Patent ID: 7996195
Filing Date: 2011-08-09
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for predicting thermal energy transfer from an entrained particle to a wall surface, said entrained particle being incorporated within a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a flow scenario, said method comprising: generating grid geometry for the CFD model to form a plurality of finite element cells, each cell of said plurality of finite element cells having a characteristic cell size; establishing initial and boundary conditions for the flow scenario within the CFD model; determining a characteristic particle size of the entrained particle; inserting the particle into a first cell of said plurality of cells at an initial location; initializing physical conditions of the particle as a particle state; calculating a time-step based on said cell size and flow velocity; integrating state change in said particle state over said time-step in said first cell; computing collision effect from the particle to the wall surface in response to the particle crossing a face of said first cell, such that said face constitutes the wall surface; otherwise locating the particle either in a second cell adjacent to said first cell in response to the particle crossing said face, or else in said first cell, further including: updating said particle state with said state change for end of said time-step in response to the particle remaining in said first cell; repeating said integrating through updating operations with said second cell being assigned as said first cell in response to the particle crossing said face of said first cell until reaching end of said grid geometry; and quantifying energy flux to the wall surface from collision by the particle.