CREATESPACE CFD Applications in Energy and Environment Sectors: Volume 1

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is the science of predicting fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, phase change, chemical reaction, mechanical movement, stress or deformation of related solid structures, and related phenomena by solving the mathematical equations that govern these processes using a numerical algorithm on a computer. The results of CFD analyses are relevant in: conceptual studies of new designs, detailed product development, troubleshooting, and redesign. CFD analysis complements testing and experimentation, by reduces the total effort required in the experiment design and data acquisition. Advanced science and engineering, in many disciplines and across many industries, are driving the search for new sources of energy, more efficient products and processes, sustainability, and green engineering to meet demand and answer environmental concerns for generations to come. CFD models help us to optimize design and engineering concepts for energy-saving and energy-efficient technologies as well as for energy production. Environment modelling with computational fluid dynamics methods help us tackle our environmental flow problems in the most efficient and cost-effective way. The added insight and understanding gained from environment modelling gives us confidence in our design proposals, avoiding the added costs of over-sizing and over-specification, while reducing risk. CFD models are very useful in environmental assessments because measurements cannot be taken at all times and in all places with the intensity and focus needed to assess all environmental conditions. CFD models are thus needed to “fill in the gaps” as well as to extend the measurement data to characterize and evaluate an environmental problem or study. CFD models provide a means for representing a real system in an understandable way. They take many forms, beginning with “conceptual models” that explain the way a system works. Conceptual models help to identify the major influences on where a chemical is likely to be found in the environment, and as such, need to be developed to help target sources of data needed to assess an environmental problem. In many cases, we can build and analyze virtual models at a fraction of the time and cost of physical modelling. This allows us to investigate more options and "what if" scenarios than ever before. Moreover, flow modelling provides insights into our fluid flow problems that would be too costly or simply prohibitive by experimental techniques alone. Application of CFD techniques to real-world industrial and environmental problems has increased sharply in the last decade. With the rapid development of modern computational techniques and numerical solution methodologies over the last few decades, CFD has now been widely used in various industrial applications for investigating a vast range of industrial and environmental problems. The chapters in this book present new leading-edge research in the field. We thank the work and commitment of all of the authors who submitted chapters according to our requests and dealt with our numerous comments.