Downstream Flow Structure Research Articles

Swirl-induced hysteresis in a sudden expansion flow

Swirling sudden expansion flows are complex flow fields containing several coherent structures that depend on the swirl number and can exhibit hysteresis behavior between increasing and subsequently decreasing swirl levels. While these flows have extensively been studied in simple geometries, results involving special designed nozzles are scarce. Therefore, this paper aims to provide insights into a more complex geometry, specifically a two-step conical expansion with a converging outlet. Experimental data is acquired for changing swirl numbers at a Reynolds number in the range of 35, 000. Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry is employed to characterize downstream flow structures, while Laser Doppler Velocimetry is used to characterize upstream structures and to determine the inlet swirl number. Several distinct flow patterns are found as a function of the swirl number and the identified flow patterns include, in order of increasing swirl, a Closed Jet Flow, an Open Jet Flow (OJF), and a Coandã Jet Flow (CoJF). A central positive axial velocity is noted for both OJF and CoJF downstream of the expansion due to the converging outlet geometry. At higher swirl numbers, Vortex Breakdown moves upstream into the nozzle until a negative axial velocity is noted in the inlet tube. For these higher swirl numbers, no hysteresis is observed in the inlet tube between increasing and subsequently decreasing swirl. However, downstream of the nozzle, it is observed that the CoJF detaches at a lower swirl number than the swirl number required for attachment, indicating a hysteresis effect between in- and decreasing swirl.

Wake Formation Flow Physics and Boundary Layer Analysis on the Sides of the Isosceles Triangular Cylinder with Apex Pointing Downstream

Boundary layer interaction with downstream flow structures was numerically studied to find the region of inactivity behind an 75° isosceles triangular cylinder with apex pointing downstream at intermediate Reynolds numbers (Re = 520, 640, 840 and 1040). The Standard k-ε model in OpenFOAM was used in the study. Numerical results were validated against Particle Image Velocimetry data. Results revealed the stable region of inactivity characterized by low turbulent kinetic energy and vorticity. The onset of secondary vortex and separation point, independent of Reynolds number, was identified. The onset of the secondary vortex was located at (x = 2 mm) from the base and (y = 1.5 mm) from the apex on either side of the cylinder. The ratio of modulus of absolute primary z-component of vorticity, |ω_z^1 |, to the modulus of secondary z-component of vorticity, |ω_z^2 |, was found to be approximately equal to 1.2. This ratio is invariant of the Reynolds number of the study. These findings have practical implications. The unique properties of the inactivity region forms an ideal location that can be used for injecting fluid, placing measurement probe, active flow control and drag reduction. The research problem is formulated in the introduction. Literature is reviewed next providing the background. Details about the range of parameters, governing equations, numerical study details and software used are given in the methodology section. The results section gives the numerical results, verified by mesh refinement test and validated against experimental results. The results are finally discussed in the next section.

Influence of wind directionality on the three-dimensional distortion of buffeting force on a streamlined bridge deck: Insight into the pylon interference effect

The present work aims to experimentally investigate the influence of wind directionality on the three-dimensionality of buffeting force on a streamlined bridge deck, considering the pylon interference effect (PIE). The pylon has an obvious impact on the downstream flow structure under the skew wind, influencing the aerodynamic loads acting on the bridge deck. The results show that the most dangerous wind direction exists at 30° for the downstream bridge deck, indicating the invalidation of the traditional “cosine rule.” It indicates that the lift force will be amplified due to the PIE, depending on the yaw angle of the oncoming flow. When turbulence passes through the pylon, the large-scale eddies in the wake region will be broken into small-scale eddies, attenuating the integral length scale in comparison with that of the free-stream turbulence. Consequently, the lift spectrum and corresponding three-dimensional aerodynamic admittance (AAF) increase in the high-frequency domain, resulting in the decrease in the spanwise correlation under the skew wind. Notably, the two-dimensional (2D) AAF indicates that the 2D distortion effect of turbulence on the lift increases in the wake region, causing the 2D AAF to decay rapidly in the high-frequency domain.

Secondary air induced flow structures and mixing in a fixed bed combustor

Air staging features widely in biomass combustion from small space heaters to industrial-scale moving grate systems. Whilst studies have been conducted into the impact of air staging on emissions and combustion performance, there is little or no insight into the exact flow dynamic and physical mechanisms that are induced by secondary air under such conditions. This paper uses experimental data to validate numerical predictions before investigating the flow field structures and mixing characteristics in a fixed bed air staged combustor. The study utilizes Constant Temperature Anemometry (CTA) experiments to establish boundary conditions for a lab-scale fixed bed combustor. Results from numerical simulations obtained using [Formula: see text] l- 𝜔 model were in good agreement with experimental data. Conditions tested cover five different secondary to total air ratios (Qs/Qt) and two different locations of secondary air injection. Results show that at Qs/Qt = 0.50, 0.25 and 0.18 one strong recirculation zone is induced upstream of the secondary air injection and one downstream. Varying the point of injection of secondary air from h/D = 0.64 to h/D = 0.40 also had an effect on the size of the upstream recirculation zone. Qs/Qt = 0.50 had the highest values of mixing index among all spatially located planes at the upstream of secondary air injection. The overall findings shed light on the possible flow interactions between secondary air and the top layers of fuel bed. They also highlight the significance of secondary air on inducing both upstream and downstream flow structures.

Numerical investigation of the unstart flow at off-design condition of REST inlet at a Mach of 4

Unstart flow in a rectangular-to-elliptical shape-transition (REST) inlet at the off-design operating condition has been simulated using the detached eddy simulation (DES) method. With the help of numerical simulations, the development of the unsteady inlet unstart flow at the transitional condition is obtained. The evolution patterns of unstart flow as well as the characteristics at different stages are summarized. Also, the dynamic behavior of the separation bubble is investigated. Results indicate the dynamic behavior of the separation bubble is jointly dominated by the incoming flow, spillage and the backpressure/blockage ratio. The changes in downstream flow structures can break the balance between these factors and thus lead affect the separation bubble's movement. The mechanism of the bubble's direction switch is different according to its location. It is dominated by the increased back pressure/blockage ratio at the rearward position and the shear layer instability at the forefront position. The cowl-closure leading edge (CLE) and reflected CLE shock play an important role in this process, which jointly redistribute the turbulent pulsation. It accelerates the process of separated shear layer instability and downstream flow averaging, and simultaneously causes the change of separation bubble movement behavior.

Experimental Study of Impact of In-Service Deterioration on Aerodynamic Performance of High-Pressure Nozzle Guide Vanes

AbstractIn this paper we experimentally evaluate the impact of in-service deterioration on the aerodynamic performance of heavily film-cooled high-pressure nozzle guide vanes from large civil jet engines. We study 15 mid-life to end-of-life parts removed from operational engines, and compare their performance to those of new parts. Deterioration features included: increased surface roughness; thermal barrier coating spallation; damaged film cooling holes; and trailing edge burn-back. We characterize and present statistics for the surface roughness. Aerodynamic measurements were performed in the high technology readiness level Engine Component AeroThermal (ECAT) facility at the University of Oxford, at engine-representative conditions of exit Mach number, exit Reynolds number, coolant-to-mainstream pressure ratio, and turbulence intensity. We present detailed experimental measurements of the coolant capacity characteristics, downstream loss, and downstream flow structures. The results show that service time has the following effects on high-pressure nozzle guide vanes: increased equivalent sandgrain roughness of (up by 1056% change); reduced coolant flow capacity (maximum change of −6.27% for film cooling holes and −24.7% for the trailing edge slot); increased overall mixed-out kinetic energy loss coefficient by (up to 33% change); leads to greater downstream flow angle variation (change of −6 deg). This is one of the first significant studies of its type in the open literature, and is an important step towards whole-life engine performance assessment.

Effects of Splitting Airfoil’s Aspect Ratio on the Control of Separation and Loss Distribution in a Distortion Generator

The effects of aspect ratio (AR: opposite diameter to width) reduction on the total pressure loss distribution of horizontally arranged splitting airfoils are investigated experimentally and numerically. The array arrangement of airfoils is proposed as a novel distortion generator mechanism. The upgrade feasibility study of the single airfoil loss repeatability in combined pattern was the aim of the present research. Modification of 90° splitting airfoil as a representative of the airfoils category with AR > 1 was a corrective approach to eliminate or delay the downstream wake axis rotation destructive effects on the combined loss predictability. The results of the modified airfoil (single and multiple arrangements) wake simulations based on hybrid turbulence model demonstrate a good agreement with wind tunnel measurements. It was observed that the aspect ratio reduction below the limiting value of “1” for selected opening angle provides the quasi-2D behavior of downstream flow structure related to AR < 1 airfoil category along with relatively higher value of loss related to AR > 1 category. Elimination of the side separation for modified 90° airfoil and the resulting similarity of maximum loss lobes positioning in arrangement of airfoils lead to the reduction of combined flow structure complexity and the improvement of loss predictability. It has appeared that combined loss pattern of the triple arrangement of the airfoils can be reconstructed from dual arrangement, and it can be reproduced from a single pattern in a hierarchical process. Concerning the maximum loss coefficient “values,” an overprediction of velocity recovery rate was observed in simulation results at the fully developed wake region that led to approximately 15% lower maximum loss values in comparison with the experiments.

Decadal and Episodic Changes in Morphology and Migration of the Confluence Bar of Two Alluvial Rivers in Louisiana, USA

AbstractPast research on fluvial dynamics at the confluence of two alluvial rivers has mainly focused on downstream flow structure and bed scoring, often using laboratory experiments and numerical modeling. Little is investigated about yearly and episodic dynamics of confluence mouth bars that can affect downstream morphology using field measurements. In this study, we analyzed the migration of a confluence mouth bar of two free meandering alluvial rivers, the Amite and Comite Rivers in coastal Louisiana, USA from 2002 to 2017. Remote sensing images were utilized to investigate the decade‐long morphologic changes. To assess episodic dynamics, we employed terrestrial laser scanning measurements to acquire high‐accuracy digital elevation models at the confluence before and after three floods in 2017. Our study found that the Amite‐Comite confluence mouth bar migrated downstream 55 m in the past 15 years, and its angle reduced by 55° from 100° to 45°. The fast migration was a result of sediment deposition and channel deformation around the confluence mainly during the years when the tributary‐to‐main channel discharge was lower (<0.25). The study further reveals that a single moderate flood could strongly affect the mouth bar, as shown by an increase of the projected surface area by 114% and an increase of volume of the confluence mouth bar by 68%.

Large-eddy simulation of the Mississippi River under base-flow condition: hydrodynamics of a natural diffluence-confluence region

ABSTRACTWe conduct large-eddy simulation (LES) to investigate the turbulent flow in a 3.2 km long reach of the Mississippi River. The digital elevation model of the study reach was reconstructed from remote sensing data (light detection and ranging; LiDAR) and field measurements. Flow depth and velocity profile measurements were carried out in five field campaigns in 2009, 2014 and 2015 under base-flow condition using acoustic Doppler current profiler. The detailed geometry of the river bathymetry, islands, and hydraulic structures were incorporated in the numerical simulation using the curvilinear immersed boundary approach. LES results are used to demonstrate and gain insight into the complexity of the river flow dynamics induced by the interaction of shear-layers developing along the intricate geometry of the islands and bar within the study area. Our results also show the long-range impacts of hydraulic structures on the downstream flow structures. This study demonstrates the feasibility of high-resolution LES for large-scale rivers by taking into account the detailed bathymetry and submerged hydraulic structures.

Cross-correlation analysis of interfacial wave and droplet entrainment in horizontal liquid-liquid two-phase flows

Horizontal oil-water two-phase flows present complex temporal and spatial structures. The cross-correlation analysis of the flow structures is of significance for uncovering the nonlinear dynamics of the oil-water flows. In this study, we first employ a detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) method to investigate the cross-correlation characteristics of two series generated by two-component ARFIMA processes with an adjustable coupling strength. On this basis, to avoid spuriously high cross-correlations caused by noises, we conduct an anti-noise study applying a detrended partial cross-correlation analysis (DPCCA) to ARFIMA processes mixed with periodic signal, stochastic signal and chaotic signal, respectively. It’s found that the DPCCA can effectively reveal the intrinsic cross-correlations of coupled series. Through carrying out an experiment of horizontal oil-water two-phase flows, the upstream and downstream flow information is collected by a conductance cross-correlation velocity probe. The DPCCA algorithm is used to calculate the multi-scale cross-correlation coefficient of the upstream and downstream flow structures. The results indicate that the DPCCA cross-correlation coefficient is very sensitive to the dynamics of the oil-water interfacial wave and the entrained droplets, and can serve as an effective indicator of horizontal oil-water two-phase flow structures.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of the Effect of Leg Position on Cyclist Aerodynamic Drag

An experimental and numerical analysis of cycling aerodynamics is presented. The cyclist is modeled experimentally by a mannequin at static crank angle; numerically, the cyclist is modeled using a computer aided design (CAD) reproduction of the geometry. Wind tunnel observation of the flow reveals a large variation of drag force and associated downstream flow structure with crank angle; at a crank angle of 15 deg, where the two thighs of the rider are aligned, a minimum in drag is observed. At a crank angle of 75 deg, where one leg is at full extension and the other is raised close to the torso, a maximum in drag is observed. Simulation of the flow using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) reproduces the observed variation of drag with crank angle, but underpredicts the experimental drag measurements by approximately 15%, probably at least partially due to simplification of the geometry of the cyclist and bicycle. Inspection of the wake flow for the two sets of results reveals a good match in the downstream flow structure. Numerical simulation also reveals the transient nature of the entire flow field in greater detail. In particular, it shows how the flow separates from the body of the cyclist, which can be related to changes in the overall drag.

Influence of a rectangular baffle on the downstream flow structure

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the impact of a rectangular baffle inside a square channel. PIV was used to measure the two-dimensional velocity fields. The measurements were conducted for two Reynolds numbers in the fully turbulent regime. The changes to the flow structure due to the insertion of a baffle were quantified by a direct comparison with the flow structure in the absence of a baffle, under similar conditions. Results show that the turbulent velocities are enhanced by a factor of two to three and the rates of energy production and dissipation are enhanced by more than an order of magnitude when a baffle is inserted in the channel. Significant enhancement of turbulence was observed in a region up to two times the baffle height immediately downstream of the baffle and the thickness of this layer increased to three times the baffle height further downstream of the baffle.

Turbulence and drag control in jet and wake flows

Structures of plane and circular jets were modified by using active, passive and an active-passive (hybrid) combination to investigate the phenomenon of turbulence control using hot-wire anemometry. Active control was achieved by exciting the flow by using either an acoustic speaker or vibrating piezoceramic elements, whereas passive control was achieved by placing a slender object such as a thin wire or a ring, a mesh or a honeycomb section downstream of the nozzle exit plane. Turbulence enhancement and suppression in plane-and circular-jet mixing layers could be achieved by employing active techniques, whereas passive techniques essentially yielded turbulence reduction. For a circular cylinder, a significant reduction in drag was obtained by placing a cylinder of small diameter upstream of the main cylinder. The total drag of the two cylinders was smaller than that of a single cylinder alone. Hot-wire measurements indicate significant changes to the downstream flow structure associated with the observed drag reduction. Our investigations indicate that different types of modification and excitation can yield different but useful outcomes.

Investigation into clustering of synthetic jet actuators for flow separation control applications

AbstractAn investigation into the behaviour of clustered synthetic jet Actuators for flow-control applications is described. Experiments have been undertaken with two small-scale synthetic jet actuators in a zero-pressure gradient boundary-layer, in order to investigate the effect of configuration yaw angle and relative input signal phase. Oil-flow visualisation and hotwire anemometry techniques were used, demonstrating that changes in the downstream flow structure could be observed. Compared to a streamwise configuration, in which a symmetrical counter-rotating vortex pair was produced by the synthetic jet-boundary-layer interaction, a broader asymmetric interaction was produced in a 15° yaw configuration. Streamwise velocity contour plots, illustrating the development of the interaction downstream, over four phase angles, were presented. Significant differences in the PSD analyses of downstream streamwise velocity time histories were found, suggesting that input signal phase could influence the stability and hence effectiveness of flow structures used in flow-control applications.

Flow in a double-film-fed fluid bead between contra-rotating rolls Part 1: equilibrium flow structure

In multiple-roll coaters thin liquid films are transferred from roll to roll by means of liquid ‘beads’ which occupy the small gaps between adjacent rolls. Double-Film-Fed (DFF) beads are those which feature two ingoing films instead of the usual one, and arise in the intermediate stages of certain types of roll coater. One of the ingoing films, h1, is supplied from the previous inter-roll gap while the other, h2, ‘returns’ from the subsequent gap. Such a flow is investigated here under the conditions of low flow rate, small capillary number and negligible gravity and inertia, using lubrication theory and finite element analysis. The thickness of film h1 is fixed independently, while that of h2 is specified as a fraction, ζ, of the film output on the same roll. This simple approach allows a degree of feedback between the output and input of the bead, and enables one to simulate different conditions in the subsequent gap. Predictions of outgoing film thicknesses made using the two models agree extremely well and show that, for each value of ζ < 1, one outgoing film thickness decreases monotonically with speed ratio, S, while the other features a maximum. Good agreement is also seen in the pressure profiles, which are entirely sub-ambient in keeping with the small capillary number conditions. The finite element solutions reveal that in the ‘zero-flux’ case (when ζ = 1) the flow structures are very similar to those seen in an idealized cavity problem. In the more general (ζ < 1) situation, as in single-film-fed meniscus roll coating, several liquid transfer-jets occur by which liquid is conveyed through the bead from one roll to the other. The lubrication model is used to calculate several critical flow rates at which the flow is transformed, and it is shown that when the total dimensionless flow rate through the bead exceeds 1/3, the downstream flow structure is independent of the relative sizes of the ingoing films.

Velocity measurements in the near field of a radial swirler

Abstract Confined turbulent air swirling flows are investigated for two configurations where swirl is produced by a conventional radial type swirler. The flow Reynolds number based on the bulk velocity in the downstream pipe was equal to 15,000 and the swirl number evaluated using velocity profiles in the downstream pipe was equal to 1.5. The flow downstream of the swirler has been quantified by measurements of three velocity components and their corresponding rms values along the radial direction and for several axial positions using laser Doppler anemometry. The downstream flow structure revealed the existence of an off-axis reverse flow region and a forced-vortex type of flow in the inner region and free-vortex in the outer one. The strength of the inner vortex is maintained with downstream distance. The results represent a set of benchmark data for validation of calculation methods.

Experimental Study of Hydraulic Functions of Arched Weirs

Effects of the plane shape of a weir on the downstream flow structures are experimentally examined. Arched weirs having different curvatures, an arched one set in reverse direction and a straight type weir, are used for experimental study. Mean and turbulent velocity distributions and shear stress distributions are measured in the downstream region of each weir. It is found that arched weirs converge the flow to the center portion of the channel, while a reverse-arched type diverges the main stream to the side portions of the channel. Deduced structures of the flows are also presented.