scholarly journals Reversal of the lift force on an oblate bubble in a weakly viscous linear shear flow

2009 ◽  
Vol 628 ◽  
pp. 23-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD ADOUA ◽  
DOMINIQUE LEGENDRE ◽  
JACQUES MAGNAUDET

We compute the flow about an oblate spheroidal bubble of prescribed shape set fixed in a viscous linear shear flow in the range of moderate to high Reynolds numbers. In contrast to predictions based on inviscid theory, the numerical results reveal that for weak enough shear rates, the lift force and torque change sign in an intermediate range of Reynolds numbers when the bubble oblateness exceeds a critical value that depends on the relative shear rate. This effect is found to be due to the vorticity generated at the bubble surface which, combined with the velocity gradient associated with the upstream shear, results in a system of two counter-rotating streamwise vortices whose sign is opposite to that induced by the classical inviscid tilting of the upstream vorticity around the bubble. We show that this lift reversal mechanism is closely related to the wake instability mechanism experienced by a spheroidal bubble rising in a stagnant liquid.

1998 ◽  
Vol 368 ◽  
pp. 81-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOMINIQUE LEGENDRE ◽  
JACQUES MAGNAUDET

The three-dimensional flow around a spherical bubble moving steadily in a viscous linear shear flow is studied numerically by solving the full Navier–Stokes equations. The bubble surface is assumed to be clean so that the outer flow obeys a zero-shear-stress condition and does not induce any rotation of the bubble. The main goal of the present study is to provide a complete description of the lift force experienced by the bubble and of the mechanisms responsible for this force over a wide range of Reynolds number (0.1[les ]Re[les ]500, Re being based on the bubble diameter) and shear rate (0[les ]Sr[les ]1, Sr being the ratio between the velocity difference across the bubble and the relative velocity). For that purpose the structure of the flow field, the influence of the Reynolds number on the streamwise vorticity field and the distribution of the tangential velocities at the surface of the bubble are first studied in detail. It is shown that the latter distribution which plays a central role in the production of the lift force is dramatically dependent on viscous effects. The numerical results concerning the lift coefficient reveal very different behaviours at low and high Reynolds numbers. These two asymptotic regimes shed light on the respective roles played by the vorticity produced at the bubble surface and by that contained in the undisturbed flow. At low Reynolds number it is found that the lift coefficient depends strongly on both the Reynolds number and the shear rate. In contrast, for moderate to high Reynolds numbers these dependences are found to be very weak. The numerical values obtained for the lift coefficient agree very well with available asymptotic results in the low- and high-Reynolds-number limits. The range of validity of these asymptotic solutions is specified by varying the characteristic parameters of the problem and examining the corresponding evolution of the lift coefficient. The numerical results are also used for obtaining empirical correlations useful for practical calculations at finite Reynolds number. The transient behaviour of the lift force is then examined. It is found that, starting from the undisturbed flow, the value of the lift force at short time differs from its steady value, even when the Reynolds number is high, because the vorticity field needs a finite time to reach its steady distribution. This finding is confirmed by an analytical derivation of the initial value of the lift coefficient in an inviscid shear flow. Finally, a specific investigation of the evolution of the lift and drag coefficients with the shear rate at high Reynolds number is carried out. It is found that when the shear rate becomes large, i.e. Sr=O(1), a small but consistent decrease of the lift coefficient occurs while a very significant increase of the drag coefficient, essentially produced by the modifications of the pressure distribution, is observed. Some of the foregoing results are used to show that the well-known equality between the added mass coefficient and the lift coefficient holds only in the limit of weak shears and nearly steady flows.


1999 ◽  
Vol 384 ◽  
pp. 183-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
RYOICHI KUROSE ◽  
SATORU KOMORI

The drag and lift forces acting on a rotating rigid sphere in a homogeneous linear shear flow are numerically studied by means of a three-dimensional numerical simulation. The effects of both the fluid shear and rotational speed of the sphere on the drag and lift forces are estimated for particle Reynolds numbers of 1[les ]Rep[les ]500.The results show that the drag forces both on a stationary sphere in a linear shear flow and on a rotating sphere in a uniform unsheared flow increase with increasing the fluid shear and rotational speed. The lift force on a stationary sphere in a linear shear flow acts from the low-fluid-velocity side to the high-fluid-velocity side for low particle Reynolds numbers of Rep<60, whereas it acts from the high-velocity side to the low-velocity side for high particle Reynolds numbers of Rep>60. The change of the direction of the lift force can be explained well by considering the contributions of pressure and viscous forces to the total lift in terms of flow separation. The predicted direction of the lift force for high particle Reynolds numbers is also examined through a visualization experiment of an iron particle falling in a linear shear flow of a glycerin solution. On the other hand, the lift force on a rotating sphere in a uniform unsheared flow acts in the same direction independent of particle Reynolds numbers. Approximate expressions for the drag and lift coefficients for a rotating sphere in a linear shear flow are proposed over the wide range of 1[les ]Rep[les ]500.


2008 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. 419-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. FIGUEROA-ESPINOZA ◽  
R. ZENIT ◽  
D. LEGENDRE

The effect of confining a gas bubble between two parallel walls was investigated for the inertia-dominated regime characterized by high Reynolds and low Weber numbers. Single bubble experiments were performed with non-polar liquids such that the bubble surface could be considered clean; hence, shear free. The drag coefficient was found to be the result of two main effects: the Reynolds number and the confinement. The total drag could be written as the product of the corresponding unconfined drag, which depended mainly on the Reynolds number, and a function F(s)=1 + κs3. The confinement parameter s was defined as the ratio of the bubble radius to the gap width. The value of the constant κ depended on the way in which the bubbles moved within the gap, which was found to be either in a rectilinear (κ≈8) or oscillatory trajectory (κ≈80). For Re < 70, and a range of values of the confinement parameter, the bubbles followed a rectilinear path. For this regime, numerical simulations were performed to obtain the drag force on the bubble directly; a reasonable agreement was found with experiments. Moreover, a comparison of these results with a potential-flow-based model indicated that the vorticity produced at the walls induced a significant part of the drag. For Re > 70, oscillations were observed in the bubble trajectory. In all cases, the oscillation occurred in a zigzag manner. Near the transition the bubbles oscillated but did not reach the walls; for larger Reynolds numbers, the bubbles collided repeatedly with the walls as they ascended. The instability, which is different from the well-known unconfined path instability, resulted from the reversal of sign of the wall-induced lift force: for low Reynolds number, the walls have a stabilizing effect because of the repulsive nature of the lift force between the walls and the bubble, while for high Reynolds number the lift is attractive and trajectories become unstable. Considering a model for the lift force of a bubble moving near a wall, the conditions for the transition were identified. A reasonable agreement between the model and experiments was found.


Author(s):  
Remi Bourguet ◽  
Michael S. Triantafyllou ◽  
Michael Tognarelli ◽  
Pierre Beynet

The fluid-structure energy transfer of a tensioned beam of length to diameter ratio 200, subject to vortex-induced vibrations in linear shear flow, is investigated by means of direct numerical simulation at three Reynolds numbers, from 110 to 1,100. In both the in-line and cross-flow directions, the high-wavenumber structural responses are characterized by mixed standing-traveling wave patterns. The spanwise zones where the flow provides energy to excite the structural vibrations are located mainly within the region of high current where the lock-in condition is established, i.e. where vortex shedding and cross-flow vibration frequencies coincide. However, the energy input is not uniform across the entire lock-in region. This can be related to observed changes from counterclockwise to clockwise structural orbits. The energy transfer is also impacted by the possible occurrence of multi-frequency vibrations.


1987 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 553-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. F. Balsa

The main goal of this paper is to clarify the spatial instability of a piecewise linear free shear flow. We do this by obtaining numerical solutions to the Orr–Sommerfeld equation at high Reynolds numbers. The velocity profile chosen is very much like a piecewise linear one, with the exception that the corners have been rounded so that the entire profile is infinitely differentiable. We find that the (viscous) spatial instability of this modified profile is virtually identical to the inviscid spatial instability of the piecewise linear profile and agrees qualitatively with the inviscid results for the tanh profile when the shear layers are convectively unstable. The unphysical features, previously identified for the piecewise linear velocity profile, arise only when the flow is absolutely unstable. In a nutshell, we see nothing wrong with the inviscid spatial instability of piecewise linear shear flows.


Author(s):  
D. Sumner ◽  
O. O. Akosile

An experimental investigation was conducted of a circular cylinder immersed in a uniform planar shear flow, where the approach velocity varies across the diameter of the cylinder. The study was motivated by some apparent discrepancies between numerical and experimental studies of the flow, and the general lack of experimental data, particularly in the subcritical Reynolds number regime. Of interest was the direction and origin of the steady mean lift force experienced by the cylinder, which has been the subject of contradictory results in the literature, and for which measurements have rarely been reported. The circular cylinder was tested at Reynolds numbers from Re = 4.0×104 − 9.0×104, and the dimensionless shear parameter ranged from K = 0.02 − 0.07, which corresponded to a flow with low to moderate shear. The results showed that low to moderate shear has no appreciable influence on the Strouhal number, but has the effect of lowering the mean drag coefficient. The circular cylinder develops a small steady mean lift force directed towards the low-velocity side, which is attributed to an asymmetric mean static pressure distribution on its surface. The reduction in the mean drag force, however, cannot be attributed solely to this asymmetry.


2017 ◽  
Vol 825 ◽  
pp. 284-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Agudo ◽  
C. Illigmann ◽  
G. Luzi ◽  
A. Laukart ◽  
A. Delgado ◽  
...  

We study the incipient motion of single spheres in steady shear flow on regular substrates at low particle Reynolds numbers. The substrate consists of a monolayer of regularly arranged fixed beads, in which the spacing between beads is varied resulting in different angles of repose and exposures of the particle to the main flow. The flow-induced forces and the level of flow penetration into the substrate are determined numerically. Since experiments in this range had shown that the critical Shields number is independent of inertia but strongly dependent on the substrate geometry, the particle Reynolds number was fixed to 0.01 in the numerical study. Numerics indicates that rolling motion is always preferred to sliding and that the flow penetration is linearly dependent on the spacing between the substrate particles. Besides, we propose an analytical model for the incipient motion. The model is an extension of Goldman’s classical result for a single sphere near a plain surface taking into account the angle of repose, flow orientation with respect to substrate topography and shielding of the sphere to the linear shear flow. The effective level of flow penetration is the only external parameter. The model, applied to triangular and quadratic arrangements with different spacings, is able to predict the dependence of the critical Shields number on the geometry and on the orientation of the substrate. The model is in very good agreement with numerical results. For well-exposed particles, we observed that the minimum critical Shields number for a certain angle of repose does not depend sensitively on the considered arrangement. At large angles of repose, as expected in fully armoured beds, the model is consistent with experimental results for erodible beds at saturated conditions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 473 ◽  
pp. 379-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. BAGCHI ◽  
S. BALACHANDAR

The lift forces on rigid spheres entrained in a vortex and a linear shear flow are computed using a direct numerical simulation. The sphere Reynolds number is in the range 10 to 100. The lift coefficient in a vortex is shown to be nearly two orders of magnitude higher than that in a shear flow. The inviscid mechanism is shown to be inadequate to account for the enhanced lift force. The effect of free rotation of the sphere is also shown to be too small to account for the enhanced lift force. Flow structure around the sphere is studied to explain the generation of the strong lift force in a vortex.


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