Wake Research Articles

Improving UASS pesticide application: optimizing and validating drift and deposition simulations.

As unmanned aerial spraying systems (UASS) usage grows rapidly worldwide, a critical research study was conducted to optimize the simulation of UASS applications, aiming to enhance pesticide delivery efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The study examined several key aspects for accurate simulation of UASS application with lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Based on these discussions, the most suitable grid size and simulation parameters were selected to create a robust model for optimizing UASS performance in various pest management scenarios, potentially leading to more targeted and sustainable pest control practices. The effect of stability parameter, grid size around the rotor and near ground, and parameters at wake flow were carefully analyzed to improve the precision of pesticide drift predictions and deposition patterns. Optimal grid sizes were identified as 0.2 m generally, 0.025 m near rotors, and a 0.1 + 0.2 m scheme for ground proximity, with finer grids improving accuracy but increasing computation time. Wake resolution and threshold significantly influenced simulation results, while wake distance had minimal impact beyond a certain point. The LBM's accuracy was validated by comparing simulated downwash flow and droplet deposition with field test data. This study optimized UASS simulation parameters, balancing computational efficiency with accuracy. The validated model enhances our ability to design more effective UASS for pest management, potentially leading to more precise and targeted pesticide applications. These advancements contribute to the development of sustainable pest control strategies, aiming to reduce pesticide usage and environmental impact while maintaining crop protection efficacy. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Numerical Simulation of the Unsteady Airwake of the Liaoning Carrier Based on the DDES Model Coupled with Overset Grid

The wake behind an aircraft carrier under heavy wind condition is a key concern in ship design. The Chinese Liaoning ship’s upturned bow and the island on the deck could cause serious flow separation in the landing and take-off area. The flow separation induces strong velocity gradients and intense pulsations in the flow field. In addition, the sway of the aircraft carrier caused by waves could also intensify the flow separation. The complex flow field poses a significant risk to the shipboard aircraft take-off and landing operation. Therefore, accurately predicting the wake of an aircraft carrier during wave action motion is of great interest for design optimization and recovery aircraft control. In this research, the aerodynamic around an aircraft carrier (i.e., Liaoning) was analyzed using the computational fluid dynamics technique. The validity of two turbulence models was verified through comparison with the existing data from the literature. The upturned bow take-off deck and the right-hand island were the main areas where flow separation occurred. Delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES), which combines the advantages of LES and RANS, was adopted to capture the full-scale spatial and temporal flow information. The DDES was also coupled with the overset grid to calculate the flow field characteristics under the effect of hull sway. The downwash area at 15° starboard wind became shorter when the hull was stationary, while the upwash area and turbulence intensity increased. The respective characteristics of the wake flow field in the stationary and swaying state of the ship were investigated, and the flow separation showed a clear periodic when the ship was swaying. Comprehensive analysis of the time-dependent flow characteristic of the approach line for fixed-wing naval aircraft is also presented.

Development and validation of a three-dimensional wind-turbine wake model based on high-order Gaussian function

Under natural conditions, the wake velocity distribution approximates top-hat shape in the near wake center, and a Gaussian shape in the far wake. To improve the prediction accuracy of the wake distribution, this paper proposes a three-dimensional high-order Gaussian linear entrainment wake model by modifying the wake velocity distribution with high-order Gaussian function. Field tests and wind tunnel tests are then conducted. The obtained results show that the proposed model can accurately describe the radial and vertical spatial distributions of the wake flow. Under different wind speeds, the maximum and minimum radial relative errors are respectively 7.29% and 1.4%, while the maximum and minimum vertical relative errors are respectively 7.64% and 3.87%. This demonstrates that the proposed model can accurately predict the velocity distribution in the whole wake region. The proposed model is simple, has low cost, and exhibits high accuracy. Thus, it can be used in wind farm layout optimization and wake control.

Wake flow behind a transversely rotating sphere confined in a pipe at low Reynolds numbers

Direct numerical simulations are performed to investigate the flow past a transversely rotating sphere confined in a pipe. Three sphere diameters of d=0.2D, 0.5D, and 0.8D (D is the pipe diameter) and sphere Reynolds numbers (based on the sphere cross-sectional mean velocity and d) of Res=250–500 are considered. The simulation results highlight the combined effects of the blockage ratio (BR=d/D) and the nondimensionalized rotation rate Ω in the range of 0.2–1.2 on the wake flow. For each BR, with increasing Res and Ω, the wake flow undergoes a transition of the flow pattern from steady symmetry and unsteady symmetry to unsteady asymmetry. For BR=0.2, the variation in flow behaviors with Ω is similar to those reported in the previous studies on a transversely rotating sphere subjected to a uniform flow. With increasing BR from 0.2 to 0.5, the unsteady asymmetric wake flow is characterized by distorted near-wake vortex rings and a series of staggered inward rolled-up vortex arcs on the double streamwise vortex threads, which results in a low-frequency modulation of the unsteady wake flow. These rolled-up vortex arcs are connected with downstream quasi-streamwise vortices and form hairpin-like vortices. Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) analysis shows that the distorted near-wake vortex rings are associated with the antisymmetric DMD mode at the adjacent frequency around the symmetric primary DMD mode. With BR=0.8, there is a drastic increase in the sphere's force coefficients. A more complex wake flow behavior is found due to a strong interaction between the wake flow and the near-pipe-wall flow. At Ω=1.2, dominant asymmetric flow structures are characterized by impingement of the vortex filaments. The low-frequency modulation of these wake structures is also analyzed using the DMD analysis.

Effect of hills on wind turbine flow and power efficiency: A large-eddy simulation study

This study investigates the influence of topography on wind turbine flow and power efficiency. Specifically, a standalone wind turbine is positioned at the top of idealized two-dimensional hills, and the effects of hill geometry and turbine position are systematically investigated. Various parameters are studied, including hill slope, distance between the leeward side of the hill and the turbine, turbine hub height, and hill size. Overall, it is observed that the turbine wake is consistently stronger in the hill cases compared to the flat case. This is attributed to two characteristics of hill flows: (1) the negative streamwise velocity gradients on the leeward side of the hills and (2) the reduced turbulence above the hilltops and hill wake regions. In addition, it is observed that the turbine induction factor is consistently increased in the hill cases compared to the flat case, while the turbine power and thrust coefficients are reduced. In practice, this means that turbines on the hills produce less power output than those on flat terrain for an equivalent wind potential, with the potential decrease in power output reaching more than 20% for certain cases. Altogether, the results offer new insights into the effect of topography on turbine power efficiency. In addition, the study identifies clear relationships between the turbine power coefficient, the induction factor, the overall maximum deficit, and the base flow pressure gradient. These relationships could potentially be used to predict the change in power efficiency based on the wake flow or the base flow. Overall, the results show a clear connection between the turbine power efficiency and the turbine wake development.

Aeroacoustics of a Square Finite-Wall-Mounted Cylinder in Pressure-Gradient Flows

An experimental investigation of the wake flow structures, surface pressure fluctuations, and noise production of a square finite-wall-mounted cylinder with an aspect ratio of 2.4 is presented. The cylinder was immersed in flows with favorable, near-zero, and adverse pressure gradients at a Reynolds number of 48,000, based on cylinder width. Far-field noise, unsteady surface pressure, and particle image velocimetry measurements were taken simultaneously using the open-jet pressure-gradient test rig in the UNSW Anechoic Wind Tunnel. Favorable and adverse pressure gradients were found to enhance and suppress the cylinder tonal noise, respectively. A favorable pressure gradient reduced the size of the recirculation region in the wake, which intensified the free-end downwash and suppressed the junction upwash. The intensities of the cylinder surface pressure fluctuations were slightly increased at the primary and secondary shedding Strouhal numbers (based on cylinder width) of approximately 0.1 and 0.2. Conversely, the recirculation region expanded under an adverse pressure gradient, with the downwash weakened and the upwash enhanced. The peaks in the surface pressure spectra were noticeably attenuated at the primary shedding Strouhal number and completely suppressed at the secondary Strouhal number. Wake flow structures correlated with the surface pressure fluctuations and far-field noise were identified to understand the enhancement or suppression mechanisms of the surface pressure fluctuations and the associated shedding regimes.

Ship-VNet: An Algorithm for Ship Velocity Analysis Based on Optical Remote Sensing Imagery Containing Kelvin Wakes

Extracting ship velocity vectors from optical remote sensing images is a very challenging task, and ship wakes are the only motion features of ships. However, because the sensor’s field of view is not sufficiently bright and the brightness is not uniform, the image contains noise, which makes it difficult to define and extract the wake of the ship. Velocity analysis of the extracted wake makes the whole process complicated and slow. Therefore, considering the above problems, this paper proposes Ship-VNet, an optical remote sensing image ship velocity analysis algorithm based on Kelvin wakes. In this model, the rotating target detection algorithm is used to detect the ship, and then, the classical relationship between the kinematic characteristics of the ship’s Kelvin wake and the velocity of the ship is studied and experimentally analyzed in the frequency domain. In addition, based on optical remote sensing images and corresponding real AIS data, a ship dataset with Kelvin wakes marked with heading velocity was constructed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with the ship velocity analysis method based on the frequency domain, which was also used in the previous research, the experiment demonstrates the superiority of the method in terms of analysis accuracy.

A deep-learning approach for 3D realization of mean wake flow of marine hydrokinetic turbine arrays

We present a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm to reconstruct turbulence statistics in the wake of marine hydrokinetic (MHK) turbine arrays installed in large meandering rivers. To train the CNN, we utilize large eddy simulation (LES) data depicting the wake flow from a single row of turbines. Once trained, the CNN is deployed to forecast the wake flow of MHK turbine arrays under different hydrodynamic conditions and for varying waterway plan-form geometry. Validation of the CNN predictions are conducted using independently performed LES. Our findings demonstrate the capacity of CNN to accurately predict the wake flow of MHK turbine arrays at significantly reduced computational cost compared to LES. Additionally, the comparison between CNN and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulation exhibits a notable advantage of CNN in prediction efficiency and accuracy. This research highlights the potential of CNN to establish reduced-order models for facilitating control co-design and optimization of MHK turbine arrays within natural environments.

Indirect optical geometry measurements with a stream of particles as micro probes

The manufacturing of micro-structured components with varying geometries and materials requires precise and versatile applicable geometry measurement techniques. Optical measurement approaches enable high-precision measurements, but they rely on cooperative surfaces. To overcome the dependency on the optical surface response, the surface of a measured object is determined indirectly using an aerosol flow with fluorescent particles and a confocal fluorescence microscope. To precisely extract the surface position from the scanned fluorescence signal of the particles in the surrounding air, a model-based signal processing is proposed. To assess the measurement capabilities and the influence of the aerosol supply flow, geometry and flow measurements are performed on a flat plate geometry and a step geometry. As a result, a measurement uncertainty of ▪ with no systematic error was achieved for the flat plate experiment, despite the different boundary layer flows at the different measurement positions. In contrast to this, a significant systematic measurement error occurred in the wake flow region of the step geometry because of flow separation and, thus, no detectable particles directly behind the step. In summary, the findings clarify an in principle achievable sub-micrometre resolution with improved optics and a large number of detected particles, but also emphasise the necessity of a sufficient particle supply for enabling indirect optical geometry measurements.

An investigation of superstructure length on bi-stable ship wake flow

The variation in the geometry of a ship model has the potential to eliminate the flow asymmetry in ship wake and improve its aerodynamic performance. This study investigates the impact of the length of superstructure on the wake flow bi-stability of the ship model using IDDES at Re = 8 × 104. Also, this article studied the effect of ship's funnel structure using two models, with and without funnel, on the wake flow asymmetry, providing smooth transition into the study of the length of superstructure. The result indicates that when the funnel is removed, the length of flow reattachment after separation at the hanger increases for the top step and decreases for the second step for the case with no funnel. The asymmetric flow at wake persists, however, the configuration is different, showing difference in flow state. When the length of the superstructure is reduced, the turbulence at the wake increases, the size of recirculation bubble at the flight deck and behind the stern reduces and the overall pressure area decreases significantly. Behind the stern, all three cases indicate an asymmetrical flow, however, compared to Case 1, the asymmetry at the flight deck in Case 2 is weak, while a symmetrical flow is achieved with Case 3. Consequently, this research proposes a novel approach to improving wake flow and ensure safe aircraft take-off and landing operations on the ship deck.

Analysis of unsteady wake flow in centrifugal pump volute by using mode decomposition method

To analyze the coherent structure of wake flow in volute and its corresponding frequency information, dynamic modal decomposition (DMD), classic and spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD), were employed to decompose the transient flow field of the centrifugal pump volute. The snapshot set was constructed by means of the velocity field data at different moments in volute based on the large eddy simulation (LES) approach. The basic principles of the DMD, POD, and SPOD methods were compared in detail, and the decomposition results of the three methods on the wake flow structure in volute were compared and analyzed. The analysis results show that DMD can decompose the wake flow into coherent structures with different frequencies, including the basic steady-state structure, the dynamic modal flow field structure characterizing rotor–stator interaction (the first three modes with frequencies of 145.81, 291.61, and 437.43 Hz, respectively), and dissipative modal flow field structure characterizing fragmentized vortex (the fourth mode with a frequency of 486.03 Hz) in the volute. The POD can decompose the wake flow into flow structures with different energy levels. The first four modal energies account for more than 66% of total energy, which represents the large-scale structure with higher energy, and its dominant frequencies correspond to the blade passing frequency (145 Hz) and its frequency multiplication (290 Hz). The SPOD can not only decompose the complex wake flow into structural features of different energy levels but also has single-frequency characteristics of its modal structures. Compared with DMD and POD methods, the SPOD has the advantages of both, and can reflect the evolution characteristics of the wake flow in the volute.

Cold Filaments Formed in Hot Wake Flows Uplifted by Active Galactic Nucleus Bubbles in Galaxy Clusters

Multiwavelength observations indicate that the intracluster medium in some galaxy clusters contains cold filaments, while their formation mechanism remains debated. Using hydrodynamic simulations, we show that cold filaments could naturally condense out of the hot gaseous wake flows uplifted by jet-inflated active galactic nucleus (AGN) bubbles. Consistent with observations, the simulated filaments extend to tens of kiloparsecs from the cluster center, with a representative mass of 108–109 M ⊙ for a typical AGN outburst energy of 1060 erg. They show smooth velocity gradients, stretching typically from inner inflows to outer outflows with velocity dispersions of several hundred kilometers per second. The properties of cold filaments are affected substantially by the jet properties. Compared to kinetic-energy-dominated jets, it is easier for thermal-energy-dominated jets to produce long cold filaments with large masses, as observed. AGN jets with an early turn-on time, a low jet base, or a very high power tend to overheat the cluster center and produce short cold filaments that take a relatively long time to condense out.

Analysis of the cross-flow features around two side-by-side rectangular cylinders

This study employs the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to numerically analyze the fluid flow around two side-by-side rectangular cylinders with an aspect ratio (AR) of 3:2. The gap spacing (G) between the cylinders is taken in the range 0–10 and the Reynolds number (Re) is fixed at 200. The numerical outcomes depict a strong correlation between flow patterns, force variations, gap spacing, and aspect ratio. Among these parameters, the latter ones strongly influence the flow-induced drag, lift, and pressure. The mean drag coefficient (CDmean), Strouhal number (St), and root-mean-square values of force coefficients exhibit rapid variations under the impact of these parameters for both cylinders. The observed outcomes further indicate that flow structures in the wake vary with changes in gap spacing. Five separate patterns of wake flow are detected, depending on varying gap spacing. These patterns include isolated bluff-body flow, flip-flopping flow, non-synchronized flow, modulated synchronized flow, and synchronized flow.

Optical Detection of Underwater Propeller Wake Based on a Position-Sensitive Detector

The study of underwater vehicle wake detection is of significant importance within the field of target detection, localisation, and tracking of underwater vehicles. Given that propellers are the propellers of modern ships and underwater vehicles, the propeller wake field represents the principal target source for wake detection in underwater vehicles. The objective of this paper is to propose a method for measuring the wake of an underwater propeller based on a position-sensitive detector. A theoretical model of the relationship between the laser spot displacement and the change in the refractive index of the wake field is established on the basis of the principle of laser beam deflection. A prototype experimental setup for underwater propeller wake measurement was constructed based on the aforementioned optical measurement method. Furthermore, the simulation of the propeller wake flow field with strong density stratification and linear density stratification was conducted based on the experimental setup. Furthermore, experiments were conducted to detect the flow field of a propeller wake. The experimental results indicate that the wake dissipation times of the propeller in a strong density-stratified water environment are approximately 800 s and 750 s. Following the stabilisation of the wake field density, the laser spot position is observed to be stable at 0.341 mm and 0.441 mm, respectively, with a corresponding refractive index change of 2.99 × 10−6 RIU (refractive index unit) and 3.87 × 10−6 RIU, respectively. These experimental results are found to be in general agreement with the simulation results of the propeller wake field. A comparison of the experimental wake measurements based on the device with the wake measurements based on a CTD (conductivity–temperature–depth) device reveals a consistent trend. The realisation of this detection technique is of great significance for the advancement of research in the field of optical detection of underwater vehicle wake streams.

A numerical investigation on the effects of passenger movement on droplet dispersion in a high-speed train compartment

Cough droplets pose significant risks to human respiratory health, potentially leading to severe infections in indoor environments. In the confined and densely populated high-speed train compartment, passenger movement is unavoidable and follows a fixed path. This movement impacts the designed airflow and, consequently, influences the dispersion of cough droplets. In this study, a validated computational fluid dynamics overset mesh method was adopted to implement passenger movement along the aisle, and the impact of passenger movement on droplet dispersion inside a high-speed train compartment was investigated. The results show that the wake flow generated by moving passengers can carry cough droplets along the direction of movement. The timing and speed of passenger movement play a pivotal role in the extent of droplet dispersion. Premature and delayed interactions with the droplet cloud diminish engagement due to inadequate and excessive dispersion, respectively. When a passenger begins walking at the 10th second, droplet transfer in the direction of movement peaks, reaching up to 4.9 times that of the stationary case in the area of seat 13A, with droplet transmissions extending up to 6 m. The walking speed affects the intensity of the wake flow. A walking speed of 1.0 m/s or higher results in the noticeable transmission of droplets in the direction of the walking passenger. These findings underscore the necessity for incorporating human movement dynamic in the development of ventilation strategies and public health guidelines to mitigate airborne transmission risks in enclosed public spaces.

An improved delayed detached-eddy study on the aerodynamic braking technique based on blunting the streamlined section of the high-speed train

This paper utilizes the improved delayed detached-eddy simulation method to investigate an aerodynamic braking technique involving blunting the streamlined portion of a high-speed train (HST) at Re = 5.0 × 105. The accuracy of the numerical simulation method was validated through reduced-scale wind tunnel experiments at the same Reynolds number level. The study compares aerodynamic drag, pressure distribution, boundary layer, and wake flow characteristics between the original configuration and the braking configuration of the HST. Additionally, the impact of aerodynamic braking plates on the flow characteristics around the key components of the HST has also been discussed. The results indicate a significant increase in the pressure drag experienced by the HST with the application of aerodynamic braking plates to its streamlined sections, while there is a slight decrease in viscous drag. This leads to a remarkable 235.4% rise in the overall aerodynamic drag of the entire HST. The aerodynamic braking plates also have a substantial impact on the turbulent wake flow topology, significantly increasing turbulence levels in the near-wake region. Furthermore, the implementation of aerodynamic braking plates may affect pantograph current collection by significantly altering stream-wise and vertical velocity components, notably increasing velocity fluctuation around the contact position between the pantograph and power supply lines.

Aerodynamic performance and flow field characteristics of wind turbines under shear incoming flow conditions

Abstract With the large size of the units, wind farms are evaluated in order to improve the accuracy of the incoming flow measurement and to improve the unit control strategy. In this paper, the turbulent wind field generated by autoregressive linear filtering using a large eddy simulation turbulence model is used to study the wind speed-induced zone under shear incoming flow conditions. At the same time, the wake and aerodynamic performances of the wind turbine under different incoming flow conditions are investigated, and conclusions are obtained. 1) The larger the shear index is, the larger the amplitude is at the first frequency component of the power and the thrust, and the larger the fatigue load is for the wind turbine. 2) For the wind turbine wake flow in the case of smaller wind turbine size, the wake velocity profiles at different shear indices cross and overlap in the transition and far wake regions. At position 0.5 D, the turbulence profiles with different shear indices basically overlap; the larger the shear index is, the more intense the wake flow exchange is and the greater the turbulence intensity in the wake region will be. 3) For the wind speed-induced region, at position −0.1 D, the incoming flow velocity distribution is subject to the combined effect of induction and shear, and the induction effect of the wind turbine wheel is a little larger. The larger the shear index, the greater the turbulence intensity.

Design of a partial discharge shrouded impeller for the centrifugal compressor of supercritical carbon dioxide power cycles

In this paper, the concept of partial discharge shrouded impeller is proposed to enhance the performance of supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) centrifugal compressor under low flow rates, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the S-CO2 Brayton cycle. The influence mechanism of the partial discharge shrouded impeller on the flow behavior inside the impeller domain has been revealed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The results indicate a notable enhancement in the pressure ratio and isentropic efficiency of the S-CO2 centrifugal compressor utilizing the best partial discharge shrouded impeller, showcasing improvements of 0.9% and 10.2% respectively under designed flow rate condition, while the stability parameter (SP) surpasses 0 at lower flow rates when compared to conventional impeller. With the partial discharge shrouded impeller, the flow separation on the blade pressure surface tends to occur nearer the impeller outlet, restricting the wake secondary flow shedding off to the diffuser, thus the flow loss being weakened. Meanwhile, with the optimized compressor by employing the best partial discharge shrouded impeller, the efficiency of S-CO2 Brayton cycle has been increased by 5% relative to that with full discharge shrouded impeller.

Plume and wall temperature impact on the subsonic aft-body flow of a generic space launcher geometry

Experimental and numerical simulation of launcher base flows are crucial for future launcher design. In experiments, exhaust plume simulation is often limited to cold or slightly heated gases. In numerical simulations, multi-species reactive flow is often neglected due to limited resources. The impact of these simplifications on the relevant flow features, compared to real flight scenarios, needs to be characterized in order to enhance the design process. Experimental and numerical investigations were carried out within the framework of the SFB/TRR 40 Collaborative Research Centre to study the impact of plume and wall temperature on the base flow of a generic small-scale launcher configuration. Wind tunnel tests were performed in the Hot Plume Testing Facility (HPTF) at DLR, Cologne, using subsonic ambient flow and pressurized air or hydrogen–oxygen combustion as exhaust gases. The tests were numerically rebuilt using the DLR TAU code employing a scale-resolved IDDES approach, including thermal coupling and detailed chemistry. The paper combines the experimental and numerical findings from the SFB/TRR 40 base flow studies and highlights the most prominent influences on the mean flow field, the pressure field, the dynamic wake flow motion, and the resulting aerodynamic forces on the nozzle. High-frequency pressure measurements, high-speed schlieren recordings, and time-resolved CFD results are evaluated using spectral and modal analysis of the one- and two-dimensional flow field data.

Dynamic wake steering control for maximizing wind farm power based on a physics-guided neural network dynamic wake model

Wake effect is a significant factor contributing to power loss in wind farms. Studies have shown that wake steering control can mitigate this power loss. Currently, wind farm wake control strategies primarily utilize fixed yaw control due to limitations in the accuracy and efficiency of dynamic wake models. However, fixed yaw control fails to fully exploit the power improvement potential of wake steering control. Therefore, in this study, we first propose a dynamic wake model for wind farms based on the physics-guided neural network (PGNN) approach. This model can predict the dynamic wake flow field within wind farms in real time using instantaneous inflow wind speed and turbine operational states. Then, by employing the PGNN dynamic wake model as the predictive model, a wind farm dynamic wake control strategy based on the model predictive control method is proposed. To quantify the advantages of the proposed control strategy, both fixed yaw control and dynamic yaw control are tested on a wind farm with a 3 × 2 layout. Results from large eddy simulations demonstrate that the proposed dynamic wake control strategy increases the power output of the wind farm by 11.51% compared to a 6.56% increase achieved with fixed yaw control.