Uncertainty Quantification Analysis of Exhaust Gas Plume in a Crosswind

Abstract

The design of naval exhaust funnels has to take into account the interaction between the hot gases and topside structures, which usually includes critical electronic devices. Being able to predict the propagation trajectory, shape and temperature distribution of an exhaust gas plume is highly strategic in different industrial sectors. The propagation of a stack plume can be affected by different uncertainty factors, such as those related to the wind flow and gas flow conditions at the funnel exit. The constant growth of computational resources has allowed simulations to gain a key role in the early design phase. However, it is still difficult to model all the aspects of real physical problems in actual applications and, therefore, to completely rely upon the quantitative results of numerical simulations. One of the most important aspects is related to input variable uncertainty, which can significantly affect the simulation result. With this aim, the discipline of Uncertainty Quantification provides several methods to evaluate uncertainty propagation in numerical simulations. In this paper, UQ procedures are applied to a CFD simulation of a single plume in a crossflow. The authors test the influence of the uncertainty propagation of the chimney exit velocity and the main flow angle on the plume flow development. Two different UQ methods are applied to the analysis: the surrogate-based approach and the polynomial chaos expansion method. A comparison of the two methods is performed in order to find their pros and cons, focusing on the different and detailed quantities of interest.

Validation of a Mid-fidelity Numerical Approach for Wind Turbine Aerodynamics Characterization

“…2 of 25 by Rezaeiha et al [5,6]. Moreover, several works in literature use uncertainty quantification methods in order to evaluate error propagation in high-fidelity CFD numerical simulations, as shown for examples in [7,8]. The trade-off for the increasing accuracy is a significant increase in computational resources and time effort, making CFD less practical for early-stage design and more suited for final validation and detailed analysis of wind turbine applications.…”

Validation of a Mid-Fidelity Numerical Approach for Wind Turbine Aerodynamics Characterization

“…In particular, a great effort was spent on the use of high-fidelity commercial CFD software for wind turbine system applications, as shown for example by the works by Rezaeiha et al [5,6]. Moreover, several works in the literature use uncertainty quantification methods in order to evaluate error propagation in high-fidelity CFD numerical simulations, as shown for example in [7,8]. The trade-off for the increasing accuracy is a significant increase in computational resources and time, making CFD less practical for early-stage design and more suited for final validation and detailed analysis of wind turbine applications.…”

Eddy–Viscosity Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Modeling of Air Distribution in a Sidewall Jet Supplied into a Room

“…Therefore, validation of the CFD codes, which means assessing the uncertainty of simulation results by comparing them with experimental data, is necessary [9][10][11][12]. Uncertainty quantification analysis is essential for enhancing the reliability, robustness, and applicability of flow dynamic simulations in various engineering and scientific applications [13,14].…”