A coupled Discrete Element Method and Finite Volume Method for the Simulation of Elastic Bodies
Paolo Sassi1; Jorge Freiría1; Mariana Mendina1; Martín Draper1; Gabriel Usera1
1 IMFIA, UdelaR
doi:10.20906/CPS/CILAMCE2017-0506
Resumo
There are a wide variety of devices behaving essentially as flexible and elastic systems while interacting dynamically with fluids, usually water or air, under normal operating conditions. These kind of interactions involves a double complexity of the dynamics, as the systems go through large deformation due to the flow actions, and at the same time, the adopted configuration of the systems determines the flow responses. The design and analysis of the variable degrees of efficiency that these devices may have under different flow conditions can be carried out using numerical modeling tools. Devising ways of simulating the behavior of fluids with ever increasing accuracy is essential to save time and resources while testing the potential of new technologies. One of the fields of engineering that has shown most significant growth in recent years is the generation of energy from renewable sources. The present research adapts mathematical methods, still new to the field, to represent ways of dealing with flows of fluid in bidirectional interactions with those new technologies, and particularly applies them to the exploration of a new kind of vertical blade-less turbine that gathers energy from the vortex induced vibrations (VIV) of a relatively short and scalable mast. These Vorticity Wind Turbines (VWT) are composed by an elastic vertical rod fixed to the ground, a rigid mast anchored to the rod and a power take off system. This device is very promising for several logistic and cost related reasons, especially when considering the difficulties of implementing new approaches in developing countries, but until now it has not been tested under rigorous theoretical models or with simulation methods that can have true predictive value. This research presents a framework for such modeling by coupling the discrete element method (DEM), for modeling the elastic and flexible rod; with the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM), for the representation of the rigid mast; and with the finite volume method (FVM), for solving the Navier-
Palavras-chave: Computational Fluid Dynamics; Discrete Element Method; Finite Volume Method; Immersed Boundary Method; Vorticity Wind Turbines