The negative volume flow word is generally used in simulation work in numerical tools.
The negative volume flow can be defined as the flow in the opposite direction to the original measurement of flow.
In simulation work, This kind of situation is generated due to a change in the pressure values in the boundary conditions. The reverse flow is developed in the flow regimes due to some input parameter changes. It is well known as negative flow in computational fluid dynamics.
In some simulations, The negative mass flow or negative volume flow is the volume leaving the system. The positive volume flow is the volume entering the system.
The negative volume can be avoided by assigning the boundary parameters properly. In many flow situations, the slight change in parameters can convert the part of the flow in the reverse direction. The experts in computational fluid dynamics are aware of these solutions very well.
The physics of the CFD problems solve a few basic equations like momentum equation, Navier stoke equation, and energy equation. A person with detailed knowledge of these three basic equations can solve the problem of negative volume flow.
What is negative volume flow?
This word is more famous for research work carried out with numerical analysis.
The negative volume flow is the fluid flow in the reverse direction compared to the defined path.
Ensure that the negative pressure and negative volume are different from each other. If the fluid pressure is below the atmospheric pressure, the pressure measurement is called negative pressure or vacuum pressure.
The atmospheric pressure is taken as 1 bar. The value of the negative pressure is below 1 bar.
There are so many processes is simulated by the researchers on various tools. They will face the issue of the negative volume flow in their work due to some parameters. They are changing the input parameters like the pressure, velocity, etc. The change of these parameters creates the negative volume flow in the boundry.
Is negative volume flow negative?
The negative volume flow is the only directional phenomenon in the boundry.
The negative volume flow is the backflow in the system. Yes, It can be taken as negative due to its direction. This flow happens in the reverse order of the flow.
The negative flow rate means the flow is entering from the device’s outlet. This situation is unwanted in most of the devices.
Sometimes, the cavity is formed in the liquid flow. The negative volume flow is generated due to the pressurized cavity in the flow.
The slight change in the pressure of the flow can create the part of the volume to flow in the opposite direction.
The positive volume flow is the flow happening in the defined direction by the operator. Many tools and techniques are available to reduce the negative volume flow in the system or boundary.
How does negative volume flow works?
The word negative indicates the direction of the flow in fluid dynamics.
If the flow is flowing in the outlet to the inlet, the flow direction is considered negative in the fluid dynamics.
If we consider flow inside the pipe, there is one inlet and the other outlet. The volume flowing from the inlet to the outlet is regarded as positive volume flow. The part of flow flowing from the outlet to the inlet is considered as negative volume flow in the pipe system.
The negative sign is only used to indicate its direction in the flow. You can remove negative symptoms if the flow’s direction does not play an essential role in your system. The system’s flow is called absolute flow after the calculation of positive and negative volume flow.
Negative volume flow example
This flow is unnecessary for most of the system in fluid dynamics.
The flow can be negative if the parameters of the flow are changed at certain level. The negative volume can be developed in any any device like pipe, tube, turbine etc.
Another term is the negative mass flow rate. It is similar to the negative volume flow rate if the system’s mass is flowing in the reverse direction.
This type of condition is happening in computational fluid dynamics. Researchers are facing negative volume flow due to changes in the boundary pressure.
Sometimes we make mistakes in the differentiation between negative volume flow and vacuum flow. Both look similar, but there is some conflict between them. The negative volume terms are used when the flow is reversed due to other parameter changes. The vacuum is developed using devices like blower, vacuum pump, etc. It is creating negative pressure so that it sucks the flow.
The vacuum cleaner is the best example of vacuum flow and its applications. The vacuum is a good insulator of heat energy. You have seen that the vacuum is provided between the two surfaces of the thermos flask. In other words, the place without an atmosphere is most probably a vacuum place.
I am Deepak Kumar Jani, Pursuing PhD in Mechanical- Renewable energy. I have five years of teaching and two-year research experience. My subject area of interest are thermal engineering, automobile engineering, Mechanical measurement, Engineering Drawing, Fluid mechanics etc. I have filed a patent on “Hybridization of green energy for power production”. I have published 17 research papers and two books.
I am glad to be part of Lambdageeks and would like to present some of my expertise in a simplistic way with the readers.
Apart from academics and research, I like wandering in nature, capturing nature and creating awareness about nature among people.
Also refer my You-tube Channel regarding “Invitation from Nature”
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