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Modelling of Self‐Induced Oscillations in the Mixing Head of a RIM Machine
Author(s) -
Li Xiaojin,
Santos Ricardo J.,
Lopes José Carlos B.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450850104
Subject(s) - strouhal number , reynolds number , mechanics , froude number , physics , dimensionless quantity , vortex shedding , amplitude , vortex , mixing (physics) , oscillation (cell signaling) , head (geology) , jet (fluid) , randomness , classical mechanics , flow (mathematics) , mathematics , optics , turbulence , chemistry , geology , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , geomorphology , statistics
In this paper, the self‐induced oscillations in the mixing head of a RIM machine were modelled. An analytical and simple correlation was derived between the Strouhal number and the averaged pressure drop along the amplitude of the oscillation in the mixing chamber. This correlation theoretically identified that the frequency of the oscillations could be well correlated by the jet Reynolds number, Re d , and the dimensionless distance between the two jets as proposed by Denshchikov et al., Fluid Dyn. 3 , 460‐462 (1983). The flow field dynamics in the mixing head was simulated successfully by Fluent and the computed pressure fluctuations were used to calculate the frequencies of the oscillations in the mixing head. The calculated Strouhal numbers are in good agreement with the dominant frequency from the power spectra of the measured velocity component u x (Santos, 2003). Finally, the effect of Re d and Froude number, Fr , on the Strouhal number was investigated in the impingement region. The average Strouhal number showed a decrease with the Reynolds numbers, due to the increasing randomness of flow field in the impingement region. It was also found that the operations at lower values of Fr presented an increasing stability up to the point where the system is unable to present dynamic evolution. The model in this paper provides a theoretical starting point towards understanding of the quantities of the oscillatory flow in the mixing head, as well as a numerical approach to evaluate the dominant frequency in the mixing chamber.