Simulation techniques are more and more used every day to support the decision making regarding processes that contribute to the improvement of the environment.
Service areas
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
The choice of optimal placement for the installation of wind turbines is a typical application of the fluid simulations. To this end, it is necessary to determine the wind local field. nablaDot has experience in this subject and has at its disposal tools for the detailed calculation of the wind in all kinds of zones (open field, rural and urban areas). In urban environments, the interaction of the wind with buildings makes it difficult a good characterization, though the information obtained is very useful towards the installation of small wind turbines. Another application to renewable energies, derived from the simulation of the wind local field, is the calculation of forces over the structures on photovoltaic modules. Knowledge about the wind speed and direction in extreme events is key to design structures that will properly support the modules.
EMISSION REDUCTION
The design or improvement of facilities aimed to decrease the industrial emissions is a typical field for the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Particle separators in a gas flow (filters, cyclones, electrostatic precipitators), gas cleaning processes (desulphurization, SCR), anaerobic digestion equipment (e.g. for liquid manure) or water treatment systems (mixing, decantation tanks) are some examples of applications where nablaDot has successfully applied CFD.
POLLUTANT DISPERSION
The study of the pollutants dispersion is a common environmental application of the computational engineering. The analysis of fire propagation (smoke, temperature, etc.) is also an example of how fluid simulations can help in this field. nablaDot has experience in this sort of studies, necessary in many cases to obtain an environmental impact statement, risk evaluation in buildings or design of evacuation plans. Having available an advanced calculation tool for the detailed characterization of the wind in any zone, nablaDot has a competitive advantage for this kind of analysis.
Service areas
APPLICATIONS OF NATURAL GAS
Natural gas combustion is widely used in industrial equipment (e.g. fryers) and domestic appliances (such as kitchen burners or water heaters). nablaDot has participated in projects in which, by means of natural gas combustion and heat transfer simulation, has provided with improvements and solutions to this sort of devices.
THERMAL POWER STATIONS
nablaDot has applied CFD techniques to big-scale stations for the production of electricity using conventional fuels (coal, fuel-oil and natural gas). The comprehensive simulation of boilers (air and fuel distribution conducts, furnace and heat recovery zone) in power stations has allowed the reduction of emissions, the efficiency improvements and solving varied problems in the boilers.
BIOMASS
Biomass combustion simulation is complex due to the heterogeneity of this fuel (both in shape and composition), as well as the variety of combustion systems (fixed bed, moving bed, rotatory kiln, etc.). nablaDot has developed fluid simulation techniques to be applied to biomass boilers, helping to improve their efficiency and to solve associated problems.
Service areas
HEAT TRANSFER
The systems and processes where heat transfer has a relevant role are common applications of CFD, such as heat exchangers (power plants, domestic boilers, automotive industry, agri-food industry), furnaces (domestic ovens, lamination processes, glass manufacture) or multiphasic equipment (vapour generation, condensers). nablaDot has a wide experience in applying CFD to these equipment/processes.
DUCTS AND VALVES
CFD techniques are a basic tool for the design of ducts and ventilation systems in big facilities (civil or industrial), usually aimed to reduce the pressure losses, select the proper ventilator, damper design, achieve the necessary flow rate or get the required distribution among different exits. One key element in pipes/ducts are valves, key to flow control and regulation. In order to design these devices (to determine the pressure losses and explain phenomena such as cavitation), the computational engineering has proven to be a very useful tool.
Check some of our success stories in this area.
MIXING AND SEPARATION
Mixing processes and separation operations are systems where CFD is typically used in their design and analysis. The applications include to minimize the energy consumption to obtain a proper mixing, to design separation systems for particles or droplets (air clasifier, cyclones, aerators) or to determine the residence time.
You can’t find your application?
We have other habilities that have helped our clients to improve their processes and products, although because of their variety they do not fit into the previous categories:
· Aerodynamic calculations on vehicles, structures and buildings.
· Weather analysis with mesoscale models (WRF: Weather Research and Forecasting model).
· Fire propagation.
· CFD for medical applications.
If you have not found what you were looking for, contact us and we will inform you about our experience in further detail.
