Fluid Dynamic Mechanisms Research Articles

Towards the single pump solution: Recent development in high speed machines for dry vacuum pumping

The goal of a single (dry) pump capable of reaching high vacuum and itself exhausting to atmospheric pressure has long existed in the vacuum field. The development of a single-shaft, high-speed pump EPX (second generation) mechanism has gone some considerable way to achieving this goal. The pump exploits molecular drag and a fluid dynamic mechanism and is discussed in terms of the theory of operation, internal flow mechanisms and the technology innovations enabling the mechanism to be produced in large volume quantities. Further development and application examples will be discussed to illustrate the system-simplification that the pump can provide.

Experimental studies on dewatering during roll forming of paper

This thesis deals with fluid dynamic mechanisms related to papermaking, specif- ically: the initial dewatering mechanisms during roll-forming and fibre motion in sedimentation and in shear flow. Pressure and wire position measurements have been conducted in a model resembling the forming zone and the measured pressure distributions are shown to have more complex patterns than the simple model p / T/R (where T is the wire tension and R is the roll radius). It is shown that an increase in wire tension has a similar effect as a decrease in flow-rate on the shape of the pressure distribution. In addition, it is shown that the drainage has a stabilizing effect on the dewatering pressure. The flow around the forming roll has also been modelled with the assump- tion that the wire is impermeable. A non-linear equation for the position of the wire is derived that clearly shows that the Weber number, We, is an im- portant parameter. The equation is linearized around the trivial solution and has a standing wave solution with a specific wavelength that scales with the We-number. Motion of non-Brownian fibre settling in a Newtonian fluid at a small but finite Reynolds number has been studied experimentally. Two different regimes of sedimentation were identified. For dilute suspensions, fibres gener- ally fall without flipping and may travel at velocities larger than that of an isolated particle. In the semi-dilute regime we found the settling process to be dominated by large-scale fluctuations. The velocity fluctuations scale with the suspension volume concentrationφ according toφ1/3, which is similar to the findings for settling spheres. The influence of shear on fibre orientation in the near wall region was studied in cellulose acetate fibre suspensions. At low concentration and low aspect ratio fibres were observed to orient perpendicular to the streamwise direction (named rollers) in the near wall region whereas the orientation further into the suspension was unchanged. As the concentration and aspect ratio increased the fraction of rollers decreased. Finally, an evaluation of a commercial Ultra Velocity Profiler unit in fibre suspensions are presented. The idea was to determine the velocity and characterise the turbulence from ultra sound echoes from particles in the fluid. However, the spatial and/or temporal resolution of the measurements did not permit turbulence characterisation. These limitations might be possible to overcome and some procedures are proposed and evaluated.

Observations of asymmetrical flow behaviour in transitional pipe flow of yield-stress and other shear-thinning liquids

The purpose of this brief paper is to report mean velocity profile data for fully developed pipe flow of a wide range of shear-thinning liquids together with two Newtonian control liquids. Although most of the data reported are for the laminar–turbulent transition regime, data are also included for laminar and turbulent flow. The experimental data were obtained in unrelated research programmes in UK, France and Australia, all using laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) as the measurement technique. In the majority of cases, axisymmetric flow is observed for the laminar and turbulent flow conditions, although asymmetry due to the Earth's rotation is evident for the laminar flow of a Newtonian fluid of low viscosity (i.e. low Ekman number). The key point, however, is that for certain fluids, both yield-stress and viscoelastic (all fluids in this study are shear-thinning), asymmetry to varying degrees is apparent at all stages of transition from laminar to turbulent flow, i.e. from the first indications to almost fully developed turbulence. The fact that symmetrical velocity profiles are obtained for both laminar and turbulent flow of all the non-Newtonian fluids in all three laboratories leads to the conclusion that the asymmetry must be a consequence of a fluid-dynamic mechanism, as yet not identified, rather than imperfections in the flow facilities.

Mechanism of combustion dynamics in a backward-facing step stabilized premixed flame

Combustion dynamics leading to thermoacoustic instability in a rearward-facing step stabilized premixed flame is experimentally examined with the objective of investigating the fluid dynamic mechanism that drives heat release rate fluctuations, and how it couples with the acoustic field. The field is probed visually, using linear photodiode arrays that capture the spatiotemporal distribution of CH* and OH*; an equivalence ratio monitor; and a number of pressure sensors. Results show resonance between the acoustic quarter wave mode of the combustion tunnel and a fluid dynamic mode of the wake. Under unstable conditions, the flame is convoluted around a large vortex that extends several step heights downstream. During a typical cycle, while the velocity is decreasing, the vortex grows, and the flame extends downstream around its outer edge. As the velocity reaches its minimum, becoming mostly negative, the vortex reaches its maximum size, and the flame collides with the upper wall; its leading edge folds, trapping reactants pockets, and its trailing edge propagates far upstream of the step. In the next phase, while the velocity is increasing, the heat release grows rapidly as trapped reactant’ pockets are consumed by flames converging towards their centers, and the upstream flame is dislodged back downstream. The heat release rate reaches its maximum halfway into the velocity rise period, leading the maximum velocity by about 90°. In this quarter-wave mode, the pressure leads the velocity by 90° as well, that is, it is in phase with the heat release rate. Numerical modeling results support this mechanism. Equivalence ratio contribution to the instability mechanism is shown to be minor, i.e., heat release dynamics are governed by the cyclical formation of the wake vortex and its interaction with the flame.

Tip Speed Ratio Influences on Rotationally Augmented Boundary Layer Topology and Aerodynamic Force Generation

Under zero yaw conditions, rotational effects substantially and routinely augment HAWT blade aerodynamic response. To better comprehend the fluid dynamic mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, time dependent blade surface pressure data were acquired from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Unsteady Aerodynamics Experiment (UAE), a full-scale HAWT tested in the NASA Ames 80 ft×120 ft wind tunnel. These surface pressure data were processed to obtain normal force and flow field topology data. Further analyses were carried out in a manner that allowed tip speed ratio effects to be isolated from other confounding influences. Results showed clear correlations between normal forces, flow field topologies, and tip speed ratios. These relationships changed significantly at different blade radial locations, pointing to the complex three-dimensional flow physics present on rotating HAWT blades.

Aerial locomotion in flies and robots: kinematic control and aerodynamics of oscillating wings

Flight in flies results from a feedback cascade in which the animal converts mechanical power produced by the flight musculature into aerodynamic forces. A major goal of flight research is to understand the functional significance of the various components in this cascade ranging from the generation of the neural code, the control of muscle mechanical power output, wing kinematics and unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms. Here, I attempted to draw a broad outline on fluid dynamic mechanisms found in flapping insect wings such as leading edge vorticity, rotational circulation and wake capture momentum transfer, as well as on the constraints of flight force control by the neuromuscular system of the fruit fly Drosophila. This system-level perspective on muscle control and aerodynamic mechanisms is thought to be a fundamental bridge in any attempt to link the function and performance of the various flight components with their particular role for wing motion and aerodynamic control in the behaving animal. Eventually, this research might facilitate the development of man-made biomimetic autonomous micro air vehicles using flapping wing motion for propulsion that are currently under construction by engineers.

Transport of reactive chemicals in sediment-laden streams

This paper deals with the transport of chemicals in a turbulent stream when both sorbing suspended load and decay reactions are present. These conditions, which can be found quite commonly in rivers, give rise to interesting behaviour. Important and not trivial processes are added and interact with the classical diffusive, advective, and dispersive mechanisms. Due to the sorption process, the chemical divides into an aqueous and a sorbed phase which follow different evolutions: the aqueous phase is regulated by turbulent diffusion, advection and shear, while the sorbed one undergoes the same fluid dynamic mechanisms but through the evolution of suspended sediment, which is also subjected to sedimentation. The evolutions of the two phases are not separate, as the sorption–desorption exchanges between the aqueous and sorbed phases connect their dynamics. In turn, the decay reactions, being able to modify the concentrations in the two phases, influence the sorption process and therefore the entire transport dynamics. A complex picture results where several nonlinear interactions occur. The main objective of the work is to obtain the one-dimensional partial differential equation that describes the temporal and spatial dynamics of the depth-averaged concentration of the chemical. Due to the existence of three well separated time scales in the whole transport process, the mathematical homogenization theory is adopted to average the two-dimensional model, and the most general case is dealt with in which sediment transport is unsteady while the reactions are nonlinear and different for the aqueous and sorbed phases. Finally, some examples of real cases are discussed where the influence of unsteady suspended sediment dynamics and the nonlinearity of reactions is analyzed, while the role of the several nonlinear differential terms in the model is highlighted.

Rotational lift: something different or more of the same?

This paper addresses the question, do the rotational forces in the hovering fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster reflect something different (the Magnus effect) or more of the same (circulatory-and-attached-vortex force)? The results of an unsteady blade-element model using empirically derived force coefficients from translating (root-oscillating) wings are compared with recent results derived from both the measured forces on a dynamically scaled Drosophila wing and the computational fluid dynamic (CFD)-modeled forces on a virtual Drosophila wing. The behavior of the forces in all three models during wing rotation supports the hypothesis that rotational lift is not a novel aerodynamic mechanism but is caused by the same fluid-dynamic mechanism that occurs during wing translation. A comparison of the unsteady model with a quasi-steady model that employs empirically derived rotational coefficients further supports the hypothesis that rotational forces are more of the same. Finally, the overall similarity of the results between the unsteady model, the physical wing model and the CFD model suggests that the unsteady model can be used to explore the performance consequences of kinematic variation and to investigate locomotor control in freely moving animals.

Fluid dynamic mechanisms of particle flow causing ductile and brittle erosion

Traditional prediction of erosion focuses on the use of velocity and impact angle of particles as independent variables in analytically derived models. This approach is most suitable for numerical predictions of erosion in disperse flow fields where particle trajectories may easily be followed prior to impact. For dense particle flows, the prediction of individual particle or particle cluster movement is nearly never attempted by following trajectories. Instead, two-fluid Eulerian–Eulerian approaches are used in which a continuous particle fluid phase is considered. The present study shows that the impact velocity and angle of attack of particles at the eroding surface are difficult to obtain for dense flows, thus being difficult to consider as parameters for predicting erosion. Instead, it is proposed that the normal and the shearing components of the viscous dissipation of the particulate phase are more suitable as independent flow variables governing the erosion process. These variables describe deformation and cutting wear processes, respectively, and are readily derived from the flow field. Eulerian erosion models are proposed, based on these independent variables. It is possible to implement previous results and theories concerning the material–mechanical interaction between the abrasive and an eroding surface to achieve model improvements. In this work, only a simple model taking into account a threshold elastic strain limit is proposed, to more correctly model the deformation wear. The particle-flow boundary condition — a partial-slip condition — significantly influences the erosion process, particularly the cutting erosion. The boundary condition depends on parameters such as the local particle phase flow, the mean diameter and the sharpness of the abrasive as well as the surface roughness. A simple 2D test application — a jet stream of particles impinging a tilted plate — is presented, and the qualitative angular behaviour of ductile and brittle erosion is reproduced at the target position. A scheme is presented for determination of material constants and suitable boundary conditions to be used in the proposed erosion models.

Numerical simulation of minor losses in thermoacoustic devices

As thermoacoustic devices become more efficient, minor losses through sudden expansions or contractions in such acoustic resonators become more important. To further improve the efficiency of thermoacoustic devices it is necessary to understand in detail the fluid dynamic mechanisms involved in these minor losses. In the present study, a parallel numerical simulation of a three-dimensional acoustic resonator, typical of a thermoacoustic device, is presented. A computational aeroacoustic (CAA) approach is used. The Navier–Stokes equations are discretized in space with the fourth-order dispersion-relation-preserving (DRP) scheme of Tam and Webb and are integrated in time with a fourth-order Runge–Kutta scheme. In the attached regions of the flow the Spalart–Allmaras one-equation turbulence model is used. For separated flow regions this transitions automatically to a detached eddy simulation (DES). In the present study a high amplitude standing wave is generated in a resonator with a sudden change in cross-sectional area. Numerical results for the flow field and minor losses are presented and initial results are compared with experimental data. [Work supported by ONR.]

Plural voltage minima in an arc-heated channel flow

In flows through a channel with varying cross-sectional area, the impulse and total enthalpy can be increased by superimposing an electrical discharge. The flow field is determined from the inlet flow condition, channel geometry, and discharge specifications. In this study, steady-state, quasi-one-dimensional flows interacting with an arc discharge are computed numerically. Once the arc column configuration is given, the discharge voltage is computed from the solution of flow field variables. For a constant discharge current, there exist plural column configurations which yield a minimum discharge voltage. This result explains the fluid-dynamic mechanisms of the existence of plural voltage modes in an arcjet operation.

Fluid dynamics mechanism of disk flutter by measuring the pressure between disks

The mechanism of disk flutter excitation in hard disk drives was experimentally examined in terms of the fluid dynamics. The sensors for measuring the pressure between the rotating disks were used. It was found that there was correlation between the pressure fluctuation amplitude and the flutter amplitude and that the pressure fluctuation was strongly influenced by the rotational speed and the disk-to-shroud spacing, especially in the outer disk. The pressure fluctuation was caused mainly by the winding of the flow in the disk rotational direction. This winding of the flow produced a nonuniform pressure distribution and it led to flutter excitation force. The pressure fluctuation and the disk flutter can be decreased by reducing the disk-to-shroud spacing which restricts the winding of the flow.

FLOW-INDUCED MULTIPLE-MODE VIBRATIONS OF GATES WITH SUBMERGED DISCHARGE

An experimental investigation of flow-induced vibrations of gates with multiple degrees of freedom is presented. An underflown vertical gate plate with submerged discharge was allowed to oscillate both in the cross-flow (z -) and in the streamwise (x -) direction. The two purposes of the investigation were to further the insight into the hydrodynamic coupling mechanisms of the two vibration modes and to determine the interaction of the unsteady lift and drag forces. Self-excited vibration tests were run with reduced velocities VrzandVrx from 0·8 to 14, covering a range in which the instability-induced excitation (IIE) due to impinging-leading-edge vortices (ILEV) as well as the transition to galloping (MIE) occurred. The ratio of the natural frequencies of the two vibration modes fx 0/fz 0, the gate opening ratios /d, and the submergence of the gate plate were varied. Depending on the ranges of reduced velocities and frequency ratios, a complex interaction of two different kinds of instability-induced excitation was detected. Furthermore, it was found that streamwise IIE-excitation and cross-flow galloping coexist. To assess the relevant fluid dynamic amplification and attenuation mechanisms, simultaneous body response and flow velocity measurements were carried out.

Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in a Square Duct With 12 Different Shaped Vortex Generators

Detailed local Nusselt number distributions in the first pass of a sharp turning two-pass square channel with various configurations of longitudinal vortex generator arranged on one wall were measured using transient liquid crystal thermography. Flow patterns and friction factors were measured by the use of laser-Doppler velocimeter and pressure transducer, respectively. The Reynolds number, based on channel hydraulic diameter and bulk mean velocity, was fixed at 1.2×104. The vortex generator height-to-hydraulic diameter ratio and pitch-to-height ratio were 0.12 and 10, respectively. Comparisons in terms of heat transfer augmentation and uniformity and friction loss are first performed on 12 configurations of single longitudinal vortex generator. The fluid dynamic mechanisms and wall confinement relevant to heat transfer enhancement are then documented for three-selected vortex generator models. In addition, the differences in fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics between a single vortex generator and a vortex generator array are addressed for the delta wing I and 45 deg V (with tips facing upstream) models which provide better thermal performance among the 12 configurations examined. The direction and strength of the secondary flow with respect to the heat transfer wall are found to be the most important fluid dynamic factors affecting the heat transfer promotion through the channel wall, followed by the convective mean velocity, and then the turbulent kinetic energy. [S0022-1481(00)01202-0]

Residential Kitchen Range Hoods - Buoyancy-Capture Principle and Capture Efficiency Revisited

Abstract A buoyancy-capture principle is firstly revisited as the most important fluid dynamics mechanism in kitchen range hoods. A recent new derivation of the capture efficiency of a kitchen range hood, which eliminates the inconsistencies and inadequacies of existing derivations, shows that the capture efficiency equals the ratio of capture flow rate to total plume flow rate in a confined space. The result is applied here, together with the buoyancy-capture principle, to derive a simple formula for determining capture efficiency. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program is adapted to study the capture efficiency of range hoods in a residential kitchen and the predicted results are used to evaluate the accuracy of the simple formula. It is shown that the simple capture efficiency model performs reasonably well for the range hoods considered in this paper.

Umbilical flow distribution to the liver and the ductus venosus: An in vitro investigation of the fluid dynamic mechanisms in the fetal sheep

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to determine whether an inherent difference in vascular resistance between the liver and the ductus venosus influences the distribution of umbilical blood to the two sections of the circulation. STUDY DESIGN: Flow was measured in vitro in six fetal sheep liver preparations, perfused at varying pressures with saline solution or with blood of hematocrit 25% to 26% or 41% to 42%, with an occluded or open ductus venosus, at a temperature of 19° C to 21° C with likely absence of local control mechanisms. RESULTS: There was a linear relationship between pressure and flow through the liver, except at very low pressures when the linearity was broken. A closing pressure of 1 to 4 mm Hg was noted, lowest with saline solution and highest with hematocrit 42%. An open ductus venosus reduced overall resistance and brought down the closing pressure to <1 mm Hg. This also occurred during perfusion with high hematocrit. Thus at low pressures a proportionally greater fraction of umbilical flow was directed through the ductus venosus. CONCLUSIONS: The different physical properties of the portal vasculature and of the ductus venosus, pressure and viscosity, have a substantial impact on distribution of umbilical flow to the two parts of the circulation. Reduced umbilical venous pressure and increased hematocrit favor an increased fraction of flow through the ductus venosus.(Am J Obstet Gynecol 1997;177:90)

Fluid mechanics of arterial stenosis: relationship to the development of mural thrombus.

In this study, we analyzed blood flow through a model stenosis with Reynolds numbers ranging from 300 to 3,600 using both experimental and numerical methods. The jet produced at the throat was turbulent, leading to an axisymmetric region of slowly recirculating flow. For higher Reynolds numbers, this region became more disturbed and its length was reduced. The numerical predictions were confirmed by digital particle image velocimetry and used to describe the fluid dynamics mechanisms relevant to prior measurements of platelet deposition in canine blood flow (R.T. Schoephoerster et al., Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis 12:1806-1813, 1993). Actual deposition onto the wall was dependent on the wall shear stress distribution along the stenosis, increasing in areas of flow recirculation and reattachment. Platelet activation potential was analyzed under laminar and turbulent flow conditions in terms of the cumulative effect of the varying shear and elongational stresses, and the duration platelets are exposed to them along individual platelet paths. The cumulative product of shear rate and exposure time along a platelet path reached a value of 500, half the value needed for platelet activation under constant shear (J.M.. Ramstack et al., Journal of Biomechanics 12: 113-125, 1979).

Steady flow in an aneurysm model: correlation between fluid dynamics and blood platelet deposition.

Laminar and turbulent numerical simulations of steady flow in an aneurysm model were carried out over Reynolds numbers ranging from 300 to 3600. The numerical simulations are validated with Digital particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) measurements, and used to study the fluid dynamic mechanisms that characterize aneurysm deterioration, by correlating them to in vitro blood platelet deposition results. It is shown that the recirculation zone formed inside the aneurysm cavity creates conditions that promote thrombus formation and the viability of rupture. Wall shear stress values in the recirculation zone are around one order of magnitude less than in the entrance zone. The point of reattachment at the distal end of the aneurysm is characterized by a pronounced wall shear stress peak. As the Reynolds number increases in laminar flow, the center of the recirculation region migrates toward the distal end of the aneurysm, increasing the pressure at the reattachment point. Under fully turbulent flow conditions (Re = 3600) the recirculation zone inside the aneurysm shrinks considerably. The wall shear stress values are almost one order of magnitude larger than those for the laminar cases. The fluid dynamics mechanisms inferred from the numerical simulation were correlated with measurements of blood platelet deposition, offering useful explanations for the different morphologies of the platelet deposition curves.

Compact incinerator afterburner concept based on vortex combustion

A design concept for a compact incinerator afterburner based on actively controlled vortex combustion was developed and tested at ≈ 5 kW and ≈ 50 kW. Acoustic control of fluid dynamics was used to enhance mixing and increase the DRE (destruction and removal efficiency) for a waste surrogate. A detail study of the concept of utilizing vortex combustion for incineration was undertaken in a small-scale flame using advanced laser diagnostics to elucidate and optimize the fluid dynamic mechanisms. The system was then scaled up by ≈ 10, optimized, and evaluated for performance. The open loop active control methodology is based on the concept of combustion in periodic axisymmetric vortices. Acoustic excitation was, used both to stabilize coherent vortices in the central jet air flow and to control circumferential gaseous fuel and waste injection into the shear layer at the right time during vortex formation. The gaseous-fueled actively controlled 4.5 kW incinerator was able to surpass 99.997% DRE even when the gaseous benzene waste surrogate constituted 66% of the total combustible content and the combustible to total air ratio (ø) was 0.974; lowering ø below this increased the DRE to beyond our detection limit. The DRE for gaseous benzene exceeded 99.999% in the 50-kW system when combustible to air ratios were kept below 0.78. Parameters found critical to maintenance of high DRE at both energy scales were the fraction of circumferentially entrained air, the entrainment geometry, the forcing levels, and the phase angle of fuel injection with respect to the vortex roll-up. The 50-kW combustor was also evaluated for stack emissions and combustion efficiency. The controller improved combustion efficiency and lowered emissions: CO dropped from 2900 ppm to as low as 2 ppm. Unburned hydrocarbons were also reduced. Under some conditions the controller also reduced NO x levels down to as low as 12 ppm.

Study of subsonic base cavity flowfield structure using particle image velocimetry

A new particle image velocimetry system has been used to study the near-wake structure of a two-dimensional base in subsonic flow to determine the fluid dynamic mechanisms of observed base drag reduction in the presence of a base cavity. Experiments were done over a range of freestream Mach numbers up to 0.8, including local flowfield velocities over 300 m/s. Effects of the base cavity on the von Karman vortex street wake were found to be related to the expansion and diffusion of vortices near the cavity, although the effects are of small magnitude and no significant change in the vortex formation location or path was observed. The base cavity effects are also less significant at higher freestream velocities due to the formation of vortices further downstream from the base. The base cavity drag reduction was found to be mainly due to the displacement of the base surface to a location upstream of the low-pressure wake vortices, with only a slight modification in the vortex street itself.