Turbulent Flow Transition Research Articles

Electrohydrodynamic characteristics of a needle-to-ring positive corona discharges: self-consistent modeling and turbulence effects

Abstract We report on the voltage-current characteristics as well as the voltage-velocity characteristics of a needle-to-ring configuration by self-consistent, 2D-axisymmetric, multi-physics plasma-fluid simulations. Parametric studies are performed to investigate the effects of background ionization level on the plasma electrical characteristics as well as turbulence parameters on the resulting flow. Our results show that the discharge and the flow exhibit an annular structure around the needle (anode) tip, with a maximum positive ion density from 1.5×1018 - 2.7×1018 m-3 and a maximum flow velocity (ionic wind) from 10 - 15 m/s, for overvoltages between 4 - 12 kV and an anode-cathode distance of 20 mm. Good overall agreement with experimental findings is achieved, noting that background ionization level can be used as a tuning parameter to better match experimentally measured current values even with a simplified plasma-chemistry. A better agreement between simulation and experiments is achieved concerning the voltage-velocity curves. Therefore, the latter are likely to be better indicators for assessing and validating electrohydrodynamic effects of corona actuators through numerical modeling. The flow dynamics indicate that positive-corona-induced ionic winds are most likely laminar to turbulent transitional flows, with a ratio between eddy viscosity and air viscosity varying between 0 - 200.

Onset of turbulence in rotor–stator cavity flows

Numerous studies have indicated that turbulence typically initiates along the boundary layer of the stationary disk within a rotor–stator cavity. To describe the transition process to turbulence on the stationary side of a closed rotor–stator cavity, a comprehensive approach combining global linear stability analysis with direct numerical simulation was adopted in the present study. The proposed model aligns with that of Yim et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 848, 2018, pp. 631–647), who investigated the stability characteristics of the rotating-disk boundary layer in a rotor–stator cavity. In order to achieve a stable inflow for the stationary-disk boundary layer, we rotate the shroud together with the rotating disk. Through careful global stability analysis, the predominant spiral mode exhibiting the highest instability in the boundary layer of the stationary disk was discerned, corroborating observations from simulations. Initially, the spiral mode undergoes linear amplification, reaches a state of linear saturation and enters the nonlinear regime. Following nonlinear saturation in the flow field, a circular wave mode arises due to the influence of mean flow distortion. As the Reynolds number attained a sufficiently high level, the interplay between the downstream-propagating circular mode and spiral mode amplified disturbances in the boundary layer of the stationary disk, ultimately leading to the development of localised turbulence at the mid-radius of the rotor–stator cavity. Notably, the present study is the first to elucidate the coexistence of laminar–transitional–turbulent flow states in the stationary-disk boundary layer through direct numerical simulations.

Experimental study on flow-induced vibration under laminar flow and turbulent flow transition state in helical coiled tube

This study investigates the vibration characteristics induced by single-phase flow at low velocities within helical coiled tube, encompassing laminar and turbulent flow transition regimes. Modal experiments were conducted to ascertain the natural frequencies in the radial and vertical directions within the helical coiled tube. The influence of fluid mass in tube on vibration was considered, revealing the fluid mass has a greater influence on the vibration frequency in the vertical direction. When the coil was filled with water, the radial natural frequency decreased by 0.1 Hz, while the vertical natural frequency decreased by 0.8 Hz.By simplifying the spiral coil into a spring system, the intrinsic causes of the influence of mass on the natural frequency are studied and verified with the experimental data. The results show that the radial natural frequency is only related to the local mass change of the pipe, while the vertical natural frequency is related to the static deformation of the system under the influence of gravity.By conducting single-phase flow induced vibration experiments inside the pipeline, the radial and vertical vibration response characteristics were obtained, and the modal experimental results were analyzed. Findings indicated larger vibration displacements when laminar flow prevailed within the tube, with radial RMS (Root Mean Square) at 10.1 μm and vertical RMS at 14.5 μm. After the transition to turbulent flow, significant reductions in vibration displacements were observed, reducing the radial RMS to 2.3 μm and vertical RMS to 5.5 μm.Based on statistical and frequency-domain analysis methods, the influence mechanism of secondary flow on the vibration of helical coils at low flow rates was revealed, and the importance of friction coupling was clarified. Moreover, this study considered the impact of fluid viscosity on vibration response and experimentally validated the critical role of friction coupling in exciting secondary flows.

Direct numerical simulation and mode analysis of turbulent transition flow in a compressor blade channel

The separation and turbulent transition of the flow in a compressor blade channel are investigated through direct numerical simulations (DNS) at a Reynolds number of 1.367 × 105. Based on the original DNS data, both time-averaged statistics and instantaneous vortex structures of the flow field are extensively analyzed. The vortices are visualized and studied by the Liutex method, and the streaming dynamic mode decomposition (SDMD), a low-storage variant of conventional DMD, is applied to the large datasets obtained on both pressure and suction sides. The physical quantity analyzed with SDMD is the Liutex magnitude R. The DNS results indicate that flow separation occurs on both sides of the blade. On the pressure surface, the separation is weak and the flow remains in a natural transition dominated by viscous Tollmien–Schlichting instabilities. In contrast, owing to the presence of a large laminar separation bubble, the flow experiences a separation transition governed by inviscid Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities on the suction surface. The SDMD results suggest that a broad range of vortex frequencies exist in the transition flow, and the scale of the spatial structures is negatively correlated with the frequency of the mode. On the pressure surface, the extracted SDMD modes are primarily related to Kelvin–Helmholtz rolls, whereas on the suction side, influenced by the separated boundary layer, the modal structures exhibit greater diversity.

Detection of erosion damage on airfoils by means of thermographic flow visualization

Cavity-type defects on a wind turbine rotor blade due to erosion lead to an sub-optimal boundary layer flow behavior and result in a reduced annual energy production. To enable an indirect defect detection from far distances, with no contact and no wind turbine stop, the thermographic visualization of the defect wake flow is studied. Experimental investigations and complementary flow simulations on two different airfoil shapes show that the detection is possible above a critical Reynolds number. Furthermore, the wake flow depends on multiple influencing quantities such as the airfoil geometry and the associated chord Reynolds number as well as the cavity position, the cavity shape and the associated cavity Reynolds number. Adjacent cavities can also influence the wake flow behavior. For instance, the cavity position has an influence on the turbulent flow region even after the natural laminar–turbulent flow transition line, and many cavities close to each other shift the transition line towards the leading edge. With increasing aspect ratio as well as increasing inflow velocity, the wake flow turbulence and, thus, the visibility of the wake in the thermographic images becomes higher. However, even if the wake flow from the cavity to the transition line is not continuously visible, a change in the natural transition can still be observed. As a result, thermographic flow visualization enables the indirect detection of cavity-type defects on airfoils and can provide further information about the cavity features.

High-Order Implicit Large Eddy Simulation using Entropically Damped Artificial Compressibility

Performing industrial scale incompressible Large Eddy Simulation (LES) remains particularly challenging due to computational cost limitations. Recently, the Entropically Damped Artificial Compressibility (EDAC) method was introduced, which does not require coupled global solves or pseudo-time stepping. Parallel to this, high-order unstructured methods, such as the Flux Reconstruction (FR) approach, have been proposed for Implicit LES (ILES) of compressible turbulent flows. This work presents EDAC with FR as an ILES framework for incompressible flows. Results from a Taylor–Green vortex, turbulent channel flow, and transitional and turbulent flow over an SD7003 airfoil demonstrate the approach is accurate and stable for solutions polynomials of degree ps≤4, while some instabilities were observed beyond this. Higher-order solutions were found to be significantly more accurate than their lower-order counterparts compared to reference direct numerical simulation, and had lower divergence error even with less strict incompressibility factors. These results demonstrate that combining EDAC with FR provides a simple, accurate, efficient, and stable framework for performing ILES of incompressible flows. Additionally, this fully explicit framework does not require coupled solvers, pseudo-time stepping, or explicit subgrid scale models.

Numerical investigation of the dynamic stall reduction on the UAS-S45 aerofoil using the optimised aerofoil method

AbstractThis paper investigates the effect of the optimised morphing leading edge (MLE) and the morphing trailing edge (MTE) on dynamic stall vortices (DSV) for a pitching aerofoil through numerical simulations. In the first stage of the methodology, the optimisation of the UAS-S45 aerofoil was performed using a morphing optimisation framework. The mathematical model used Bezier-Parsec parametrisation, and the particle swarm optimisation algorithm was coupled with a pattern search with the aim of designing an aerodynamically efficient UAS-45 aerofoil. The $\gamma - R{e_\theta }$ transition turbulence model was firstly applied to predict the laminar to turbulent flow transition. The morphing aerofoil increased the overall aerodynamic performances while delaying boundary layer separation. Secondly, the unsteady analysis of the UAS-S45 aerofoil and its morphing configurations was carried out and the unsteady flow field and aerodynamic forces were analysed at the Reynolds number of 2.4 × 106 and five different reduced frequencies of k = 0.05, 0.08, 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0. The lift ( ${C_L})$ , drag ( ${C_D})$ and moment ( ${C_M})\;$ coefficients variations with the angle-of-attack of the reference and morphing aerofoils were compared. It was found that a higher reduced frequencies of 1.2 to 2 stabilised the leading-edge vortex that provided its lift variation in the dynamic stall phase. The maximum lift $\left( {{C_{L,max}}} \right)$ and drag $\left( {{C_{D,max}}} \right)\;$ coefficients and the stall angles of attack are evaluated for all studied reduced frequencies. The numerical results have shown that the new radius of curvature of the MLE aerofoil can minimise the streamwise adverse pressure gradient and prevent significant flow separation and suppress the formation of the DSV. Furthermore, it was shown that the morphing aerofoil delayed the stall angle-of-attack by 14.26% with respect to the reference aerofoil, and that the ${C_{L,max}}\;$ of the aerofoil increased from 2.49 to 3.04. However, while the MTE aerofoil was found to increase the overall lift coefficient and the ${C_{L,max}}$ , it did not control the dynamic stall. Vorticity behaviour during DSV generation and detachment has shown that the MTE can change the vortices’ evolution and increase vorticity flux from the leading-edge shear layer, thus increasing DSV circulation. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the fixed drooped morphing leading edge aerofoils have the potential to control the dynamic stall. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the flow analysis of morphing aerofoils in an unsteady flow.

Effects of Fire Location and Forced Air Volume on Fire Development for Single-Ended Tunnel Fire with Forced Ventilation

Single-ended tunnels are a typical structure and an important part during tunnel construction. In the case of a fire in a single-ended tunnel, forced ventilation is commonly used to create a safe area near the excavation face. This work is aimed at examining the effects of fire location and air volume on fire development for single-ended tunnel fires with forced ventilation. A single-ended tunnel was built in Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), and twenty simulation tests were carried out. In the simulation, the distribution of flow field, temperature, and CO concentration in the tunnel were measured and analyzed. The results show that three regions can be identified based on airflow directions and velocity: (1) turbulent flow zone, (2) turbulent flow transition zone, and (3) steady flow zone. It was found that the maximum ceiling temperature rise decreases first with the distance between the fire source and the excavation face (XL), and then increases with a further increase in XL. The simulation results also showed that CO can easily accumulate on the ventilation duct side at the fire source position and the opposite side of the ventilation duct 5.0–15.0 m downstream of the fire source. Both the CO concentration and the maximum ceiling temperature rise decrease with increasing air volume, while the larger forced air volume will result in a higher risk for the downstream regions. The present results are of practical importance in firefighting and personnel evacuation in single-ended tunnels with a forced ventilation system.

The impinging wall effect on flame dynamics and heat transfer in non-premixed jet flames

The impinging jet flame is studied experimentally and numerically accounting for the complex flame-wall interactions in practical combustion devices. Flame dynamics and heat transfer with the effect of impinging wall are analyzed. The 3-D large eddy simulation coupled with detailed chemical reaction mechanism and particle image velocimetry experiment based on cross-correlation measurement principle are performed for verification and further analysis. Results show that vortices are generated due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability originated from velocity gradient. The 3-D vortex interactions involving vortex rings and spirals are also indicated by vorticity and the convection of streamwise vorticity is responsible for the effect of vortex spirals associated with turbulent flow transition. In addition, results calculated from four wall thermal conditions are compared and analyzed. Dirichlet condition is inferred to be more suitable for the case of wall materials with higher thermal conductivity. It is indicated that wall thermal condition mainly affects the heat transfer in the near-wall region, but has little effect on the momentum transfer. This study provides references for the adoption of wall conditions in numerical simulation and near-wall treatment in combustion systems.

Symmetry-reduced dynamic mode decomposition of near-wall turbulence

Data-driven dimensionality reduction methods such as proper orthogonal decomposition and dynamic mode decomposition have proven to be useful for exploring complex phenomena within fluid dynamics and beyond. A well-known challenge for these techniques is posed by the continuous symmetries, e.g. translations and rotations, of the system under consideration, as drifts in the data dominate the modal expansions without providing an insight into the dynamics of the problem. In the present study, we address this issue for fluid flows in rectangular channels by formulating a continuous symmetry reduction method that eliminates the translations in the streamwise and spanwise directions simultaneously. We demonstrate our method by computing the symmetry-reduced dynamic mode decomposition (SRDMD) of sliding windows of data obtained from the transitional plane-Couette and turbulent plane-Poiseuille flow simulations. In the former setting, SRDMD captures the dynamics in the vicinity of the invariant solutions with translation symmetries, i.e. travelling waves and relative periodic orbits, whereas in the latter, our calculations reveal episodes of turbulent time evolution that can be approximated by a low-dimensional linear expansion.

Large eddy simulation on unstructured grids using explicit differential filtering: A case study of Taylor-Green vortex

The application of an approximate deconvolution model was extended for large eddy simulation (LES) on unstructured grids by further developing a three dimensional explicit differential filter. Decaying isotropic homogeneous turbulence at a Reynolds number 3,400 was modeled on both structured and unstructured grids. Results were compared to a reference direct numerical simulation and other results reported in the literature. A Taylor-Green vortex at a Reynolds number of 1,600 was also studied as it is a canonical problem for laminar to turbulent transitional flow. Investigative studies on the ADM order and under-relaxation coefficient, the degree of anisotropy of the grid, and the grid resolution were performed to benchmark the filter performance in conjunction with ADM. Finally, a large eddy simulation on a fully unstructured grid was performed to demonstrate the range of applications of the proposed filter. All numerical results showed strong LES numerical stability when the explicit differential filter was used.

High-fidelity gradient-free optimization of low-pressure turbine cascades

In this paper we demonstrate the ability to perform shape optimization of Low Pressure Turbine (LPT) cascades using a combination of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and the Mesh Adaptive Direct Search (MADS) optimization algorithm. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of aerodynamic shape design of LPT cascade blades using LES. Current industry-standard optimization of LPT cascades is performed using the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approach. However, this is limited by inherent inaccuracies of existing turbulence models, particularly in the presence of transitional and separated turbulent flows. To alleviate this, our approach utilizes LES in lieu of RANS, which has been shown to provide more accurate results in flow regimes where RANS often fails. We first validate our LES simulations for a baseline T106D LPT cascade against available experimental data, showing good agreement. We then perform shape optimization using two different objective functions. The first optimization cycle, specified to minimize total pressure loss coefficient while maintaining tangential force, shows an improvement of 16% relative to the baseline T106D. The second optimization cycle, specified to maximize tangential force while maintaining total pressure loss coefficient, shows an improvement of 29% relative to the baseline T106D. Based on these results we conclude that optimization of LPT cascades with LES is feasible, and can yield significant improvements in performance with reasonable computational cost. Hence, this work supports a transition to higher-fidelity LES simulations as the foundation for optimization of next-generation LPT cascades.

Quantitative investigations of a schlieren velocimetry technique by a schlieren motion estimation (SME) method

A schlieren motion estimation (SME) method is a physical-based schlieren image velocimetry involving both schlieren luminance characteristic equation and continuity equation. This seedless velocimetry technique is useful for flow situations where the seeding particles are difficult to supply or identify. In this study, we conducted two quantitative investigations: (1) the sensitivity in an estimation accuracy with the user-defined weight parameters in the SME method and (2) the performances of the SME method for a laminar–turbulent transition flow in which a velocity field would be difficult to be estimated by a standard schlieren image velocimetry technique driven by a block-matching algorithm. The experimental results showed that a weight parameter α between governing equation and a constraint condition is sensitive to a velocity estimation accuracy. Additionally, α is strongly related to an image contrast gradient appearing in a schlieren image, and the strong image contrast gradient leads to the better weight parameter α in a wide range. Regarding the result of another quantitative investigation, it is found that the SME method is applicable to the laminar–turbulent transition flow because the turbulent structures in different sizes can be simultaneously captured by the SME method.

Discretization and perturbations in the simulation of localized turbulence in a pipe with a sudden expansion

At low Reynolds numbers, the flow through a pipe with a sudden expansion is characterized by the localized occurrence of flow instabilities, with the formation of a so-called turbulence puff. In the literature, physical experiments typically predict earlier occurrence of turbulence than computational fluid dynamics simulations. However, the behaviour of ‘natural’ transition to turbulence without perturbations, and the dependence of transition to turbulence on perturbations, are not yet fully understood, particularly for the simulations. The purpose of the present study is therefore to investigate this flow, including possible sources of perturbation in numerical simulations, and to evaluate their effect on transition to turbulence. Through the exploration of different flow rates, numerical settings and inlet perturbation amplitudes, and by evaluating coarse and refined simulations, insights into low-Reynolds-number transitional turbulent flows are obtained. The turbulence kinetic energy budget of the turbulence puff or slug characteristic of this flow is also evaluated. In conclusion, even when perturbations are not intentionally added, there can still be significant sources of numerical perturbation and error that trigger turbulence in simulations, but perturbations will need to be added in refined simulations in order to produce turbulence. Finally, the results agree with the notion that there may not be a scenario where the flow transitions naturally to turbulence without any perturbation.

Benefits from the use of wire-coil inserts in water transitional and low turbulent flow: The influence of the wire-coil pitch

Five wire-coil inserts with fixed wire diameter and different pitches, fitted inside a round tube have been experimentally studied in a transitional and low turbulent flow. Water was used as a working fluid at a wide range of flow conditions: 103 < Re < 104 and 3.9 < Pr < 10.0. The geometrical parameters of the inserts are: e/Di = 0.070, and p/e = 6.7, 9.0, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0. The variation of the friction factor and heat transfer coefficients have been obtained and compared with those of the smooth pipe. Performance evaluation criteria for the cases FG-1a, FG-2a, and VG-2a have been used to evaluate the maximum and real benefit that can be obtained. The greatest benefit can be achieved with the pitch of the wire-coil insert p/e = 10.0.

Identification of free-stream and boundary layer correlating events in free-stream turbulence-induced transition

Boundary layer receptivity to free-stream disturbances plays a crucial role in forming coherent structures, whose breakup drives the laminar to turbulent flow transition. In the present work, an extended proper orthogonal decomposition (E-POD) procedure is applied to particle image velocimetry (PIV) data to identify correlating events between the free-stream velocity field and transitional boundary layers for flow configurations typical of low-pressure turbine blades. Data collected in two wall-parallel planes were ordered along the homogeneous spanwise coordinate so that the dominant POD coefficients provide the most energetic spanwise wavelengths in the free-stream and the near-wall regions. Then, the cross-correlation matrix of the POD spanwise coefficients computed independently in both measuring planes directly identifies the free-stream scales showing the highest degree of correlation with the boundary layer structures. Low-order reconstructions of the original PIV data show that the most correlating events are directly linked to the formation and the successive breakup process of streaky structures. Otherwise, larger-scale structures which are not involved in the transition process are filtered out. Interestingly, free-stream disturbances appear as organized wave packets with significant elongation in the streamwise direction when the velocity fields are reconstructed considering only the most correlating modes. The effect due to the Reynolds numbers, the pressure gradient, and the free-stream turbulence variation on the free-stream modes affecting the formation of coherent structures in the boundary layer is discussed in the paper.

An URANS Simulation of the Kelvin-Helmholtz Aerodynamic Effect over the Ahmed Body

The reduction of energy consumption of cars is always a significant issue in automotive design. Turbulent flow around a car body is very difficult to simulate accurately due to the complexity of the flow conditions around the body, such as complex flow separation and laminar to turbulent flow transition. In particular, flow over the Ahmed body with a rear angle of 25o is considered a challenging problem for the RANS approach with two-equation turbulence models. In this study, we aim to analyze the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability associated with this flow with a URANS approach. Methodology for utilizing the URANS method is fully discussed. The predicted velocity profiles and drag coefficient are com-pared with experimental results. Three turbulence models, such as the k-ε, k-ω and SST models, are assessed and validated with experimental data. The aim of the study is to evaluate the performance of these models for the study of the Kel-vin-Helmholtz instability over the Ahmed body and for car bodies generally us-ing experimental data for their validations. It is found that the URANS approach with the turbulence models with proper numerical treatment can perform as well as or even better than the LES. And the SST model shows the best performance compared with other turbulence models.

Laminar to turbulent transition in a finite length square duct subjected to inlet disturbance

Laminar to turbulent flow transition in a finite length square duct has been carried out by imposing novel spatiotemporal finite amplitude inlet disturbance on the laminar flow. The present direct numerical simulation study demonstrates the effect of inlet disturbance on laminar to turbulent transition. A laminar flow in a finite length square duct is considered at bulk Reynolds number Re = 2260 and Re = 1540, to which a novel spatiotemporal disturbance is introduced through a narrow banded region at the inlet of the square duct. The puff (transition) and slug (turbulent) flow dynamics indicate the laminar to turbulent transition in a square duct. Disturbance introduced at Re = 2260 laminar flow propagates downstream, giving puff and slug flow phenomena similar to pipe flows. However, at Re = 1540, inlet disturbance shows only a puff-like structure. The four vortex mean secondary flow is observed in a puff region, while the conventional eight vortex is observed in the slug region. The coherent structures of the transition (puff) flow show the presence of dual-type hairpin structures. The turbulent kinetic energy spectrum indicates conventional −5/3 spectra for slug flow and −2 energy spectra for puff flow. Thus, in this paper, it is shown that the puff and slug characteristics of laminar to turbulent transition in a square duct are similar to that of a circular duct. It is also shown that the novel inlet disturbance through a narrow banded region captures the dynamics of laminar to turbulent transition in a square duct.

Hydraulics analysis of the U-tubing effect in a riserless drilling system

As a newly developed marine drilling technology, riserless drilling (RD) shows obvious advantages for use in deep-water and ultra-deepwater petroleum resources exploitation. However, the available published hydraulic analysis models for RD are rare or imperfect, especially regarding the lack of accounting for the out-of-hole time. To analyse the actual flow characteristics of drilling mud in an RD system after the surface mud pumping is complete, this paper presents a new hydraulic simulation model of the U-tubing effect. The specific calculation methods of pressure loss in the drilling string and the wellbore annulus at different flow regimes (turbulent flow, transition flow, and laminar flow) are provided based on the Herschel-Bulkley (HB) rheological model. A case study shows that a critical volumetric flow rate (CVFR) exists for a specific RD system to just cause the standpipe pressure to become zero. Only when the initial pump circulation rate is greater than the CVFR can it ensure the normal operation of the RD. Otherwise, the fluid mud level inside the drilling string will drop, resulting in the u-tubing effect. In the first few seconds after the surface pump is shut down, the wellbore transient flow rate is influenced strongly by the initial circulation rate. When the initial flow rate is less than the CVFR, the transient flow rate is accelerated during the first few seconds, which is not the expected behaviour. The influence of the drilling string size, fluid density and rheological parameters of the drilling fluid on the transient flow rate and the Bottom Hole Pressure (BHP) are also considered. The results proved that the smaller values of the rheological parameters are beneficial for reducing the fluctuation of the BHP during the U-tubing process.

Hydrodynamic Controls on the Particle Size of Resuspended Sediment from Sandy and Muddy Substrates in British Columbia, Canada

Kassem, H.; Sutherland, T.F., and Amos, C.L., 2021. Hydrodynamic controls on the particle size of resuspended sediment from sandy and muddy substrates in British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(4), 691–707. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.A benthic annular flume, Sea Carousel, was deployed at both sand-dominated (Baynes Sound) and mud-dominated (Carrie Bay) stations in British Columbia, Canada, to examine the character of near-bed flow over these contrasting bottom types and its control on particle size of resuspended sediment. An assessment has also been made of the turbidity-induced drag reduction due to suspension of bottom sediments. The median sizes of suspended material from the sandy sites have been compared with the well-known Rouse theory, whereas the aggregates resuspended from muddy stations were scaled with the energy dissipation rate (e) determined from high-frequency three-dimensional flow measures in the flume. There was no evidence in the turbulence spectra in the Sea Carousel of energy inputs in the paddle and lid rotational frequencies, and a f–5/3 slope for f > 2 Hz in turbulent transitional flows was evident. The bed roughness length of sandy sites was Reynolds-number dependent but was asymptotic to a constant value of 2 mm at high flows. This equated to a dimensionless drag coefficient at 1 m above bed of a constant, 3 × 10–3 (also at high Reynolds numbers), which agrees well with values reported in the literature. The median size of suspended sand (from the sandy sites) and equivalent still water settling rate (ws) scaled with the friction velocity (u*) in the form ws/u* = D*/8. The median size of resuspended aggregates (df) scaled inversely with dissipation (e) in the form df = 5 × 10–6e–0.24m, which is close to the relationship found in the literature.