Topology Optimization of Static Mixers

Description of the Problem

Static mixers, a part of a pipe in which the incoming fluid streams are mixed by the internal pipe geometry while decreasing pressure as little as possible, have been used since the 1970s for blending fluids in applications ranging from waste-water treatment, to food processing, to pharmaceutical and chemical applications. Since static mixers are passive devices without any moving parts, they are reliable, low maintenance, and inexpensive to produce.
However, optimizing static mixers demands understanding the multiscale nature of turbulence : macromixing of the large convective scales of the mean flow, mesomixing at smaller inertial scales, and micromixing at the diffusive scales.

Illustration of a series of pipes showing fluid flow. The first pipe shows a smooth flow with arrows indicating direction. The second pipe has a complex internal structure with annotations pointing to features and indicating "Flow". The third pipe features a mechanical component with swirling arrows inside, suggesting turbulent mixing, and a small device attached to the top.

Scientific Relevance and Impact

Our work on this Lighthouse Case is the first demonstration of topology optimization of turbulent static mixers in complex flow situations. It will advance the current state of the art on various levels:

algorithmically for large-scale optimisation,
mathematically for developing ways to treat a chaotic system,
computationally to perform large-scale 3D optimisation.

Codes Used

Neko

Back to Lighthouse Cases

New to CFD?

Unsure about terms like incompressible, mixed precision or Reynolds numbers?

Start with our #Explainer article series!

What is CFD Part I

What is CfD Part II

What is Mixed Precision?

Recent Posts

Introducing Manuel Münsch
I’m Manuel Münsch, one of the senior researchers within CEEC. I work at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics (LSTM) of FAU. I did my master’s in mechanical engineering with a specialization in aerospace engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Already during my studies, I was enthusiastic about fluid dynamics. At that stage, I was quite sure… Read more: Introducing Manuel Münsch
Vistle Part I: An Introduction to Immersive Visualizations of Large-Scale Scientific Data
As supercomputers grow, so does their capacity to simulate ever larger and more detailed phenomena. These increasingly large simulations, in turn, produce terabytes of data. It’s no longer enough to look through your data, run some simple statistics, or even generate a 2-dimentional visual. To truly gleam the maximum amount of knowledge from your simulation… Read more: Vistle Part I: An Introduction to Immersive Visualizations of Large-Scale Scientific Data
Swimming with the Flow: waLBerla Simulations with Vistle
We’re two years into CEEC, and we’re starting to get a real look at how our efforts will help push computational fluid dynamics forward. This summer, we started conducting our first smaller waLBerla and Vistle simulations with limited data sets to see how Vistle visualization tools could improve the analysis experience of fluid-particle simulations, such… Read more: Swimming with the Flow: waLBerla Simulations with Vistle
Programming complex workflows with PyCOMPSs
On December 16th, CEEC and our own Rosa Badia presented our latest webinar. During the one-hour webinar, attendees learned about the history, goals, and capabilities of PyCOMPSs in the context of increasingly diverse and heterogenous HPC systems across Europe. Then, Rosa presented example workflows both related to CEEC and from outside the project including links to git repositories and related publications, where available. In closing, all attendees had the opportunity to ask questions.
The 12 Days of CEEC-ness
If you’ve been following our social media over the last couple of weeks, you’re familiar with our 12 Days of CEEC-ness twist on the 12 Days of Christmas song. Below are the complete lyrics for your enjoyment!