School of Mechanical Engineering Level IV Design Project Seminar 2008 Project 629: Design & Build of a Vortex Heat

1. School of Mechanical Engineering Level IV Design Project Seminar 2008 Project 629: Design & Build of a Vortex Heat Generator Bryan Gui Janice Kwok Phillip Lemon Supervised by Dr. Maziar Arjomandi

2. Sequence of Presentation Janice Janice Bryan introduction feasibility design Phillip Phillip Phillip conclusion management experimentation

3. Project Goals Design and manufacture a vortex heat generator and an experimental system Analyse performance of vortex heat generator Project Goals

4. Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube Air at 20oC Tangential inlet Air at 120oC* Hotter outflow Air at - 40oC* Cooler outflow Annular outlet *Typical values from Arizona Vortex Tube Mfg. Co.

5. Vortex Heat Generator Water Tangential inlet Warm outflow Hotter outflow Annular outlet

6. Significance RHVT potentially provides alternative heating source with: • No moving parts • Potentially high efficiency • Heat generated within fluid • Lower potential for fouling • Various domestic and industrial applications

7. Vortex Heat Generator feasibility study

8. Similar Devices Vortex Tube Noteka Vortex Thermal Generator Griggs Hydrosonic Pump Ref: AiRTX International (2008) Ref: Noteka (2004) Ref: Hydro Dynamics (2007)

9. Potential Heating Mechanisms • Friction / Turbulent dissipation • Chemical / Nuclear reaction • (Ref: Potapov et al, 1990) • Thermal separation • (Ref: Balmer, 1988) • Cavitation • (Ref: Savchenko et al, 1991)

10. Hydrodynamic Cavitation Factors Affecting Cavitation Typical Examples Geometry Pressure drop Velocity Surface roughness Nucleation sites Viscosity Turbines Ship propellers Hydrofoils Valves Bends Formation of bubbles when local pressure drops to vapour pressure

11. Bubble Life Cycle Nucleation Expansion P∞ < PV Collapse P∞ > PV Rebound

12. Cavitation in RHVT Vortex Cavitation Sharp edge Ref: Arndt (1981) Pressure Drop Within Flow Cone Sharp Edge Ref: Young (1989)

13. Vortex Heat Generator design

14. Design Systems RHVT Experimental Setup Circulation System Instrumentation

15. Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube Vortex Generator Body Bottom Outlet Inlet Top Outlet Return Line Outlet

16. Vortex Generator • Tangential Inlet • Water inlet at high velocity • Generates vortex

17. Vortex Generator • Cone • Creates narrowing annular passage • Increases velocity, lowers pressure • Designed to promote cavitation Increasing velocity

18. Bottom Outlet • Annular Outlet • Exit of outer flow • Outlet area is variable • Variable position

19. Circulation System RHVT system • Supply necessary inlet flow • Recycle water • Support RHVT and instruments • Mobile Pipes Valve Pump Frame Castors Tank

20. Submersible pump Easier efficiency measurement Higher pressure Pump Selection Submersible pump Non-submersible pump Grundfos SPO 5-70

21. Instrumentation Performance measures Required measurements Temperature increase, ΔT Heat output, E Heating efficiency, η Temperature, T Pressure, p Flow rate, Q Pump input power, P

22. Measurement Locations T P T T Vortex tube T P Flowmeter Submersible pump Data Logger Water tank T Pressure measurement P To mains Temperature measurement T Power Measurement

23. Instrument Fitting • Four taps to obtain average pressure • Modular design T-type thermocouple Pressure tap fittings

24. Manufacturing Processes Frame construction Fabrication of parts Welding/threading of connections Assembly Issues Misalignment/Offset Time

25. Vortex Heat Generator experimentation

26. Experimentation Aims Aims Can the RHVT heat water? Parametric investigation of RHVT performance Qualitatively investigate causes of heating • Cone • Tube length • Bottom outlet diameter • Water flow rate

27. Experimental Method

28. Added weights to float to extend measurement range No calibration curve, calibrated against another flow meter Flow Meter Calibration Calibration system Flow meter weights Flow meter

29. Tests had to be stopped because of high temperature (40ºC) The RHVT made a hissing noise, possibly indicating cavitation Flow inside vortex generator was viewed – entrained air Observations Perspex Blind

30. Performance Measurements • Current results do not show any significant temperature change across RHVT or improved heating performance

31. Further Discussion • Experimental errors • Flow meter calibration and resolution • Calibration of other instruments • Heat loss • Resolution of thermocouples • Experiments are continuing • Planned experiments • Reduce clearances for bottom outlet and cone • Reduce inlet diameter • Redesign cone Revised cone concepts

32. Vortex Heat Generator management

33. Work Structure Team Bryan (Manufacturing Manager) Phillip (Technical Manager) Janice (Team Manager) • Instrumentation • Drawings • Manufacturing • Circulation system • Purchasing • Theory • RHVT design • Theory • Administration

34. Finance Sponsorship Expenditure

35. Theoretical investigation Conceptual design Drawings Manufacturing Experimentation Deliverables Time Management

36. Vortex Heat Generator conclusion

37. Conclusion • Existing devices and potential heating mechanisms were investigated • RHVT and experimental system with instrumentation were designed and built • Experiments to determine the performance of the RHVT were conducted

38. Conclusion • Current results do not show any significant heat from the RHVT • RHVT produced some noise that could be caused by cavitation but could also be air • Experiments are continuing

39. Acknowledgment Mechanical Workshop Especially Robert Dempster, Richard Pateman and Bob Dyer Electronics Workshop Especially Silvio De Ieso Academic Staff Dr. Richard Kelso Dr. Peter Lanspeary Dr. Wen Soong Dorothy Missingham Charlie Green Post-graduate Students Mohammadamin Miremadi Sarah Crook Kristy Hansen External Damion Weerts (One Steel) Matt Willis (Butlers Irrigation)

40. Questions Questions?