Secondary Vortices Research Articles

Experimental Investigation on Vortex Generator's Distance From Film Cooling Hole

Abstract The effects of vortex generator distance from film cooling hole on increasing gas turbine blade film cooling efficiency have been studied experimentally. The technique of infrared (IR) thermography has been implemented to study the temperature field. The diameter of the film cooling hole and the cross-flow velocity define the Reynolds number, which is fixed at 2369. There are now three different jet to cross-flow blowing ratio adjustments: 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. Three different vortex generator distance from film cooling hole have been studied experimentally to increase the gas turbine blade film cooling efficiency. It has been shown that lowest distance among vortex generator distance and film cooling hole, yields better film cooling efficiency. Overall, the delta winglet pair with lowest distance between vortex generator distance and film cooling hole outperforms the higher distance because of the generation of secondary longitudinal vortices that completely destroy counter rotating vortex structures because their rotational tendency is opposite to that of the counter rotating vortex pair (CRVP).

Understanding of the asymmetric twin-stroll radial turbine under steady and pulsating inlet conditions

Utilize asymmetrical twin-scroll turbines (ATSTs) to achieve high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) with a single scroll while optimizing the other scroll’s design for engine scavenging optimization. ATST performance prediction relies heavily on understanding the turbine flow mechanism, which always faces the challenge posed by time-dependent non-uniform intake. This paper studied its performance and flow field under steady and unsteady intake conditions for a production ATST. Firstly, the steady performance of the ATST with different asymmetries (ASYs) under different scroll pressure ratios (SPRs) is investigated via the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. Results demonstrate that the distribution relationship between SPR and turbine flow parameter (MFP) has a certain symmetry based on SPR = 1. For efficiency, the imbalance of inlet conditions will lead to the reduction of turbine efficiency. Moreover, the ASY has little effect on the turbine’s efficiency under the condition of SPR = 1. Also, the unsteady CFD simulations are conducted under pulsating inlet conditions with different scroll averaged pressure ratios (SAPRs). The results show that the highest efficiency was achieved at an ASY of 0.5 under a SAPR of 1.2 conditions, and the maximum, minimum, and average efficiencies were 1.9%, 1.5%, and 0.9% higher than those at an ASY of 0.83. The turbine’s flow field at the optimal incidence angle point is analyzed. The secondary flow vortex in the volute of an ASY of 0.5 is more robust, and the volute outlet ‘s total pressure loss is more significant. However, a relatively good incidence angle is obtained at the rotor inlet, and the loss in the rotor flow field is more minor. Therefore, the turbine efficiency with an ASY of 0.5 is higher.

Numerical investigation of the collision of a vortex pair upon a solid wavy wall

The vortex dynamics produced by the collision of a vortex pair with a solid wavy wall are examined numerically using a proposed high-order vortex particle method. The influences of the Reynolds number (ReΓ) of the vortex pair, the wavelength (λw), and the wave amplitude (Aw) of the wall on the induced vortex structures, interactions among vortices, and the instability and reconnection of secondary vortices are discussed. The boundary layers at the top of ripples separate first to form the secondary vortices moving around the primary tubes. Meanwhile, the boundary layers at the bottom of ripples detach late, move vertically upward, and then form incomplete vortex loops due to an unsuccessful reconnection of the secondary vortices. The ReΓ effects cause the appearance of various vortex structures, such as incomplete primary vortex loops from the bottom of ripples at ReΓ=1000, secondary vortex loops due to interactions of the first loops with the wall at ReΓ=2000, and hairpin vortices at ReΓ=4000. The wavelength of the wall induces instability in the secondary vortex tubes. This instability on the secondary tubes appears at the top of ripples at λw=2r0, while it spreads over the whole secondary vortices at λw=4r0, where r0 is the initial spacing between the primary vortex tubes. This instability results in various wavy tubes that robustly interact with the primary tubes. Due to the effects of Aw, the primary vortex tubes significantly decay with time compared to those in the flat wall case.

The mechanism of aerodynamic performance enhancement of flapping wings with spanwise active deformation

The single stiffness makes the micro-air vehicles (MAVs) only to show excellent flight performance in a specific flow field environment. The MAVs should have the ability to actively deform to adapt to different application scenarios. This study investigates the effects of spanwise active deformation amplitude (ψmax), phase difference (φP), and Strouhal number (St) on the aerodynamic loads and vortex of a wing through numerical simulations. Under the condition of Re= 1000, numerical simulations were conducted on a rectangular wing with an aspect ratio of 4 during the flapping process. The study reveals that moderate spanwise deformation can increase the thrust of the wing and improve propulsion efficiency (ηP). Within the study's scope, the thrust coefficient increases monotonically and linearly with the deformation, but the propulsion efficiency improves only within a limited parameter range. By observing the vortex under different spanwise deformations and monitoring the forces at different positions of the wing, it was found that active deformation can enhance the strength of the leading-edge vortex (LEV) and the wingtip vortex (TV), thereby enhancing the generation of thrust. The results also indicate that the enhancement of LEV is achieved through the coupling between LEV and secondary vortex. At different Strouhal numbers, improvements in ηP can only be achieved through the combined effects of increased vortex strength and optimal vortex residence time. Additionally, it was observed that at lower St, TV can switch from contributing thrust to causing drag.

A computational study of the influence of wavy arteries and veins on hemodynamic characteristics in an unsteady state

The present work is focused on the study of hemodynamic characteristics for tortuous arteries/veins in a pulsatile flow. This work is an extension of an earlier work by the author, which reported the hemodynamic characteristics in a steady flow situation. It is a well-known fact that various geometric parameters affect the hemodynamics, such as the diameter of vessels, the diameter of mother and daughter tubes in bifurcation, the angle between them, and their relative magnitudes. This paper is focused on the effect of tortuosity produced in straight and bifurcating tubes under pulsatile flow conditions. A heartbeat rate of 120 bpm is considered for pulsation, covering one cycle of systole and diastole. The measure of tortuosity is defined by the varying pitch and the amplitude. The present analysis is carried out computationally using ANSYS. Results are presented through secondary flow streamline, velocity profile, and its effect on wall shear stress. Key findings are that secondary vortices are observed in the bifurcated model and counter-rotating vortices are observed in the wavy tube geometry. The velocity distribution is asymmetric in the case of the plain bifurcation geometry. In the case of the wavy tube and bifurcated geometry, there is a shift in peak velocity from the inner to the outer wall, depending on the crest and trough positions of the tortuous vein. Relative change in magnitude of velocity for wavy tube depends on the depth and pitch of wavy wall of the tortuous tube. The velocity reduces with an increase in time step for unsteady flow.

The influence of serrated trailing edge on pulsating pressure and noise performance of pump-jet propulsor under submarine self-propulsion condition

Owls make almost no noise when gliding, thanks to the unique feather structure at the tail of their wings. Drawing on the tail structure of the owl wings, the trailing edge of the duct in the pump-jet propulsor (PJP) system is improved. Based on the detached eddy simulation method, the influence of serrated trailing edge on the pulsating pressure and noise performance of a PJP under submarine self-propulsion conditions is numerically analyzed. The results show that the influence of the serrated trailing edge on the self-propulsion performance is negligible. The serrated trailing edge destroys the large-scale duct-induced vortices in the spanwise direction, and additional secondary vortices are formed in the wakefield, increasing the pulsating pressure of the downstream flow field. The pulsation amplitude of each order at the downstream monitoring point of the serrated duct PJP (SD-PJP) model is significantly greater than that of the benchmark PJP (BM-PJP) model. The serrated trailing edge can effectively reduce the noise of PJP. The maximum noise reduction in the axial and radial planes is 1.23 and 0.91 dB.

Shock wave structures and vortex unsteadiness in the tip region of a transonic turbine cascade under different conditions

The tip region of transonic turbine blades (exit Mach number of 0.95) exhibits complex flow characteristics with the coexistence of multiple shock wave systems and multiscale vortices. Based on a validated detached Eddy simulation method, unsteady flow features such as the spatial-temporal dynamic evolution of tip leakage vortices (TLV) and the periodic buffet/oscillation of shock trains inside the tip gap are revealed and discussed systematically under different incidence angles (i) and heights of tip clearance. Moreover, the distinction of tip flow structures between the subsonic and transonic conditions is also manifested. Results indicate that the wandering behavior of the TLV is influenced by both the swirling strength of the vortex itself and the interaction of adjacent secondary vortices. The TLV under a tip gap of 5% blade height (h) exhibits “binary and bimodal” wandering characteristics both along the pitchwise and spanwise direction, whereas under the 1%h case, only the pitchwise wandering is prominent. The dominant characteristic frequency of the TLV wandering under different conditions falls within the spectrum range of 2.2–2.4 kHz. As for the shock trains inside the tip clearance (τ), coherently movement back and forth along the pitchwise direction with varying amplitudes can be observed, where the magnitude within the τ=1%h exceeds that observed in the τ=5%h, depending on the intensity of the shock waves. Notably, significant shock wave oscillations are present throughout the range of the chord length (c) within the τ=1%h, whereas within the tip gap of 5%h, shock wave systems exhibit more pronounced oscillations predominantly near the trailing edge.

Effect of profiled endwall on nozzle guide vane with coolant purge flow

The aerothermal performance of a gas turbine could be improved by applying endwall profiling to the nozzle guide vane. In this study, various thermal performance factors of flat and profiled endwalls with purge coolant flow were investigated using adequate experimental methods. Each experiment was conducted under same exit Reynolds number (300,000) for the flat and profiled endwalls. Because secondary vortices in the nozzle passage were weakened by the endwall profiling, the upstream purge coolant covered the endwall surface wider and further with the profiled endwall. Moreover, the heat transfer coefficient in upstream region could be reduced with the weakened secondary vortex. The experimental results indicated that the area-averaged film cooling effectiveness on the profiled endwall was 67.7 % higher and the area-averaged Sherwood number was 18.3 % lower than those on the flat endwall. Although the downstream region of the profiled endwall exhibited a negative cooling performance, the overall area-averaged net heat flux reduction was 169 % higher than that on the flat endwall. Thus, if an additional cooling system was applied to the downstream region of the passage, the profiled endwall could effectively improve not only the aerodynamic performance but also the cooling performance of the nozzle guide vane.

Numerical and experimental investigation on iron contamination of 200 mm semiconductor-grade CZ-Si by bubble-free layer of quartz crucible

The thickness of bubble-free (BF) layer of the quartz crucible is crucial for heat transfer during the crystal growth process of 200 mm semiconductor-grade CZ silicon. The effect of the BF layer thickness on the contamination of impurity Fe in the wafer was investigated through experimental and numerical simulations. The experimental results demonstrated that a crucible with a 3 mm BF layer (S1) exhibited a lower thermal conductivity (1.37 W/(K• m)) in comparison to a 6 mm BF layer (S2) with a thermal conductivity of 1.72 W/(K• m). Despite the S2 crucible requiring an additional 0.40 kW for thermal compensation, it resulted in a lower concentration of Fe impurities. Compared to S1, S2 crucible offered superior performance in stabilizing the distribution of O and C impurities, resulting in more uniform distribution and improved crystal quality. Simulations indicated that the utilization of S2 quartz crucibles had minimal effect on the velocity field of Ar gas but elevated the melt temperature, strengthened the Taylor-Proudman vortex beneath the crystal-melt interface and altered the flow direction of the secondary vortex. This study highlights the importance of crucible design in controlling the contamination of Fe impurities for the production of high-quality Si wafers.

Numerical investigation on secondary injection and thrust vector control in a planar double divergent nozzle

In this work, the performance of secondary injection thrust vector control of an altitude adaptive planar double divergent supersonic nozzle is numerically investigated. The compressible turbulent flow is solved using the kT−kL−ω transition-sensitive eddy-viscosity model. An analytical model to predict the separation distance and penetration height due to secondary fluid injection is developed based on the blunt-body theory, and it shows good agreement with the numerical estimation. The computational results indicate that injection pressure, injector location and injection angle significantly impact the thrust vector control performance. The core flow is disrupted by the momentum injection from the secondary fluid, causing the flow field structure to become asymmetrical. The wall pressure imbalance between the upper and lower nozzle increases as the secondary jet pressure elevates. Further, the thrust vectoring amplification factor is improved when the injector is placed downstream near the outlet since the shock reflection is circumvented. Indeed, that resulted in the generation of a large lateral thrust force. Most importantly, for a high injector slot angle, the primary downstream vortex disappears, and a strong secondary upstream vortex is generated, which shifts the primary upstream vortex opposite to the core flow, subsequently the shock separation is advanced. In addition, a secondary injector fitted near the exit with high inclination angles and injection pressure generated a lateral thrust of 20%.

Jet array impingement heat transfer in a rectangular cavity with effusion holes

Various researchers have studied jet array impingement heat transfer in impingement/effusion cooling systems. However, there is a lack of research on impingement/effusion cooling systems installed within rectangular cavities that focus on the impact of the proximity of the jet hole to the cavity sidewalls on cooling performance. The main objective of this study is to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of jet array impingement with effusion holes in a rectangular cavity, considering various spacings between the cavity sidewalls and the outermost jet hole. The design parameters in this study include the ratio of the jet hole pitch to jet hole diameter of 7.1, 10.0, and 16.7, and the ratio of the distance between the jet and impingement plates to jet hole diameter of 2, 6, and 10, with the Reynolds number based on the jet hole diameter ranging from 2500 to 15,000. Heat transfer characteristics in the stagnation region and wall jet region were examined using local Nusselt number distributions on the impingement surface, measured by liquid crystal thermography. The local Nusselt number was high in the stagnation region and decreased radially from the stagnation region as the wall jet region formed. The closer the outermost jet hole is to the sidewall, the higher the Nusselt number on the impingement surface near the sidewall. Moreover, the flow structure in the rectangular cavity was numerically investigated, and the velocity vectors and streamlines showed that primary and secondary vortices were generated in the middle of two neighboring jets and near the sidewall, respectively. This study also assessed previous average Nusselt number correlations. Based on experimentally determined average Nusselt number data with 54 center unit cells and 1296 side unit cells, new correlations to predict the average Nusselt number on the impingement surface in a rectangular cavity with effusion holes were developed.

Effects of axisymmetric confinement on vortical structures emanating from round turbulent jets

Confined jets occur in many engineering applications including combustion chambers, jet pumps, and chemical reactors. The effects of axisymmetric confinement on the vortical structures identified in a turbulent jet are investigated using large eddy simulation at a Reynolds number of 30 000 (based on nozzle exit conditions) and expansion ratio (chamber-to-nozzle diameter ratio) of five. The results obtained from the confined jet are compared with those of a free jet under the same nozzle exit flow conditions. A prominent recirculation zone forms between the expanding jet and the confining wall, resulting in early shear layer distortion and a shorter interaction length in the confined jet (0.85 jet diameters) compared to the free jet (1.15 jet diameters). Using the λ2 criterion for vortex identification, two dominant structural modes are identified in the near-exit region of the free jet: ring and helical modes. However, in the confined jet, the helical mode is absent, and the turbulent confined fluid accelerates the breakup of the ring vortices. The interaction of the secondary line vortices with the breaking structures leads to the formation of new hairpin-like vortices, which also contribute to further vortex breakup. These results explain the enhanced mixing performance of confined jets as the mixing is directly tied to the breakup of large vortical structures. Proper orthogonal decomposition modes are also presented to identify the structures/events with the highest contribution to the total turbulent kinetic energy in both flow fields.

A LES study on the instantaneous H2 jet-ignited combustion characteristics of H2/NH3 mixtures

This paper presents a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) study investigating jet flame ignition characteristics to achieve stable ammonia combustion for novel applications in gaseous ammonia/hydrogen-fueled engines with an active prechamber. The study investigated three cases with initial global equivalence ratios of 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0. Two main ignition modes were proposed, and five stages of coupled flame propagation processes were identified. The oscillation of supersonic hydrogen jet flame was investigated. The modes of flame-vortex interaction including vortex ring formation, along with the mechanism of highly reactive zone formation, were proposed. The effects of reactivity and turbulence transition on piloted ammonia flame were investigated to attain stable ammonia combustion and achieve a high heat release rate. The results showed that oscillations in the jet flame were strengthened at low global equivalence ratios with high hydrogen mass ratios. Enhancing propagation of initial and secondary vortex rings broadened highly reactive zones. Vorticity dissipated more rapidly at low equivalence ratios, leading to a stratified structure and enhanced piloted spherical flame. The Unsteady Flamelet Ignition Prediction (UFIP) sub-model of combustion was verified for the piloted ammonia flame, enabling a more comprehensive discussion of flame propagation tendencies.

On the absence of a secondary vortex street in three-dimensional and turbulent cylinder wakes

On the absence of a secondary vortex street in three-dimensional and turbulent cylinder wakes

Innovative centrifugal airflow upgrading for coal gasification fine slag based on experiment and CFD-DEM approach

In this work, an innovative process combining centrifugal airflow upgrading and sieving was proposed to achieve enrichment of residual carbon. The separation mechanism and macroscopic flow behavior in centrifugal air classifier were explained and predicted by constructing a coupled CFD-DEM model considering particle contact parameters. Compared the grinding, dry sieving pre-treatment had a better promotion effect on the enrichment of residual carbon. The general flow pattern was composed of an upward swirling flow and a horizontal rotation flow, facilitating dispersion and secondary elution of carbon. However, the tangential inlet and horizontally mounted rotor cage were the main cause of secondary vortex formation, leading to severe particle entrainment. Increasing inlet gas velocity at appropriate rotor speed was conducive to obtaining higher carbon content and carbon yield. By regulating the inlet gas velocity and rotor speed, higher carbon content and yield could be achieved at particle size fractions of 78–160 μm.

Energy concentration pipe based on passive jet control for enhancing flow induced vibration energy harvesting

Passive control is a classic method for enhancing the energy harvesting from flow-induced vibrations. This study introduces the Energy Concentration Pipe (ECP), a hollow pipe featuring a passive windward suction inlet and jet outlets, mounted on a circular cylinder to improve the performance of flow-induced vibration energy harvester. The effects of ECP configurations—single outlet, symmetrical dual outlet, and asymmetrical dual outlet—are investigated both experimentally and numerically. Experimental results demonstrate that the ECP significantly broadens the lock-in region and generates higher output voltage compared to conventional cylinders. Specifically, the lock-in region of the symmetrical dual outlet configuration increases by 108.33%, meanwhile the maximum output voltage improves by 12.69% over the baseline case. Numerical simulations further elucidate the mechanisms of the ECP, identifying the energy concentration phenomenon. An additional portion of incoming airflow, along with its energy, is channeled through the ECP and jetted into the wake vortex behind the cylinder, altering the wake vortex shedding process. The wake structure is characterized by large primary vortex pairs and smaller secondary vortices. The energy concentration also results in larger and stronger wake vortices, enhancing unsteadiness and broadening the lock-in region. Moreover, a transverse oscillation of vortices induces additional excitation on the cylinder due to pressure oscillation, leading to larger vibration amplitude and higher output voltage.

PIV investigation of stalled flow field near the blade rim region of mixed-flow pump under different tip clearances

In order to further explore the physical mechanism of rotating stall induced by different rim leakage flow intensification, the velocity distribution of the stall flow field of the mixed flow pump under different rim clearance scales was obtained by Particle Image Velocimetry technology. By comparing the flow structure under different shooting sections, different phases and different working conditions, the influence of rim clearance scale on the flow field near the wall of the mixed flow pump was revealed. The results show that under the design flow conditions, there is an obvious reflux phenomenon near the hub of the guide vane inlet of the mixed flow pump under the four kinds of rim clearance, but the intensity is weak, and it does not affect the main flow field in the impeller channel. With the increase of rim clearance scale, the leakage flow intensity also increases, and the main flow area affected by the TLV structure also increases. In the deep stall condition, the reflux vortex at the inlet of the guide vane of the mixed flow pump still exists at each clearance, but the unsteady flow structure begins to appear inside, especially the large secondary vortex structure formed at the guide vane inlet, which seriously blocks the main flow. With the increase of the rim clearance, the flow field at the inlet of the guide vane is also obviously affected, and the secondary vortex core gradually moves towards the end wall area, resulting in an increase in the blocked area in the flow field. At the same time, the unsteady flow intensity of the flow field shows a nonlinear increasing trend. The unsteady strength of flow field increases rapidly with small gap impellers, while the unsteady strength changes slowly with large gap impellers. This study provides a reference for optimizing the rim clearance of mixed-flow pump and improving the efficiency of mixed-flow pump.

Impingement of vortex dipole on heated boundaries and related thermal plume dynamics

The profound influence of an externally induced vortex dipole on thermal plume dynamics is numerically studied for varying Rayleigh numbers (Ra) employing the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook collision model-based lattice Boltzmann method with a double distribution function approach. This study is extended to vortex dipole impingement with different types of heated bottom boundaries of two-dimensional domain, such as flat, “V-shaped,” and “inverted-V-shaped.” The vortex dipole impingement with the heated boundaries generates secondary vortices, which in turn produce vortex-driven thermal plumes, thereby advancing plume generation. The subsequent merging of the plumes enhances heat transport and leads to a continuous plume ascent. The presence of convex corners facilitates flow separation and also gives rise to the formation of secondary vortex dipoles, thereby significantly impacting the continuous generation of jet-like plumes when compared to concave configurations. The lack of an external vortex in pure buoyancy-driven flows produces less pronounced jet-like plumes and a relatively low Nusselt number. The boundary types and Ra significantly influence the vorticity production, resulting in higher enstrophy and palinstrophy for convex boundaries compared to flat and concave ones. A lower Prandtl number increases secondary vortices and corner rolls, leading to larger velocity gradients, higher thermal diffusivity, resulting in increased kinetic energy and thermal dissipation rates. The increased cell height enhances heat transfer at the top boundary due to improved heat convection from the slanted boundary and influence of early dipole impingement. Furthermore, kinetic energy dissipates in the dipole-driven flows and increases in the buoyancy-dominated flows.

Topology optimization with vortex-intensity-based objective function enables novel film cooling hole with superior performance

Film cooling is widely adopted in the thermal protection of modern aerospace engines. The optimization of the film hole is an important issue in thermal designs. In this work, a density-based topology optimization is conducted to obtain a high-performance film cooling hole geometry. Unlike the traditional wall-temperature-based optimization objectives, a novel objective function based on the Q-criteria is proposed by taking the vorticity dynamics and flow mixing into account. Finally, a unique high-performance film hole is obtained, which shows superior performance compared to the standard cylindrical hole, particularly at high blowing ratios. The film cooling effectiveness can be elevated by 51 folds in the case of a high blowing ratio (M = 1.5). Analyses of the vortices and velocity fields suggest that the presence of the additional secondary vortex pair enhances the attachment of cooling air to the wall.

Numerical investigation into rotating instability and the vortex structure near the tip in a transonic compressor rotor

An unsteady simulation with a full-annular computed domain was conducted to explore the flow unsteadiness near the tip region and the mechanism of rotating instability (RI) in the transonic rotor. The numerical static pressure signals were monitored at the tip region. RI was identified by a frequency hump in the spectrum of the static pressure signal in a small mass flow coefficient with a narrow range of 0.9510–0.9174. The cross-power spectrum of two static pressure signals obtained in adjacent passages showed that the circumferential propagation speed of RI decreased with the decrease in the mass flow coefficient. The relative circumferential propagation speed of RI of the prominent mode order was −0.65 to −0.61 times the rotor speed. Details of the flow field near the tip showed that a new vortex structure was induced by the interaction of the tip leakage vortex and the shock wave, which was called as tip secondary vortex (TSV). The TSV was the key parameter to the formation of RI. The impact of the TSV on the pressure side surface generated a low-pressure area and changed the tip load of the adjacent blade. RI is result of the propagation of the interaction between the TSV and the tip load.