scholarly journals Behavior of Three-Dimensional Boundary Layers in a Radial Inflow Turbine Scroll

Author(s):  
Kazuo Hara ◽  
Masato Furukawa ◽  
Masahiro Inoue

A detailed experimental investigation was carried out to examine the three-dimensional boundary layer characteristics in a radial inflow turbine scroll. Some basic flow phenomena and growth of secondary flow were also investigated. In the inlet region of the scroll, the incoming boundary layer begins to have the skewed nature, namely the radially inward secondary flow caused by the radial pressure gradient. From the inlet region to the one third of the scroll circumference, the secondary flow grows so strongly that the most of the low momentum fluid in the incoming boundary layer are transported to the nozzle region. The succeeding elimination of the low momentum fluid in the boundary layer suppresses growth of the boundary layer further downstream, where the boundary layer shows a similarity of velocity profile. The distributions of the boundary layer properties in the scroll correspond well to those of the flow properties at the nozzle. The behavior of the boundary layer in the scroll is found to affect the circumferential nonuniformity of the nozzle flow field.

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Hara ◽  
M. Furukawa ◽  
M. Inoue

A detailed experimental investigation was carried out to examine the three-dimensional boundary layer characteristics in a radial inflow turbine scroll. Some basic flow phenomena and growth of secondary flow were also investigated. In the inlet region of the scroll, the incoming boundary layer begins to have a skewed nature, namely the radially inward secondary flow caused by the radial pressure gradient. From the inlet region to one third of the scroll circumference, the secondary flow grows so strongly that most of the low-momentum fluid in the incoming boundary layer is transported to the nozzle region. The succeeding elimination of the low-momentum fluid in the boundary layer suppresses growth of the boundary layer farther downstream, where the boundary layer shows a similar velocity profile. The distributions of the boundary layer properties in the scroll correspond well to those of the flow properties at the nozzle. The behavior of the boundary layer in the scroll is found to affect the circumferential nonuniformity of the nozzle flow field.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 570-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Ristic ◽  
B. Lakshminarayana

The three-dimensional viscous flow field development in the nozzle passage of an axial flow turbine stage was measured using a “x” hot-wire probe. The measurements were carried out at two axial stations on the endwall and vane surfaces and at several spanwise and pitchwise locations. Static pressure measurements and flow visualization, using a fluorescent oil technique, were also performed to obtain the location of transition and the endwall limiting streamlines. The boundary layers on the vane surface were found to be very thin and mostly laminar, except on the suction surface downstream of 70 percent axial chord. Strong radial pressure gradient, especially close to the suction surface, induces strong radial flow velocities in the trailing edge regions of the blade. On the endwalls, the boundary layers were much thicker, especially near the suction corner of the casing surface, caused by the secondary flow. The secondary flow region near the suction surface-casing corner indicated the presence of the passage vortex detached from the vane surface. The boundary layer code accurately predicts the three-dimensional boundary layers on both vane surfaces and endwall in the regions where the influence of the secondary flow is small.


Flow visualization is used to study the flow that results when a potential vortex rotates normal to a stationary horizontal disc. Viscosity is seen to remove the singularity on the vortex axis and lead to the development of a three-dimensional boundary layer. The flow remains laminar below a Reynolds number, Re , of about 10 4 , where Re is based on radius and velocity at the disc edge. With further increases in Re the boundary layer becomes turbulent but relaminarizes as it is advected radially inwards by the highly favourable radial pressure gradient associated with the outer flow. The radius of the zone of relaminarized fluid decreases with increasing Re . Close to the axis the flow effuses vertically to form the core of the vortex which, for Re < 10 4 , is observed to undergo a massive disruption, either of the axisymmetric or helical form. The sense of the helix was observed on some occasions to be with that of the outer flow and on others to be opposite that of the outer flow.


An experimental investigation is made of the three-dimensional boundary layer that results when a Rankine-like vortex is bounded by a fixed plane boundary, in particular by a horizontal disc coaxial with, and perpendicular to, the axis of rotation of the vortex. A laser-Doppler anemometer is used to make velocity traverses through both the vortex and the boundary layer, for Reynolds numbers, Re , ranging from 5000 to 30000, where Re is based on velocity and radius at the disc edge. The boundary layer is laminar at Re = 5000 and the data agree well with the theory of Belcher et al . ( J . Fluid Mech . 52, 753-780 (1972)); at Re = 10000 the layer is in a transitory state, while for Re ≽ 15000 it is turbulent over some of the disc. The radial pressure gradient associated with the outer flow has a stabilizing effect on the boundary layer and, for 10000 ≼ Re ≼ 30000, acts to revert it to a laminar state, but with diminishing effect as Re increases. In spite of the high threedimensionality of the layer, the tangential component of velocity conforms to the same law-of-the-wall as its streamwise counterpart in two-dimensional turbulent boundary layers.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henri Drake ◽  
Xiaozhou Ruan ◽  
Raffaele Ferrari ◽  
Andreas Thurnherr ◽  
Kelly Ogden ◽  
...  

The abyssal overturning circulation is thought to be primarily driven by small-scale turbulent mixing. Diagnosed watermass transformations are dominated by rough topography "hotspots", where the bottom-enhancement of mixing causes the diffusive buoyancy flux to diverge, driving widespread downwelling in the interior—only to be overwhelmed by an even stronger upwelling in a thin Bottom Boundary Layer (BBL). These watermass transformations are significantly underestimated by one-dimensional sloping boundary layer solutions, suggesting the importance of three-dimensional physics. Here, we use a hierarchy of models to generalize this one-dimensional boundary layer approach to three-dimensional eddying flows over realistically rough topography. When applied to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Brazil Basin, the idealized simulation results are roughly consistent with available observations. Integral buoyancy budgets isolate the physical processes that contribute to realistically strong BBL upwelling. The downwards diffusion of buoyancy is primarily balanced by upwelling along the canyon flanks and the surrounding abyssal hills. These flows are strengthened by the restratifying effects of submesoscale baroclinic eddies on the canyon flanks and by the blocking of along-ridge thermal wind within the canyon. Major topographic sills block along-thalweg flows from restratifying the canyon trough, resulting in the continual erosion of the trough's stratification. We propose simple modifications to the one-dimensional boundary layer model which approximate each of these three-dimensional effects. These results provide \textit{local} dynamical insights into mixing-driven abyssal overturning, but a complete theory will also require the non-local coupling to the basin-scale circulation.


1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Ristic ◽  
B. Lakshminarayana

The three-dimensional viscous flow field development in the nozzle passage of an axial flow turbine stage was measured using a “x” hot-wire probe. The measurements were carried out at one axial station on the endwall and blade surfaces and at several spanwise and pitchwise locations. Static pressure measurements and flow visualization, using a fluorescent oil technique, were also performed to obtain the location of transition and the endwall limiting streamlines. The boundary layers on the blade surface were found to be very thin and laminar, except on the suction surface downstream of 70% axial chord. Strong radial pressure gradient, especially close to the suction surface, induces strong radial flow velocities in the trailing edge regions of the blade. On the endwalls, the boundary layers were turbulent and much thicker, especially near the suction corner of the casing surface, caused by the secondary flow. The secondary flow region near the suction casing surface corner indicated the presence of the passage vortex detached from the blade surface. The boundary layer code accurately predicts the three-dimensional boundary layers on both vane surfaces in regions where the influence of secondary flow is small.


1973 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Wheeler ◽  
J. P. Johnston

Predictions have been made for a variety of experimental three-dimensional boundary layer flows with a single finite difference method which was used with three different turbulent stress models: (i) an eddy viscosity model, (ii) the “Nash” model, and (iii) the “Bradshaw” model. For many purposes, even the simplest stress model (eddy viscosity) was adequate to predict the mean velocity field. On the other hand, the profile of shear stress direction was not correctly predicted in one case by any model tested. The high sensitivity of the predicted results to free stream pressure gradient in separating flow cases is demonstrated.


2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
Sergey A. Gaponov ◽  
Yuri G. Yermolaev ◽  
Aleksandr D. Kosinov ◽  
Nikolay V. Semionov ◽  
Boris V. Smorodsky

Theoretical and an experimental research results of the disturbances development in a swept wing boundary layer are presented at Mach number М = 2. In experiments development of natural and small amplitude controllable disturbances downstream was studied. Experiments were carried out on a swept wing model with a lenticular profile at a zero attack angle. The swept angle of a leading edge was 40°. Wave parameters of moving disturbances were determined. In frames of the linear theory and an approach of the local self-similar mean flow the stability of a compressible three-dimensional boundary layer is studied. Good agreement of the theory with experimental results for transversal scales of unstable vertices of the secondary flow was obtained. However the calculated amplification rates differ from measured values considerably. This disagreement is explained by the nonlinear processes observed in experiment


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