Three-dimensional Flow Patterns Research Articles

Analyses of Three-Dimensional Convective Flow Pattern of Vibrating Powder

Analyses of Three-Dimensional Convective Flow Pattern of Vibrating Powder

Measurement and simulation of the three-dimensional flow pattern and particle removal efficiencies in a large floating closed sea cage with multiple inlets and drains

This study investigated the three-dimensional flow structures in an ellipsoid, closed sea fish cage. The results are presented using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and experimental measurements. Experimental residence time distribution (RTD) measurement and CFD simulation are the best methods to study the hydrodynamics of inflow systems. Three-dimensional numerical simulations of the flow and transport characteristics of the system were conducted using a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation approach and the results were compared to the measurements performed using acoustic Doppler velocimetry techniques. The objective of the investigation was to characterize the flow field generated in an ellipsoid, closed tank. The flow in the enclosed volume is driven by four inlets pipes integrated into the wall of the cage. The focus is on the turbulent structures and undesirable flow patterns that lead to reduced self-cleaning efficiency and a lower quality habitat for the fish through phenomena, such as recirculation zones or low velocity areas. Correlations between CFD and the experimental data confirm the adequate reproduction of hydrodynamic conditions and reinforce the predictive capabilities of numerical models as tools to simulate field scale closed containment systems or to optimize existing and future aquaculture designs. The simulation of aquaculture-like particles demonstrates that almost 100% of particles with a diameter ranging between 1μm and 3000μm are removed during a maximum of two hydraulic retention time (HRT) cycles. Smaller particles are removed via the upper-side outlets and larger particles are removed via the bottom outlet.

Modeling the sediment dynamics in the gulf of Urabá, colombian Caribbean sea

The potential of the gulf of Urabá to hold a multi-purpose port motivated a sediment dynamics study to describe the seasonal sediment concentration patterns in this tropical region. Challenges addressed in this study include a complex three-dimensional flow pattern in a tropical estuary and the lack of in-situ measurements. To overcome such challenges, this study completed: (i) Measurements of suspended sediment concentrations during two climatic seasons and an extreme event (2010–2011); (ii) Definition of boundary conditions from global databases; (iii) Qualitative analysis of sediment concentrations from satellite imagery; and (iv) integration of the previously mentioned steps to build a process-based 3D sediment transport model. Seasonal patterns of suspended sediment concentrations were identified and corroborated by the agreement between model results, satellite imagery and field measurements. During the calm rainy season, the Atrato River turbid plume extends northward and dominates the sediment dynamics in the gulf. On the other hand, during the dry season and extreme events, bed transport is enhanced and the river's plume and the littoral drift shift southwards.

Measuring three-dimensional flow structures in the conductive airways using 3D-PTV

Detailed information about flow patterns and mass transport in the conductive airways is of crucial interest to improve ventilation strategies as well as targeted drug delivery. Despite a vast number of flow studies in this field, there is still a dearth in experimental data of three-dimensional flow patterns, in particular for the validation of numerical results. Therefore, oscillating flow within a realistic model of the upper human conductive airways is studied here experimentally. The investigated range of Reynolds numbers is Re = 250–2000 and the Womersley number is varied between $$\alpha$$ = 1.9–5.1, whereby physiological flow at rest conditions is included. In employing the three-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry measurement technique, we can directly visualize airway specific flow structures as well as examine Lagrangian trajectory statistics, which has not been covered to date. The systematic variation of characteristic flow parameters in combination with the advanced visualization technique sheds new light on the mechanisms of evolving flow patterns. By determining Lagrangian properties such as pathline curvature and torsion, we find that both strongly depend on the Reynolds number. Moreover, the probability density function of the curvature reveals a unique shape for certain flow regions and resembles a turbulent like behavior at the small scales.

Clustering of arc volcanoes caused by temperature perturbations in the back-arc mantle

Clustering of arc volcanoes in subduction zones indicates along-arc variation in the physical condition of the underlying mantle where majority of arc magmas are generated. The sub-arc mantle is brought in from the back-arc largely by slab-driven mantle wedge flow. Dynamic processes in the back-arc, such as small-scale mantle convection, are likely to cause lateral variations in the back-arc mantle temperature. Here we use a simple three-dimensional numerical model to quantify the effects of back-arc temperature perturbations on the mantle wedge flow pattern and sub-arc mantle temperature. Our model calculations show that relatively small temperature perturbations in the back-arc result in vigorous inflow of hotter mantle and subdued inflow of colder mantle beneath the arc due to the temperature dependence of the mantle viscosity. This causes a three-dimensional mantle flow pattern that amplifies the along-arc variations in the sub-arc mantle temperature, providing a simple mechanism for volcano clustering.

Air flow and pollution in a real, heterogeneous urban street canyon: A field and laboratory study

In this work we investigate the influence of real world conditions, including heterogeneity and natural variability of background wind, on the air flow and pollutant concentrations in a heterogeneous urban street canyon using both a series of field measurements and controlled laboratory experiments. Field measurements of wind velocities and Carbon Monoxide (CO) concentrations were taken under field conditions in a heterogeneous street in a city centre at several cross-sections along the length of the street (each cross-section being of different aspect ratio). The real field background wind was in fact observed to be highly variable and thus different Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs) represented by a different mean wind velocity and different wind variability were defined. Observed pollution concentrations reveal high sensitivity to local parameters: there is a bias towards the side closer to the traffic lane; higher concentrations are found in the centre of the street as compared to cross-sections closer to the junctions; higher concentrations are found at 1.5 height from the ground than at 2.5 m height, all of which are of concern regarding pedestrian exposure to traffic-related pollution. A physical model of the same street was produced for the purpose of laboratory experiments, making some geometrical simplifications of complex volumes and extrusions. The physical model was tested in an Atmospheric Boundary Layer water channel, using simultaneously Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF), for flow visualisation as well as for quantitative measurement of concentrations and flow velocities. The wind field conditions were represented by a steady mean approach velocity in the laboratory simulation (essentially representing periods of near-zero wind variability). The laboratory investigations showed a clear sensitivity of the resulting flow field to the local geometry and substantial three-dimensional flow patterns were observed throughout the modelled street. The real-field observations and the laboratory measurements were compared. Overall, we found that lower variability in the background wind does not necessarily ensure a better agreement between the airflow velocity measured in the field and in the lab. In fact, it was observed that in certain cross sections, the airflow was more affected by the particular complex architectural features such as building extrusions and balconies, which were not represented in the simplified physical model tested in the laboratory, than by the real wind field variability. For wind speed comparisons the most favourable agreement (36.6% of the compared values were within a factor of 2) was found in the case of lowest wind variability and in the section with the most simple geometry where the physical lab model was most similar to the real street. For wind direction comparisons the most favourable agreement (45.5% of the compared values was within ±45°) was found in the case with higher wind variability but in the cross-sections with more homogeneous geometrical features. Street canyons are often simplified in research and are often modelled as homogenous symmetrical canyons under steady flow, for practical purposes; our study as a whole demonstrates that natural variability and heterogeneity play a large role in how pollution disperses throughout the street, and therefore further detail in models is vital to understand real world conditions.

Thermal-solutal capillary-buoyancy flow of a low Prandtl number binary mixture with various capillary ratios in an annular pool

In order to understand the influence of the capillary ratio on the coupled thermal-solutal capillary-buoyancy flow in an annular pool subjected to simultaneous radial temperature and solute concentration gradients, a series of three-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out by using the finite volume method. The annular pool was filled with the silicon-germanium melt with an initial silicon mass fraction of 1.99%. The Prandtl number and the Lewis number of the silicon-germanium melt are 6.37×10−3 and 2197.8, respectively. Results indicate that the coupled thermal-solutal capillary-buoyancy flow is steady and axisymmetric when the thermal capillary Reynolds number is relatively small. With the decrease of the capillary ratio, the stable flow pattern experiences three stages, including the single counter-clockwise vortex, the combination of clockwise and counter-clockwise vortexes, and the single clockwise vortex. Besides the special case of the capillary ratio Rσ=−1, the critical thermal capillary Reynolds number for the incipience of the three-dimensional flow decreases with the decrease of the capillary ratio. Seven kinds of three-dimensional flow patterns are observed in the annular pool, which are the petal-like pattern, spoke pattern, rosebud-like pattern, hydrosolutal waves, ear-like pattern, target-like pattern and copper coin-like pattern. Actual flow pattern is strongly dependent on the capillary ratio, thermal capillary Reynolds number and the aspect ratio.

Interactions of a Low-Aspect-Ratio Cantilevered Dynamic Pin with a Boundary Layer

The interaction of a low-aspect-ratio finite-span pin with a laminar flow over a flat plate was investigated experimentally. The pin was either static or dynamically oscillated in the wall-normal direction at a driving frequency that was either equivalent to the natural shedding frequency or its subharmonic. The mean height of the pin was either equal to 1 or 1.5 times the local boundary-layer thickness. The study focused on the formation and development of two main vortical structures: the arch-type vortex and the horseshoe vortex. It was shown that the arch vortex combined with the counter-rotating horseshoe vortex. The shedding of this coupled phenomenon was investigated under static and dynamic conditions to provide comparisons between their corresponding flowfield behaviors. Under dynamic conditions, the arch-type vortex periodically shed from the pin’s free end and advected downstream, interacting with the horseshoe vortex, which resulted in complex, three-dimensional, and time-periodic flow patterns. The dynamics of these flow structures were determined to be dependent upon the driving frequency and actuation amplitude.

Three-dimensional flow patterns in the feto-placental vasculature system of the mouse placenta

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) blood flow of the feto-placental vasculature system of the mouse placenta was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods and finite element analysis. Micro-computerized tomography (micro-CT) images were used to acquire the 3D geometry of the feto-placental vasculature system, and image-processing software has been used to calculate the 3D morphology of the placenta. The flow was analyzed numerically and compared to the experimental data received from the same model. The numerical and experimental results agree well. Experimentally measured time dependent blood velocity data, available in the literature, was used as the inlet boundary condition to represent the fetal blood pulsatile flow. Velocity profiles and pressure distributions are investigated during different phases of the unsteady flow. The results clearly illustrate the important role of the vasculature structure (e.g., diameter and curvature) in the fetal hemodynamics, which to our knowledge has not been examined previously. The data also show that, at each bifurcation, the blood flow velocity decreases significantly in the transition from the parent vessel (i.e., umbilical artery) to the daughter vessels because of the higher total cross-sectional area of the daughter vessels compared to the parent vessel. It can also be observed that pressure drop at the umbilical artery and pressure drop across the arterial trees obtained in this study agree well with the physiological data reported in the literature. Moreover, the velocity profiles after each bifurcation are symmetric. Finally, from the results no secondary flow has been observed in the vasculature system. This study provides a foundation in understanding and modeling the complex structure of the feto-placental vasculature system and serves as a first step towards developing new concepts for computational analysis of the feto-placental vasculature systems of both human and mouse to better understand how the placenta functions and how gas and nutrient exchange between the mother and fetus.

HYDRODYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF FLOW PAST THREE TYPICALLY ARRANGED CIRCULAR PIERS ON DIFFERENT HORIZONTAL PLANES

In this paper an attempt has been made to study the hydrodynamic behavior of flow in terms of three-dimensional turbulent flow patterns and characteristics around three identical circular shaped piers of 7 cm diameter at two horizontal planes. Three pier groups were placed with inline and eccentric arrangement in a staggered manner on a flume. The experiment was conducted under clear water scour conditions. In this experiment two inline piers were placed along the flow, and a third pier was placed eccentrically in the middle of the two inline piers with a transverse spacing. The hydrodynamic effects of the three-pier arrangement were investigated near the bed and near the middle of the flow depth, in order to show the flow behavior at the area close and far away from the sediment bed, respectively. All over the scoured zone at two horizontal planes, the contour profiles and distributions of the time-averaged longitudinal, transverse, and vertical velocity components, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence intensities are determined and analyzed. Velocity vectors and absolute velocity obtained from velocity fields are used to show further hydrodynamic flow features. The scour depth of the eccentric circular pier was observed to be higher than the inline front and inline rear circular piers. The three-pier arrangement and the interference between the circular piers play an important role in the flow characteristics and in the creation and formation of the greatest scour depth at the eccentric middle pier.

Experimental investigation of channel flow through idealized isolated tree-like vegetation

Riparian and floodplain tree-like emergent vegetation alter significantly the flow field and lead to complicated three-dimensional flow patterns, characterized by increased turbulence production, with the potential to induce morphological changes. The canopy presence in tree-like vegetation leads to the formation of lee wake vortices and can induce a strong subcanopy flow. The present experimental study employs artificial, rigid, tree-like emergent vegetation elements, with relatively simple structure, in order to investigate the canopy effects on the flow field. Specifically, the tree-like canopy is simulated by placing an element on top of a wooden rod simulating the trunk. Three elements with an equal encircling diameter of 16 cm are examined as canopy in tree-like vegetation, namely a circular cylinder and two hexagonal arrays comprising smaller circular cylinders with two different individual diameters. The experiments were conducted in a 26 m long laboratory flume and the velocity measurements were carried out with an acoustic Doppler velocimeter. The results show that the canopy porosity has a direct impact on the subcanopy flow intensity and on the required distance that the flow needs to recover. In addition, the subcanopy flow disrupts the formation of a steady wake region behind the entire porous element and inhibits the development of a recognizable von Karman vortex street.

Numerical simulation of three-dimensional wind flow patterns over a star dune

In this paper, three-dimensional wind flow patterns over a star dune under a longitudinal (W, 270°) and transverse airflow (ENE, 70°) were examined using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. New surveying techniques of airborne LiDAR and DGPS allow for establishment of the realistic digital model of the star dune. Simulation results were then validated by field measurement using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic anemometers combined with arrays of HOBO cup anemometers. Results show that incident flow conditions (longitudinal or transverse airflow) controlled by the angle between incident flow and dune crestline exert great impact on wind flow patterns over the star dune. In periods of longitudinal airflow, a marked feature of wind flow pattern was flow deflection. Wind erosion occurs on both sides of WNW and S sides during W wind and its main effect was to prolong the star dune longitudinally. However, leeside flow separation and reversal were obvious under transverse airflow. The main effect of ENE wind was to promote the upward growth of the star dune. The CFD simulation of 3D wind flows over complex dune system presents great potential for geomorphological research, enabling new insights into complex dune geomorphology and dynamics.

Commentary on ‘Spiral Laminar Flow: A Survey of a Three-dimensional Arterial Flow Pattern in a Group of Volunteers’

Commentary on ‘Spiral Laminar Flow: A Survey of a Three-dimensional Arterial Flow Pattern in a Group of Volunteers’

Spiral Laminar Flow: a Survey of a Three-Dimensional Arterial Flow Pattern in a Group of Volunteers

Spiral laminar flow was suggested as potentially the predominant arterial blood flow pattern many years ago. Computational fluid dynamics and flow rig testing have suggested there are advantages to spiral laminar flow. The aim of this study was to identify whether spiral laminar is the predominant flow pattern in a cohort of volunteers. This study included 42 volunteers (mean age 66.8 years). Eleven arterial sites were examined, comprising bilateral examination of the common carotid artery, internal carotid artery, external carotid artery, common femoral artery, superficial femoral artery, and the infra renal aorta. The presence or absence of spiral laminar flow, the peak systolic velocity, and the rotational velocity were assessed by colour Duplex scanning. The incidence of spiral laminar flow ranged from 81% in the internal carotid artery to 90% in the common carotid artery and the infra renal aorta. Overall, in 58% of all right-sided arteries the rotation was clockwise and 42% anticlockwise. In all left-sided arteries these numbers were reversed. Analysis on the basis of volunteer rather than examination site showed that 41/42 (97%) had more sites with spiral laminar flow than without. Only one volunteer had more sites exhibiting non-spiral laminar flow. Spiral laminar flow was the predominant flow pattern in the study population. This observation raises questions and suggests a need for further studies concerning the form and function of the left ventricle, the geometry of the arterial system, and the function of the arterial wall.

Hydrodynamic Performance of Aquatic Flapping: Efficiency of Underwater Flight in the Manta

The manta is the largest marine organism to swim by dorsoventral oscillation (flapping) of the pectoral fins. The manta has been considered to swim with a high efficiency stroke, but this assertion has not been previously examined. The oscillatory swimming strokes of the manta were examined by detailing the kinematics of the pectoral fin movements swimming over a range of speeds and by analyzing simulations based on computational fluid dynamic potential flow and viscous models. These analyses showed that the fin movements are asymmetrical up- and downstrokes with both spanwise and chordwise waves interposed into the flapping motions. These motions produce complex three-dimensional flow patterns. The net thrust for propulsion was produced from the distal half of the fins. The vortex flow pattern and high propulsive efficiency of 89% were associated with Strouhal numbers within the optimal range (0.2–0.4) for rays swimming at routine and high speeds. Analysis of the swimming pattern of the manta provided a baseline for creation of a bio-inspired underwater vehicle, MantaBot.

Low-Re flow past an isolated cylinder with rounded corners

Direct numerical simulation is performed for flow past an isolated cylinder at Re=1,000. The corners of the cylinder are rounded at different radii, with the non-dimensional radius of curvature varying from R+=R/D=0.000 (square cylinder with sharp corners) to 0.500 (circular cylinder), in which R is the corner radius and D is the cylinder diameter. Our objective is to investigate the effect of the rounded corners on the development of the separated and transitional flow past the cylinder in terms of time-averaged statistics, time-dependent behavior, turbulent statistics and three-dimensional flow patterns. Numerical results reveal that the rounding of the corners significantly reduces the time-averaged drag and the force fluctuations. The wake flow downstream of the square cylinder recovers the slowest and has the largest wake width. However, the statistical quantities do not monotonically vary with the corner radius, but exhibit drastic variations between the cases of square cylinder and partially rounded cylinders, and between the latter and the circular cylinder. The free shear layer separated from the R+=0.125 cylinder is the most stable in which the first roll up of the wake vortex occurs furthest from the cylinder and results in the largest recirculation bubble, whose size reduces as R+ further increases. The coherent and incoherent Reynolds stresses are most pronounced in the near-wake close to the reattachment point, while also being noticeable in the shear layer for the square and R+=0.125 cylinders. The wake vortices translate in the streamwise direction with a convection velocity that is almost constant at approximately 80% of the incoming flow velocity. These vortices exhibit nearly the same trajectory for the rounded cylinders and are furthest away from the wake centerline for the square one. The flow past the square cylinder is strongly three-dimensional as indicated by the significant primary and secondary enstrophy, while it is dominated by the primary enstrophy (ωz2) for the rounded cylinders.

Experimental assessment of characteristic turbulent scales in two-phase flow of hydraulic jump: from bottom to free surface

A hydraulic jump is a turbulent shear flow with a free-surface roller. The turbulent flow pattern is characterised by the development of instantaneous three-dimensional turbulent structures throughout the air–water column up to the free surface. The length and time scales of the turbulent structures are key information to describe the turbulent processes, which is of significant importance for the improvement of numerical models and physical measurement techniques. However, few physical data are available so far due to the complexity of the measurement. This paper presents an investigation of a series of characteristic turbulent scales for hydraulic jumps, covering the length and time scales of turbulent flow structures in bubbly flow, on free surface and at the impingement point. The bubbly-flow turbulent scales are obtained for Fr = 7.5 with 3.4 × 104 < Re < 1.4 × 105 in both longitudinal and transverse directions, and are compared with the free-surface scales. The results highlight three-dimensional flow patterns with anisotropic turbulence field. The turbulent structures are observed with different length and time scales respectively in the shear flow region and free-surface recirculation region. The bubbly structures next to the roller surface and the free-surface fluctuation structures show comparable length and time scales, both larger than the scales of vortical structures in the shear flow and smaller than the scales of impingement perimeter at the jump toe. A decomposition of physical signals indicates that the large turbulent scales are related to the unsteady motion of the flow in the upper part of the roller, while the high-frequency velocity turbulence dominates in the lower part of the roller. Scale effects cannot be ignored for Reynolds number smaller than 4 × 104, mainly linked to the formation of large eddies in the shear layer. The present study provides a comprehensive assessment of turbulent scales in hydraulic jump, including the analyses of first data set of longitudinal bubbly-flow integral scales and transverse jump toe perimeter integral scales.

Three-dimensional flow in Kupffer's Vesicle.

Whilst many vertebrates appear externally left-right symmetric, the arrangement of internal organs is asymmetric. In zebrafish, the breaking of left-right symmetry is organised by Kupffer’s Vesicle (KV): an approximately spherical, fluid-filled structure that begins to form in the embryo 10 hours post fertilisation. A crucial component of zebrafish symmetry breaking is the establishment of a cilia-driven fluid flow within KV. However, it is still unclear (a) how dorsal, ventral and equatorial cilia contribute to the global vortical flow, and (b) if this flow breaks left-right symmetry through mechanical transduction or morphogen transport. Fully answering these questions requires knowledge of the three-dimensional flow patterns within KV, which have not been quantified in previous work. In this study, we calculate and analyse the three-dimensional flow in KV. We consider flow from both individual and groups of cilia, and (a) find anticlockwise flow can arise purely from excess of cilia on the dorsal roof over the ventral floor, showing how this vortical flow is stabilised by dorsal tilt of equatorial cilia, and (b) show that anterior clustering of dorsal cilia leads to around 40 % faster flow in the anterior over the posterior corner. We argue that these flow features are supportive of symmetry breaking through mechano-sensory cilia, and suggest a novel experiment to test this hypothesis. From our new understanding of the flow, we propose a further experiment to reverse the flow within KV to potentially induce situs inversus.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00285-016-0967-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Numerical investigation of steady suction control of flow around a circular cylinder

This paper numerically investigates the effectiveness of the control of steady suction on a stationary circular cylinder with several isolated suction holes on the surface at a subcritical Reynolds number. The control effectiveness as a function of the azimuthal position, spanwise spacing and suction flow rate of the suction holes on the control of the aerodynamic forces on the cylinder and the suppression of alternate vortex shedding are taken into account. The study of the azimuthal location of the suction holes indicates that azimuthal angles of θ=90° and 270°, which are close to the separation point, provide the most substantial decreases in the aerodynamic forces. When restricted to the most effective azimuthal angle, a remarkable control effectiveness can be achieved when the axial spacing between two neighboring suction holes is less than a minimum value even under a small suction momentum coefficient. However, if the axial spacing exceeds the minimum spacing, the control effectiveness will not be saturated even under a very large suction momentum coefficient. Thus, the cause of the effective aerodynamic force control is suggested to be a result of obvious three-dimensional phenomenon in the near wake, which is characterized by the generation of a convergent flow between two neighboring suction hole sections and a stronger, larger three-dimensional vortex pair adjacent to the convergent flow. It has been suggested that this strongly three-dimensional flow pattern is induced by the strong interaction between two neighboring but counter-rotating three-dimensional vortices separately produced by two neighboring suction holes. Moreover, the effects of such three-dimensional flow patterns are investigated in detail based on variations in the flow field and sectional aerodynamic forces in different cross sections. Finally, the upper limit of the axial spacing between two neighboring suction holes to form such a three-dimensional flow pattern is suggested to be between 0.75D and 1.5D when the suction flow rate exceeds a certain value.

Experimental and Computational Investigations of a Normal-Hole-Bled Supersonic Boundary Layer

A series of experiments have been conducted on a bleed hole array spanning the width of the Cambridge University Engineering Department supersonic wind tunnel at Mach numbers of 1.8 and 2.5. The wind tunnel was run with varying levels of suction, and the flow structure over the bleed array was subsequently mapped with a laser Doppler velocimetry system at a resolution of 0.25 hole diameters or better. The same wind-tunnel setup was simulated using the OVERFLOW Navier–Stokes equation solver. The information obtained was used primarily in qualitative comparisons of flow patterns. Overall good agreement was found in the definition of the expansion fan and barrier shock pattern produced by flow entering the normal holes, as well as three-dimensional flow patterns. Both studies agreed well in terms of measured mass flow rates, to within 1% of the boundary-layer mass flow. The presence of the barrier shock standing off the downstream edge of the bleed holes corresponded with a jet of upward flow, which may provide a mechanism for the generation of streamwise vortices.