Positive Vorticity Research Articles

Secondary flow characteristics and their relationship with thermal performance inside the absorber under non-uniform heat flux

Under the focusing characteristics of parabolic trough solar collectors, enhancing secondary flow intensity and shifting the secondary flow vortex center towards the bottom of the absorber can extend the lifespan of the absorber and improve thermal performance. This study combines the Monte Carlo Ray Tracing method (MCRT) and the Finite Volume Method (FVM) to investigate the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics inside the absorber under non-uniform thermal boundary conditions. The effects of inlet flow rate (Vin), inlet temperature (Tin), and protrusion structures on the secondary flow vortex position are examined. Through numerical analysis, secondary flow intensity (Se), heat transfer coefficient (h), Nusselt number (Nu), and friction factor (f) are calculated. The results show that increasing the Tin significantly enhances secondary flow intensity, thereby improving heat transfer within the absorber. Specifically, when Tin increases from 400.15 to 600.15 K, Se increases by a factor of 7.87, while h increases by 98.96%. Increasing the Vin shifts the secondary flow vortex downward, enhancing heat transfer at the bottom of the absorber. For example, when Vin increases from 100 to 200 L min−1, Se remains largely unchanged, while h increases by 44.68%. Compared to semi-cylindrical protrusions, tetrahedral protrusions are more effective at suppressing the upward shift of the secondary flow vortex, reducing velocity losses caused by fluid-wall interaction, and achieving better heat transfer enhancement. Under conditions of Tin = 500.15 K and Vin = 100 L min−1, the Nu increases by 14.6% for tetrahedral protrusions and 7.3% for semi-cylindrical protrusions, while the f increases by 12.3% and 10.9%, respectively, compared to the smooth absorber.

A Comparative Investigation of Monsoon Active and Break Events over the Western North Pacific

Abstract This study identifies 86 active events and 66 break events of the western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM) from 1979 to 2020. These active and break events exhibit sharp contrast in large-scale convection and circulation fields. During the active period, deep convection almost covers the entire WNP domain (0°–25°N, 120°–170°E), accompanied by the strengthening of a local monsoon trough and monsoon westerlies extending from the Arabian Sea to the WNP. In contrast, during the break period, along with weakened monsoon westerlies, the subtropical high replaces the monsoon trough to dominate the WNP domain, leading to the disappearance of deep convection. Results about the convection evolution at multiple time scales indicate that active/break events are primarily contributed to by the wet/dry phases of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs). The phase transitions of ISOs are nearly symmetric between active and break events. However, these two types of events present notable asymmetric features in convection anomalies relative to climatology, which can be attributable to the modulation of the seasonal mean component. Specifically, both active and break events correspond to anomalously strong seasonal mean convection, which amplifies (weakens) the convection enhancement (suppression) during the active (break) period and results in normal (enhanced) convection during adjacent periods. The preferred occurrence of active and break events in strong summer monsoons is because related mean backgrounds, including increased low-level positive vorticity, specific humidity, and easterly vertical shear, facilitate the intensification of ISOs. These mean backgrounds are likely induced by SST cooling in the north Indian Ocean and warming in the equatorial central Pacific during the simultaneous summer. Significance Statement The subseasonal variation in monsoon rainfall typically manifests as fluctuations between active events with abundant rainfall and break events with deficit rainfall, which can induce converse extremes such as floods and droughts, significantly affecting water management, agriculture planning, and economic activities. This study aims to reveal the characteristics, formation, and occurrence regularity of active and break events during the western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM). We note that the occurrence of these active and break events is determined not only by intraseasonal oscillations but also by seasonal mean backgrounds, which result in certain asymmetrical features between the two types of events. These results will enhance our understanding of the monsoon’s intraseasonal variability and the physical association between multiple time scales over the WNP domain (0°–25°N, 120°–170°E).

Numerical and experimental investigation on vortex control and sedimentation suppression in a Y-shaped diversion channel with circular inlet tanks

A sudden angle change between the Y-shaped diversion channel and the inlet tank of the circular pump station often leads to boundary layer separation and large vortex formation. These flow patterns can cause significant sediment deposition in sediment-laden rivers, reducing pump efficiency. A mixture model is introduced to describe water-sediment two-phase flows. Simulation results analyze vortex characteristics and formation mechanisms, and evaluate potential sediment deposition areas. Without rectification, vortex areas cause significant sediment migration towards the sidewalls of the Y-shaped diversion channel and pump inlet. Diversion measures like sills and pressure plates are introduced to reduce flow vortices. Results show that sills generally optimize flow structures. Sills in the main Y-shaped diversion channel outperform those in other channels in terms of optimization. Pressure plates also optimize flow structures. Vortex structure and position are closely related to the distance between the pressure plate and the circular intake tank. Optimized measures with pressure plates significantly reduce the flow deviation angle and improve flow velocity uniformity. Numerical simulation accuracy is validated through experiments. Results reveal the formation mechanism of adverse vortices and their sedimentation effects, which are detrimental to pump stations. The proposed rectification scheme provides theoretical support for optimizing pump station operation.

Density waves of vortex fluids on a sphere

We aim to find one highly nontrivial example of the solutions to the vortex fluid dynamical equation on the unit sphere (S 2) and compare it with the numerical simulation. Since the rigid rotating steady solution for vortex fluids on S 2 is already known to us, we consider the perturbations above it. After decomposing the perturbation of the vortex number density and vortex charge density into spherical harmonics, we find that the perturbations are propagating waves. To be precise, the velocities for different single-mode vortex number density waves are all the same, while the velocities for single-mode vortex charge density waves depend on the degree of the spherical harmonics l, which is a signal of the existence of dispersion. Meanwhile, we find that there is a beat phenomenon for the positive (or negative) vortex density wave. Numerical simulation based on the canonical equations for the point vortex model agrees perfectly with our theoretical calculations.

Inter‐Model Uncertainty in Projecting Precipitation Changes Over Central Asia Under Global Warming

AbstractThe impact of global warming on Central Asian precipitation suffers from huge uncertainties, yet their origins remain largely unidentified. This study investigates the inter‐model spread in the projection of winter Central Asian precipitation (WCAP) using models from the Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project Phase 6. The results reveal a homogenous wetting trend in WCAP, with the primary source of uncertainty in its magnitude stemming from the dynamic component of vertical moisture advection. This dynamical uncertainty is further attributed to an out‐of‐phase variation between two Eurasian westerly jets, which can enhance the upward motion over Central Asia through positive relative vorticity advection and warm temperature advection. The opposing variation between two westerly jets can be traced to cooling in the North Pacific, which alters jet intensity through changes in the meridional temperature gradient. This study informs policy and adaptation strategies to better cope with future climate shifts in Central Asia.

A High-resolution Simulation of Protoplanetary Disk Turbulence Driven by the Vertical Shear Instability

A high-resolution fourth-order Padé scheme is used to simulate locally isothermal 3D disk turbulence driven by the vertical shear instability (VSI) using 268.4 M points. In the early nonlinear period of axisymmetric VSI, angular momentum transport by vertical jets creates correlated N-shaped radial profiles of perturbation vertical and azimuthal velocity. This implies dominance of positive perturbation vertical vorticity layers and a recently discovered angular momentum staircase with respect to radius (r). These features are present in 3D in a weaker form. The 3D flow consists of vertically and azimuthally coherent turbulent shear layers containing small vortices with all three vorticity components active. Previously observed large persistent vortices in the interior of the domain driven by the Rossby wave instability are absent. We speculate that this is due to a weaker angular momentum staircase in 3D in the present simulations compared to a previous simulation. The turbulent viscosity parameter α(r) increases linearly with r. At intermediate resolution, the value of α(r) at midradius is close to that of a previous simulation. The specific kinetic energy spectrum with respect to radial wavenumber has a power-law region with exponent −1.84, close to the value −2 expected for shear layers. The spectrum with respect to azimuthal wavenumber has a −5/3 region and lacks a −5 region reported in an earlier study. Finally, it is found that axisymmetric VSI has artifacts at late times, including a very strong angular momentum staircase, which in 3D is present weakly in the disk’s upper layers.

Propagation Diversity of 20–40‐Day Oscillation of Summer Precipitation in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

AbstractThe summer precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLYR) is characterized by obvious intra‐seasonal oscillations. This study investigates the propagation diversity of the 20–40‐day summer precipitation oscillation in MLYR and its underlying mechanism. The 20–40‐day oscillation events manifest as three types: northward propagation, southward propagation, and local oscillation. For northward and southward events, the propagation of precipitation is accompanied by the movement of 20–40‐day low‐frequency cyclonic vortices in the lower troposphere. Further investigation into the mechanism of anomalous vorticity propagation accompanying low‐frequency vortices reveals that positive relative vorticity advection in the north of the vortex facilitates its northward propagation. Moreover, the positive advection is primarily reliant on the background southerly winds to transport the low‐frequency vorticity. Diabatic heating dominates the southward propagation of low‐frequency precipitation. The center of the latent heating is located in the south of the low‐frequency vortex, which steers its southward migration. Furthermore, the uneven spatial distribution of latent heating across the vortex may be attributed to the non‐uniform distribution of mean humidity. Based on the above results, sensitivity experiments are conducted using a regional climate model (RegCM4.6). The results demonstrate that when the southerly winds are increased (decreased) or the specific humidity gradient is decreased (increased), the southward (northward) events weaken and disappear, or transitioned into local oscillations or northward (southward) events. This further validates the physical processes through which the basic flow and humidity inhomogeneities affect the meridional propagation of the 20–40‐day oscillations of precipitation.

Role of the Europe–China Pattern Teleconnection in the Interdecadal Autumn Dry–Wet Fluctuations in Central China

Based on statistical analyses of long-term reanalysis data, we have investigated the interdecadal variations of autumn precipitation in central China (APC-d) and the associated atmospheric teleconnection. It reveals that the increased autumn rainfall in central China during the last decade is a portion of the APC-d, which exhibits a high correlation coefficient of 0.7 with the interdecadal variations of the Europe–China pattern (EC-d pattern) teleconnection. The EC-d pattern teleconnection presents in a “+-+” structure over Eurasia, putting central China into the periphery of a quasi-barotropic anticyclonic high-pressure anomaly. Driven by positive vorticity advection and the inflow of warmer and moist air from the south, central China experiences enhanced ascending motion and abundant water vapor supply, resulting in increased rainfall. Further analysis suggests that the EC-d pattern originates from the exit of the North Atlantic jet and propagates eastward. It is captured by the Asian westerly jet stream and proceeds towards East Asia through the wave–mean flow interaction. The wave train acquires effective potential energy from the mean flow by the baroclinic energy conversion and simultaneously obtains kinetic energy from the basic westerly jet zones across the North Atlantic and the East Asian coasts. The interdecadal variation of the mid-latitude North Atlantic sea surface temperature (MAT-d) exhibits a significant negative relationship with EC-d, serving as a modulating factor for the EC-d pattern teleconnection. Experiments with CMIP6 models predict that the interdecadal variations in APC-d, EC-d, and MAT-d will maintain stable high correlations for the rest of the 21st century. These findings may contribute to forecasting the interdecadal autumn dry–wet conditions in central China.

The North China record-breaking rainfall in July 2021: The atmospheric influential factors and precursory signal

Abstract In July 2021, the southeastern part of North China (SENC) suffered a record-breaking extreme rainfall event that caused devastating flooding and enormous losses. In this study, the major atmospheric influential factors and the precursory signal of heavy rainfall in 2021 are investigated using the correlation, regression, power spectrum, and filtering methods, the quasi-geostrophic velocity equation, observational data and numerical simulation of a linear baroclinic model (LBM). The results show that the extremity of a quasi-barotropic high anomaly over Northeast Asia (NEA) contributes to the deep anomalous upward motion within SENC by inducing positive vorticity and temperature advections. On the other hand, the anomalous southeasterly flow at the southwestern flank of the NEA high anomaly transports sufficient moisture to SENC in the lower troposphere. The local deep upward motion combined with the lower-tropospheric moisture convergence directly leads to the occurrence of this extreme rainfall event. Further analysis shows that the intensification of the NEA high in July 2021 is closely tied to the westward migration of atmospheric disturbance originating from the vicinity of Northeast Pacific-North America, which could be supported by numerical simulation in LBM. The variation of the geopotential height anomaly over Northeast Pacific-North America precedes that of the NEA high by two weeks, which is likely to provide a potential source of predictability for the extreme rainfall in SENC.

Identification of left ventricular flow features in healthy and pathological conditions

Abstract Background In the presence of mitral valve diseases or following surgical interventions, the hemodynamics in the left ventricle (LV) are significantly altered [1]. These maladaptive intraventricular hemodynamic alterations can stimulate a cascade of events leading to progressive adverse LV remodeling and eventual heart failure [2]. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of LV flow features may provide a potential for sensitive risk stratification of clinical cardiac function [3]. Purpose The purpose of this study is to identifying LV flow features using in vitro experiments under both normal and pathological conditions, including mitral regurgitation (MR), mitral valve replacement with bioprosthetic/mechanical valve, and transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (TEER). Methods We utilized a biohybrid approach to construct the in vitro experimental platform, where the native mitral valve (including chordae tendineae and papillary muscles) and aortic valve from porcine were combined with a 3D-printed silicon LV (figure 1). To ensure comparability across different conditions, we maintained consistency by utilizing the same native valve and 3D-printed LV. For pathological conditions, we cut the chordae tendineae in A2 zone to induce the severe degenerative MR, and TEER was performed on this prolapsed valve by placing two clips in A2-P2 zone. Then, the anterior leaflet of valve was cut, and a bioprosthetic valve and mechanical valve were sutured to mitral annulus to simulate surgical valve replacement, respectively. Left ventricular flow fields were measured using four-dimensional particle image velocimetry (4D-PIV) technique, with vector interval of 0.9 mm in all the spatial directions and temporal resolution of 10 ms. Results Significant differences in mean flow field were observed among healthy and pathological conditions (figure 2). Firstly, the vortex orientation was clockwise in healthy, MR, bioprosthetic valve replacement, and TEER conditions, which could accompany the redirection of blood flows towards the aortic valve. However, the replacement with a mechanical valve resulted in an alteration in vortex orientation from clockwise to counterclockwise. Secondly, the position of the center of the vortex changed in pathological conditions, with the center of the vortex closest to the apex and the left ventricle outflow tract in the healthy condition. Thirdly, the maximum Reynolds shear stress (RSS), which may be responsible for thrombus formation, significantly increased after TEER procedure and bioprosthetic valve replacement. Conclusions This study demonstrates significant changes in LV hemodynamics across different conditions. The flow features, including vortex orientations, vortex positions and the RSS, may potentially become crucial considerations for the optimization of artificial valves and mitral valve repair devices.Figure 1 Figure 2

How Does the Tibetan Plateau Land Thermal Initial Condition Influence the Subseasonal Prediction of 2020 Record‐Breaking Mei‐Yu Rainfall

AbstractAccurate subseasonal prediction of heavy rainfall is helpful for disaster mitigation but challenging. The land thermal condition of Tibetan Plateau (TP), usually with climate memory ranging from weeks to seasons, has been seen as a potential predictability source for subseasonal prediction. Aiming at 2020 record‐breaking Mei‐yu rainfall, this study attempts to investigate whether and how the influence of initial TP surface thermal condition near late June influences the July rainfall prediction over the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Region (MLYR), based on two contrasting prediction experiments using a global climate ensemble prediction system. The results show that the most distinguishable change in the downstream prediction in July is the anomalous low‐tropospheric cyclone and the associated increased rainfall over MLYR corresponding to the warmer initial condition of surface TP. Influenced by the invasion of the positive potential vorticity (PV) center that generated over TP and propagated eastward, this low‐level cyclone anomaly over MLYR is formed within the first week of prediction, and persists for the next 3 weeks maintained by the positive feedback between the low‐level cyclone and middle‐tropospheric latent heating over MLYR in the prediction. This study confirmed the significant effect of TP initial thermal condition on downstream prediction ahead of 3 weeks during the Mei‐yu season (peak summer) with strong land–atmosphere coupling over TP.

Revealing the pinning landscape and related vortex pattern evolution in granular superconducting films

Most superconducting electronics based on films exhibit granular structures. It has been suggested that grain boundaries form a network with relatively weak superconductivity, potentially acting as pinning centers. Yet, so far, detailed microscopic studies of the pinning landscape and its relation to vortex behavior remain scarce. Here, we imaged the vortex lattices (VL) in granular Nb films using magnetic force microscopy over large scanning areas at various magnetic fields. A non-monotonic evolution in the degree of vortex lattice ordering was observed with increasing vortex density, driven by a combination of vortex-vortex interactions and pinning effects. The spatial distribution of pinning potential within the film was directly mapped using a recently developed scanning quantum vortex microscope (SQVM). Instead of the network formed by grain boundaries, the pinning landscape presents a network-like structure, yet with domains significantly larger than the individual grains. The results of numerical simulations based on pinning landscape revealed by SQVM well reproduce our experiments. The pinning force per unit length at low magnetic fields was calculated. The critical current density, estimated from the relative positions of vortices, aligns well with the critical state model. Our work illustrates the relationship between the evolution of the vortex lattice with magnetic field and the structural features of granular Nb film, providing new insights into the design of high-performance superconducting electronic devices.

Thermal Melting of a Vortex Lattice in a Quasi-Two-Dimensional Bose Gas.

We report the observation of the melting of a vortex lattice in a fast rotating quasi-two dimensional Bose gas, under the influence of thermal fluctuations. We image the vortex lattice after a time-of-flight expansion, for increasing rotation frequency at constant atom number and temperature. We detect the vortex positions and study the order of the lattice using the pair correlation function and the orientational correlation function. We evidence the melting transition by a change in the decay of orientational correlations, associated with a proliferation of dislocations. Our findings are consistent with the hexatic to liquid transition in the Kosterlitz, Thouless, Halperin, Nelson, and Young scenario for two-dimensional melting.

Comprehensive investigation of optimal vortex generator shape and position for heat transfer enhancement in a rectangular passage to cool electronic appliances: A numerical analysis

Comprehensive investigation of optimal vortex generator shape and position for heat transfer enhancement in a rectangular passage to cool electronic appliances: A numerical analysis

The Diagnostic Analysis of the Thermodynamic Characteristics of Typhoon “Maysak” during Its Transformation Process

This study utilized high-resolution numerical simulation data from the WRF model to conduct a thermodynamic diagnosis of the process by which Typhoon “Maysak” transformed and merged with the Northeast Cold Vortex. The results indicated that the continuous intrusion of cold vortex air and the relative cold advection formed by the typhoon’s movement led to the demise of the typhoon’s warm core structure. The low-level low-pressure convergence and upper-level high-pressure divergence structure disappeared. After the transformation and merging with the Northeast Cold Vortex, the cyclone became cold throughout the entire layer, with a cold center appearing at low levels. During the process of the typhoon’s transformation and merging with the Northeast Cold Vortex, cold air accumulated near the low levels of the cyclone, causing the pseudo-adiabatic potential temperature lines to tilt and resulting in the slanted development of vertical vorticity in the mid-levels of the cyclone. After the typhoon transformed and merged with the Northeast Cold Vortex, the positive vertical vorticity advection at the bottom of the upper-level cold vortex trough promoted the cyclone’s development directly from the mid-levels to the upper levels, while the jet stream at the bottom of the cold vortex trough facilitated the maintenance of the positive vertical vorticity advection. Concurrently, the thermodynamic shear vorticity parameter could describe the typical vertical structure characteristics of the dynamic and thermodynamic fields above the rain area during the typhoon transformation process. In terms of temporal evolution trends, there was a certain correspondence with the development and movement of the ground rain area, and the perturbation thermodynamic divergence parameter had a good indicative effect on the area of heavy rainfall.

Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer Asymmetries in a Tilt-Following Perspective

Abstract Previous observations and modeling studies showed that tropical cyclones (TCs) in a sheared environment develop an asymmetric boundary layer (BL). While the relationship between the BL asymmetries and environmental shear has been demonstrated, the exact cause of these BL asymmetries and the phase relationship between them are less well understood. In this study, we examine the dynamical processes leading to the asymmetric structure of the TC BL in a sheared environment using idealized, convection-permitting model simulations. Our results show that the emergence of the BL asymmetries is closely linked to the TC vortex tilt and rainband processes. Specifically, stratiform diabatic processes in the downtilt-left region result in midlevel descending inflow, which brings midtropospheric, low-θE air toward the BL and forms a surface cold pool in the downtilt-left quadrant. This descending inflow also advects high absolute angular momentum inward, redistributing the vertical vorticity and causing a storm-scale tangential wind acceleration within the downtilt-left quadrant. As the BL low-θE air advances inward, it becomes supergradient and decelerates radially, forming BL outflow in the uptilt-left quadrant. The outflow advects positive relative vorticity uptilt, forming an elliptic BL vorticity and circulation structure. As the tilted TC vortex and the accompanying rainband precess cyclonically over time, the above sequence of events and the resultant BL asymmetries also precess cyclonically, maintaining a quasi-stationary configuration relative to the vortex tilt. These results suggest that the primary organizing factor of the boundary layer asymmetries is the tilted vortex structure and not strictly the environmental shear direction.

Flow induced vibration with forced convection of a stationary and oscillating filleted bluff bodies in a staggered position

Flow induced vibration (FIV) and forced convection heat transfer from staggered cylinders are numerically investigated with Re = 150 and Pr = 0.7. Cylinders are arranged in a staggered manner with three different stagger angles (α) = 15°, 30°, and 45°. The upstream cylinder (UC) is kept fixed while the downstream cylinder (DC) is mounted. The cross section of the bluff body is altered by parameter (r*) = 0 (square cylinder), 0.5, 0.75, and 1 (circular cylinder). For every stagger angle and r*, the reduced velocity is varied from 2 to 10. The mass ratio (m*) of the DC is kept at 10 and damping constant set to zero for maximum vibrational amplitude. The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are coupled with Newton's equation for the mass-damper system of the vibrating cylinder. Flow induced vibration was studied with the help of frequency characteristics, dynamics response of cylinders, and instantaneous phase plots of lift and amplitude. Generally, in the case of square cylinders a delayed response can be observed as compared to other configurations. For α=15°, the DC is fully submerged into the wake of static UC. P + S (P: pair; S: singlet)-type vortices can be observed for r* = 0. For other configurations of filleted cylinders, such as r* = 0.5, 0.75, and 1 at Ur=4, 2 parallel row formation is formed due to negative sign vortices while the other one was a combination of positive and negative vortices in pseudo-P formation. At higher Ur=6 and 8, coalesced and irregular wakes can be noticed. As the stagger angle is increased to higher than 30°, the wake of both cylinders becomes more pronounced. Due to the change in stagger angle, fs (vortex shedding frequency) of UC and DC forces decouples. 2P-type vortex shedding can be observed at Ur=4 for r* = 0.75 and 1. Pairs of vortices are coupled from each cylinder in a row where negative vortices coalesce while losing energy. For lower r* = 0 and 0.5, there is a tendency for three row formation. Further increase in angle pushed the DC completely out of the wake of the UC although vortices from both cylinders are still found to interact and exhibit three row formation and 2P-type vortex shedding. Heat transfer from the DC is highly dependent on the stagger angle. For r* = 1 and 0.5 at Ur=2, the change in Nuavg is 15% and 14.7%, respectively, when the angle changed from 15° to 45°. Heat transfer from any FIV system can be directly influenced by dynamic response, position, shape, and flow topology. The generated results are provide insight for understanding the vibrational modes and heat transfer from two bluff bodies involving fluid–structure interactions.

Streamline curvature effects generated by tornado-like flows on the aerodynamics of a low-rise structure

This paper examines the streamline curvature effects on the aerodynamic pressure patterns induced by tornado-like flows on a low-rise structure. The analysis derives from the detailed scrutiny of a wind tunnel test campaign carried out at the WindEEE Dome tornado simulator. The simulated tornado-like flows were characterized by a swirl ratio such that the cores were characterized by multiple vortices. The tornado-like vortex was slowly translated across the chamber of the simulator. Surface pressure measurements were acquired on both the building model surface and on a circular ground plate around it, and synchronized with velocity measurements gathered from four Cobra probes installed in the proximity of the corners of the structure. These Cobra probes allowed the definition of the tornadic streamlines. Multiple nominally identical repeats were carried out to gather a robust estimation of conditionally-averaged pressure and velocity measurements based on the position of the tornado-like vortex. When comparing different cases characterized by similar conditions of upstream wind direction, the mean aerodynamic pressure patterns were revealed to be sensitive to the streamline curvature. Moreover, these are distinct than those generated from straight-line ABL winds, consistently calibrated upon the measurements from the Cobra probes in the upstream proximity of the building.

Synchronicity of the Gulf Stream path downstream of Cape Hatteras and the region of maximum wind stress curl

The Gulf Stream, a major ocean current in the North Atlantic ocean is a key component in the global redistribution of heat and is important for marine ecosystems. Based on 27 years (1993–2019) of wind reanalysis and satellite altimetry measurements, we present observational evidence that the path of this freely meandering jet after its separation from the continental slope at Cape Hatteras, aligns with the region of maximum cyclonic vorticity of the wind stress field known as the positive vorticity pool. This synchronicity between the wind stress curl maximum region and the Gulf Stream path is observed at multiple time-scales ranging from months to decades, spanning a distance of 1500 km between 70 and 55W. The wind stress curl in the positive vorticity pool is estimated to drive persistent upward vertical velocities ranging from 5 to 17 cm day−1 over its ~ 400,000 km2 area; this upwelling may supply a steady source of deep nutrients to the Slope Sea region, and can explain as much as a quarter of estimated primary productivity there.

Interference mechanism of trailing edge flap shedding vortices with rotor wake and aerodynamic characteristics

A robust Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based solver is established to predict the complex unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the Active Flap Control (AFC) rotor. The complex motion with multiple degrees of freedom of the Trailing Edge Flap (TEF) is analyzed by employing an inverse nested overset grid method. Simulation of non-rotational and rotational modes of blade motion are carried out to investigate the formation and development of TEF shedding vortex with high-frequency deflection of TEF. Moreover, the mechanism of TEF deflection interference with blade tip vortex and overall rotor aerodynamics is also explored. In non-rotational mode, two bundles of vortices form at the gap ends of TEF and the main blade and merge into a single TEF vortex. Dynamic deflection of the TEF significantly interferes with the blade tip vortex. The position of the blade tip vortex consistently changes, and its frequency is directly related to the frequency of TEF deflection. In rotational mode, the tip vortex forms a helical structure. The end vortices at the gap sides co-swirl and subsequently merge into the concentrated beam of tip vortices, causing fluctuations in the vorticity and axial position of the tip vortex under the rotor. This research concludes with the investigation on suppression of Blade Vortex Interaction (BVI), showing an increase in miss distance and reduction in the vorticity of tip vortex through TEF phase control at a particular control frequency. Through this mechanism, a designed TEF deflection law increases the miss distance by 34.7% and reduces vorticity by 11.9% at the target position, demonstrating the effectiveness of AFC in mitigating BVI.