Vortex Tracking Research Articles

Following vortices around

Superfluidity When stirred, superfluids react by creating quantized vortices. Studying the dynamics of these vortices, especially in the strongly interacting regime, is technically challenging. Sachkou et al. developed a technique for the nondestructive tracking of vortices in thin films of superfluid helium-4. Their system contained a microtoroid optical cavity coated by a thin film of helium-4, in which vortices were created by using laser light. When imaging the subsequent dynamics of the vortices, the researchers found that coherent dynamics strongly dominated over dissipation. Science , this issue p. [1480][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaw9229

Enhancement of Film Cooling Effectiveness Using Dean Vortices

Abstract Film cooling technology is widely used in gas turbines. With the additive manufacturing anticipated in the future, there will be more freedom in film cooling hole design. Exploiting this freedom, the present authors tried using curved holes to generate Dean vortices within the delivery line. These vortices have opposite direction of rotation to the vorticity of the kidney vortices and, thus, there is interaction between these vortices in the mixing region. It is shown that as a result of the inclusion of Dean vortices, the curved hole delivery leads to enhanced film cooling effectiveness. Numerical results, including film cooling effectiveness values, tracking of vortices in the flow field, heat transfer coefficients, and net heat flux reduction (NHFR), are compared between the curved hole, round hole, and a laidback, fan-shaped hole with blowing ratios, M, of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5. The comparison shows that film cooling effectiveness values with the curved hole are higher than those with cylindrical film cooling holes at every blowing ratio studied. The curved hole has lower film cooling effectiveness values than the laidback, fan-shaped holes when M = 0.5 and 1.0, but shows advantages when the blowing ratio is higher than 1.0. There is heat transfer enhancement for the curved hole case due to a higher kinetic energy transferred to the near-wall region, however. Nevertheless, the curved hole still displays a higher NHFR when the blowing ratio is high.

Wake of a cruciform appendage on a generic submarine at 10$$^\circ $$ yaw

The present model geometry is a recent iteration of the Joubert (Defence Science and Technology, Tech. Rep. TR-1920, 2006) generic conventional submarine design and is known as the “BB2”. Wind-tunnel testing of the model at 10 $$^\circ $$ yaw, by China-clay visualisation and by ensemble-averaged measurements using high-resolution stereoscopic particle image velocimetry, shows a similar wake flow at the model-length Reynolds numbers $$Re_\mathrm{L} = 4 \times 10^6$$ and $$8 \times 10^6$$ . The most significant flow feature is on the model upper hull. It is a system of three co-rotating vortices produced by a cruciform appendage which consists of a vertical fin (or sail in American terminology) and two horizontal hydroplanes. Circulation is strongest from the fin tip followed by the windward hydroplane, then the leeward hydroplane. Vortex tracking shows a down-wash of the fin-tip vortex, where the wind-ward- and lee-ward-hydroplane vortices spiral in the rotation direction of the fin-tip vortex. The interpreted flow includes a U-shaped vortex line around the leeward hydroplane, where this vortex line connects the fin-tip vortex and a surface vortex on the leeward side of the fin.

Evolution of Turbulent Horseshoe Vortex System in Front of a Vertical Circular Cylinder in Open Channel

A turbulent horseshoe vortex (HV) system around a wall-mounted cylinder in open channel is characterized by random variations in vortex features and an abundance of vortex interactions. The turbulent HV system is responsible for initiating the local scour process in front of the cylinder. The evolution of the turbulent HV system is investigated statistically and quantitatively with time-resolved particle image velocimetry. The cylinder Reynolds numbers of the flow are 8600, 10,200, and 13,600, respectively. A novel vortex tracking method was proposed to obtain the variations in position, size, and strength of the primary HV (PHV) which dominates the system most of the time. Relationships between the various features of the PHV during its evolutionary process were obtained through correlation analyses. Results show that the dimensionless mean lifespan of the PHV is about 5.0. Statistically, the downstream movement of the PHV toward the cylinder is accompanied with its bed-approaching movement and decreasing in size, and the opposite is true. The circulation strength of the PHV decreases and increases dramatically in the region downstream of its time-averaged position when the PHV approaches and departs from the cylinder, respectively. Meanwhile, mechanisms responsible for the generation, movement, variation, and disappearance of the PHV are re-investigated and enriched based on its interactions with vortices in the separation region and structures in the incoming flow. The obtained change trends of the features of the PHV and the underlying mechanisms for its evolution are valuable for predicting and controlling the initial stage of the local scour in front of cylinders.

Vortex dynamics in low- and high-extent polymer drag reduction regimes revealed by vortex tracking and conformation analysis

Turbulent flow profiles are known to change between low- (LDR) and high-extent drag reduction (HDR) regimes. It is however not until recently that the LDR-HDR transition is recognized as a fundamental change between two DR mechanisms. Although the onset of DR, which initiates the LDR stage, is explainable by a general argument of polymers suppressing vortices, the occurrence of HDR where flow statistics are qualitatively different and DR effects are observed across a much broader range of wall regions remains unexplained. Recent development of the vortex axis tracking by iterative propagation algorithm allows the detection and extraction of vortex axis-lines with various orientations and curvatures. This new tool is used in this study to analyze the vortex conformation and dynamics across the LDR-HDR transition. Polymer effects are shown to concentrate on vortices that are partially or completely attached to the wall. At LDR, this effect is an across-the-board weakening of vortices which lowers their intensity without shifting their distribution patterns. At HDR, polymers start to suppress the lift-up of streamwise vortices in the buffer layer and prevent their downstream heads from rising into the log-law layer and forming hairpins and other curved vortices. This interrupts the turbulent momentum transfer between the buffer and log-law layers, which offers a clear pathway for explaining the distinct mean flow profiles at HDR. The study depicts the first clear physical picture regarding the changing vortex dynamics between LDR and HDR, which is based on direct evidence from objective statistical analysis of vortex conformation and distribution.

Implementation of Tropical Cyclone Detection Scheme to CCAM model for Seasonel Tropical Cyclone Prediction over the Vietnam East Sea

Implementation of Tropical Cyclone Detection Scheme to CCAM model for Seasonel Tropical Cyclone Prediction over the Vietnam East Sea

Numerical analysis of the influence of early fuel injection on charge motion in a direct injection spark ignition engine using scale-resolving simulations

This work summarizes the numerical analysis of the effect of early fuel injection on the charge motion in a direct injection spark ignition engine concerning cyclic fluctuations of the flow field. The combination of the scale-resolving turbulence model “Scale Adaptive Simulation” and post-processing routines for vortex trajectory visualization allows for a detailed insight into the temporal resolved and cycle-dependent behavior of the charge motion. In the first part, a simplified engine set-up is presented and used as a validation case to ensure correct behavior of the turbulence model and post-processing routines. In the second part, the computational fluid dynamics model of the real engine is introduced. The application of the proposed vortex tracking algorithm is shown, and a short discussion about the transient behavior of the charge motion in this engine set-up is given. The third part describes the analysis of the influence of the fuel injection on the charge motion at different engine speeds from 1000 to 3000 r/min and variations of the intake pressure from 1 to 2 bar. Finally, the impact on different flow field properties at possible ignition timings is discussed. Changes in mean flow field quantities as well as in aerodynamic fluctuations are found as a consequence of fuel injection.

Effect of angle of attack on vortex dynamics in laminar separation bubbles

The dynamics of coherent structures that develop within laminar separation bubbles over a NACA 0018 airfoil at Rec = 100 000 and Angles of Attack (AOA) of 0°, 5°, 8°, and 10° are investigated experimentally using a high-speed flow visualization technique and vortex tracking via embedded microphones. The results identify vortex shedding within the separation bubble for all the cases investigated. The vortices form upstream of mean transition location and break down in the vicinity of mean reattachment, with irregular vortex merging events detected in the aft portion of the separation bubble. As the mean size of the separation bubble decreases with increasing angle of attack, vortex shedding characteristics also change appreciably, with shedding frequency increasing and characteristic streamwise wavelength decreasing. However, vortex roll up and salient aspects of vortex development take place within approximately the same regions downstream of separation location in terms of percentage of the bubble length. For all the cases examined, significant cycle-to-cycle variability is observed in salient vortex characteristics, being particularly pronounced in the aft portion of the bubble where vortex merging occurs and significant spanwise deformations of vortex filaments are expected. Merging of the shear layer vortices is shown to occur irregularly between the mean transition and reattachment location, with merging events separated by a relatively wide range of shedding cycles. As the angle of attack increases from AOA = 5° to 10°, the fraction of primary vortices involved in merging increases up to about 25%. However, enhancement in vortex merging is also noted at lower AOA where shedding occurs close to the trailing edge, which is speculated to be linked to upstream scattering of periodic pressure fluctuations induced at the trailing edge.

Horizontal diffusive motion of columnar vortices in rotating Rayleigh–Bénard convection

In laboratory experiments, horizontal translational motion of columnar vortices formed in rotating Rayleigh–Bénard convection was investigated. Two types of measurements, vertical velocity fields and horizontal temperature fields, were conducted with water as the test fluid. Using particle image velocimetry, the vertical velocity fields determined the parameter range at which the quasi-two-dimensional columnar vortices emerged. Locally, the duration characteristics of the columns, evaluated with their vertical coherence, indicate the minimum time scale of translational motion of the vortices in the horizontal plane. Vortex tracking of the horizontal temperature fields over long observation periods (${>}10^{3}~\text{s}$) was conducted using encapsulated thermochromic liquid crystal visualization. Two cylindrical vessels with different radii showed the emergence of the centrifugal effect in $O({>}10^{2}~\text{s})$ despite the small Froude number ($Fr<0.1$). Further, in the horizontal plane the columnar vortices behaved in a random-walk-like diffusive motion. The statistically calculated mean-squared displacements indicated anomalous diffusive motion of the columns; displacement increasing with time as $t^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}}$ with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}\neq 1$. We discuss the causes of this anomaly in both the instantaneous and long-term statistical data gathered from experimental observations over different time scales. The enclosure effect from the repulsion of up-welling and down-welling vortices ensures that vortices diffuse only little, resulting in a sub-diffusive (decelerated) motion $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}<1$ in $O(10^{1}~\text{s})$. With this weak centrifugal contribution, the translational motion of the columns slowly accelerates in the radial direction and thereby yields a super-diffusive (accelerated) motion $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}>1$ in $O(10^{2}~\text{s})$.

Numerical study of trailing and leading vortex dynamics in a forced jet with coflow

The interaction of trailing and leading vortex structures in low Reynolds number (R = 1000) forced (varicose) jet with coflow is studied using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS), where we report the dynamics of these vortices for a range of varying parameters. In a circular forced jet with Strouhal number 0.2, continuous formation of these vortices is observed which undergo pairing, tearing and disintegration. The forced jet is analyzed for varying frequency of forced perturbations, coflow temperature, turbulence intensity, momentum thickness, coflow intensity and Reynolds number at a constant forcing amplitude (15%). The observation reveals that any reduction in momentum thickness increases the circulation as well as energy capacity of the leading and the trailing vortices, thereby enhancing the vortex pairing time. However, the hot coflow increases the strength of the leading vortex to such an extent that the generated trailing vortex is weak and dissipates even before it undergoes vortex pairing, while an incomplete disintegration of the leading vortex occurs in this case. Moreover, the strength of leading and trailing vortices is found to decrease with an increase in coflow power, thereby leading to a weaker vortex pairing. The decrease in Reynolds number also reduces the intensity of trailing vortices; whereas, at a lower Reynolds number (Re) the trailing vortices dissipate soon after they form. The findings are achieved based on the analysis done by Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD), Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD), fast Fourier transform (FFT), Q-criterion and vortex tracking method to understand the dynamic interaction and behavior of the vortices.

Genesis and track prediction of pre-monsoon cyclonic storms over North Indian Ocean in a multi-model ensemble framework

An attempt has been made in this study to evaluate the performance of a multi-model ensemble prediction system (MMEPS) in the extended range prediction of genesis and track of cyclonic storms (CS) over North Indian Ocean (NIO) during the onset phase of Indian summer monsoon. The MMEPS comprises of National Centres for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System version 2 and its atmospheric component, Global Forecast System version 2, at two different resolutions. In this study, we analyse the performance of this MMEPS in the prediction of six CS cases formed around the onset phase of the Indian summer monsoon over NIO. Along with this, we evaluate the usefulness of the genesis potential parameter used by India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the real-time cyclogenesis prediction. ERA-Interim re-analysis data sets are used to compare MME predictions from two initial conditions (IC) close to the genesis date of each storm. Results show that genesis forecasts from nearest available IC is capturing the vorticity and associated features of the storm better than far-IC. A modified version of vortex tracking scheme developed by Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory is used to obtain the mean track positions from MME outputs and compare with IMD-best tracks. Track verification is done by calculating average direct position error, cross-track error and along-track error against corresponding IMD-best tracks. It is found that track predictions from both near and far ICs have lower average errors initially with near-IC having lesser errors as compared to far-IC. Along-track error for pre-genesis track prediction from far-IC implies that the predicted tracks remarkably lag behind observed tracks for most of the cases. These errors could be contributed from the inability of the models in realistically capturing the region of evolution and intensification of both thermodynamic and dynamic parameters with increasing lead time.

Vortex tracking on visualized temperature fields in a rotating Rayleigh–Bénard convection

We established a vortex detection method using instantaneous temperature fields that were visualized using thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) to investigate behaviors of vortical structures in a rotating Rayleigh–Benard convection. Experimental testing was performed at a fixed Rayleigh number $$Ra = 1.0 \times 10^7$$ and different Taylor numbers from $$Ta = 1.0 \times 10^6$$ to $$1.0 \times 10^8$$ in water containing encapsulated TLCs. Vortices were recognized as undulations that appear in the horizontal temperature fields, thus making vortex detection with high spatial resolution possible, and this enabled quantitative investigation of the dynamics of vortical structures. Standard template matching was used to detect individual vortices on visualized temperature fields, and two-dimensional curved surface fitting was adopted to remove erroneous detections and to evaluate shapes of local temperature fields corresponding to vortical structures. Additionally, vortex tracking clearly showed geometric advection pattern of vortical structures.

Sinus Hemodynamics Variation with Tilted Transcatheter Aortic Valve Deployments.

Leaflet thrombosis is a complication associated with transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) replacement (TAVR) correlated with sinus flow stasis. Sinus hemodynamics are important because they dictate shear stress and washout necessary to avoid stasis on TAV leaflets. Sinus flow is controlled by TAV axial deployment position but little is known regarding TAV axis misalignment effect. This study aims to elucidate TAV angular misalignment with respect to aortic root axis effect on sinus flow stasis potentially leading to leaflet thrombosis. Sinus hemodynamics were assessed in vitro using particle-image velocimetry in three different angular misalignments with respect to aorta axis: untilted, tilted away from the sinus and tilted towards sinus. A 26mm Edwards SAPIEN3 was implanted in a 3D printed model of an anatomically realistic aortic root. TAV hemodynamics, sinus vortex tracking, leaflet shear stress probability density functions, and sinus blood time to washout were calculated. While pressure gradients differed insignificantly, blood velocity and vorticity decreased significantly in both tilted cases sinuses. Shear stress probability near the leaflet decreases with tilt indicating stasis. TAV tilted away from the sinus is the most unfavorable scenario with poor washout. TAV axial misalignment adds to factors list that could influence leaflet thrombosis risk through modifying sinus hemodynamics and washout.

Sinus Hemodynamics in Representative Stenotic Native Bicuspid and Tricuspid Aortic Valves: An In-Vitro Study

(1) The study’s objective is to assess sinus hemodynamics differences between stenotic native bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and native tricuspid aortic valve (TrAV) sinuses in order to assess sinus flow shear and vorticity dynamics in these common pathological states of the aortic valve. (2) Representative patient-specific aortic roots with BAV and TrAV were selected, segmented, and 3D printed. The flow dynamics within the sinus were assessed in-vitro using particle image velocimetry in a left heart simulator at physiological pressure and flow conditions. Hemodynamic data calculations, vortex tracking, shear stress probability density functions and sinus washout calculations based on Lagrangian particle tracking were performed. (3) (a) At peak systole, velocity and vorticity in BAV reach 0.67 ± 0.02 m/s and 374 ± 5 s−1 versus 0.49 ± 0.03 m/s and 293 ± 3 s−1 in TrAV; (b) Aortic sinus vortex is slower to form but conserved in BAV sinus; (c) BAV shear stresses exceed those of TrAV (1.05 Pa versus 0.8 Pa); (d) Complete TrAV washout was achieved after 1.5 cycles while it was not for BAV. (4) In conclusion, sinus hemodynamics dependence on the different native aortic valve types and sinus morphologies was clearly highlighted in this study.

Unsteady large-scale flow patterns and dynamic vortex movement in near-field triple buoyant plumes

Unsteady flow patterns of interacting buoyant plumes are important for buoyant ventilation and particularly influence pollutant and heat transports in indoor and outdoor environments. This study reveals fundamental large-scale flow patterns in triple building plumes, investigates vortex moving trends during the pattern transition processes, and explores possible mechanisms of pattern diversity by two-dimensional (2-D) Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Total five tests are studied, including three different heat strengths Q (180, 90, and 30 W) and three source layouts characterized by the ratios of source spacing S to source width W (0.2, 0.5, and 1.0).Streamline distributions and axial velocity profiles clearly reveal three fundamental global flow patterns: a right-slanting asymmetrical flow pattern, a left-slanting asymmetrical flow pattern, and an axisymmetric flow pattern. Correspondingly, it indicates four basic transition processes, i.e., right-to-center, left-to-center, center-to-right, and center-to-left transitions (“center” represents the axisymmetric pattern). A novel vortex tracking method, based on lambda-2 (λ2) criterion and principles of the PIV technique, is developed and successfully applied to qualitatively track the vortex moving trends during the transition processes. The regular vortex moving trends are found to be reasonably consistent with the global pattern transition trends.The flow pattern diversity is speculated to be mainly driven by unstable heat source wall flows and downstream swaying motions in this study. These critical unstable motions are considered to probably relate to unstable lateral entrainment and vortex interaction, particularly beside the central plume. Consistently, the regular vortex moving trends are usually observed in and around the central plume.

Impact of patient-specific morphologies on sinus flow stasis in transcatheter aortic valve replacement: An in vitro study

ObjectiveThe goal of this study is to evaluate how sinus flow patterns after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in realistic representative patient roots vary. Sinus flow can affect transcatheter aortic valve operation and likely leaflet thrombosis occurrence due to stasis and poor washout. How the interaction between transcatheter aortic valve and representative patient aortic roots affects sinus hemodynamics is important to establish for future individualization of transcatheter aortic valve replacement therapy. MethodsTwo representative patient aortic roots were selected, segmented and 3-dimensional printed followed by deployment of Medtronic CoreValve (Medtronic Inc, Irvine, Calif) and Edwards SAPIEN (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine Calif) transcatheter aortic valves. Sinus hemodynamics were assessed in vitro using high spatio-temporal resolution particle-image-velocimetry. Detailed sinus vortex tracking, shear stress probability density functions, and sinus washout were evaluated and assessed as a function of valve type and representative patient morphology as independent case studies. ResultsPeak velocity in the sinus with SAPIEN valve was approximately 3 times higher than with CoreValve for both models (0.30 ± 0.02 m/s and 0.34 ± 0.041 m/s vs 0.13 ± 0.01 m/s and 0.10 ± 0.02 m/s) (P < .01). Between representative patient models, vorticity magnitudes were significantly different (75 ± 1.1 s−1, 77 ± 3.2 s−1, 109 ± 2.3 s−1, and 250 ± 4.1 s−1) (P < .01) regardless of valve type. Sinus blood washout characteristic as a function of cardiac cycles was strongly both patient related and valve specific. Fluid dynamics favored shear stresses and washout characteristics due to a smaller sinus and sinotubular junction, further amplified by the SAPIEN valve. ConclusionsSinus flow dynamics are highly sensitive to aortic root characteristics and transcatheter aortic valve aortic root interaction. Differences in sinus-flow washout and stasis regions between representative patient models may be reflected in different risks of leaflet thrombosis or valve degeneration.

Vortex dynamics in the wake of a pivoted cylinder undergoing vortex-induced vibrations with elliptic trajectories

Vortex-induced vibrations of a pivoted cylinder are investigated experimentally at a fixed Reynolds number of 3100, a mass ratio of 10.8, and a range of reduced velocities, $$4.42 \le U^* \le 9.05$$ . For these conditions, the cylinder traces elliptic trajectories, with the experimental conditions producing three out of four possible combinations of orbiting direction and primary axis alignment relative to the incoming flow. The study focuses on the quantitative analysis of wake topology and its relation to this type of structural response. Velocity fields were measured using time-resolved, two-component particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV). These results show that phase-averaged wake topology generally agrees with the Morse and Williamson (J Fluids Struct 25(4):697–712, 2009) shedding map for one-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibrations, with 2S, $$2{\hbox {P}}_{\mathrm{o}}$$ , and 2P shedding patterns observed within the range of reduced velocities studied here. Vortex tracking and vortex strength quantification are used to analyze the vortex shedding process and how it relates to cylinder response. In the case of 2S vortex shedding, vortices are shed when the cylinder is approaching the maximum transverse displacement and reaches the streamwise equilibrium. 2P vortices are shed approximately half a period earlier in the cylinder’s elliptic trajectory. Leading vortices shed immediately after the peak in transverse oscillation and trailing vortices shed near the equilibrium of transverse oscillation. The orientation and direction of the cylinder’s elliptic trajectory are shown to influence the timing of vortex shedding, inducing changes in the 2P wake topology.

High-resolution simulation for rotorcraft aerodynamics in hovering and vertical descending flight using a hybrid method

A high-resolution simulation tool for rotorcraft aerodynamics is developed by coupling CFD with a Vorticity Transport Model (VTM). An Eulerian-based CFD module is used to model the blade near body flowfield, and a Lagrangian-based VTM module is employed for vortex tracking in the far wake. The coupling procedure is implemented by transmitting vortex sources to the VTM module and feeding boundary conditions back to the CFD module. The presented CFD/VTM hybrid solver is firstly validated by hover cases of three different rotor configurations. Simulation results, including the blade surface pressure distribution, rotor downwash, and hover figure of merit, exhibit favorable correlations with available experimental data. Then, a rotor operated in vertical descending flight with a fixed collective pitch is investigated. It is shown that the CFD/VTM coupling method is suitable for rotor wake simulation. Wake instabilities (far wake breakdown in hover and toroidal wake pattern in the vortex ring state) are successfully demonstrated with a moderate computational cost.

The Role of Small-Scale Vortices in Enhancing Surface Winds and Damage in Hurricane Harvey (2017)

Strong hurricanes cause severe, but highly variable, wind damage to homes and community infrastructure. It has been speculated, but not previously shown, that damage variability is caused by tornadoes or other small-scale phenomena. Here, the authors present the first mapping and tracking of persistent tornado-scale vortices (TSVs) in the eyewall and the first documentation of the likely role of eyewall mesovortices (MVs) and TSVs in enhancing surface winds and damage. Unprecedented finescale observations in the eyewall of Hurricane Harvey (2017) were obtained by a Doppler on Wheels (DOW) radar deployed inside the eye. These observations reveal several persistent eyewall MVs revolving about the eye, as well as superimposed subkilometer-scale TSVs. Wind field perturbations associated with TSVs and MVs are less than those typical in supercell tornadoes, but since they are embedded in strong background eyewall flow, they are likely responsible for the enhancement of surface wind gusts and significant damage, including destroyed buildings and lofted vehicles. Potential climate change may result in more frequent intense and/or rapidly intensifying hurricanes; thus, understanding and forecasting the causes of hurricane wind damage is a high priority.

An experimental investigation of the laminar horseshoe vortex around an emerging obstacle

An emerging long obstacle placed in a boundary layer developing under a free surface generates a complex horseshoe vortex (HSV) system, which is composed of a set of vortices exhibiting a rich variety of dynamics. The present experimental study examines such flow structure and characterizes precisely, using particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements, the evolution of the HSV geometrical and dynamical properties over a wide range of dimensionless parameters (Reynolds number$Re_{h}\in [750,8300]$, boundary layer development ratio$h/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}\in [1.25,4.25]$and obstacle aspect ratio$W/h\in [0.67,2.33]$). The dynamical study of the HSV is based on the categorization of the motions of HSV vortices that result in an enhanced specific bi-dimensional typology, separating a coherent (due to vortex–vortex interactions) and an irregular evolution (due to the appearance of small-scale instabilities). This precise categorization is made possible thanks to the use of vortex tracking methods applied to PIV measurements; a semi-empirical model for the motion of the HSV vortices is then proposed to highlight some important mechanisms of the HSV dynamics, such as (i) the influence of the surrounding vortices on vortex motion and (ii) the presence of a phase shift between the motion of all vortices. Finally, the study of the HSV’s geometrical properties (vortex position and characteristic lengths and frequencies) evolution with the flow parameters shows that strong dependencies exist between the streamwise extension of the HSV and the obstacle width, and between the HSV vortex number and its elongation. Comparison of these data with prior studies for immersed obstacles reveals that emerging obstacles lead to greater adverse pressure gradients and down-flows in front of the obstacle. This implies a precocious separation of the boundary layer, leading to a larger HSV streamwise extension, and a lower vertical extension of the HSV, leading to smaller HSV vortices.