A numerical analysis of a rooftop vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) for applications in urban area is presented. The numerical simulations were developed to study the flow field through the turbine rotor to analyze the aerodynamic performance characteristics of the device. Three different blade numbers of wind turbine are studied, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Each one of the models was built in a 3D computational model. The effects generated in the performance of turbines by the numbers of blades are considered. A Sliding Mesh Model (SMM) capability was used to present the dimensionless form of coefficient power and coefficient moment of the wind turbine as a function of the wind velocity and the rotor rotational speed. The numerical study was developed in CFD using FLUENT®. The results show the aerodynamic performance for each configuration of wind turbine rotor. In the cases of Rooftop rotor the power coefficient increases as the blade number increases, while in the case of Savonius rotor the power coefficient decrease as the blades number increases.

A numerical analysis of a gas turbine first stage bucket with internal cooling (model MS7001E) is presented. The internal cooling system consists of 13 cylindrical channels with turbulent promoters (ribs), which are implemented in order to achieve temperature decrements inside the body blade. Three different geometrics (square, triangular and semi-circular cross-section) are studied. Each configuration is analyzed having full or half ribs. These are placed inside the cooling channels. The effects generated by the aspect ratio variation between rib pitch and rib height (P/e), for a constant aspect ratio given by ribs height and hydraulic diameter (e/Dh) are considered. The numerical simulation was developed using finite volume method, by means of commercial software based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Each one of the models generated for each study case was built in a 3D model, including the platform and airfoil of the blade. The models consider the effects generated by the hot combustion gases are flowing around the blade and the coolant flow is flowing inside the cooling channels. The study includes the solution of the conjugate heat transfer. The results show that the cooling channels with squared and triangular full-ribs present better cooling effects inside the body blade, reducing the temperature until 10°C at some point in the blade. However, these configurations produce a pressure drop from 3 to 4 times higher than cooling channels without ribs. The half ribs produce lesser temperature decrement, having smaller pressure drop. On other hand, the aspect ratio (P/e) has only effects on the pressure drop.

A numerical analysis of the characterization of the water flow through a flat solar collector is presented. The manifold area change for minimizing the water flow variation in the solar collector is analyzed. The area ratio in the inlet and outlet of the manifolds were modified in a range of Am/Ao = 1 to 4, where Am and Ao are the cross-sectional area modified and original of the manifolds, respectively. The solar collector investigated is equipped with six riser tubes, which are attached to the manifolds pipe. The numerical study was developed in a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using FLUENT®. This code allows to solve the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the transport equations of the turbulence quantities. The results shown that increasing the inlet and outlet area of the manifolds allow a more uniform flow distribution compared to the original configuration of the solar collector. It also shows that the overall pressure drop in the solar collector is reduced.

In this work the characterization of the water flow through a flat solar collector and solar collectors systems interconnected is presented. This allows analyzing the behavior of flow distribution in the headers pipe and riser tubes of flat solar collectors. The hydraulic analysis allows determining if the water flow inside the risers presents a no-uniform distribution, having that the mass flow rate through riser tubes increases when they are located a greater distance from inlet of header pipe. This effect also occurs at system composed of several solar collectors interconnected, through their own header pipes, which behaves like a simple flat solar collector with header pipe longer and major number of riser tubes. The hydraulic model of the water flow through a flat solar collector, equipped with different number of riser tubes, is modeled in the FLUENT® software and comparing with theory and methodology knowing for the calculation of pressure drop in pipe sections and accessories. The results show the curves obtained for hydraulic behavior for the cases of study, where is observed that the water flow is no-uniform. This no uniformity provokes that the friction coefficient varies depending of the position of riser tube.

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