Periodic Wake Behind a Circular Cylinder at Low Reynolds Numbers

1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
A K M F Hussain ◽  
V Ramjee
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Circular Cylinder ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Longitudinal Vortex ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Hot Wire ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Shedding Frequency

SummaryThe effects of free-stream turbulence and of sinusoidal free-stream pulsations of controlled frequencies and amplitudes on the periodic wake of a circular cylinder are investigated experimentally by employing hot-wire and smoke visualisation techniques. In addition, the effects of cylinder yaw and mild favourable and adverse pressure gradients on the vortex shedding mechanism have been explored.The data relating frequency to mean velocity follow Berger’s relation; this relation is uninfluenced by free-stream turbulence intensities up to 8 per cent. As the longitudinal turbulence intensity increases from 0.3 to 8 per cent, the downstream distance Lp behind the cylinder over which the hot-wire signal is periodic decreases progressively, indicating that the otherwise steady periodic wake interacts non-linearly with the three-dimensional free-stream turbulence and undergoes either transition or rapid diffusion by turbulence, depending on both the Reynolds number and the turbulence intensity. For a given turbulence intensity, Lp decreases also with increasing Reynolds number.The shedding frequency behind a yawed cylinder does not vary as the cosine of the yaw angle ϕ for ϕ < 50°; the signal switches intermittently between periodic and irregular form as the yaw is increased from 0 to 70°. Mild pressure gradients (favourable as well as adverse) do not affect the shedding frequency; this is confirmed by smoke visualisation, which also shows that the pressure gradient changes the longitudinal vortex spacing downstream; the measured frequency is that determined by the local Reynolds number corresponding to the Berger relation.Sinusoidal streamwise pulsations of controlled frequencies, and of amplitudes up to 10 per cent of free-stream velocity, have no effect on the natural shedding frequency; this is confirmed by smoke visualisation of the cylinder wake. However, the wake signal is amplitude-modulated at a frequency equal to the difference between the pulsation frequency and the natural shedding frequency corresponding to the free-stream mean velocity. The vortices are diffused faster in the presence of pulsation. When the pulsation amplitude is increased beyond 20 per cent, the hot-wire signal frequency in the wake equals the driving frequency; the frequency in the wake centre is also that of the pulsation. The effect of free-stream pulsation on the periodic wake is different from that due to longitudinal or transverse cylinder vibration, when lock-in has been observed.It appears that free-stream disturbances – random or periodic – cannot account for the “Tritton jump”.

Evaluation of Turbulent Spot Production Rate in Boundary Layers Under Variable Pressure Gradients for Gas Turbine Applications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dellacasagrande ◽  
D. Lengani ◽  
D. Simoni ◽  
M. Ubaldi ◽  
P. Zunino
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Separated Flow ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Turbulent Spot ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Flow Parameters ◽  
Transition Length

Abstract The paper presents an experimental data base on transitional boundary layers developing on a flat plate installed within a variable area opening endwall channel. Measurements have been carried out by means of time-resolved PIV. The overall test matrix spans 3 Reynolds numbers, 4 free-stream turbulence intensity levels and 4 different flow adverse pressure gradients. For each condition, 16000 instantaneous flow fields have been acquired in order to obtain high statistical accuracy. The flow parameters have been varied in order to provide a gradual shift of the mode of transition from a bypass process occurring with mild adverse pressure gradients at high free-stream turbulence, to separated flow transition, occurring with low Reynolds number, low free-stream turbulence intensity and elevated adverse pressure gradient. In order to quantify the influence of the flow parameter variation on the boundary layer transition process, the transition onset and end positions, and the turbulent spot production rate have been evaluated with a wavelet based intermittency detection technique. This post-processing technique is in fact able to identify the vortical structures developing within the boundary layer, the intermittency function is then automatically evaluated for each tested condition counting the number of such structures and defining the cumulative probability function. The by-pass transition mode has the longest transition length that decreases with increasing the Reynolds number. The transition length of the separated flow case is smaller than the by-pass one, and the variation of the flow parameters has a similar impact. Similarly, the dimensionless turbulent spot production rate reduces when the Reynolds number is increasing. The variation of the inlet turbulence intensity has a small influence on this parameter except for the condition at the highest turbulence intensity, that always shows the lowest turbulent spot production rate because a by-pass type transition occurs. This large amount of data has been used to develop new correlations used to predict the spot production rate and the transition length in attached and separated flows.

Correlations for the Prediction of Intermittency and Turbulent Spot Production Rate in Separated Flows

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dellacasagrande ◽  
R. Guida ◽  
D. Lengani ◽  
D. Simoni ◽  
M. Ubaldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Separated Flows ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Turbulent Spot ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence

Experimental data describing laminar separation bubbles developing under strong adverse pressure gradients, typical of Ultra-High-Lift turbine blades, have been analyzed to define empirical correlations able to predict the main features of the separated flow transition. Tests have been performed for three different Reynolds numbers and three different free-stream turbulence intensity levels. For each condition, around 4000 Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) snapshots have been acquired. A wavelet based intermittency detection technique, able to identify the large scale vortices shed as a consequence of the separation, has been applied to the large amount of data to efficiently compute the intermittency function for the different conditions. The transition onset and end positions, as well as the turbulent spot production rate are evaluated. Thanks to the recent advancements in the understanding on the role played by Reynolds number and free-stream turbulence intensity on the dynamics leading to transition in separated flows, guest functions are proposed in the paper to fit the data. The proposed functions are able to mimic the effects of Reynolds number and free-stream turbulence intensity level on the receptivity process of the boundary layer in the attached part, on the disturbance exponential growth rate observed in the linear stability region of the separated shear layer, as well as on the nonlinear later stage of completing transition. Once identified the structure of the correlation functions, a fitting process with own and literature data allowed us to calibrate the unknown constants. Results reported in the paper show the ability of the proposed correlations to adequately predict the transition process in the case of separated flows. The correlation for the spot production rate here proposed extends the correlations proposed in liter-ature for attached (by-pass like) transition process, and could be used in γ–Reϑ codes, where the spot production rate appears as a source term in the intermittency function transport equation.

scholarly journals Effect of turbulence on the wake of a wall-mounted cube

2016 ◽  
Vol 804 ◽  
pp. 513-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jason Hearst ◽  
Guillaume Gomit ◽  
Bharathram Ganapathisubramani
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Reattachment Length ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Boundary Layer Development ◽  
Image Velocimetry ◽  
Shedding Frequency ◽  
Layer Development

The influence of turbulence on the flow around a wall-mounted cube immersed in a turbulent boundary layer is investigated experimentally with particle image velocimetry and hot-wire anemometry. Free-stream turbulence is used to generate turbulent boundary layer profiles where the normalised shear at the cube height is fixed, but the turbulence intensity at the cube height is adjustable. The free-stream turbulence is generated with an active grid and the turbulent boundary layer is formed on an artificial floor in a wind tunnel. The boundary layer development Reynolds number ($Re_{x}$) and the ratio of the cube height ($h$) to the boundary layer thickness ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$) are held constant at $Re_{x}=1.8\times 10^{6}$ and $h/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}=0.47$. It is demonstrated that the stagnation point on the upstream side of the cube and the reattachment length in the wake of the cube are independent of the incoming profile for the conditions investigated here. In contrast, the wake length monotonically decreases for increasing turbulence intensity but fixed normalised shear – both quantities measured at the cube height. The wake shortening is a result of heightened turbulence levels promoting wake recovery from high local velocities and the reduction in strength of a dominant shedding frequency.

Effects of Reynolds Number and Free-Stream Turbulence on Turbine Tip Clearance Flow

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Matsunuma
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Turbine Cascade ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Three Dimensional Flow ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Dimensional Flow

Tip clearance losses represent a major efficiency penalty of turbine blades. This paper describes the effect of tip clearance on the aerodynamic characteristics of an unshrouded axial-flow turbine cascade under very low Reynolds number conditions. The Reynolds number based on the true chord length and exit velocity of the turbine cascade was varied from 4.4 × 104 to 26.6 × 104 by changing the velocity of fluid flow. The free-stream turbulence intensity was varied between 0.5% and 4.1% by modifying turbulence generation sheet settings. Three-dimensional flow fields at the exit of the turbine cascade were measured both with and without tip clearance using a five-hole pressure probe. Tip leakage flow generated a large high total pressure loss region. Variations in the Reynolds number and free-stream turbulence intensity changed the distributions of three-dimensional flow, but had no effect on the mass-averaged tip clearance loss of the turbine cascade.

Measurements in a Transitional Boundary Layer With Görtler Vortices

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino ◽  
Terrence W. Simon
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Streamwise Velocity ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Görtler Vortices ◽  
Concave Wall ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Gortler Vortices

The laminar-turbulent transition process has been documented in a concave-wall boundary layer subject to low (0.6%) free-stream turbulence intensity. Transition began at a Reynolds number, Rex (based on distance from the leading edge of the test wall), of 3.5×105 and was completed by 4.7×105. The transition was strongly influenced by the presence of stationary, streamwise, Görtler vortices. Transition under similar conditions has been documented in previous studies, but because concave-wall transition tends to be rapid, measurements within the transition zone were sparse. In this study, emphasis is on measurements within the zone of intermittent flow. Twenty-five profiles of mean streamwise velocity, fluctuating streamwise velocity, and intermittency have been acquired at five values of Rex, and five spanwise locations relative to a Görtler vortex. The mean velocity profiles acquired near the vortex downwash sites exhibit inflection points and local minima. These minima, located in the outer part of the boundary layer, provide evidence of a “tilting” of the vortices in the spanwise direction. Profiles of fluctuating velocity and intermittency exhibit peaks near the locations of the minima in the mean velocity profiles. These peaks indicate that turbulence is generated in regions of high shear, which are relatively far from the wall. The transition mechanism in this flow is different from that on flat walls, where turbulence is produced in the near-wall region. The peak intermittency values in the profiles increase with Rex, but do not follow the “universal” distribution observed in most flat-wall, transitional boundary layers. The results have applications whenever strong concave curvature may result in the formation of Görtler vortices in otherwise 2-D flows. Because these cases were run with a low value of free-stream turbulence intensity, the flow is not a replication of a gas turbine flow. However, the results do provide a base case for further work on transition on the pressure side of gas turbine airfoils, where concave curvature effects are combined with the effects of high free-stream turbulence and strong streamwise pressure gradients, for they show the effects of embedded streamwise vorticity in a flow that is free of high-turbulence effects.

Effect of Free-Stream Turbulence on Characteristics of Fluctuating Forces Acting on Two Square Prisms in Tandem Arrangement

1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Sakamoto ◽  
H. Haniu
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Strouhal Number ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Vortex Shedding ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Switching Frequency ◽  
Tandem Arrangement ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Fluid Forces ◽  
Bistable Flow

The effect of the addition of the turbulence intensity to the free stream on the characteristics of the bistable flow which takes place around two square prisms in tandem arrangement was studied experimentally at a Reynolds number of 3.32 × 104. A method of obtaining the fluid forces acting on two prisms in the bistable flow regimes where two flow patterns appear intermittently was introduced, and then the characteristics of the fluid forces, the Strouhal number, and the switching frequency of the switch phenomenon with the variation of the freestream turbulence intensity were investigated. Furthermore, the behavior of the fluid forces and the vortex shedding for other spacings between the two prisms were presented for the variation of the turbulence intensity.

Measurements in a Turbine Cascade Flow Under Ultra Low Reynolds Number Conditions

2001 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Van Treuren ◽  
Terrence Simon ◽  
Marc von Koller ◽  
Aaron R. Byerley ◽  
James W. Baughn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Vortex Generators ◽  
Separation Region ◽  
Suction Surface ◽  
Low Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Low Reynolds

With the new generation of gas turbine engines, low Reynolds number flows have become increasingly important. Designers must properly account for transition from laminar to turbulent flow and separation of the flow from the suction surface, which is strongly dependent upon transition. Of interest to industry are Reynolds numbers based upon suction surface length and flow exit velocity below 150,000 and as low as 25,000. In this paper, the extreme low end of this Reynolds number range is documented by way of pressure distributions, loss coefficients, and identification of separation zones. Reynolds numbers of 25,000 and 50,000 and with 1 percent and 8-9 percent turbulence intensity of the approach flow (free-stream turbulence intensity, FSTI) were investigated. At 25,000 Reynolds number and low FSTI, the suction surface displayed a strong and steady separation region. Raising the turbulence intensity resulted in a very unsteady separation region of nearly the same size on the suction surface. Vortex generators were added to the suction surface, but they appeared to do very little at this Reynolds number. At the higher Reynolds number of 50,000, the low-FSTI case was strongly separated on the downstream portion of the suction surface. The separation zone was eliminated when the turbulence level was increased to 8-9 percent. Vortex generators were added to the suction surface of the low-FSTI case. In this instance, the vortices were able to provide the mixing needed to re-establish flow attachment. This paper shows that massive separation at very low Reynolds numbers (25,000) is persistent, in spite of elevated FSTI and added vortices. However, at a higher Reynolds number, there is opportunity for flow reattachment either with elevated free-stream turbulence or with added vortices. This may be the first documentation of flow behavior at such low Reynolds numbers. Although it is undesirable to operate under these conditions, it is important to know what to expect and how performance may be improved if such conditions are unavoidable.

A Model for Simulation of Turbulent Flow With High Free Stream Turbulence Implemented in OpenFOAM®

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hosein Foroutan ◽  
Savas Yavuzkurt
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Friction Coefficient ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Skin Friction ◽  
Turbulent Kinetic Energy ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Low Reynolds Number ◽  
Skin Friction Coefficient ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence

A low-Reynolds number k-ε model for simulation of turbulent flow with high free stream turbulence is developed which can successfully predict turbulent kinetic energy profiles, skin friction coefficient, and Stanton number under high free stream turbulence. Modifications incorporating the effects of free stream velocity and length scale are applied. These include an additional term in turbulent kinetic energy transport equation, as well as reformulation of the coefficient in turbulent viscosity equation. The present model is implemented in OpenFOAM CFD code and applied together with other well-known versions of low-Reynolds number k-ε model in flow and heat transfer calculations in a flat plate turbulent boundary layer. Three different test cases based on the initial values of the free stream turbulence intensity (1%, 6.53%, and 25.7%) are considered and models predictions are compared with available experimental data. Results indicate that almost all low-Reynolds number k-ε models, including the present model, give reasonably good results for low free stream turbulence intensity case (1%). However, deviations between current k-ε models predictions and data become larger as turbulence intensity increases. Turbulent kinetic energy levels obtained from these models for very high turbulence intensity (25.7%) show as much as 100% underprediction while skin friction coefficient and Stanton number are overpredicted by more than 70%. Applying the present modifications, predictions of skin friction coefficient, and Stanton number improve considerably (only 15% and 8% deviations in average for very high free stream turbulence intensity). Turbulent kinetic energy levels are vastly improved within the boundary layer as well. It seems like the new developed model can capture the physics of the high free stream turbulence effects.

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