High-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry Research Articles

High-resolution PIV measurement over wind-generated waves

The interaction between wind and waves plays a significant role in the exchange of heat, aerosols and gases, thereby influencing our understanding of climate dynamics and air–sea interaction. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has emerged as a valuable tool for investigating the intricate effects of small-scale waves on airflow characteristics in laboratory settings. However, previous PIV experiments have exhibited notable variability in spatial resolution, potentially affecting the accuracy of turbulence statistics, particularly in relation to small-scale waves such as capillary ripples. To systematically explore the impact of PIV spatial resolution on airflow characteristics over multi-scale wind-generated waves, we conducted high-resolution planar PIV experiments near the wave surface. We adjusted the spatial resolution of the results by modifying the spatial filter. Additionally, recognising the limitations of the high-resolution PIV system in terms of wall-normal and streamwise extent, we conducted larger field-of-view experiments to capture consecutive waveforms and achieve spatial averaging across the boundary layer. Consistent with existing literature, our findings illustrate the formation of a horizontal shear layer leading to airflow separation on the lee side of the wave, accompanied by a pronounced vorticity field and circulation region. Notably, analysis of the high-magnification dataset reveals localised airflow separation caused by small-scale capillary waves, phenomena not resolved by the large field-of-view set-up, underscoring the importance of adequate spatial resolution. Further analysis indicates that a spatial resolution larger than the size of the capillary waves leads to significant attenuation of the spanwise vorticity imposed by the small-scale waves. In this study, we also introduce a novel method relying to identify wave surfaces solely on PIV images, demonstrating its effectiveness in detecting capillary-scale waves.

Large-scale flow field super-resolution via local-global fusion convolutional neural networks

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques have a limited field of view of the flow field and can only capture high-resolution flow fields in localized areas. To obtain a larger measurement range, multiple cameras must be used to capture the flow field simultaneously and then stitch the parts together. However, this method can be expensive. We propose the local-global fusion convolutional neural network (LGF-CNN) for reconstructing large-field flow fields with high spatial resolution based only on two flow data types: local small-field high spatial resolution wake velocity fields and global large-field low spatial resolution velocity fields. The core of the model consists of convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture to learn the mapping relationship between the small field of view with high spatial resolution and the large field of view with low spatial resolution. Using the effectively trained LGF-CNN model, we demonstrate its ability to reconstruct high-resolution velocity fields around the circular cylinder. The LGF-CNN is rigorously validated on a number of representative datasets, including simulated data for Reynolds numbers of 200 and 500, as well as experimental data for a Reynolds number of 3.3 × 104 with the steady jet at the rear stagnation point of the cylinder. The results demonstrate the ability of LGF-CNN to generate accurate velocity fields with high spatial resolution, including reliable detection of high-frequency components. The proposed method could reduce the number of cameras required for large-field, high spatial resolution PIV measurements, thereby reducing experimental costs.

Data Assimilation of Ideally Expanded Supersonic Jet Using RANS Simulation for High-Resolution PIV Data

Data assimilation using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulation was performed for an ideally expanded supersonic jet flying at a Mach number of 2.0. The present study aims to efficiently reconstruct all the physical quantities in the aeroacoustic fields that match well with a realistic, experimentally obtained flow field. The two-dimensional, two-component PIV measurement was applied to the jet axis plane, and the time-averaged velocity field was obtained using single-pixel ensemble correlation. Two-dimensional axisymmetric RANS simulation using the Menter shear stress transport (SST) model was also performed, and the parameters of the SST model were optimized via data assimilation using the ensemble Kalman filter. The standard deviation of the observation noise σ, which is a parameter of the ensemble Kalman filter, is estimated by the previously proposed method (Nakamura et al., Low-Grid-Resolution-RANS-Based Data Assimilation of Time-Averaged Separated Flow Obtained by LES. Int. J. Comp. Fluid. Dyn., 2022), and its effectiveness was investigated for the first time. This method effectively estimated the magnitude of σ at each generation without tuning the hyperparameters. The assimilated flow fields exhibited similar flow structures observed in PIV such as the potential core length or shear layer. Therefore, the present framework can be used to estimate time-averaged full flow fields that match well with experimentally observed flow fields, and has the potential to construct a database for the Navier-Stokes-based stability analysis that requires a full flow field.

Impact of Local Terrain Features on Urban Airflow

Past work has shown that coupling can exist between atmospheric air flows at street scale (O(0.1 km)) and city scale (O(10 km)). It is generally impractical at present to develop high-fidelity urban simulations capable of capturing such effects. This limitation imposes a need to develop better parameterisations for meso-scale models but an information gap exists in that past work has generally focused on simplified urban geometries and assumed the buildings to be on flat ground. This study aimed to begin to address this gap in a systematic way by using the large eddy simulation method with synthetic turbulence inflow boundary conditions to simulate atmospheric air flows over the University of Southampton campus. Both flat and realistic terrains were simulated, including significant local terrain features, such as two valleys with a width about 50 m and a depth about average building height, and a step change of urban roughness height. The numerical data were processed to obtain averaged vertical profiles of time-averaged velocities and second order turbulence statistics. The flat terrain simulation was validated against high resolution particle image velocimetry data, and the impact of uncertainty in defining the turbulence intensity in the synthetic inflow method was assessed. The ratio between realistic and flat terrains of time-mean streamwise velocity at the same ground level height over a terrain crest location can be >2, while over a valley trough it can be <0.5. Further data analysis conclusively showed that the realistic terrain can have a considerable effect on global quantities, such as the depth of the spanwise-averaged internal boundary layer and spatially-averaged turbulent kinetic energy. These highlight the potential impact that local terrain features (O(0.1 km)) may have on near-field dispersion and the urban micro-climate.

Coherent Structures and Pressure Fluctuations over an Airfoil Using Time-Resolved Measurements

This study focused on the unsteady behaviors of large-scale vortical structures and wall pressure fluctuations and their coupling mechanism on a low-Reynolds-number airfoil. Three incidence angles were chosen for comparison: , and (representing two flow regimes, namely, the separation bubble formation and separation without subsequent reattachment). Simultaneous measurements of velocity fields and wall-pressure fluctuations were performed using a high-resolution time-resolved particle image velocimetry operating at 2 kHz and an array of flush-mounted microphones sampled at 10 kHz. The results provided a detailed description of the shear layer transition and the coherent structures development on the airfoil. The roll-up process, pairing process, spatial-temporal growth of the vortical structure, and vortex break-up were clarified through a long-period analysis. Spectral analysis demonstrated that vortical structures at the fundamental frequency were spatially and temporally localized and that their subharmonics were significantly enhanced. Frequency–wavenumber spectra revealed that the energy was dominantly concentrated along the convective ridge. With increasing incidence angle, the energy level of the inclined ridge increased, with a lower extension in the frequency domain and a higher dispersion in the wavenumber domain. The conditional averaging and quadrant analysis results demonstrated that strong events in the near-wall region were dominated by the sweep motion and ejection motion, which enhanced the interaction between the inner and outer layers. This also indicated the existence of a strong relationship between the wall-pressure peaks and turbulence production mechanisms.

Effects of surface wettability on the aerodynamics of wind-driven droplets at the verge of shedding

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the time-averaged aerodynamics of sessile droplets at the verge of shedding on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. A high-resolution particle image velocimetry system was used to measure/reconstruct the velocity and pressure fields in the droplet symmetry plane and obtain the time-averaged aerodynamic loading. It was found that the stagnation angle (the angle bounded by the substrate and the ray emanating from the droplet center connecting to the stagnation point) decreases with decreasing contact angle due to the shrinking size of the horseshoe vortex. The air pressure reaches the maximum near the stagnation point and its minimum near the droplet apex where flow separation occurs. In the near wake of droplets, a recirculation region, where the velocity reduces to nearly zero and the pressure is low, is generated due to the flow separation. The normalized length of the recirculation region decreases with increasing contact angle since droplets with higher contact angles need flows with lower Reynolds number to reach the point of shedding. In addition, the aerodynamic drag over droplets was evaluated by the wake integral method, analyzing the contribution of momentum deficit, Reynolds stress, and pressure deficit. The drag coefficient of the droplets, at the verge of shedding, was independent of the contact angle. This work shows that the drag coefficient of droplets with different contact angles at the verge of shedding can be similar even though the droplet shape, Reynolds number, and flow structures are different.

Experimental and Visual Analysis of Proppant-Slickwater Flow in a Large-Scaled Rough Fracture

SummaryUnderstanding proppant transport and distribution in hydraulic fractures is crucial to designing and optimizing hydraulic fracturing treatments in the field. The actual fracture surfaces are typically rough and form a tortuous pathway, significantly affecting proppant migration. However, many rough models are very small in size, and some have only one rough surface. Thus, it is inadequate to display proppant transport behaviors and placement laws.This study proposed a novel method to develop large-scale rough panels reproduced from actual hydraulic fractures. A large transparent slot (2×0.3 m) was successfully constructed to simulate a shear fracture with 5 mm relative displacement of two matched surfaces. Six kinds of proppants were selected to study the effects of particle density and size. Four types of slickwater were prepared to achieve viscous diversity. A high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) system detected the instantaneous velocity and vector fields in the rough pathway to understand particle transport behaviors. The specific parametric study includes a quantitative analysis of the proppant bed profile, equilibrium height, coverage area, injection pressure, and volumes of proppant settled in the slot and outlet tank. Also, five tests are carried out in the smooth slot, which has the same size as the rough slot.The test results demonstrate that the narrow rough fracture would significantly hinder particle transport, especially in the horizontal direction. The proppant bed is higher and closer to the inlet than that in the smooth model. Particles mixed with highly viscous slickwater easily aggregate in the two-sided rough model and gradually form finger-like regions at the lower part of the inlet. The unstable flow and vortices can disperse aggregated particles and avoid particle clogging. Proppants injected at the high volume fraction are prone to settle quickly and build up a higher bed contact with the inlet, leading to more considerable injection pressure. Perforation blockage often occurred in the rough model, and the near-wellbore screenout was induced as the bed blocked all perforations. Enhancing the fluid carrying capacity and using smaller proppant help avoid perforation blockage and improve far-field fracture conductivity. Two correlations were developed to predict the equilibrium height and coverage area of the proppant bed. The experimental results and laws provide novel understandings that can help optimize hydraulic fracturing design and treatment by rationally selecting proppant and fracturing fluid to improve the productivity in tight reservoirs.

Pulse picking of a fiber laser enables velocimetry of biomass-laden jets at low and ultra-high repetition rates

The introduction of fibrous aspherical biomasses for the substitution of coal as a sustainable solid fuel causes complex particle-turbulence interactions, which need to be captured using minimally invasive laser-based diagnostics. High-resolution two-phase particle image velocimetry (PIV) of high-velocity biomass-laden turbulent flows require laser inter-pulse times of only a few microseconds, which is usually achieved with separate laser systems for low-speed statistical and time-resolved measurements. In this work, we introduce a novel approach to achieve low-speed dual-pulse and ultra-high-speed time-resolved two-phase PIV using a single laser system. The flexible repetition rate laser output is realized by coupling a continuously pulsing fiber laser to an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) for pulse picking. The selective deflection of two adjacent laser pulses into the measurement volume is presented at a camera repetition rate of 25 Hz and laser repetition rate of 312.5 kHz resulting in an inter-pulse time of 3.2 µs. Temporal limitations of the AOD pulse picking system are evaluated beyond the access time limit for partially overlapping pulse pairs. To demonstrate the feasibility of the diagnostic system, low-speed measurements and additional ultra-high-speed measurements at 200 kHz are performed at high spatial resolutions to resolve individual biomass particles and their surrounding flow field in a non-reacting turbulent round jet. Simultaneous diffuse back-illumination measurements using a pulsed LED for particle size measurements of a high-aspect-ratio biomass (miscanthus) are conducted. The diagnostic system offers the capability of determining the slip velocity field and projected particle size, enabling a direct measurement of the local particle Reynolds number under high-velocity turbulent conditions at low and ultra-high repetition rates.

Influence of flow structures and combustion on cross-scale turbulent kinetic energy transfer in premixed swirl flames.

This paper experimentally analyzes the simultaneous influence of combustion and large-scale vortex structures on the transfer of kinetic energy across scales around the laminar flame thickness δL0 in a turbulent premixed swirl flame and a non-reacting swirl flow. High-resolution tomographic particle image velocimetry and formaldehyde planar laser induced fluorescence measurements are used to obtain 3D velocity fields and estimates of the progress variable and density fields. The kinetic energy transfer across a filter scale of Δ=1.5δL0 was then quantified using physical space analysis. Coherent flow structures were identified using the swirling strength and proper orthogonal decomposition was used to identify the dominant periodic flow structure. While non-reacting regions of the flow show mean down-scale energy transfer (forward-scatter), mean back-scatter is observed internal to the flame. Importantly, the back-scatter magnitude in the flame increases in regions undergoing flame/vortex interaction. That is, the mean back-scatter magnitude at locations simultaneously inside the flame and a large-scale coherent vortex is higher than regions in the flame and not in a vortex, with the mean back-scatter magnitude increasing with the swirling strength. This increased back-scatter may be due to locally higher heat release rates in locations of flame/vortex interaction. Overall, the results demonstrate the importance of kinetic energy back-scatter at scales around the flame thickness and the complicated relationship between back-scatter and local flame/flow structure; these results should be considered when modeling turbulence in flames.

Boundary layer hydrodynamics of patchy biofilms

Algal biofilms, ubiquitous in aquatic systems, reduce the performance of engineered systems and alter ecosystem processes. Biofilm morphology is dynamic throughout community development, with patchiness occurring due to periodic sloughing, but little is known about how community level physical structure affects hydrodynamics. This study uses high resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) to examine spatially explicit turbulence over sparse, uniform and patchy biofilm at turbulent Reynolds numbers. All biofilms increase the near-bed turbulence production, Reynolds shear stress, and rotational flow compared to a smooth wall, and non-uniform biofilms have the greatest increase in these parameters, compared with a uniform or sparse biofilm. However, a higher drag coefficient over uniform biofilm compared with non-uniform biofilm indicates that percent coverage (the amount of area covered by the biofilm) is a useful predictor of a biofilm’s relative effect on the total drag along surfaces, and in particular the effect on ship performance.

High Spatial Resolution 2C-2D PIV Measurements Using A 47 MPx Sensor Of High Reynolds Number Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow

In the past decade, advances in electronics technology have made larger imaging sensors available to the experimental fluid mechanics community. These advancements have enabled the measurement of 2-component 2-dimensional (2C-2D) velocity fields using particle image velocimetry (PIV) with much higher spatial resolution than previously possible using a single camera. Although previously reported experiments have incorporated multiple-camera arrays to acquire high spatial resolution PIV, using a single large camera can greatly reduce the complexity of the experimental setup as well as the error introduced by the calibration between the cameras. In this paper, the ability of a single large sensor for high spatial resolution PIV is demonstrated by performing the measurement of a zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer (ZPG-TBL). In post-processing the PIV images, the lens distortion error is of particular importance, as the lens distortion error increases with the size of the imaging sensor. The third-order polynomial functions are used to model the lens distortion in this study, and the correction is performed on the PIV vectors to save computational cost. The first- and second-order statistics are calculated and compared with the profiles captured by small camera arrays, and the result shows that the corrected profiles agree well with the previously acquired data, therefore, the lens distortion error can be corrected.

Physics-Driven PTV Interpolation Through Learned Regularization

This paper deals with spatial interpolation of instantaneous Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) data. Such a task can be handled using generic signal processing tools like B-splines, radial basis functions (RBF) or Kriging. We deal with non time-resolved PTV as gathered by dual frame particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems followed by dual frame PTV algorithms. In such a dual frame context, Physics-based interpolation techniques typically rely on enforcement of divergence free constraints on the interpolated field. The aim of this communication is to explore the wider field of Physics-based PTV interpolators based on learning a deep neural network. These interpolators are learned on a database of flow examples that may be generated by high resolution PIV or DNS. We propose an instance of such a Physics-based PTV interpolator based on the machine learning concept of unrolled optimization. This concept is extended in order to deal with random measurement location, characteristic of PTV data. We also show how to use this concept to perform pressure estimation from PTV data, along with velocity interpolation. The concept is illustrated on a 2D laminar flow, DNS data is used to train and benchmark the proposed method against RBF interpolation. The proposed method is shown to be much more robust than RBF interpolation against low density seeding and noise.

Extreme vorticity events in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection from stereoscopic measurements and reservoir computing

High-amplitude events of the out-of-plane vorticity component ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{z}$ are analyzed by stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) in the bulk region of turbulent Rayleigh-B\'enard convection in air. The Rayleigh numbers $\mathrm{Ra}$ vary from $1.7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}$ to $5.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}$. The experimental investigation is connected with a comprehensive statistical analysis of long-term time series of ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{z}$ and individual velocity derivatives $\ensuremath{\partial}{u}_{i}/\ensuremath{\partial}{x}_{j}$. A statistical convergence for derivative moments up to an order of 6 is demonstrated. Our results are found to agree well with existing high-resolution direct numerical simulation data in the same range of parameters, including the extreme vorticity events that appear in the far exponential tails of the corresponding probability density functions. The transition from Gaussian to non-Gaussian velocity derivative statistics in the bulk of a convection flow is confirmed experimentally. The experimental data are used to train a reservoir computing model, one implementation of a recurrent neural network, to reproduce highly intermittent experimental time series of the vorticity and thus reconstruct extreme out-of-plane vorticity events. After training the model with high-resolution PIV data, the machine learning model is run with sparsely seeded, continually available, and unseen measurement data in the reconstruction phase. The dependence of the reconstruction quality on the sparsity of the partial observations is also documented. Our latter result paves the way to machine-learning-assisted experimental analyses of small-scale turbulence for which time series of missing velocity derivatives can be provided by generative algorithms.

A Proper-Orthogonal-Decomposition (POD) Study of the Wake Characteristics behind a Wind Turbine Model

A comprehensive study was performed to analyze turbine wake characteristics by using a Proper-Orthogonal-Decomposition (POD) method to identify the dominant flow features from a comprehensive experimental database. The wake flow characteristics behind a typical three-bladed horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) were measured in a large-scale wind tunnel with a scaled turbine model placed in a typical offshore Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) wind under a neutral stability condition. A high-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system was used to achieve detailed flow field measurements to characterize the turbulent flows and wake vortex structures behind the turbine model. Statistically averaged measurements revealed the presence of the characteristic helical-tip vortex filament along with a unique secondary vortex filament emanating from 60% of the blade span measured from the hub. Both filaments breakup in the near-wake region (~0.6 rotor diameter downstream) to form shear layers, contrary to previous computational and experimental observations in which vortex filaments break up in the far wake. A Proper-Orthogonal-Decomposition (POD) analysis, based on both velocity and vorticity-based formulations, was used to extract the coherent flow structures, predominantly comprised of tip and midspan vortex elements. The reconstructions showed coherence in the flow field prior to the vortex breakup which subsequently degraded in the turbulent shear layer. The accuracy of the POD reconstructions was validated qualitatively by comparing the prediction results between the velocity and vorticity-based formulations as well as the phase-averaged PIV measurement results. This early vortex breakup was attributed to the reduced pitch between consecutive helical turns, the proximity between midspan filaments and blade tips as well as the turbulence intensity of the incoming boundary layer wind.

Effect of Natural Fracture Characteristics on Proppant Transport and Placement in an Irregular, Nonplanar Fracture

Summary Hydraulic fracturing is recognized as the primary stimulating technique to enhance recovery in unconventional reservoirs. Connecting natural fractures and filling proppant are crucial elements to achieve the effective development of the reservoirs. Many studies have investigated the interaction characteristics between hydraulic fracture and natural fracture and proppant transport in complex fracture systems. However, few studies show how natural fracture affects proppant migration and placement. In this work, we experimentally explore proppant transport in an irregular, nonplanar fracture containing hydraulic fractures and a natural fracture. The objective is to identify the influence of natural fractures on proppant transport and placement. In this paper, proppant transport in a nonplanar fracture with bends is studied experimentally by a laboratory size slot, and the bending section represents a natural fracture. A high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) system is used to detect the instantaneous velocity field in the complex pathway to understand particle transport behaviors. Proppant placement is quantitatively evaluated by the proppant coverage area as the proppant bed reaches the equilibrium state. Also, the effects of natural fracture width and height, intersection angle with hydraulic fracture, and relative location with the inlet on proppant placement are investigated. The results identify that the natural fracture would significantly increase the complexity of proppant transport and lead to a discontinuous and irregular proppant bed in the complex fracture. The vorticity flow appears around the bend and resuspends deposited proppants through the bending section. The small natural fracture width and height increase flow erosion and are not conducive to proppant settlement, resulting in no proppant. The more the bending angle, the lower the coverage area and bed height. When the natural fracture is close to the inlet, a depleted region without proppants would be formed around the wellbore. The multiple linear regression method developed two reliable models expressed by four normalized parameters to predict the bed coverage areas. The experimental results and laws provide ways to quantitatively analyze natural fracture characteristics' effect on proppant transport and placement in unconventional reservoirs and fissured formations.

Effect of flow diverter stent malposition on intracranial aneurysm hemodynamics-An experimental framework using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry.

BackgroundFlow-diverting stents are increasingly used for the minimally-invasive treatment of intracranial aneurysms. However, a correct positioning of such devices can be challenging due to varying vessel diameters as well as the complex anatomy of the neurovasculature. As a consequence, unsuccessful treatment outcomes are increasingly reported requiring an improvement of the understanding of stent-induced flow modification.MethodsTo evaluate the effect of different degrees of flow diverter stent malposition on intra-aneurysmal hemodynamic changes, a controlled hemodynamic configuration was created using an idealized intracranial aneurysms model. Afterwards, four different treatment scenarios were reproduced comprising of 1) the ideal treatment, 2) an insufficient wall apposition in the region of the ostium, 3) a distorted device migrating into the aneurysm sac and 4) an inaccurately deployed stent due to wrong release location. For the assessment of the individual flow modifications, high-resolution stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were carried out.ResultsThe analysis of the precise in-vitro PIV measurements reveals that in all cases a considerable reduction of the cycle-averaged and peak-systolic velocity was obtained. Compared to the untreated aneurysm configuration, the flow reduction ranged from 63% (scenario 4) up to 89% (scenario 3). The ideal treatment reached a reduction of 78%, which is known to be sufficient for a successful therapy. However, inaccurate device positioning leads to increased oscillating flow towards the lateral directions reducing the chances of sufficient thrombus formation.ConclusionsHigh-resolution in-vitro PIV measurements enable an accurate quantification of the treatment efficacy for flow-diverting devices. Furthermore, insufficient treatment outcomes can be reproduces allowing for an assessment of intra-aneurysmal hemodynamic changes.

Experimental Investigation and Validation on Suppressing the Unsteady Aerodynamic Force and Flow Structure of Single Box Girder by Trailing Edge Jets

In the present investigation, a wind tunnel experiment was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the trailing edge jets control scheme to mitigate the unsteady aerodynamic force and flow structure of a single box girder (SBG) model. The flow control scheme uses four isolated circular holes for forming the jet flow to modify the periodic vortex shedding behind the SBG model and then alleviate the fluctuation of the aerodynamic force acting on the test model. The Reynolds number is calculated as 2.08 × 104 based on the incoming velocity and the height of the test model. A digital pressure measurement system was utilized to obtain and record the surface pressure that was distributed around the SBG model. The surface pressure results show that the fluctuating amplitude of the aerodynamic forces was attenuated in the controlled case at a specific range of the non-dimensional jet momentum coefficient. The Strouhal number of the controlled case also deviates from that of the original SBG model. Except for the pressure measurement experiment, a high-resolution digital particle image velocimetry system was applied to investigate the detailed flow structure behind the SBG model to uncover the unsteady vortex motion process from the SBG model with and without the trailing edge jets flow control. As the jet flow blows into the wake, the alternating vortex shedding mode is switched into a symmetrical shedding mode and the width of the wake flow is narrowed. The proper orthogonal decomposition was used to identify the energy of the different modes and obtain its corresponding flow structures. Moreover, the linear stability analysis of the flow field behind the SBG model shows that the scheme of trailing edge jets can dramatically suppress the area of unsteady flow.

Global POD-Galerkin ROMs for Fluid Flows with Moving Solid Structures

Traditional proper orthogonal decomposition (POD)-Galerkin projection for reduced-order models (ROMs) of fluid flows is based on a fixed domain. The current method removes this limitation by considering a single combined domain of fluid and solid, whereas the original solid boundary conditions are reinforced by additional ROM terms. The combined domain requires a new inner product defined in the same combined domain to compute POD modes and the projection of equations. Solid motion is considered first as a continuous motion, then a decomposed motion, represented by a few solid modes to further reduce the computational cost. This new global approach was applied first on a two-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) database of the flow past an oscillatory cylinder, and then on a three-dimensional DNS database of the flow past an oscillatory sphere. Last, the approach was applied on a high-resolution particle image velocimetry database from an experiment at higher Reynolds number of the flow past a pitching-up NACA0012 airfoil. The ROMs derived by the global POD-Galerkin projection approach, for all three moving-boundary cases, have shown adequate accuracy in the reconstruction of flow fields and the prediction of key aerodynamic features while keeping very low computational costs.

Three-dimensional wake structures controlled by the flow issuing from a horizontal hole in a wall-mounted short cylinder

This paper examines the three-dimensional (3D) wake flow structures induced by a wall-mounted short circular cylinder. The structures are controlled by the flow issuing from a horizontal hole (HH) drilled from the front to the rear of the cylinder. The 3D velocity fields are instantaneously measured at a Reynolds number of 10,720 using high-resolution tomographic particle image velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) in a water tunnel. The 3D vorticity fields, Q criterion, and characteristics of arch-type and tip vortices are compared between the HH cylinders and a standard cylinder based on the measured instantaneous 3D velocity fields. A 3D W-type arch vortex appears behind the short HH cylinders. Compared with the standard cylinder, the 3D W-type arch vortex and large-scale vortices break down more rapidly in the wake of the HH cylinders. The flow from the HH may reduce the rear recirculation region to 15%, effectively controlling the wake structures of short cylinders. A 3D wavelet multiresolution analysis is used to decompose the 3D velocity fields given by the Tomo-PIV data. The large-scale streamwise vortices in the HH cylinder wakes are smaller than those in the standard cylinder wake, and this becomes more evident as the hole height increases. The intermediate-scale vortices are also controlled by the flow issuing from the hole.

Experimental Investigation on the Wind-driven Runback Motion of Water Droplets over Solid Surfaces with Different Wettabilities

Aircraft icing is widely recognized as one of the most serious weather hazards to flight safety. Specially designed hydro-/ice-phobic coatings are currently undergoing development for aircraft icing mitigation. It was found that hydro-/icephobic coatings would delay the ice accretion iover airframe surfaces so that the impacted supercooled water droplets could be blown away by the airflow from the airframe surface before being frozen into ice. It is of fundamental importance to understand the wind-driven runback behavior of water droplets over surfaces treated with different coatings, since the corresponding knowledge would be very helpful and essential to develop more efficient anti-/de-icing systems for aircraft icing protection. With the rapid development of surface engineering, a series of specially designed surface coatings succeed in icing mitigation using airflow to remove the remained water. While various hydro-/ice-phobic coatings/surfaces have been developed in recent years, the “state-of-the-art” icephobic coatings/surfaces can be generally divided into three categories, i.e., 1). Lotus-leaf-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) with micro-/nano-scale surface textures to achieve very high contact angles (typically &gt; 150°); 2). Pitcherplant-inspired slippery liquid infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) with a layer of liquid lubricant (which is immiscible with water) being sandwiched between ice and solid substrate materials; and 3). Icephobic elastic materials/surfaces with deformable structures/surfaces. SHS has a water droplet contact angle (CA) larger than 150° and a sliding angle (SA) less than 10° . SHS always has a hierarchical structure which is similar to the lotus leaf, and water droplets on SHS appear as water beads which can easily roll off the surface by wind or gravity before frozen. Another strategy to reduce ice adhesion strength to a solid surface is to use a layer of liquid lubricant, which is immiscible with water, between ice and the solid surface. The use of such lubricated surfaces was investigated as early as 1960s, and has gained increasing attentions again recently with the introduction of a concept called Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS). SLIPS concept is inspired by the Nepenthes pitcher plants, which have evolved highly slippery, liquidinfused micro-textured rim to capture insects. SLIPS surfaces were not only found to be able to suppress ice/frost accretion by effectively removing condensed moisture even in high humidity conditions, but also exhibit at least an order of magnitude lower ice adhesion than most SHS coatings. More recently, elastic materials/surfaces, such as Polydimethylsiloxane or PDMS in short, which would be structurally deformed/altered dynamically upon applying extra mechanical stress, have also been suggested for icing mitigation. Elastic materials display ultra-low adhesion to ice due to their low work of adhesion and liquidlike deformability, while maintaining good mechanical durability due to their solid-like rigidity. It is found that water droplets would not only be more readily rebounding away from the surface after impingement, but also be able to roll away before frozen due to the hydrophobicity of PDMS. Considering the differences in wettabilities and mechanisms of water repellency, it is necessary to have a systematic understanding of how efficient the surfaces are when the aerodynamic force is applied to remove the adhered water droplets. In the present study, a comprehensive experimental campaign was conducted to characterize the transient runback behaviors of wind-driven water droplets over the surfaces of test plates coated with different hydro-/icephobic coatings (i.e., SHS, SLIPS and PDMS). A high-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system was used to achieve quantitative measurements of the velocity field of the airflow around the wind-driven water droplets on the test surfaces with different wettabilities. With the detailed PIV measurements of the airflow field around the runback water droplets and the droplet profiles, the aerodynamic forces and the adhesion forces acting on the water droplets were estimated. While Fig. 1 shows the experimental setup used in the present study, Fig. 2 to Fig. 3 given some of the typical measurement results. More measurement results and comprehensive analysis and discussions will be provided in the full version of this research paper.