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Ingeciber, S.A. Av. Monforte de Lemos, 189. 28035 – Madrid. Spain Phone: +34 91 386 2222 C.I.F.:A-78348950 www.ingeciber.com [email protected]
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FEM structural analysis and seismic qualification of a power transformer
Mechanical Engineering and CFD analysis Department
Consultancy jobs descriptions and case studies
April 2017 Ed.
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INDEX
1. INTRODUCTION TO INGECIBER ....................................................................................... 4
2. INTRODUCTION TO THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS .......................................... 5
2.1 CONSULTANCY ........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.2 EDUCATION ............................................................................................................................................. 5
3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ............................................................................................ 6
4. CONSULTANCY JOBS DESCRIPTION & PROJECT´S REFERENCE ............................. 7
4.1 THERMAL, STRUCTURAL AND FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF A HEAT EXCHANGER. ASME VIII DIV.2 P5 .......... 8
4.2 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A TRUNNION VALVE IN VARIOUS OPERATION CASES ................................. 9
4.3 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF A DRY TRANSFORMER ............................................................................. 10
4.4 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF GAS ANALYZERS ....................................................................................... 11
4.5 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF AN AIR VALVE .......................................................................................... 12
4.6 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF A VALVE ACTUATOR ................................................................................ 13
4.7 SEISMIC ANALYSIS OF VALVE: DUNKIRK LNG TERMINAL PLANT ........................................................... 14
4.8 STATIC STRUCTURAL & LINEAR BUCKLING ANALYSIS OF AN ELEVATOR´S STRUCTURE ........................ 15
4.9 ANALYSIS OF A BIG DIMENSION CIRCULAR SUPPORT BEAM ................................................................ 16
4.10 VIBRATIONAL ANALYSIS OF A GAS OIL STORAGE COLUMN .................................................................. 17
4.11 VIBRATIONAL ANALYSIS CRYOPLANT BUILDING ITER. FUSION FOR ENERGY ........................................ 18
4.12 ANALYSIS OF AN OFF-SHORE PLATAFORM'S BEDPLATE ....................................................................... 19
4.13 HELICOPTER PLATFORM WITH NONLINEAR CONTACT ......................................................................... 20
4.14 EARTHQUAKE ANALYSIS OF INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT ......................................................................... 21
4.15 STRUCTURAL & FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF A CONDENSER ACCORDING TO ASME VIII DIV.2 ..................... 22
4.16 STRUCTURAL & FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL EXCHANGER FOLLOWING ASME VIII DIV.2 ... 23
4.17 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A BUOY THAT TRANSFORMS WAVE ENERGY INTO ELECTRIC POWER ....... 24
4.18 INNOVATIVE NUMERICAL METHODOLOGIES FOR STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION ................................. 25
4.19 FSI ANALYSIS OF A PROTOTYPE VESSEL FOR WASTE TREATMENT ........................................................ 26
4.20 CFD STUDY OF A DRONE AIRCRAFT ....................................................................................................... 27
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4.21 CFD STUDY OF EXHAUST GASES IN A POWER TURBINE ........................................................................ 28
4.22 CFD ANALYSIS USING CFD++ OF A SEPARATOR VESSEL OF HYDROCARBONS ....................................... 29
4.23 CFD VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF A HOWELL-BUNGER VALVE INSTALLED AT A DAM ................................ 30
4.24 FLOW AND AERATION STUDY IN A WWTP REACTOR ............................................................................ 31
4.25 WIND ACTION IN A WIND TURBINE FIELD ............................................................................................. 32
4.26 WIND ACTION ON A SOLAR PLANT ....................................................................................................... 33
4.27 ANALYSIS OF WIND EFFECT ON AN HELIOSTAT .................................................................................... 34
4.28 CFD STUDY OF CHANNELING INFRASTRUCTURE ................................................................................... 35
4.29 CFD STUDY OF A STORAGE AND PUMPING POOL ................................................................................. 36
4.30 ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLUTION OF AN EXPLOSION'S EXPANSIVE WAVE ................................................ 37
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1. INTRODUCTION TO INGECIBER
INGECIBER S.A. is a pioneering company in the field of calculations using mathematical
models, also known as Computer Aided Engineering (CAE). Established in 1986, Ingeciber’s
main business was the use, distribution, technical support and training of users of the FEM
software ANSYS for 25 years. For five years, Ingeciber has performed the same activities
with the FEM software PATRAN/ MSC NASTRAN and now Ingeciber distributes a Structural
FEM software called CivilFEM.
CivilFEM, FEM software developed by Ingeciber, emerged by using ANSYS’s own
programming for the civil calculations performed in the company a globally unique
customization of ANSYS for Civil Engineering analyses. Since 2010, Ingeciber has also been
developing a new version of the software called CivilFEM powered by Marc, the first version
of which came out on 2015.
Ingeciber business lines
INGECIBER S.A, after 30 years of offering CAE services, has a team of more than 30 highly-
qualified professionals, of whom 85% of them are engineers, and more than 1,000
companies have hired our services so far. A charter member of Technet-Alliance – an
association made up of more than 50 CAE companies located in 22 countries, with more
than 2,500 CAE engineers-, Ingeciber offers continuous development of new CAE
technologies and their practical application in the calculations and projects we perform.
CONSULTANCY
MECHANICALEngineering
CFD
CIVILEngineering
CAE Software DISTRIBUTION
MECHANICAL CAE software
CFD software
CIVIL CAE software
EDUCATION
Int'l UNED-Ingeciber
FEA MASTER'S
ICAEEC
FEA e-learning platform
CAE onsitetraining
Software DEVELOPMENT
CivilFEMpowered by MARC
CivilFEMfor ANSYS
R&D PROJECTS
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2. INTRODUCTION TO THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS
2.1 CONSULTANCY
Ingeciber has two engineering departments, the Mechanical and CFD Engineering
department and the Civil Engineering department. The engineering departments have dealt
with different projects using FEM and CFD software, such as structural analyses, heat
transfer, fluid analysis using CFD software, electromagnetism, rigid/flexible solid mechanics
– mechanical systems, etc. The industries and sectors related to these analyses have been
Petrochemical Industry, Oil & Gas sector, Water Industry and Renewable Energy. Some
examples of the work performed by the Mechanical and CFD Engineering department are
shown in following sections of this paper.
The FEM and CFD software available for the engineering departments to use to perform
these analyses are: ANSYS, CivilFEM for ANSYS, CivilFEM powered by Marc, CFD++, XFlow
and modeFRONTIER.
2.2 EDUCATION
International online FEA Master's program of UNED
For over twenty-two years, Ingeciber has collaborated with UNED University on the
International Master’s in Theoretical and Practical Application of the Finite Element Method
and CAE Simulation, and more than 3,600 students have graduated.
The Mechanical and Civil Engineering Departments of Ingeciber are in charge of the
Specialized Module’s application and practical subjects of Dynamic Analysis, Nonlinear
Analysis, Heat Transfer Analysis, Advanced Steel Structures Analysis, Composites, Fluid
Mechanics, Advanced Concrete Structures Analysis and Geotechnics.
The global interest received for this Master´s Program motivated us to expand it into
English. By partnering with local companies who help support and promote this program
within their specific regions, we have made participating and studying this program possible
from anywhere in the world. This demonstrates that UNED´s Master’s FEA program has
obtained worldwide acceptance and prestige.
Complete information about the Master’s is available at www.uned.es/mastermef
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International online CAE Education CENTER – ICAEEC
The goal of this online International Education CENTER created by Ingeciber is to
develop a new series of online CAE Power courses based on industry standard tools using
real world examples that provide students with real experience that they can use in the
workplace.
Unlike OEM based training courses, which are built around theoretical exercises, ICAEEC
Power CAE courses are designed to give students the practical knowledge and skills needed
to perform complex engineering analysis at their job.
Complete information about ICAEEC is available at www.icaeec.com
3. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
More information about the different business lines of Ingeciber is available at the websites
shown below:
Ingeciber website: www.ingeciber.com
CivilFEM website: www.civilfem.com
Int’l UNED-Ingeciber FEA Master’s: www.uned.es/mastermef
Int’l online CAE Education CENTER: www.icaeec.com
Ingeciber Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ingeciber
Ingeciber Twitter: @Ingeciber. https://twitter.com/Ingeciber
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4. CONSULTANCY JOBS DESCRIPTION & PROJECT´S REFERENCE
•Supports & Frameworks
•Outstanding Structures
•Machinery's specific components
•Linear & nonlinear buckling
•Fatigue - cyclic load analysis
•Spectrum analysis. Seismic qualifications.
•Blast furnace component analysis
•Industrial plant component analysis following regulatory compliance
•Maximun stress analysis following ASME VIII Div. 2
•Structural loads, ratcheting and cyclic loading following ASME VIII Div. 2
•Thermal exchangers, aircooler and condenser analysis
•Pressure Vessels
•Analysis following regulatory compliance (RCC-MR, EN-13445, etc.)
•CFD analysis
Mechanical analysis
synopsis
•Nonlinear materials (plasticity, hyperelasticity, etc.)
•Structural instabilities (nonlinear buckling)
•Friction and frictionless contacts between components
•Geometric nonlinear analysis
•Composites
•Bolt analysis
Structuralnonlinear analysis
•Modal analysis
•Harmonic analysis
•Lineal and nonlinear transient analysis
•Spectrum analysis. Seismic qualifications.
•Free vibration analysis (PSD)
•Rotordynamic
StructuralDynamic analysis
•Themal isolation analysis of Pipes
•Thermal isolation design of train black boxes: Outstanding solutions.
•Thermal cycle simulations in air cooling systems for automotive industry.
•Testing storage design for dissipation system and material property characterization.
•Thermal analysis of valves.
• Fire fighting door thermal-structural analysis.
• Thermal analysis of cryogenic systems
Thermal
analysis
•External aerodynamic CFD analyses: aircrafts, wind turbines, buildings, etc
•Internal aerodynamic CFD analyses: equipment refrigeration, HVAC, gas distribution in installations, etc
•Hydrodynamic CFD analyses: ducts, water canals, pipelines, pumps installations, valves, mixing installations, waste-water treatment plants, etc
•Other CFD analyses: multiphase simulations, moving geometries, FSI simulations, combustion, reactions, supersonic, transonic, etc
CFD analysis
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4.1 THERMAL, STRUCTURAL AND FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF A HEAT EXCHANGER.
ASME VIII DIV.2 P5
Finite Element Analysis of different components of the heat exchanger (tube sheet and
salt chamber) according ASME VIII Div.2 Part 5. Different checking were performed
according the norm: Plastic collapse, Ratcheting and Cyclic loading
8 different operation cases were studied with different pressure and thermal conditions.
A detailed submodel were created to study the union between the shell and the salt
chamber.
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4.2 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A TRUNNION VALVE IN VARIOUS OPERATION
CASES
The purpose of this study was basically to verify structural parts of a trunnion valve under
different operational loads such as internal pressure, bolt preload, opening and closing
torque, etc.
Different structural loads in the main
parts of the valve were analyzed.
Nonlinear contacts were used to
gather the separation effects caused
by the pressure on the bolted
flanges.
An interesting part of the study was
the analysis of the closing ball
subjected to the effects of the
pressure that is compressing an
internal hyperelastic gasket.
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4.3 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF A DRY TRANSFORMER
The purpose of all these studies was to perform seismic qualifications of a dry transformer
to check that all its structural parts work properly during a seismic event.
All the components of the transformer were
analyzed, including the steel frame, the coils,
the coil supports (that were modeled with a
spring element and an equivalent stiffness to
simplify the model), the steel core and the
aluminum electrical conductor.
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4.4 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF GAS ANALYZERS
The purpose of all these studies was to perform seismic qualifications of an analyzer in an
industrial plant to check that all its structural parts work properly during a seismic event.
All the components of the
analyzer were analyzed, including
the bolts.
It was important to analyze the
structural parts of the analyzer to
avoid loss of functionality during
the earthquake.
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4.5 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF AN AIR VALVE
• The purpose of all these studies was to perform seismic qualifications of an air valve to
check that all its structural parts work properly during a seismic event.
• In order to validate the components under seismic loads, the seismic classification (A+,
A, B or C) as well as the component location (height) has to be taken into account to
determine the spectrum that has to be applied to the analyzer in the FEM analysis. As
far as we know, the customer can’t determine the exact place where the component is
going to be installed, so the height is not known either. Therefore, the spectrum
structural validation has been performed using the simplifications specified in Annex 9
of G-DK-0-090-8302-CT-G-0003, which is used for general validation of the components
where the installation height is not known
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4.6 SEISMIC QUALIFICATION OF A VALVE ACTUATOR
The purpose of all these studies was to perform seismic qualifications of a valve actuator
to check that all its structural parts work properly during a seismic event.
The valve actuator
requires structural
supports as shown in the
image on the left. The
results are shown in the
image on the right.
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4.7 SEISMIC ANALYSIS OF VALVE: DUNKIRK LNG TERMINAL PLANT
The purpose of all these studies was to perform seismic qualifications of a valve to check
that all its structural parts work properly during a seismic event.
In order to validate the components under seismic loads, the seismic classification (A+, A, B
or C) as well as the component location (height) has to be taken into account to determine
the spectrum that has to be applied to the analyzer in the FEM analysis. As far as we know,
the customer can’t determine the exact place where the component is going to be
installed, so the height is not known either. Therefore, the spectrum structural validation
has been performed using the simplifications specified in Annex 9 of G-DK-0-090-8302-CT-
G-0003, which is used for general validation of the components where the installation
height is not known.
FEM Software used: ANSYS Workbench
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4.8 STATIC STRUCTURAL & LINEAR BUCKLING ANALYSIS OF AN ELEVATOR´S
STRUCTURE
The purpose of this analysis was to
perform a structural and buckling
analysis due to different loading
hypothesis in an elevator´s structure.
The images on the left and on the
right represent global and local
buckling modes in the elevator´s
structure respectively.
The image below represents the
displacement results in a local model
of the beam placed at the top of the
structure where the elevator´s cabin
is connected.
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4.9 ANALYSIS OF A BIG DIMENSION CIRCULAR SUPPORT BEAM
The project comprises the analysis and sizing of a
circular support beam of several pieces of
equipment for Talara’s refinery in Peru.
It was required to validate the circular support
beam subjected to different load cases due to the
supported equipment, including wind and
earthquake loads.
Some simplifications were adopted to avoid meshing
the all the equipment. The inertial effects of the non
modeled region were taken into account through
modifying the applied loads.
Displacement results due to the combining load cases
with all the loads acting at the same time are shown
in the image on the right.
A detailed submodel, including
beam stiffeners ensures the
validation of the general FEM
model.
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4.10 VIBRATIONAL ANALYSIS OF A GAS OIL STORAGE COLUMN
The purpose of this study was to recreate the vibration response of a column whose
vibrations were measured onsite. The goal was to attenuate the amplitude of the response,
modifying the design by adding stiffeners.
The acceleration
response at the
right represents the
results of a
frequency response
analysis due to the
harmonic load when
the Steam Hammer
is not acting
The acceleration response shown below represents the results of a transient response analysis
due to a steam hammer impulsive load.
As a final verification, the effects of
the impulse load on the column
were checked through local sub-
models shown in the images on the
right and below.
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4.11 VIBRATIONAL ANALYSIS CRYOPLANT BUILDING ITER. FUSION FOR ENERGY
The project consists in the vibration analysis in an
ITER´s plant building produced by a set of
rotative machines (compressors) for the final
customer Fusion For Energy. The objective was
to verify that the maximum amplitude of vibration
in a range of frequencies was not over an
allowable value for all the structural parts of the
building.
As shown in the image at the left the stratum
composed by rock (pink), soil (blue) and
compacted fill (red) was modeled.
The amplitude of displacements, accelerations
and velocities in critical measure points of the
building where checked along the working
frequency range of the rotative machines.
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4.12 ANALYSIS OF AN OFF-SHORE PLATAFORM'S BEDPLATE
The goal of this work is to perform a self-weight, normal modes and pressure pulse analyses of
a bedplate installed on an off-shore platform
• Self-weight analysis: Structural Static analysis considering gravity to study the efects of
the motor and the motor’s pump on the bedplate. It has been performed an Eurocode
3 checking.
• Modal analysis: A modal analysis has been performed to determine the bedplate’s
vibration characteristics: Natural frequencies, Mode shapes and Mode participation
factors. These frequencies has been compared with the frequency of rotation of the
motor to see if the resonance phenome occurs.
• Pressure pulse: Four different transient analysis has been performed following the
customer specification.
Figs 1 and 2: Bedplate FE model and 3rd natural frequency
Figs 3 and 4: Pressure pulse and Results for Y direction
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4.13 HELICOPTER PLATFORM WITH NONLINEAR CONTACT
This equipment is part of a project of design and installation of a removable loading
platform in helicopters AS350 & AS355.
A nonlinear model with contact
definition between the platform
and the helicopter´s floor was
analyzed, applying different
cases of inertial loads in the
three orthogonal directions. The
image below shows the
displacement results due to
lateral acceleration in –Y
direction.
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4.14 EARTHQUAKE ANALYSIS OF INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
The purpose of this study was to study the response of several pieces of industrial
equipment under the elastic response spectrums O.B.E. and S.S.E.
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4.15 STRUCTURAL & FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF A CONDENSER ACCORDING TO ASME
VIII DIV.2
The purpose of this study was to validate a condenser following the ASME VIII Div.2
including the load cases:
Self-weight empty
Self-weight full
Internal pressure
Vacuum pressure
Loads in nozzles
Earthquake condenser empty
Earthquake condenser full
Fatigue analysis
Some detail of the bolted unions and the results are shown in the images below.
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4.16 STRUCTURAL & FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF AN INDUSTRIAL EXCHANGER
FOLLOWING ASME VIII DIV.2
The purpose of this study was to validate an industrial exchanger following the ASME VIII
Div.2 including a fatigue analysis.
The cyclic transition between operational loads with different pressure and temperature loads
can cause a fatigue crack in the material.
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4.17 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A BUOY THAT TRANSFORMS WAVE ENERGY
INTO ELECTRIC POWER
The purpose of this analysis was to verify the structural integrity of an energy converter
buoy that uses the energy of sea waves to generate electric energy.
The images below show the structural FEM model of the buoy as well as the results of a
transient analysis at the instant 11.353 seconds.
A diagram with different wave
theories is shown in the image on
the left. A linear wave theory must
be applied as a load in a first
approximation. Nonlinear theories
must be applied in regions close to
the coast while a linear theory can
be applied in high seas.
Buoy
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4.18 INNOVATIVE NUMERICAL METHODOLOGIES FOR STRUCTURAL
OPTIMIZATION
This project is aimed at providing two numerical methods that define the optimized
configuration of civil steel frame structures through semi-automatic processes. To
increase structural performances, satisfy code checking and obtain the reduction of the
overall production costs, the topology optimization method is exploited to define the
conceptual configuration of the structures, later parametrically optimized through a
multi-objectives analysis.
FEM Software used: CivilFEM powered by Marc and ANSYS
Optimization software: modeFRONTIER
Initial structure’s design
Final design after performing the optimization process
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4.19 FSI ANALYSIS OF A PROTOTYPE VESSEL FOR WASTE TREATMENT
The purpose of this CFD analysis was to study the behavior of a solid waste mixture,
modeled as a high density fluid, due to the pressure and temperature increasing process
carried out in a rotative extrusion machine. The software used was XFlow.
The study of the pressure in the pressure chamber of the conic reduction region is one
of the main points.
The calculation of the stream tracers is useful for checking particle behaviour.
Finally, a study of the return of the mixture to previous chambers was performed, showing
undesirable flow-back of the fluid in some regions (see image below).
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4.20 CFD STUDY OF A DRONE AIRCRAFT
The purpose of this study was to perform a CFD analysis to optimize the aircraft,
obtaining the optimal stabilizer angle that determines the maximum velocity of the
drone as well as the drag, lift and pitch coefficients. The software used was XFlow.
Force coefficients and moment coefficients were obtained as function of the velocity
and the drone angle, as is shown in the images below.
The Velocity field focusing on the wings showed the reason for the stall when the
critical angle of attack is exceeded. In the image below two main airflow separations
can be observed after the stall angle.
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4.21 CFD STUDY OF EXHAUST GASES IN A POWER TURBINE
The purpose of this CFD analysis was to study the behavior of the fluid in a region
between a turbine exhaust (green) and a boiler (red) that are part of the co-generation
projects of Altamira and Bajío for which three different phases were studied. The
software used was CFD++, developed by the company Metacomp Technologies®.
Phase I was the study of the
prototype designs provided by the
customer, analyzing the gas flux from
the turbine.
Phase II concerned the study of the
designed geometry modifications
provided by the customer for both
installations, analyzing the fresh air
flux from the fresh air inlet (the blue
section from the first image on the
left).
In Phase III, the analysis was
performed in the modified
installations with gas flux from the
turbine to check that the flux behavior
had not deteriorated with the
modifications implemented in Phase
II.
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4.22 CFD ANALYSIS USING CFD++ OF A SEPARATOR VESSEL OF HYDROCARBONS
The client is developing a separator vessel of hydrocarbons to commercialize it in the Oil & Gas
industry.
They have experience in this projects, so they want to check the behavior of some design
elements which were included in this vessel.
Oil distribution on the vessel
This EDP simulation checks that the oil behavior is totally affected by the corrugated plates
introduction. The oil tends to stand in the top part because of the density difference, the plates
additional resistance and the oil accumulation in the plates walls.
Oil distribution on the vessel
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4.23 CFD VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF A HOWELL-BUNGER VALVE INSTALLED AT A
DAM
The goal of this study is to analyze using CFD techniques the hydraulic working of the Howell-
Bunger valve placed at the Aguilar de Campoo (Palencia) Dam, which is subjected to unusual
vibrations.
Three phases:
Phase 1: Study of the actual configuration of the pipe and the valve
Phase 2: Study of the pipe with some correcting measures (guides)
Phase 3: Optimization of the installation place of the guides
Guides installed in the pipe
Turbulences on the pipe
Pipe schema. The valve is placed at the outflow
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4.24 FLOW AND AERATION STUDY IN A WWTP REACTOR
The design of a reactor of a Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) has to focus towards
a uniform movement of sludge to prevent formation of prone to sedimentation and
proper aeration dead zones to encourage aerobic digestion of organic wastes. A design
raised in carousel reactor with an aeration system consisting of surface aerators, is
expected that the surface agitation of the sludge allow enter enough air into the device.
Phases:
Generation of three-dimensional geometric model of the WWTP reactor with flowing accelerators and surface shakers.
Fluid domain extraction, establish boundary conditions and fluids provided for installation devices.
As a result the flow characteristics established and dragging the oxygen introduced by surface
shakers shown. Aeration is very localized and insufficient, because below the surface there are
shakers much of the flow is not aerated.
Following this study finding alternative was approved for a more effective aeration.
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4.25 WIND ACTION IN A WIND TURBINE FIELD
The aerodynamic behavior of a wind turbine field is conditioned by the adjacent terrain.
The register of the wind in the zone is limited
and the wind tunnel studies do not capture the
orography characteristics with the presence of
moving wind turbines.
To obtain more accurate and realistic results,
tackling the study with computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) techniques was proposed. The
conventional software with their traditional
approach, based on the finite volumes method,
are not sufficient to accurately study such a big
domain with the presence of wind turbines in
movement.
The software used was XFlow, with the
assistance and knowledge of the Mechanical
Engineering and CFD Department.
The topographic surface of the area was
introduced in the software and the 28 wind
turbines which form the wind turbine field
were placed accurately. The extension of the
terrain studied was 432 km2. The rotation
degree of freedom of the blades was allowed
and the wind was defined with a real wind profile of the area. The adaptive refinement
of the lattice allowed the capture of the movement of the blades and their influence on
the wind distribution.
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4.26 WIND ACTION ON A SOLAR PLANT
Solar panels that make up a
solar plant are exposed to
weather actions, among which
are the strong winds that occur
occasionally. This was the case
of the solar garden in Vejer de la
Frontera, which in April 2011
suffered damage due to the
wind.
The case of study is the wind
around the solar array so that
checkpoints where
anemometers are placed get the
same values than those
observed in both speed and
wind direction. In this situation,
the wind speed on the exact
location of the solar plant and
solar panels affected is analyzed.
The results show that the surrounding orography alters the behavior of the wind and when the
conditions observed in April 2011 are reproduce , the solar farm area is swept by winds of over 115
km / h, which exceeds the design strength panels.
Phases:
Generation of three-dimensional geometric model of the terrain in the area of solar plant.
Imposition of boundary conditions that define the observed wind and verification by sensors
placed on the position of the reference anemometers.
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4.27 ANALYSIS OF WIND EFFECT ON AN HELIOSTAT
The design and dimensioning of
equipment exposed to wind actions
requires a thorough aerodynamic
analysis. In the case of a heliostat, the
large size of the mirror determines its
wind resistance.
To address this analysis in time and
reasonable price, the best option is the
three-dimensional simulation using CFD
programs. Two situations were simulated:
the mirror in a vertical position subjected
to a wind of 100 km/h, and the mirror in
the safety position under a wind of 150
km/h.
Data of the drag, the tilting in the column
base, and lift force and torque turning of
the upper joint is obtained. These latest
actions come from the deflection of the
air flow when the mirror is folded.
Phases:
Adequacy of generating three-dimensional geometry and fluid surrounding the heliostat
domain.
Meshing of the fluid domain with special caution in the details of geometry and elements of
the boundary layer. The final calculation mesh consists of 22 million elements.
Definition of wind action conditions.
Resolution of the simulation and monitoring of the resultant forces.
Analysis of results and conclusions
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4.28 CFD STUDY OF CHANNELING INFRASTRUCTURE
The predicted works for the
channeling of the water in
Argamasilla ravine included
different secondary streams. The
aim of the channeling is to
alleviate the constant floods that
regularly affect the city of Écija
(Sevilla).
The 2D simulation didn’t allow us
to tackle the complete channeling
analysis. Furthermore, it was
necessary to analyze the transient
evolution of the incoming flood
and not assume a steady state
flow. For this reason, a
tridimensional study of the
incoming flood was modeled with
ANSYS-CFX, taking into account
the elevated water level in the Genil River, which is where the simulated channeling
flows into.
The simulation shows the behavior of the flood in a transient regime, with a return
period of 50 years in the last section of the Argamasilla ravine channeling. The results
showed that the initially projected solution did not take into account the behavior of the
flood at the initial moment. When the flood finds its outlet blocked by the Genil River,
the water impacts against the upper wall and emerges through the upper ventilation
grids, creating a water jump which returns back through the internal part of the duct.
This study and its results were used for the correct installation redesign.
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4.29 CFD STUDY OF A STORAGE AND PUMPING POOL
A deflector wall was placed at the entrance of a
sea water storage and pumping pool. To
homogenize the flux, two apertures were
created in the sides of the inflow catchment
area. The operation of the pool revealed a
problem in the bottom covering just in front of
the lateral apertures. The objective of the
simulation was to determine the causes of the
failure and to determine the optimum
operation level to avoid the lateral flux
damaging the covering.
A sequence of CFD simulations with
different operation modes was
proposed, varying only the water level
on the pool. The water level determines
the mass of water in the inflow
catchment area. Its interaction with the
incoming flux disturbs the proportion of
water which is alleviated through the lateral apertures and the velocity of this flux.
This study, which was
performed with ANSYS-CFX
allowed us to understand the
origin of the problem detected
and to define the optimum water
level to guarantee the correct
hydraulic behavior of the pool.
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4.30 ANALYSIS OF THE EVOLUTION OF AN EXPLOSION'S EXPANSIVE WAVE
The structural design of a building in an oil & gas plant has to take into account the
dynamic behavior of the building due to an expansive wave produced by a near
explosion.
The analysts have to measure the building to satisfy the codes. The critic point is to
know the time evolution of the over pressure pulses and the places of the building more
exposed.