Secondary structures in time-dependent rotating flows

Abstract

The problems related with the development of secondary structures in time-dependent rotating flows are considered. The experimental results on the generation of these structures (inhomogeneities placed in series in a gas) which occur outside (inside) a cylindrical tube, when it starts (ends) suddenly to rotate, are presented. The qualitative explanation of these results is given on the basis of the ideas on the development of time-dependent viscous boundary layers, the condition of the stability of axisymmetric rotating flows obtained in the inviscid approximation, and the condition for the Gortler vortex generation. To obtain a more complete idea of the effect of secondary structure generation in time-dependent rotating flows two flows are numerically modeled on the basis of the complete Navier-Stokes equations. The first problem is that of rotating gas (air) flow in a round cylindrical tube of finite length with closed ends when it starts or ends suddenly to rotate. The second situation concerns with the generation of inside or outside (with respect to the tube surface) time-dependent vortex structures, when a tube with one closed end starts or ends suddenly to rotate; a gas flows into the tube from an external finite volume through the central region of its second open end and flows out of the tube into the volume along the periphery of this section. The flow parameters are analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively.