scholarly journals Effect of aspect ratio and inlet manifold shape on the laminar-to-turbulent transition of gas flow in rectangular microchannels

2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Danish Rehman ◽  
Davide Barattini ◽  
Chungpyo Hong ◽  
Gian Luca Morini
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Turbulent Regime ◽  
Constant Length ◽  
Rectangular Microchannels ◽  
Laminar To Turbulent Transition ◽  
Turbulent Transition ◽  
Inlet Manifold

Abstract A combined experimental and numerical study on the laminar-to-turbulent transition in microchannels using gas flow is presented. The effects of two geometric parameters, namely aspect ratio (height to width) of microchannels and inlet manifold shape, are considered on the value assumed by the critical Reynolds number linked to the laminar-to-turbulent transition. To study the effect of aspect ratio, seven rectangular microchannels having an aspect ratio between 0.25 and 1.04 are micro-milled in PMMA plastic with a constant length of 100 mm. Four rectangular microchannels with different inlet shapes, namely sudden contraction, rounded entrance, V shape and bellmouth, are fabricated to analyze the effects of inlet shape. Pressure loss analyses are then performed for all 11 microchannels by evaluating both average and semi-local friction factors. The Reynolds number in correspondence of which the transition takes place is determined by observing the trend of the friction factor. In parallel, numerical simulations using an intermittency-based transitional turbulence model are also performed and results are compared with the experiments. Experimental and numerical results have demonstrated that both of the investigated geometrical characteristics (aspect ratio and inlet manifold shape) play an important role on the range of the Reynolds number between the onset of transition and the onset of fully turbulent regime for gas microflows. Experimental critical Reynolds numbers show a good agreement with the predictions of the conventional theory and are in the range of 1863–3470 for all the tested microchannels. The role of gas compressibility on the laminar-to-turbulent transition is also discussed. Graphic abstract

Drag optimisation of a wing equipped with a morphing upper surface

2016 ◽  
Vol 120 (1225) ◽  
pp. 473-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Koreanschi ◽  
O. Sugar-Gabor ◽  
R. M. Botez
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Shape Reconstruction ◽  
Laminar To Turbulent Transition ◽  
Wing Model ◽  
Turbulent Transition ◽  
Transition Delay

ABSTRACTThe drag coefficient and the laminar-to-turbulent transition for the aerofoil component of a wing model are optimised using an adaptive upper surface with two actuation points. The effects of the new shaped aerofoils on the global drag coefficient of the wing model are also studied. The aerofoil was optimised with an ‘in-house’ genetic algorithm program coupled with a cubic spline aerofoil shape reconstruction and XFoil 6.96 open-source aerodynamic solver. The wing model analysis was performed with the open-source solver XFLR5 and the 3D Panel Method was used for the aerodynamic calculation. The results of the aerofoil optimisation indicate improvements of both the drag coefficient and transition delay of 2% to 4%. These improvements in the aerofoil characteristics affect the global drag of the wing model, reducing it by up to 2%. The analyses were conducted for a single Reynolds number and speed over a range of angles of attack. The same cases will also be used in the experimental testing of the manufactured morphing wing model.

Experimental Investigation of Pressure Drop Characteristics of Viscous Fluid Flow Through Small Diameter Orifices

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalit Kumar Bohra ◽  
Leo M. Mincks ◽  
Srinivas Garimella
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Viscous Fluid ◽  
Euler Number ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Diameter Ratio ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Turbulent Regime ◽  
Pressure Drops

Abstract An experimental study on the flow of a highly viscous fluid through small diameter orifices was conducted. Pressure drops were measured for each of nine orifices, including orifices of nominal diameter 0.5, 1, and 3 mm and three different orifice thicknesses, over wide ranges of flow rates and temperatures. The fluid under consideration exhibits steep dependence of the properties (changes of several orders of magnitude) as a function of temperature and pressure and is also non-Newtonian at the lower temperatures. At small values of Reynolds number, an increase in aspect ratio (length/diameter ratio of the orifice) causes an increase in Euler number. It was also found that at extremely low Reynolds numbers, the Euler number was very strongly influenced by the Reynolds number, while the dependence becomes weaker as the Reynolds number increases toward the turbulent regime, and the Euler number tends to assume a constant value determined by the aspect ratio and the diameter ratio. A two-region (based on Reynolds number) model was developed to predict Euler number as a function of diameter ratio, aspect ratio, viscosity ratio, and generalized Reynolds number. It is shown that for such a highly viscous fluid with some non-Newtonian behavior, accounting for the shear rate through the generalized Reynolds number results in a considerable improvement in the predictive capabilities of the model. Over the laminar, transition, and turbulent regions, the model predicts 86% of the data within ±25% for the geometry and operating conditions investigated in this study.

A Numerical Investigation on the Onset of the Various Flow Regimes in a Spherical Annulus

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalaoua Adel ◽  
Bouabdallah Ahcene
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Flow Regimes ◽  
Skin Friction Coefficient ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
Turbulent Regime ◽  
Turbulent Transition ◽  
Inner Sphere ◽  
Spherical Couette ◽  
Laminar Turbulent Transition

The spherical Couette system, consisting of the flow in the annular gap between two concentric rotating spheres, is a convenient problem for studying the laminar–turbulent transition. Many of the transitional phenomena encountered in this flow are of fundamental relevance for the understanding of global processes in the planetary atmospheres as well as in astrophysical and geophysical motions. Furthermore, the study of spherical Couette flow (SCF) is of basic importance in the field of hydrodynamic stability. This paper focuses principally on the numerical prediction of various transitions between flow regimes in a confined spherical gap between a rotating inner sphere and a fixed outer spherical shell. The finite-volume-based computational fluid dynamics, FLUENT software package, is adopted to investigate numerically the flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in the closed spherical gap. Two important dimensionless parameters completely define the flow regimes: the Reynolds number, Re = Ω1R12/ν, for the rotation of the inner sphere and the gap width, β = (R2 − R1)/R1 = 0.1, for the geometry. The numerical calculations are carried out over a range of Reynolds number from two until 60,000. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data available in the literature, and the agreement between the two approaches is very good. The laminar–turbulent transition, the onset of different instabilities, the formation mechanisms of various structures, and the flow behavior are examined and described in detail by the pressure field, meridional streamlines, circumferential velocity, and skin friction coefficient. In addition, the velocity time series and the corresponding power spectral density are considered and analyzed over a large range of Reynolds number. Three kinds of fundamental frequencies expressed by F0, F1, and F2 are obtained corresponding to the spiral mode associated with the wavy mode (SM + WM), the wavy mode (WVF), and the chaotic fluctuation (CF), respectively. However, no sharp fundamental frequency components are observed for the turbulent regime.

Effect of Cross Aspect Ratio on Flow in Diverging and Converging Microchannels

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. S. Duryodhan ◽  
Shiv Govind Singh ◽  
Amit Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Hydraulic Diameter ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Flow Acceleration ◽  
Three Dimensional Models

Aspect ratio is an important parameter in the study of flow through noncircular microchannel. In this work, three-dimensional numerical study is carried out to understand the effect of cross aspect ratio (height to width) on flow in diverging and converging microchannels. Three-dimensional models of the diverging and converging microchannels with angle: 2–14 deg, aspect ratio: 0.05–0.58, and Reynolds number: 130–280 are employed in the simulations with water as the working fluid. The effects of aspect ratio on pressure drop in equivalent diverging and converging microchannels are studied in detail and correlated to the underlying flow regime. It is observed that for a given Reynolds number and angle, the pressure drop decreases asymptotically with aspect ratio for both the diverging and converging microchannels. At small aspect ratio and small Reynolds number, the pressure drop remains invariant of angle in both the diverging and converging microchannels; the concept of equivalent hydraulic diameter can be applied to these situations. Onset of flow separation in diverging passage and flow acceleration in converging passage is found to be a strong function of aspect ratio, which has not been shown earlier. The existence of a critical angle with relevance to the concept of equivalent hydraulic diameter is identified and its variation with Reynolds number is discussed. Finally, the effect of aspect ratio on fluidic diodicity is discussed which will be helpful in the design of valveless micropump. These results help in extending the conventional formulae made for uniform cross-sectional channel to that for the diverging and converging microchannels.

Numerical Investigation of Turbulent Magnetic Nanofluid Flow inside Straight Channels

2016 ◽  
Vol 819 ◽  
pp. 382-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Azwadi Che Sidik ◽  
Mohammed Raad Abdulwahab
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Circular Cross Section ◽  
Average Diameter ◽  
Turbulent Regime ◽  
Reynolds Number Increase ◽  
Number Increase

A numerical study using computational fluid dynamics method with an approach of single phase has been presented in order to determine the effects of the concentration of the nanoparticles and flow rate on the convective heat transfer and friction factor in turbulent regime flowing through three different straight channels (straight, circular and triangular) with different Reynolds number (5000 ≤ Re ≤ 20000) using constant applied heat flux. The nanofluid was used consist of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles with average diameter of (13nm) dispersed in water with four volume fraction (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6%). The results revealed that as volume fraction and Reynolds number increase Nusselt number increase and the heat transfer rate in circular cross section tube is better than that in square and triangular cross section channels.

scholarly journals Laminar-to-turbulent transition of pipe flows through puffs and slugs

2008 ◽  
Vol 614 ◽  
pp. 425-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
MINA NISHI ◽  
BÜLENT ÜNSAL ◽  
FRANZ DURST ◽  
GAUTAM BISWAS
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Pipe Flow ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Turbulent Pipe Flow ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Pipe Flows ◽  
Laminar To Turbulent Transition ◽  
Turbulent Transition ◽  
Slug Flows

Laminar-to-turbulent transition of pipe flows occurs, for sufficiently high Reynolds numbers, in the form of slugs. These are initiated by disturbances in the entrance region of a pipe flow, and grow in length in the axial direction as they move downstream. Sequences of slugs merge at some distance from the pipe inlet to finally form the state of fully developed turbulent pipe flow. This formation process is generally known, but the randomness in time of naturally occurring slug formation does not permit detailed study of slug flows. For this reason, a special test facility was developed and built for detailed investigation of deterministically generated slugs in pipe flows. It is also employed to generate the puff flows at lower Reynolds numbers. The results reveal a high degree of reproducibility with which the triggering device is able to produce puffs. With increasing Reynolds number, ‘puff splitting’ is observed and the split puffs develop into slugs. Thereafter, the laminar-to-turbulent transition occurs in the same way as found for slug flows. The ring-type obstacle height, h, required to trigger fully developed laminar flows to form first slugs or puffs is determined to show its dependence on the Reynolds number, Re = DU/ν (where D is the pipe diameter, U is the mean velocity in the axial direction and ν is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid). When correctly normalized, h+ turns out to be independent of Reτ (where h+ = hUτ/ν, Reτ = DUτ/ν and $U_{\tau}\,{=}\,\sqrt{\tau_{w}/ \rho}$; τw is the wall shear stress and ρ is the density of the fluid).

scholarly journals Flow Characteristics of the Entrance Region with Roughness Effect within Rectangular Microchannels

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Haiwang Li ◽  
Yujia Li ◽  
Binghuan Huang ◽  
Tiantong Xu
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Entrance Region ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Asymmetric Distribution ◽  
Rectangular Microchannels ◽  
Aspect Ratios

We conducted systematic numerical investigations of the flow characteristics within the entrance region of rectangular microchannels. The effects of the geometrical aspect ratio and roughness on entrance lengths were analyzed. The incompressible laminar Navier–Stokes equations were solved using finite volume method (FVM). In the simulation, hydraulic diameters ( D h ) ranging from 50 to 200 µm were studied, and aspect ratios of 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2 were considered as well. The working fluid was set as water, and the Reynolds number ranged from 0.5 to 100. The results showed a good agreement with the conducted experiment. Correlations are proposed to predict the entrance lengths of microchannels with respect to different aspect ratios. Compared with other correlations, these new correlations are more reliable because a more practical inlet condition was considered in our investigations. Instead of considering the influence of the width and height of the microchannels, in our investigation we proved that the critical role is played by the aspect ratio, representing the combination of the aforementioned parameters. Furthermore, the existence of rough elements obviously shortens the entrance region, and this effect became more pronounced with increasing relative roughness and Reynolds number. A similar effect could be seen by shortening the roughness spacing. An asymmetric distribution of rough elements decreased the entrance length compared with a symmetric distribution, which can be extrapolated to other irregularly distributed forms.

scholarly journals Experimental Investigation of Transition to Turbulence as Affected by Passing Wakes

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Kaszeta ◽  
Terrence W. Simon ◽  
David E. Ashpis
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Turbine Engines ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Laminar To Turbulent Transition ◽  
Turbulent Transition ◽  
Near Wall

This paper presents experimental results from a study of the effects of periodically passing wakes upon laminar-to-turbulent transition and separation in a low-pressure turbine passage. The test section geometry is designed to simulate unsteady wakes in turbine engines for studying their effects on boundary layers and separated flow regions over the suction surface by using a single suction surface and a single pressure surface to simulate a single turbine blade passage. Single-wire, thermal anemometry techniques are used to measure time-resolved and phase-averaged, wall-normal profiles of velocity, turbulence intensity and intermittency at multiple streamwise locations over the turbine airfoil suction surface. These data are compared to steady-state wake-free data collected in the same geometry to identify the effects of wakes upon laminar-to-turbulent transition. Results are presented for flows with a Reynolds number based on suction surface length and stage exit velocity of 50,000 and an approach flow turbulence intensity of 2.5%. While both existing design and experimental data are primarily concerned with higher Reynolds number flows (Re > 100,000), recent advances in gas turbine engines, and the accompanying increase in laminar and transitional flow effects, have made low-Re research increasingly important. From the presented data, the effects of passing wakes on transition and separation in the boundary layer, due to both increased turbulence levels and varying streamwise pressure gradients are presented. The results show how the wakes affect transition. The wakes affect the flow by virtue of their difference in turbulence levels and scales from those of the free-stream and by virtue of their ensemble-averaged velocity deficits, relative to the free-stream velocity, and the concomitant changes in angle of attack and temporal pressure gradients. The relationships between the velocity oscillations in the freestream and the unsteady velocity profile shapes in the near-wall flow are described. In this discussion is support for the theory that bypass transition is a response of the near-wall viscous layer to pressure fluctuations imposed upon it from the free-stream flow. Recent transition models are based on that premise. The data also show a significant lag between when the wake is present over the surface and when transition begins.

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