent and phenomenology. We use a combination of observations from four automatic weather stations (AWSs) and high-resolution numerical modeling with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for a region in Southern Patagonia (48° S–52° S, 72° W–76.5° W) including the Southern Patagonian Icefield (SPI). The application of a föhn identification algorithm to a 10-month study period (June 2018–March 2019) reveals 81 föhn events in total. A simulation of three events of differing flow regimes (supercritical, subcritical, transition) suggests that a supercritical flow regime leads to a linear föhn event with a large spatial extent but moderate intensity. In contrast, a spatially limited but locally strong föhn response is induced by a subcritical regime with upstream blocking and by a transition regime with a hydraulic jump present. Our results imply that the hydraulic jump-type föhn event (transition case) is the most critical for glacier mass balances since it shows the strongest warming, drying, wind velocities and solar radiation over the SPI. The consideration of flow regimes over the last 40 years shows that subcritical flow occurs most frequently (78%), however transitional flow occurs 14% of the time, implying the potential impact on Patagonian glaciers.

Abstract. Different accretion regimes onto magnetized NSs in HMXBs are considered: wind-fed supersonic (Bondi) regime at high accretion rates <math/> g s-1, subsonic settling regime at lower <math/> and supercritical disc accretion during Roche lobe overflow. In wind-fed stage, NSs in HMXBs reach equilibrium spin periods P* proportional to binary orbital period Pb. At supercritical accretion stage, the system may appear as a pulsating ULX. Population synthesis of Galactic HMXBs using standard assumptions on the binary evolution and NS formation is presented. Comparison of the model P* – Pb (the Corbet diagram), P* – Lx and Pb – Lx distributions with those for the observed HMXBs (including Be X-ray binaries) and pulsating ULXs suggests the importance of the reduction of P* in non-circular orbits, explaining the location of Be X-ray binaries in the model Corbet diagram, and the universal parameters of pulsating ULXs depending only on the NS magnetic fields.

Thermal treatments are used to extend the shelf life of food. However, these methods, which use high temperatures, may alter the sensory and nutritional properties of food. Therefore, along with the demand of consumers of fresh and natural foods, there is an increasing interest in non-thermal preservation techniques. The aim of these new technologies is to ensure the preservation of food while maintaining its nutritional value and organoleptic properties. An example of these methods is given by the use of supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2). Different authors have reported the inactivation of enzymes and microorganisms as a result of SC-CO2. Moreover, this technique minimally alters the sensory and nutritional properties of foods. On the other hand, the use of supercritical fluids assisted with high power ultrasound (HPU) allows vigorous agitation and a rapid dissolution of CO2 into the medium. Consequently, the rate of the inactivation mechanisms associated with supercritical CO2 also increases. This technology has been mainly developed in a discontinuous system presenting important reductions on the time of microbial inactivation compared to using only supercritical fluids. However, the food industry requires continuous systems to process large quantities of product. In this context, the main purpose of the present Doctoral Thesis was to develop and apply a continuous system for the inactivation of microorganisms using supercritical fluids assisted with high power ultrasound (SC-CO2-HPU). Both, the microbial inactivation capacity of the technique and the effect of treatments on food quality were assessed. The first stage of the project consisted on the retrofitting of a system for the inactivation of microorganisms that combines the use of supercritical fluids (SC-CO2) and ultrasound to convert its discontinuous (or batch) operation system into a continuous system. The second stage of the project consisted on the analysis of the effect of the pressure, temperature and residence time on the inactivation of S. cerevisiae inoculated in commercial apple juice treated in the SC-CO2-HPU system developed as described previously. The juice inoculated was processed using the continuous SC-CO2 equipment. Treatments were carried out with and without HPU, to evaluate the effect of HPU treatment on the quality parameters of the juice. The conditions used for the residence time, the temperature and the pressure were 3.06-9.2 min, 31-41°C, and 100-300 bars, respectively. The inactivation ratios were fitted to a hybrid model to study the effect of process variables. In the third stage, the orange juice was treated in the continuous SC-CO2-HPU equipment, to verify the viability of its use as a method for its preservation and the possible reduction of the disadvantages attributed to thermal pasteurization. The conditions used for the residence time, the temperature and the pressure were 3.06 min, 31, 36 and 41 °C and 100 bar, respectively. The juice was also subjected to pasteurization to compare the effect between treatments. The fourth stage consisted on the evaluation of the effect of residence time (3.06-4.6 min) at 100 bars and 31°C on the quality and the microbiota of pineapple juice treated in the continuous SC-CO2-HPU equipment. Also, the degradation of Vitamin C and the evolution of the microbiota of fresh and processed pineapple juice during storage at 4 °C were analyzed. It can be concluded that the technique developed in the present Thesis has a great potential as a preservation method. Continuous SC-CO2-HPU treatment involves mild processing conditions and reasonable processing times for the food industry, which would result in a limited impact on the nutritional and organoleptic properties of the treated products.
Para prolongar la vida útil de los alimentos se utilizan diferentes técnicas de conservación, siendo tradicionalmente los tratamientos térmicos los más empleados. Sin embargo, estas técnicas que emplean altas temperaturas, alteran las propiedades sensoriales y nutricionales del alimento. Por ello, y junto a la demanda de los consumidores de alimentos frescos y naturales, existe un creciente interés por las técnicas de conservación no térmicas. El objetivo de estas nuevas tecnologías es asegurar la conservación de alimentos, manteniendo su valor nutricional y propiedades organolépticas. El uso de CO2 en estado supercrítico (SC-CO2) es una de estas tecnologías. El SC-CO2 ha sido reseñado por diferentes autores en la inactivación de enzimas y microorganismos, alterando mínimamente las propiedades sensoriales y nutricionales de los alimentos. Por otra parte, el uso de fluidos supercríticos asistidos con ultrasonidos de potencia (HPU) permite una vigorosa agitación del medio, una rápida disolución del CO2 en el medio y por tanto un aumento en la velocidad de los mecanismos de inactivación asociados al CO2 supercrítico. Dicha tecnología ha sido desarrollada en un sistema en discontinuo, presentando importantes reducciones en el tiempo de inactivación microbiana, comparado con el uso solo de fluidos supercríticos. Sin embargo, en la industria alimentaria se precisa de sistemas en continuo que permitan procesar grandes cantidades de producto. En este contexto, el objetivo principal de la presente Tesis Doctoral fue desarrollar y aplicar un sistema de inactivación de microorganismos en continuo, empleando fluidos supercríticos asistidos con ultrasonidos de potencia (SC-CO2-HPU). La primera etapa del proyecto consistió en la adaptación del sistema de inactivación de microorganismos mediante fluidos supercríticos (SC-CO2) y ultrasonidos (HPU) para convertir su funcionamiento de discontinuo a continuo. La segunda etapa consistió en analizar el efecto de la presión, temperatura y tiempo de residencia sobre la inactivación de S. cerevisiae inoculado en zumo de manzana comercial, mediante el sistema desarrollado de SC-CO2-HPU en continuo . Para ello el zumo inoculado fue tratado en el equipo de SC-CO2 en continúo, con y sin HPU, para evaluar el efecto de los HPU. Las condiciones empleadas fueron: tiempos de residencia de zumo (3.06-9.2 min), temperaturas (31-41ºC) y presiones (100-300 bares). Las relaciones de inactivación se ajustaron a un modelo híbrido para estudiar el efecto de las variables del proceso. En la tercera etapa se procesó zumo de naranja en el equipo de SC-CO2-HPU en continuo, con el fin de comprobar la viabilidad de su uso como método de conservación, evaluando la posible reducción de los inconvenientes atribuidos a la pasteurización térmica. Las condiciones de proceso empleadas fueron: presión (100 bar), temperatura (31, 36 y 41 °C) y tiempo de residencia (3.06 min). El zumo también fue sometido a pasteurización a efectos de comparación entre tratamientos. La cuarta etapa consistió en evaluar el efecto del tiempo de residencia (3.06-4.6 min) a 100 bares y 31ºC sobre las variables de calidad y microbiota de zumo de piña tratado en el equipo de SC-CO2-HPU en continuo, además de analizar la degradación de Vitamina C y la evolución de la microbiota de zumo de piña fresco y tratado durante el almacenamiento a 4 °C. Se puede concluir que la técnica desarrollada presenta un gran potencial como método de conservación, ya que emplea condiciones de tratamiento moderadas y tiempos de proceso razonables para la industria alimentaria, lo que resultaría en un impacto muy pequeño sobre las propiedades nutricionales y organolépticas de los productos tratados.
Per a perllongar la vida útil dels aliments s'utilitzen diferents tècniques de conservació, sent tradicionalment els tractaments tèrmics els més emprats. No obstant açò, aquestes tècniques que empren altes temperatures, alteren les propietats sensorials i nutricionals de l'aliment. Per açò, i al costat de la demanda dels consumidors d'aliments frescos i naturals, existeix un creixent interès per les tècniques de conservació no tèrmiques. L'objectiu d'aquestes noves tecnologies és assegurar la conservació d'aliments, mantenint el seu valor nutricional i propietats organolèptiques. L'ús de CO2 en estat supercrític (SC-CO2) és una d'aquestes tecnologies. El SC-CO2 ha sigut ressenyat per diferents autors en la inactivació d'enzims i microorganismes, alterant mínimament les propietats sensorials i nutricionals dels aliments. D'altra banda, l'ús de fluids supercrítics assistits amb ultrasons de potència (HPU) permet una vigorosa agitació del medi, una ràpida dissolució del CO2 en el medi i per tant un augment en la velocitat dels mecanismes de inactivació associats al CO2 supercrític. Aquesta tecnologia ha sigut desenvolupada en un sistema en discontinu, presentant importants reduccions en el temps de inactivació microbiana, comparat amb l'ús sol de fluids supercrítics. No obstant açò, en la indústria alimentària es precisa de sistemes en continu que permeten processar grans quantitats de producte. En aquest context, l'objectiu principal de la present Tesi Doctoral va ser desenvolupar i aplicar un sistema d'inactivació de microorganismes en continu, emprant fluids supercrítics assistits amb ultrasons de potència(SC-CO2-HPU). S'avaluarà tant la capacitat d'inactivació microbiana de la tècnica com l'efecte dels tractaments sobre la qualitat dels aliments. La primera etapa del projecte va consistir en l'adaptació del sistema de inactivació de microorganismes mitjançant fluids supercrítics (SC-CO2) i ultrasons (HPU) per a convertir el seu funcionament de discontinu a continu. La segona etapa va consistir a analitzar l'efecte de la pressió, temperatura i temps de residència sobre la inactivació de S. cerevisiae inoculat en suc de poma comercial, mitjançant el sistema de SC-CO2-HPU en continu desenvolupat. Per a açò el suc va ser inoculat amb una concentració de cèl·lules i va ser tractat en l'equip de SC-CO2 en continu, amb i sense HPU, per a avaluar l'efecte dels HPU. Les condicions emprades van ser: temps de residència de suc (3.06-9.2 min), temperatures (31-41ºC) i pressions (100-300 bars). Les relacions d'inactivació es van ajustar a un model híbrid per a estudiar l'efecte de les variables del procés. En la tercera etapa es va treballar amb suc de taronja, el qual és un dels sucs processats més consumits a nivell mundial. No obstant açò, per a la seua conservació es requereix d'un tractament mitjançant calor, el qual provoca grans canvis organolèptics i nutricionals. En aquesta part del treball es va processar suc de taronja en l'equip de SC-CO2-HPU en continu, amb la finalitat de comprovar la viabilitat del seu ús com a mètode de conservació. Les condicions de procés emprades van ser: pressió (100 bar), temperatura (31, 36 i 41°C) i temps de residència (3.06 min). El suc també va ser sotmès a pasteurització a efectes de comparació entre tractaments. La quarta etapa va consistir a avaluar l'efecte del temps de residència (3.06-4.6 min) a 100 bars i 31ºC sobre les variables de qualitat i microbiota de suc de pinya tractat en l'equip de SC-CO2-HPU en continu, a més d'analitzar la degradació de Vitamina C i l'evolució de la microbiota de suc de pinya fresc i tractat durant l'emmagatzematge a 4°C. Es pot concloure que la tècnica desenvolupada presenta un gran potencial com a mètode de conservació, ja que empra condicions de tractament suaus i temps de procés raonables per a la indústria alimentària, la qual cosa resultaria en un impacte molt xicote
Paniagua Martínez, I. (2017). Desarrollo y aplicación de un sistema en continuo para la inactivación de microorganismos mediante fluidos supercríticos asistidos por ultrasonidos de potencia [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/86169
TESIS

Water and supercritical carbon dioxide have different wetting angles to a glass surface, where water has a lower angle. In a microfluidic channel, the lower wetting angle draws the water to surround the supercritical carbon dioxide and the supercritical carbon dioxide therefore easily form droplets or segments if the flow rate is low. In this study, the flow of supercritical carbon dioxide and water has been studied in a microfluidic system with a double Y-channel. The micro channels have been built in borofloat glass to withstand high mechanical and chemical forces, still enabling in situ characterization. The aim has been to analyze flow changes in the water and supercritical carbon dioxide in structured channels with and without surface modification.             The result shows that the flow regime of supercritical carbon dioxide and water can be controlled by changing flow rates, adding walls, or coating a channel as well as any combination of these three. If adding a large enough wall in a channel, the flow will be segmented only in half the channel at moderate flow rates from both sources, and parallel if the flow rate of supercritical carbon dioxide is high enough. A non-polar coating of half a channel will make the supercritical carbon dioxide flow along the coated side and supercritical carbon dioxide can by that way be forced to only take one of the outlets. However, still water exit at both outlets.

Pontos de equilíbrio assintoticamente estáveis de sistemas dinâmicos não lineares geralmente não são globalmente estáveis. Na maioria dos casos, há um subconjunto de condições iniciais, chamada região de estabilidade (ou área de atração), cujas trajetórias tendem ao ponto de equilíbrio quando o tempo tende ao infinito. Devido à importância das regiões de estabilidade em aplicações, e motivado principalmente pelo problema de analise de estabilidade transitória em sistemas elétricos de potência, uma caracterização completa da fronteira da região de estabilidade foi desenvolvida. Esta caracterização foi desenvolvida sob a suposição de que o sistema dinâmico é bem conhecido e que os parâmetros de seu modelo são constantes. Na prática, variações de parâmetros ocorrem e bifurcações desta podem ocorrer. Nesta tese, desenvolveremos uma caracterização completa da fronteira da região de estabilidade de sistemas dinâmicos autônomos não lineares admitindo a existência de pontos de equilíbrio não hiperbólicos do tipo Hopf na fronteira da região de estabilidade. Sob certas condições de transversalidade, apresentaremos uma caracterização completa da fronteira da região de estabilidade admitindo tanto a presença de pontos de equilíbrio não hiperbólicos do tipo Hopf como também a existência de órbitas periódicas na fronteira. Ofereceremos também uma caracterização da fronteira da região de estabilidade fraca do ponto de equilíbrio não hiperbólico Hopf supercrítico do tipo zero e uma caracterização topológica da sua região de atração. Além disso, exibiremos resultados relativos ao comportamento da região de estabilidade de um ponto de equilíbrio assintoticamente estável e da sua fronteira na vizinhança do valor crítico de bifurcação do tipo Hopf.
Asymptotically stable equilibrium points of nonlinear dynamical systems are generally not globally stable. In most cases, there is a subset of initial conditions, called stability region (or attraction area), in which trajectories tend to the equilibrium point when time approaches innity. Due to the importance of stability regions in applications, and mainly motivated by the problem of transient stability analysis in electric power systems, a complete characterization of the boundary of the stability region was developed. This characterization was developed under the assumption that the dynamic system is well known and the parameters of its model are constant. In practice, parameter variations happen and bifurcations may occur. In this thesis, we will develop a complete characterization of the boundary of the stability region of autonomous nonlinear dynamical systems admitting the existence of non-hyperbolic equilibrium points of the type Hopf on the boundary of the stability region. Under certain transversality conditions, we present a complete characterization of the boundary of the stability region admitting the presence of both non-hyperbolic equilibrium points of the type Hopf and periodic orbits on the boundary. Also a complete characterization of the boundary of the region of weak stability of a supercritical Hopf non-hyperbolic equilibrium point of the type zero and a topological characterization of its region of attraction is developed. Furthermore, the behavior of the stability region of an asymptotically stable equilibrium point and its boundary in the neighborhood of a critical value of bifurcation of the type Hopf is studied.

AbstractPhysics of supercritical fluids is extremely complex and not yet fully understood. The importance of the presented investigations into the physics of supercritical fluids is twofold. First, the presented approach links the microscopic dynamics and macroscopic thermodynamics of supercritical fluids. Second, free falling droplets in a near to supercritical environment are investigated using spontaneous Raman scattering and a laser induced fluorescence/phosphorescence thermometry approach. The resulting spectroscopic data are employed to validate theoretical predictions of an improved evaporation model. Finally, laser induced thermal acoustics is used to investigate acoustic damping rates in the supercritical region of pure fluids.

This paper presents selected results on heat transfer to supercritical water flowing upward in a 4-m-long vertical bare tube. Supercritical water heat-transfer data were obtained at pressures of about 24 MPa, mass fluxes of 200 – 1500 kg/m2s, heat fluxes up to 884 kW/m2 and inlet temperatures from 320 to 350°C for several combinations of wall and bulk-fluid temperatures that were below, at or above the pseudocritical temperature. In general, the experiments confirmed that there are three heat-transfer regimes for forced convective heat transfer to water flowing inside tubes at supercritical pressures: (1) normal heat-transfer regime characterized in general with heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) similar to those of subcritical convective heat transfer far from critical or pseudocritical regions, which are calculated according to the Dittus-Boelter type correlations; (2) deteriorated heat-transfer regime with lower values of the HTC and hence higher values of wall temperature within some part of a test section compared to those of the normal heat-transfer regime; and (3) improved heat-transfer regime with higher values of the HTC and hence lower values of wall temperature within some part of a test section compared to those of normal heat-transfer regime. These new heat-transfer data are applicable as a reference dataset for future comparison with supercritical-water bundle data and for a verification of scaling parameters between water and modeling fluids. Also, these HTC data were compared to those calculated with the original Dittus-Boelter and Bishop et al. correlations. The comparison showed that the Bishop et al. correlation, which uses the cross-section average Prandtl number, represents HTC profiles more correctly along the heated length of the tube than the Dittus-Boelter correlation. In general, the Bishop et al. correlation shows a good agreement with the experimental HTCs outside the pseudocritical region, however, overpredicts the experimental HTCs within the pseudocritical region. The Dittus-Boelter correlation can also predict the experimental HTCs outside the pseudocritical region, but deviates significantly from the experimental data within the pseudocritical region. It should be noted that both these correlations cannot be used for a prediction of HTCs within the deteriorated heat-transfer regime.

This paper presents an analysis of heat transfer to supercritical water in bare vertical tubes. A large set of experimental data, obtained in Russia, was analyzed and an updated heat-transfer correlation for supercritical water was developed. This experimental dataset was obtained within conditions similar to those for proposed SuperCritical Water-cooled nuclear Reactor (SCWR) concepts. Thus, the new correlation presented in this paper can be used for preliminary heat-transfer calculations in SCWR fuel channels. The experimental dataset was obtained for supercritical water flowing upward in a 4-m-long vertical bare tube. The data was collected at pressures of about 24 MPa for several combinations of wall and bulk-fluid temperatures that were below, at, or above the pseudocritical temperature. The values for mass flux ranged from 200–1500 kg/m2s, for heat flux up to 1250 kW/m2 and inlet temperatures from 320 to 350°C. Previous study (Pioro et al., 2008) confirmed that there are three heat-transfer regimes for forced convective heat transfer to water flowing inside tubes at supercritical pressures: (1) Normal heat-transfer regime; (2) Deteriorated heat-transfer regime, characterized by lower than expected heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) (i.e., higher than expected wall temperatures) than in the normal heat-transfer regime; and (3) Improved heat-transfer regime with higher-than-expected HTC values, and thus lower values of wall temperature within some part of a test section compared to those of the normal heat-transfer regime. The HTC data were compared to those values calculated with the Dittus-Boelter and Bishop et al. correlations. The comparison showed that the Bishop et al. correlation represents more closely HTC profiles along the heated length of the tube than the Dittus-Boelter correlation. The latter correlation deviates significantly from experimental data within the pseudocritical range. However, outside the pseudocritical region, the Dittus-Boelter correlation can predict closely experimental HTCs. It should be noted that neither of these correlations can be used for prediction of HTCs within the deteriorated heat-transfer regime. An updated heat-transfer correlation is presented in this paper for forced convective heat transfer in the normal heat-transfer regime to supercritical water in a bare vertical tube. It has demonstrated a good fit (±25%) for the analyzed dataset. This correlation can be used for future comparisons with other independent datasets, with bundled data, for the verification of computer codes for SCWR core thermalhydraulics and for the verification of scaling parameters between water and modeling fluids.

The effective thermal energy density of R134a subjected to an isobaric or isochoric process is determined and evaluated in the two-phase and supercritical regimes. The results are qualitatively extended to other fluids via the principle of corresponding states. It is shown that substantial increases in volumetric energy density can be realized in the critical region for isobaric processes. Also, for isobaric processes which utilize the full enthalpy of vaporization at a given pressure, there exists a pressure at which the volumetric energy density is a maximum. For isochoric processes (supercritical and two-phase), it is found that there is no appreciable increase in volumetric energy density over sensible liquid heat storage; the effective specific heat can be enhanced in the two-phase, isochoric regime, but only with a significant reduction in volumetric energy density.

This work presents a unique method to forecast flutter (Hopf) bifurcations based on observations of the system only in the pre-bifurcation regime. New techniques are introduced in to enhance prediction accuracy for both low-frequency oscillations and large-dimensional dynamical systems. The method is applied to an aeroelastic system using its response to gust loads. Numerical results demonstrate that the method can predict the post-bifurcation regime accurately for both supercritical and subcritical flutter.

Slender offshore structures in deep water subjected to currents may experience vortex-induced vibrations (VIV), which can cause significant fatigue damage. Extensive experimental researches have been conducted to study the VIV in the past several decades. However, most of the experimental works have small-scale models and relatively low Reynolds number (Re) - ‘subcritical’ or even lower Reynolds number regime. There is a lack of full understanding the VIV in prototype Re flow regime. Applying the results with low Re to a full scale riser with prototype Re might have uncertainties due to the scaling effects. In addition, the surface roughness of the riser is also an important parameter, especially in prototype Re regime. In present study, two full-scale rigid riser models with different surface roughness ratios were tested in the towing tank of MARINTEK in 2014. Stationary tests, pure cross-flow (CF) free oscillation tests and forced/controlled motion tests were carried out. Several conclusions could be made: • The drag coefficient is dependent on the Re number and surface roughness ratio. • At critical and supercritical flow regimes, the displacement amplitude ratio is less sensitive to Re than that at lower Re. The displacement amplitude ratio in subcritical flow regime is significantly larger than that in critical and supercritical flow regimes. • Two excitation regions for the ‘smooth riser’ and one excitation region for the ‘rough riser’ are identified.

Generation-IV SuperCritical Water-cooled Reactors (SCWRs) are expected to have high thermal efficiencies within the range of 45–50% owing to the reactor’s high pressures and outlet temperatures. The behavior of supercritical water however, is not well understood and most of the methods available to predict the effects of the heat transfer phenomena within the pseudocritical region are based on empirical one-directional correlations which do not capture the multi-dimensional effects and do not provide accurate results in regions such as the deteriorated heat transfer regime. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a numerical approach to model fluids in multidimensional space using the Navier-Stokes equations and databases of fluid properties to arrive at a full simulation of a fluid dynamics and heat transfer system. In this work, the CFD code, FLUENT-12, is used with associated software such as Gambit and NIST REFPROP to predict the Heat Transfer Coefficients at the wall and corresponding wall temperature profiles inside vertical bare tubes with SuperCritical Water (SCW) as the cooling medium. The numerical results are compared with experimental data and 1-D models represented by existing empirical correlations. Analysis of the individual heat-transfer regimes is conducted using an axisymmetric 2-D model of tubes of various lengths and composed of different nodalizations along the heated length. Wall temperatures and heat transfer coefficients were analyzed to select the best model for each region (below, at and above the pseudocritical region). Two turbulent models were used in the process: k-ε and k-ω, with variations in the sub-model parameters such as viscous heating, thermal effects, and low-Reynolds number correction. Results of the analysis show a fit of ±10% for the wall temperatures using the SST k-ω model in the deteriorated heat transfer regime and less than ±5% for the normal heat transfer regime. The accuracy of the model is higher than any empirical correlation tested in the mentioned regimes, and provides additional information about the multidimensional effects between the bulk-fluid and wall temperatures.

This paper presents an analysis of heat-transfer to SuperCritical Water (SCW) in bare vertical tubes. A large set of experimental data, obtained in Russia, was analyzed and a new heat-transfer correlation for SCW was developed. This experimental dataset was obtained within conditions similar to those for proposed SuperCritical Water-cooled nuclear Reactor (SCWR) concepts. Thus, the new correlation presented in this paper can be used for preliminary heat-transfer calculations in SCWR fuel channels. The experimental dataset was obtained for SCW flowing upward in a 4-m-long vertical bare tube. The data was collected at pressures of about 24 MPa for several combinations of wall and bulk-fluid temperatures that were below, at, or above the pseudocritical temperature. The values ranged for mass flux from 200–1500 kg/m2s, for heat flux up to 1250 kW/m2 and for inlet temperatures from 320 to 350°C. Previous studies have confirmed that there are three heat-transfer regimes for forced convective heat transfer to water flowing inside tubes at supercritical pressures: (1) Normal Heat-Transfer (NHT) regime; (2) Deteriorated Heat-Transfer (DHT) regime, characterized by lower than expected Heat Transfer Coefficients (HTCs) (i.e., higher than expected wall temperatures) than in the NHT regime; and (3) Improved Heat-Transfer (IHT) regime with higher-than-expected HTC values, and thus lower values of wall temperature within some part of a test section compared to those of the NHT regime. Also, previous studies have shown that the HTC values calculated with the Dittus-Boelter and Bishop et al. correlations deviate quite substantially from those obtained experimentally. In particular, the Dittus-Boelter correlation significantly over predicts the experimental data within the pseudocritical range. A new heat-transfer correlation for forced convective heat-transfer in the NHT regime to SCW in a bare vertical tube is presented in this paper. It has demonstrated a relatively good fit for HTC values (±25%) and for wall temperature calculations (±15%) for the analyzed dataset. This correlation can be used for supercritical water heat exchangers linked to indirect-cycle concepts and the co-generation of hydrogen, for future comparisons with other independent datasets, with bundle data, as the reference case, for the verification of computer codes for SCWR core thermalhydraulics and for the verification of scaling parameters between water and modeling fluids.