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Fourier Pipe
This is a new proprietary technology that was introduced by the Alberta Fluid Engineering Laboratory at the University of Alberta, based on a fundamental pipe flow study originally completed at Princeton University. There are several scientific publications on this technology in top-tier international fluid dynamics journals, such as Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Physics of Fluids and Computations [1, 2, 3, 4]. Using the the flow topology associated with the most energetic Fourier modes of the flow, we have developed a new pipe that manipulate large-scale-motion (LSM) to concentrate the flow at the core, reducing the risk of erosion and corrosion, while adding mixing effects to lower the risk of condensation and slug formations. This is not all, this technology will also accelerate the core flow in pipes and lower the pressure drop, which can lower green house gas (GHG) emissions in pipe transport.
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Fig 1. Fourier pipe effects on the pipe flow dynamics with the axial flow velocity change is shown in left (a) and the mixing effects are shown in the right plot (b).
The application of this technology in the energy pipelines and waste water transport pipings are clear, which is why Dr. Hemmati was awarded the prestigious Alberta Innovate CCITF Research Grant to complete this research. Moreover, the great potentials of this technology motivated the Primer of Alberta to showcase Fourier Pipe research in pubic engagements.
This technology has also been featured in a number of industrial articles, including by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). It is estimated that full potential implementation of this technology in Canadian energy industry has the potential to reduce GHG emissions associated with Oil Sands operations & transportation by upto 1Mt CO2e.
Fig. 2. The schematics of FourierPipe inserts incorporated into a regular pipe flow to enhance the flow and reduce GHG emissions.
If you want to know more about the FourierPipe technology, feel free to reach out to our team.