Large eddy simulation of turbulent flow structure and characteristics in an annular jet pump

Abstract

The large eddy simulation(LES) of the flow characteristics in an annular jet pump (AJP) is conducted, and the flow characteristics are systematically analyzed from both time-averaged and instantaneous aspects. The jet expansion, the velocity distribution and the energy are considered to analyze the time-averaged evolution of the flow field in the AJP. The transient flow characteristics can also be acquired from the analysis of the turbulence intensity and the Reynolds stress. The simulation demonstrates that in the time-averaged characteristics, the potential cores increase linearly with the increase of the flow ratio. With the flow development, the jet half-width gradually increases and the residual energy coefficient decreases. Compared with the distribution of the time-averaged axial velocity, that of the instantaneous velocity is more complex and disorderly. The high intensity of the axial turbulence mainly occurs in the mixing layer and the near-wall regions of the diffuser. The annular distribution of the Reynolds stress is mainly in the mixing layer and the recirculation region. There is a low-stress zone between the mixing layer and the high-stress region in the wall-boundary layer. The intensity of the spanwise vortexes is larger than that of the streamwise vortexes, and therefore, the former make greater contribution to the total vorticity. This research provides a better understanding of the flow characteristics in the AJP.