Finite-Reynolds-Number Effects in Steady, Three-Dimensional Airway Reopening

2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew L. Hazel ◽  
Matthias Heil

Motivated by the physiological problem of pulmonary airway reopening, we study the steady propagation of an air finger into a buckled elastic tube, initially filled with viscous fluid. The system is modeled using geometrically non-linear, Kirchhoff-Love shell theory, coupled to the free-surface Navier-Stokes equations. The resulting three-dimensional, fluid-structure-interaction problem is solved numerically by a fully coupled finite element method. Our study focuses on the effects of fluid inertia, which has been neglected in most previous studies. The importance of inertial forces is characterized by the ratio of the Reynolds and capillary numbers, Re∕Ca, a material parameter. Fluid inertia has a significant effect on the system’s behavior, even at relatively small values of Re∕Ca. In particular, compared to the case of zero Reynolds number, fluid inertia causes a significant increase in the pressure required to drive the air finger at a given speed.

2000 ◽  
Vol 424 ◽  
pp. 21-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHIAS HEIL

This paper investigates finite Reynolds number effects in the problem of the propagation of an air finger into a liquid-filled flexible-walled two-dimensional channel. The study is motivated by the physiological problem of pulmonary airway reopening. A fully consistent model of the fluid–structure interaction is formulated and solved numerically using coupled finite element discretizations of the free-surface Navier–Stokes equations and the Lagrangian wall equations. It is shown that for parameter values which are representative of the conditions in the lung and in typical laboratory experiments, fluid inertia plays a surprisingly important role: even for relatively modest ratios of Reynolds and capillary numbers (Re/Ca ≈ 5–10), the pressure required to drive the air finger at a given speed increases significantly compared to the zero Reynolds number case. Fluid inertia leads to significant changes in the velocity and pressure fields near the bubble tip and is responsible for a noticeable change in the wall deformation pattern ahead of the bubble. For some parameter variations (such as variations in the wall tension), finite Reynolds number effects are shown to lead to qualitative changes in the system's behaviour. Finally, the implications of the result for pulmonary airway reopening are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kartik P. Iyer ◽  
Katepalli R. Sreenivasan ◽  
P.K. Yeung

Using direct numerical simulations performed on periodic cubes of various sizes, the largest being $8192^3$ , we examine the nonlinear advection term in the Navier–Stokes equations generating fully developed turbulence. We find significant dissipation even in flow regions where nonlinearity is locally absent. With increasing Reynolds number, the Navier–Stokes dynamics amplifies the nonlinearity in a global sense. This nonlinear amplification with increasing Reynolds number renders the vortex stretching mechanism more intermittent, with the global suppression of nonlinearity, reported previously, restricted to low Reynolds numbers. In regions where vortex stretching is absent, the angle and the ratio between the convective vorticity and solenoidal advection in three-dimensional isotropic turbulence are statistically similar to those in the two-dimensional case, despite the fundamental differences between them.


2009 ◽  
Vol 625 ◽  
pp. 125-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. GIBBON

The issue of why computational resolution in Navier–Stokes turbulence is hard to achieve is addressed. Under the assumption that the three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations have a global attractor it is nevertheless shown that solutions can potentially behave differently in two distinct regions of space–time $\mathbb{S}$± where $\mathbb{S}$− is comprised of a union of disjoint space–time ‘anomalies’. If $\mathbb{S}$− is non-empty it is dominated by large values of |∇ω|, which is consistent with the formation of vortex sheets or tightly coiled filaments. The local number of degrees of freedom ± needed to resolve the regions in $\mathbb{S}$± satisfies $\mathcal{N}^{\pm}(\bx,\,t)\lessgtr 3\sqrt{2}\,\mathcal{R}_{u}^{3},$, where u = uL/ν is a Reynolds number dependent on the local velocity field u(x, t).


2014 ◽  
Vol 548-549 ◽  
pp. 520-524
Author(s):  
Xin Xu ◽  
Da Wei Liu ◽  
De Hua Chen ◽  
Yuan Jing Wang

The supercritical airfoil has been widely applied to large airplanes for sake of high aerodynamic efficiency. But at transonic speeds, the shock wave on upper surface of supercritical airfoil may induce boundary layer separation, which would change the aerodynamic characteristics. The shock characteristics such as location and intensity are sensitive to Reynolds number. In order to predict aerodynamic characteristics of supercritical airfoil exactly, the Reynolds number effects of shock wave must be investigated.The transonic flows over a typical supercritical airfoil CH were numerically simulated with two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, and the numerical method was validated with test results in ETW(European Transonic Windtunnel). The computation attack angles of CH airfoil varied from 0oto 8o, Mach numbers varied from 0.74 to 0.82 while Reynolds numbers varied from 3×106 to 50×106 per airfoil chord. It is obvious that shock location moves afterward and shock intensity strengthens as Reynolds number increasing. The similar curves of shock location and intensity is linear with logarithm of Reynolds number, so that the shock location and intensity at flight condition could be extrapolated from low Reynolds number.


Author(s):  
Frank E. Horvat ◽  
Minel J. Braun

This paper studies the numerical development of flow patterns and pressure profiles inside a hybrid Rayleigh step thrust bearing (HRSB) where the working magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluid is subject to an imposed magnetic field. This hybrid type bearing stems from integrating two classical component: the modified Rayleigh step (variable depth) and the hydrostatic feed entering at the center of the circular thrust bearing. The parameters used in this study consist of one geometric parameter, the Rayleigh step aspect ratio (depth to length ratio) and two dimensionless operational parameters, (i) the Reynolds number based on the hydrostatic fluid jet velocity entering the restrictor (Rejet) and the Reynolds number based on the smooth upper plate angular speed (Replate). The numerical results are obtained using the commercially available package ANSYS (CFX) [4], which utilizes the full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations for the steady-state incompressible MHD fluid with constant properties. Results to be presented will will contain both vector and pressure fields within the Rayleigh step profile and on the smooth lands.


2016 ◽  
Vol 794 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Chini

Exact coherent structures (ECS), unstable three-dimensional solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations, play a fundamental role in transitional and turbulent wall flows. Dempsey et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 791, 2016, pp. 97–121) demonstrate that at large Reynolds number reduced equations can be derived that simplify the computation and facilitate mechanistic understanding of these solutions. Their analysis shows that ECS in plane Poiseuille flow can be sustained by a novel inner–outer interaction between oblique near-wall Tollmien–Schlichting waves and interior streamwise vortices.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taofiq Amoloye

Abstract The three main approaches in fluid dynamics are actual experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical solutions. Numerical simulations and theoretical solutions are based on the continuity equation and Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) that govern experimental observations of fluid dynamics.Theoretical solutions can offer huge advantages over numerical solutions and experiments in the understanding of fluid flows and design. These advantages are in terms of cost and time consumption. However, theoretical solutions have been limited by the prized NSE problem that seeks a physically consistent solution than what classical potential theory (CPT) offers. Therefore, the current author refined CPT. He introduced refined potential theory (RPT) that provides a viscous potential/stream function as a physically consistent solution to the NSE problem. This function captures observable unsteady flow features including separation, wake, vortex shedding, compressibility, turbulence, and Reynolds-number-dependence. It appropriately combines the properties of a three-dimensional potential function that satisfy the inertia terms of NSE and the features of a stream function that satisfy the continuity equation, the viscous vorticity equation, and the viscous terms of NSE. RPT has been verified and validated against experimental and numerical results of incompressible unsteady sub-critical Reynolds number flows on stationary finite circular cylinder, sphere, and spheroid.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Molki ◽  
Ismail Hakan Olcay

A computational research was conducted to explore the nature of the flow in a cylindrical enclosure with a rotating lid. The aspect ratio (AR) of the cylinder used in this research was maintained at 1.5 and 2.5, and the Reynolds number (Re) ranged from 990 to 2200. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations were solved by the finite volume technique. Mesh adaptation was used to improve the quality of the mesh and computations. The results for (AR, Re) = (1.5, 1290) and (2.5, 2200) indicated the existence of one and two vortex breakdown bubbles along the axis of the cylinder, respectively. The results also showed that fluid spirals downward along the cylindrical wall and moves slowly inward towards the axis. This spiral motion was intensified at higher values of the Reynolds number. Comparison with experimental data indicated an excellent agreement. The vortex breakdown and the flow patterns predicted by this work are consistent with those reported in the existing literature.


2003 ◽  
Vol 478 ◽  
pp. 227-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. GIBBON ◽  
Charles R. DOERING

Dissipation-range intermittency was first observed by Batchelor & Townsend (1949) in high Reynolds number turbulent flows. It typically manifests itself in spatio-temporal binary behaviour which is characterized by long, quiescent periods in the signal which are interrupted by short, active ‘events’ during which there are large excursions away from the average. It is shown that Leray's weak solutions of the three-dimensional incompressible Navier–Stokes equations can have this binary character in time. An estimate is given for the widths of the short, active time intervals, which decreases with the Reynolds number. In these ‘bad’ intervals singularities are still possible. However, the average width of a ‘good’ interval, where no singularities are possible, increases with the Reynolds number relative to the average width of a bad interval.


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