Hot‐film anemometry measurements of turbulence in pipe flow: Organic solvents

Abstract

AbstractLongitudinal turbulence intensities, autocorrelations, and energy spectra have been measured in the flow of toluene, benzene, and cyclohexane in smooth, round 1‐ and 2‐in. I.D. tubes. These measurements were made with a constant‐temperature hot‐film anemometer and covered radial positions from the center to r/a = 0.85 in the 2‐in. tube and to r/a = 0.75 in the 1‐in. tube.The turbulence intensity data were found to be similar to those obtained for air in a 10‐in. pipe by Laufer. A slight diameter effect was observed, the intensities in the 1‐in. tube being slightly lower than those in the 2‐in. tube at equal Reynolds numbers.The energy spectra were similar to the spectrum reported by Lee and Brodkey for water. The spectra reached higher frequencies at the lowest measurable energy levels for higher velocities. There was little effect of tube diameter or radial position on the spectra from the center to r/a = 0.85. A short inertial subrange with a log‐log slope of −5/3 seemed evident in high velocity spectra, and the log‐log slope of −7 was approached at high frequencies by the lowest velocity spectrum.The peak energy dissipation frequencies for all the energy spectra measured were approximately proportional to bulk mean velocity to the 1.4 power with little effect of tube diameter or radial position from the center to r/a = 0.85.Integral scales of the turbulence were proportional to bulk mean velocity to a power less than one for a given tube. These measurements indicated that the ratio of integral scale to pipe diameter is not a function of Reynolds number only.Microscale values were relatively independent of velocity and pipe diameter.