Computational study of forced mixing of an oscillating flap

There is a need to develop high-efficiency mixing techniques capable of solving some of the mixing problems encountered in combustion systems. One idea conceived was to use an oscillating plate in a duct to induce mixing. This preliminary design was evaluated computationally using a Navier-Stokes flow solver to compute the forced mixing of two parallel streams in a duct. The theoretical results were compared to theoretical solutions of steady flow mixing of the same two parallel streams in the duct, as well for cases where one stream or the other were deflected by a stationary plate set at various angles at the beginning of the mixing zone. The flow fields were solved for by using PC-ACE+ a software program developed by CFD Research Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama. The variable of specific concern was the distribution of the concentration of the air species at different regions of the duct.