Small-scale Flow Patterns Research Articles

Tracing the horizontal transport of microplastics on rough surfaces

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in different ecosystems have recently become subjects of numerous studies. However, to date the research has focused mainly on marine and freshwater ecosystems and widely neglected terrestrial environments. Only recently, first studies investigated the microplastics contamination of soils. Therefore, we know little about the transport mechanisms of microplastics in soils and sediments and virtually nothing about their surface transport. In this study we investigate surface transport mechanisms by tracking fluorescent, irregularly shaped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) particles in real time in a laboratory setup. In 108 experimental runs, we vary the irrigation rates, inclinations and surface roughnesses. Additionally, we simulate the small-scale flow patterns to resolve the role of the roughness-induced microrelief. Our results suggest that microplastics are transported along preferential pathways resulting from the micro- and macrorelief, which can be correlated to the flow pattern observed in the computer simulation. Our model study facilitates a deeper insight into microplastic transport on different soil surfaces and serves as a pilot for investigating mechanisms of horizontal microplastic transport. However, microplastics are a diverse group of contaminants with varying shapes, densities and sizes. Therefore, for a full understanding of transport of microplastics in terrestrial environments, it is important to address these properties as well as more variable surfaces for horizontal migration and to include vertical transport mechanisms in future research.

Case study on the identification and classification of small-scale flow patterns in flaring active region

Context. We propose a novel methodology to identity flows in the solar atmosphere and classify their velocities as either supersonic, subsonic, or sonic. Aims. The proposed methodology consists of three parts. First, an algorithm is applied to the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) image data to locate and track flows, resulting in the trajectory of each flow over time. Thereafter, the differential emission measure inversion method is applied to six Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) channels along the trajectory of each flow in order to estimate its background temperature and sound speed. Finally, we classify each flow as supersonic, subsonic, or sonic by performing simultaneous hypothesis tests on whether the velocity bounds of the flow are larger, smaller, or equal to the background sound speed. Methods. The proposed methodology was applied to the SDO image data from the 171 Å spectral line for the date 6 March 2012 from 12:22:00 to 12:35:00 and again for the date 9 March 2012 from 03:00:00 to 03:24:00. Eighteen plasma flows were detected, 11 of which were classified as supersonic, 3 as subsonic, and 3 as sonic at a 70% level of significance. Out of all these cases, 2 flows cannot be strictly ascribed to one of the respective categories as they change from the subsonic state to supersonic and vice versa. We labeled them as a subclass of transonic flows. Results. The proposed methodology provides an automatic and scalable solution to identify small-scale flows and to classify their velocities as either supersonic, subsonic, or sonic. It can be used to characterize the physical properties of the solar atmosphere. Conclusions. We identified and classified small-scale flow patterns in flaring loops. The results show that the flows can be classified into four classes: sub-, super-, trans-sonic, and sonic. The flows occur in the complex structure of the active region magnetic loops. The detected flows from AIA images can be analyzed in combination with the other high-resolution observational data, such as Hi-C 2.1 data, and be used for the development of theories describing the physical conditions responsible for the formation of flow patterns.

POD analysis of passage-layout effect on unsteady internal flow in a realistic blade serpentine coolant channel with low aspect ratios

Internal serpentine ribbed coolant channel with low aspect ratio (AR) has been widely employed to provide excellent thermal protection for advanced first-stage turbine blades. Various height differences (ΔHs) of adjacent passages along pressure side can be generated under the restriction of actual blade profile. The present work made an attempt to acquire detailed influences of ΔH on the time-averaged and transient secondary motions near sharp bends of low-AR coolant channels. An actual blade ribbed three-pass coolant channel with two ΔHs was chosen as experimental model. Planar time-resolved particle image velocimetry technique was applied to capture the transient flow fields in 21 typical cross sections. Time-averaged results were validated by standard PIV measurements and flow visualizations. Snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition was employed to extract the dominant flow structures and identify the underlying small-scale flow patterns in time-resolved velocity fields. The experimental results indicated the low-AR channel with real blade profile induces a new type of the secondary-vortex superposition downstream of bends, in comparison with the large-AR channels in open literature. The crucial reason is the ΔH along pressure side leads to an intensive impingement on the bend wall, which weakens the effects of bend, rib and curvature of suction side. Another new discovery is the effect of ΔH on unsteady internal flow. In the small ΔH case, the oscillatory frequency of the secondary vortices is nearly similar with the counter-rotating Dean-vortices; however, in the large ΔH case, the oscillatory frequency is much lower, and the rotating direction of vortices is same and unchanged in a period. Increasing inlet Reynolds number can significantly change the underlying small-scale flow patterns and improve the oscillatory frequency of large-scale structures, although the basic time-averaged flow patterns are nearly same. Effect of injection from auxiliary-hole (AH) on unsteady internal flow is obvious and the optimum mass flow ratio of AH-to-inlet is 5%.

Investigation of fundamental flow mechanisms over a corrugated waveform using proper orthogonal decomposition and spectral analyses

This study investigates the interactions between the underlying turbulent features that together make up the complex flow behaviour observed in corrugated channel flows. Higher order analyses using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and wavenumber spectra were conducted on the turbulent velocity data for heated and unheated air flow through the channel. Results showed that at a given flow rate, the turbulent flow energy was produced by the corrugation and transported into the bulk flow at both heated and unheated conditions. At low flow rates, the heated wall increased the total turbulent energy and affected its distribution across the modes. Strong energies were seen close to the corrugations, which contributed to sustaining structures at higher modes, while the flow energy was more evenly distributed for the unheated condition. At the highest flow rate, the energy strength and distribution was very similar at low modes (n ≤ 20) and heating effects were most prominent at high modes with higher energies associated with small-scale flow patterns. It is observed that the corrugation waveform has a larger impact on the turbulence generation compared to heating. The addition of heat primarily increased and maintained the strength of turbulent structures.

Improved 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry with Colored Particles

The present work introduces an extension to three-dimensional Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3-D PTV) in order to investigate small-scale flow patterns. Instead of using monochrome particles the novelty over the prior state of the art is the use of differently dyed tracer particles and the identification of particle color classes directly on Bayer raw images. Especially in the case of a three camera setup it will be shown that the number of ambiguities is dramatically decreased when searching for homologous points in different images. This refers particularly to the determination of spatial parti- cle positions and possibly to the linking of positions into trajectories. The approach allows the handling of tracer parti- cles in high numbers and is therefore perfectly suited for gas flow investigations. Although the idea is simple, difficult- ties may arise particularly in determining the color class of individual particle when its projection on a Bayer sensor is too small. Hence, it is not recommended to extract features from RGB images for color class recognition due to infor- mation loss during the Bayer demosaicing process. This article demonstrates how to classify the color of small sized tracers directly on Bayer raw images.

Enhanced-discretization Selective Stabilization Procedure (EDSSP)

The enhanced-discretization selective stabilization procedure (EDSSP) provides a multiscale framework for applying numerical stabilization selectively at different scales. The EDSSP is based on the enhanced-discretization, multiscale function space concept underlying the enhanced- discretization successive update method (EDSUM). The EDSUM is a multi-level iteration method designed for computation of the flow behavior at small scales. It has a built-in mechanism for transferring flow information between the large and small scales in a fashion consistent with the discretizations resulting from the underlying stabilized formulations. This is accomplished without assuming that the small-scale trial or test functions vanish at the borders between the neighboring large-scale elements of the enhanced-discretization zones. This facilitates unrestricted movement of small-scale flow patterns from one large-scale element to another without any constraints at the border between the two elements. The enhanced-discretization concept underlying the EDSUM can also facilitate using different stabilizations for equations or unknowns corresponding to different scales. In this paper we propose a version of the EDSSP where the SUPG and PSPG stabilizations are used for unknowns corresponding to both the large and small scales but the discontinuity-capturing stabilizations are used for unknowns corresponding to only the small scales. We also propose a version where a linear discontinuity-capturing is used for the small-scale unknowns and a nonlinear discontinuity-capturing is used for the large-scale unknowns. We evaluate the performances of these versions of the EDSSP with test problems governed by the advection–diffusion equations.

Near Field Flow Characteristics of the Bjork-Shiley Monostrut Valve in a Modified Single Shot Valve Chamber

In certain mechanical heart valves, cavitation has been shown to develop during closure and rebound, leading to valve damage, blood damage, and strokes. Whereas it is uncertain what causes mechanical heart valve related strokes, some evidence suggests that stable bubbles may be the culprits. Previous work has indicated that vortex cavitation may contribute to stable bubble growth. Therefore, in an effort to understand the vortex cavitation, laser Doppler velocimetry data are collected in a plane parallel to and 3 mm away from the major orifice during closure and rebound of a Bjork-Shiley Monostrut mechanical heart valve. A modified single shot chamber is used that incorporates a more realistic near valve geometry than those used in previous studies. The results show the formation of a vortex during closure, which intensifies during rebound and dissipates during the final closing cycle. A regurgitant jet with mean velocities up to 3 m/s through the clearance gap of the valve provides energy to the vortex. During the final closing cycle, the vortex breaks up into asymmetrical, small scale flow patterns. This study provides further evidence that stable bubble formation may stem from the intense vortex cavitation occurring during valve closure and rebound.

Effects of temperature-dependent viscosity on thermal convection in a spherical shell

A numerical investigation is presented of the effects of a strongly temperature-dependent viscosity on the radial structure, horizontal planform, and heat transfer characteristics of a thermally convecting, infinite Prandtl number, Boussinesq fluid in a spherical shell. Basal and mixed-mode heating are considered wherein viscosity varies with temperature according to a linearized Arrhenuis rheology. Three-dimensional, fully nonlinear calculations are performed and compared to the predictions of linear theory. For basal heating, three convective regimes (mobile lid, sluggish lid, and stagnant lid) are observed in accord with theoretical and numerical studies in cartesian geometry. Solutions started with similar initial conditions and comparable convective vigor result in distinct horizontal planforms which correspond to these three regimes. In the mobile-lid regime, planforms with moderate horizontal length scales are characterized by linear downwelling sheets and quasi-cylindrical upwelling plumes. Sluggish-lid flow assumes a much longer wavelength with linear bands of upwelling plumes and large cylindrical downflows. Stagnant-lid flow is characterized by very small-scale flow patterns with upwelling plumes embedded in a network of cold, stiff fluid. Mobile-lid and sluggish-lid regimes are also observed in the mixed-mode heating calculations with changes in horizontal length scales similar to those in the basally-heated cases.

Properties of the large- and small-scale flow patterns in and around AR 19824

We trace the photospheric motions of 170 concentrations of magnetic flux tubes in and around the decaying active region No. 19824 (CMP 23 October 1986), using a series of magnetograms obtained at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. The magnetograms span an interval of just over five days and cover an area of about 4 × 5 arc min centered on the active region. We find a persistent large-scale flow pattern that is superposed on the small-scale random motions of both polarities. Correction for differential rotation unveils the systematic, large-scale flow surrounding the core region of the magnetic plage. The flow (with a mean velocity of 30 m s−1) is faster and more pronounced around the southern side of the core region than around the northern side, and it accelerates towards the western side of the active region. The northern and southern branches of the large-scale flow converge westward of the core region, dragging along the westernmost sunspot and some of the magnetic flux near it. The overall pattern of the large-scale flow resembles the flow of a river around a sand bar. The long-term evolution of the active region suggests that the flow persists for several months. We discuss the possible association of the large-scale flow with the torsional oscillation.