Flow Visualization and Frequency Characteristics of Velocity Fluctuations of Complex Turbulent Flow in a Short Elbow Piping Under High Reynolds Number Condition

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Takamura ◽  
Shinji Ebara ◽  
Hidetoshi Hashizume ◽  
Kosuke Aizawa ◽  
Hidemasa Yamano

Flow visualization was performed on a single short elbow piping by means of two-dimensional particle image velocimetry. The piping was designed as a 1/7-scale model of a section of the cold-leg piping of a Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor. This study characterized the periodic motions and flow structures that appeared in and downstream of the elbow and potentially affected flow-induced vibrations. The flow field that related flow separation and frequency characteristics of the flow velocity fluctuation were explored for Reynolds number from 0.3 × 106 to 1.0 × 106, which belonged to the post-critical regime. Experimental results show that flow structures are not strongly dependent on Reynolds number in this range. Frequency analysis for the velocity fluctuation in terms of Strouhal number (St) reveals that there exist not only two kinds of vortices with different shedding periods, but also one periodic flow in the circumferential direction. In the flow separation region, vortices are periodically emitted with St ≈ 0.5, while those with about 1.0 are shed in a shear flow region located between the separation region and the pipe center. Moreover, a periodic motion with St ≈ 0.5 appeared in the circumferential direction in the vicinity near the separation region. These values of St were not strongly dependent on Reynolds number in this study.

Author(s):  
Ayako Ono ◽  
Masaaki Tanaka ◽  
Jun Kobayashi ◽  
Hideki Kamide

In design of the Japan Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (JSFR), mean velocity of the coolant is approximately 9 m/s in the primary hot leg (H/L) piping which diameter is 1.27 m. The Reynolds number in the H/L piping reaches 4.2×107. Moreover, a short-elbow which has Rc/D = 1.0 (Rc: Curvature radius, D: Pipe diameter) is used in the hot leg piping in order to achieve compact plant layout and reduce plant construction cost. In the H/L piping, flow-induced vibration (FIV) is concerned due to excitation force which is caused by pressure fluctuation on the wall closely related with the velocity fluctuation in the short-elbow. In the previous study, relation between the flow separation and the pressure fluctuations in the short-elbow was revealed under the specific inlet condition with flat distribution of time-averaged axial velocity and relatively weak velocity fluctuation intensity in the pipe. However, the inlet velocity condition of the H/L in a reactor may have ununiformed profile with highly turbulent due to the complex geometry in reactor vessel (R/V). In this study, the influence of the inlet velocity condition on unsteady characteristics of velocity in the short-elbow was studied. Although the flow around the inlet of the H/L in R/V could not simulate completely, inlet velocity conditions were controlled by installing the perforated plate with plugging the flow-holes appropriately. Then expected flow patterns were made at 2D upstream position from the elbow inlet in the experiments. It was revealed that the inlet velocity profiles affected circumferential secondary flow and the secondary flows affected an area of flow separation at the elbow, by local velocity measurement by the PIV (particle image velocimetry). And it was found that the low frequent turbulence in the upstream piping remained downstream of the elbow though their intensity was attenuated.


2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan R. Kucinschi ◽  
Ronald C. Scherer ◽  
Kenneth J. DeWitt ◽  
Terry T. M. Ng

Flow visualization with smoke particles illuminated by a laser sheet was used to obtain a qualitative description of the air flow structures through a dynamically similar 7.5× symmetric static scale model of the human larynx (divergence angle of 10deg, minimal diameter of 0.04cm real life). The acoustic level downstream of the vocal folds was measured by using a condenser microphone. False vocal folds (FVFs) were included. In general, the glottal flow was laminar and bistable. The glottal jet curvature increased with flow rate and decreased with the presence of the FVFs. The glottal exit flow for the lowest flow rate showed a curved jet which remained laminar for all geometries. For the higher flow rates, the jet flow patterns exiting the glottis showed a laminar jet core, transitioning to vortical structures, and leading spatially to turbulent dissipation. This structure was shortened and tightened with an increase in flow rate. The narrow FVF gap lengthened the flow structure and reduced jet curvature via acceleration of the flow. These results suggest that laryngeal flow resistance and the complex jet flow structure exiting the glottis are highly affected by flow rate and the presence of the false vocal folds. Acoustic consequences are discussed in terms of the quadrupole- and dipole-type sound sources due to ordered flow structures.


Author(s):  
Xiaodong Wang ◽  
Liping Liang ◽  
Shun Kang

Reynolds number has significant impact on the aerodynamic performance of axial turbines. The internal flow within the stator of a low pressure turbine could be all laminar when the inlet Reynolds number is very low, and large flow separation may occur on the suction surface of the blade. The separated laminar boundary layer and the wake have strong unsteady interactions with the main flow in rotor passages. In order to investigate the laminar flow separation and the interaction, both laminar flow simulation and detached eddy simulation (DES) have been performed on a low speed axial turbine under a very low Reynolds number condition in this paper. For comparison, fully laminar modeling, transitional modeling and fully turbulent modeling are performed, also. The comparison between the computational results and the experimental results shows that both the laminar modeling and transition modeling can capture the laminar separation on the suction side of the stator blade accurately. The separation region locates in a thin zone strengthening from the blade tip to the hub, which is induced by the tip passage vortex. The separation generates a high turbulence intensity zone at the stator outlet. However, this zone in laminar simulation is smaller than that in the experimental due to the absence of turbulence disturbances. Fully turbulent modeling predicts a delayed separation and a smaller separation region. Detached eddy simulation is performed for single stator row, which gives better predictions for both the flow separation and high turbulent zone. The detailed flow structures of the secondary vortices of the stator, the rotor passage vortex and the tip leakage vortex are illustrated. The simulation results show that the laminar separation has obvious three dimensional behaviour. The radial movement of the horse shoe vortex is the main disturbance to the flow separation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2119 (1) ◽  
pp. 012011
Author(s):  
K G Dobroselsky

Abstract Vortex flow structures in a turbulent wake behind a circular Teflon cylinder immersed in an incoming flow with a change in pressure for the Reynolds number Re = 2.2×105 have been experimentally studied using a two-dimensional image (2D-PIV) of particles in a closed-circuit water tunnel. The obtained results are presented in the form of time-averaged velocity fields, Reynolds stresses, and distributions of turbulent kinetic energy. The flow data showed that the size of the wake flow region, Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy change depending on the pressure in the flow. As a result of a 20% reduction in pressure, the size of the vortex zone in the wake increases by about 20%.


Author(s):  
Johannes Ruhland ◽  
Christian Breitsamter

AbstractThis study presents two-dimensional aerodynamic investigations of various high-lift configuration settings concerning the deflection angles of droop nose, spoiler and flap in the context of enhancing the high-lift performance by dynamic flap movement. The investigations highlight the impact of a periodically oscillating trailing edge flap on lift, drag and flow separation of the high-lift configuration by numerical simulations. The computations are conducted with regard to the variation of the parameters reduced frequency and the position of the rotational axis. The numerical flow simulations are conducted on a block-structured grid using Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes simulations employing the shear stress transport $$k-\omega $$ k - ω turbulence model. The feature Dynamic Mesh Motion implements the motion of the oscillating flap. Regarding low-speed wind tunnel testing for a Reynolds number of $$0.5 \times 10^{6}$$ 0.5 × 10 6 the flap movement around a dropped hinge point, which is located outside the flap, offers benefits with regard to additional lift and delayed flow separation at the flap compared to a flap movement around a hinge point, which is located at 15 % of the flap chord length. Flow separation can be suppressed beyond the maximum static flap deflection angle. By means of an oscillating flap around the dropped hinge point, it is possible to reattach a separated flow at the flap and to keep it attached further on. For a Reynolds number of $$20 \times 10^6$$ 20 × 10 6 , reflecting full scale flight conditions, additional lift is generated for both rotational axis positions.


Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Hengtao Shi

Recently, a new type of low-loss variable inlet guide vane (VIGV) was proposed for improving a compressor’s performance under off-design conditions. To provide more information for applications, this work investigated the effect of the Reynolds number and clearance flow on the aerodynamic characteristics of this new type of VIGV. The performance and flow field of two representative airfoils with different chord Reynolds numbers were studied with the widely used commercial software ANSYS CFX after validation was completed. Calculations indicate that, with the decrease in the Reynolds number Rec, the airfoil loss coefficient ω and deviation δ first increase slightly and then entered a high growth rate in a low range of Rec. Afterwards, a detailed boundary-layer analysis was conducted to reveal the flow mechanism for the airfoil performance degradation with a low Reynolds number. For the design point, it is the appearance and extension of the separation region on the rear portion; for the maximum incidence point, it is the increase in the length and height of the separation region on the former portion. The three-dimensional VIGV research confirms the Reynolds number effect on airfoils. Furthermore, the clearance leakage flow forms a strong stream-wise vortex by injection into the mainflow, resulting in a high total-pressure loss and under-turning in the endwall region, which shows the potential benefits of seal treatment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 834 ◽  
pp. 5-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorian Dupuy ◽  
Adrien Toutant ◽  
Françoise Bataille

This paper investigates the energy exchanges associated with the half-trace of the velocity fluctuation correlation tensor in a strongly anisothermal low Mach fully developed turbulent channel flow. The study is based on direct numerical simulations of the channel within the low Mach number hypothesis and without gravity. The overall flow behaviour is governed by the variable fluid properties. The temperature of the two channel walls are imposed at 293 K and 586 K to generate the temperature gradient. The mean friction Reynolds number of the simulation is 180. The analysis is carried out in the spatial and spectral domains. The spatial and spectral studies use the same decomposition of the terms of the evolution equation of the half-trace of the velocity fluctuation correlation tensor. The importance of each term of the decomposition in the energy exchanges is assessed. This lets us identify the terms associated with variations or fluctuations of the fluid properties that are not negligible. Then, the behaviour of the terms is investigated. The spectral energy exchanges are first discussed in the incompressible case since the analysis is not present in the literature with the decomposition used in this study. The modification of the energy exchanges by the temperature gradient is then investigated in the spatial and spectral domains. The temperature gradient generates an asymmetry between the two sides of the channel. The asymmetry can in a large part be explained by the combined effect of the mean local variations of the fluid properties, combined with a Reynolds number effect.


1995 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 522-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. C. Zierke ◽  
K. J. Farrell ◽  
W. A. Straka

A high-Reynolds-number pump (HIREP) facility has been used to acquire flow measurements in the rotor blade tip clearance region, with blade chord Reynolds numbers of 3,900,000 and 5,500,000. The initial experiment involved rotor blades with varying tip clearances, while a second experiment involved a more detailed investigation of a rotor blade row with a single tip clearance. The flow visualization on the blade surface and within the flow field indicate the existence of a trailing-edge separation vortex, a vortex that migrates radially upward along the trailing edge and then turns in the circumferential direction near the casing, moving in the opposite direction of blade rotation. Flow visualization also helps in establishing the trajectory of the tip leakage vortex core and shows the unsteadiness of the vortex. Detailed measurements show the effects of tip clearance size and downstream distance on the structure of the rotor tip leakage vortex. The character of the velocity profile along the vortex core changes from a jetlike profile to a wakelike profile as the tip clearance becomes smaller. Also, for small clearances, the presence and proximity of the casing endwall affects the roll-up, shape, dissipation, and unsteadiness of the tip leakage vortex. Measurements also show how much circulation is retained by the blade tip and how much is shed into the vortex, a vortex associated with high losses.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Burak Karadag ◽  
Cem Kolbakir ◽  
Ahmet Selim Durna

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator (PA) qualitatively on aerodynamic characteristics of a 3 D-printed NACA 4412 airfoil model. Design/methodology/approach Airflow visualization study was performed at a Reynolds number of 35,000 in a small-scale open-loop wind tunnel. The effect of plasma actuation on flow separation was compared for the DBD PA with four different electrode configurations at 10°, 20° and 30° angles of attack. Findings Plasma activation may delay the onset of flow separation up to 6° and decreases the boundary layer thickness. The effects of plasma diminish as the angle of attack increases. Streamwise electrode configuration, in which electric wind is produced in a direction perpendicular to the freestream, is more effective in the reattachment of the airflow compared to the spanwise electrode configuration, in which the electric wind and the free stream are in the same direction. Practical implications The Reynolds number is much smaller than that in cruise aircraft conditions; however, the results are promising for low-velocity subsonic airflows such as improving control capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles. Originality/value Superior efficacy of spanwise-generated electric wind over streamwise-generated one is demonstrated at a very low Reynolds number. The results in the plasma aerodynamics literature can be reproduced using ultra-low-cost off-the-shelf components. This is important because high voltage power amplifiers that are frequently encountered in the literature may be prohibitively expensive especially for resource-limited university aerodynamics laboratories.


2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 1136-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitris Gkiolas ◽  
Demetri Yiasemides ◽  
Demetri Mathioulakis

Purpose The complex flow behavior over an oscillating aerodynamic body, e.g. a helicopter rotor blade, a rotating wind turbine blade or the wing of a maneuvering airplane involves combinations of pitching and plunging motions. As the parameters of the problem (Re, St and phase difference between these two motions) vary, a quasi-steady analysis fails to provide realistic results for the aerodynamic response of the moving body, whereas this study aims to provide reliable experimental data. Design/methodology/approach In the present study, a pitching and plunging mechanism was designed and built in a subsonic closed-circuit wind tunnel as well as a rectangular aluminum wing of a 2:1 aspect-ratio with a NACA64-418 airfoil, used in wind turbine blades. To measure the pressure distribution along the wing chord, a number of fast responding transducers were embedded into the mid span wing surface. Simultaneous pressure measurements were conducted along the wing chord for the Reynolds number of 0.85 × 106 for both steady and unsteady cases (pitching and plunging). A flow visualization technique was used to detect the flow separation line under steady conditions. Findings Elevated pressure fluctuations coincide with the flow separation line having been detected through surface flow visualization and flattened pressure distributions appear downstream of the flow separation line. Closed hysteresis loops of the lift coefficient versus angle of attack were measured for combined pitching and plunging motions. Practical implications The experimental data can be used for improvement of unsteady fluid mechanics problem solvers. Originality/value In the present study, a new installation was built allowing the aerodynamic study of oscillating wings performing pitching and plunging motions with prescribed frequencies and phase lags between the two motions. The experimental data can be used for improvement of computational fluid dynamics codes in case that the examined aerodynamic body is oscillating.


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