A Mean Flow Model for Polymer and Fiber Turbulent Drag Reduction

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 370-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anshuman Roy ◽  
Ronald G. Larson

Abstract We present a one-parameter model that fits quantitatively the mean velocity profiles from experiments and numerical simulations of drag-reduced wall-bounded flows of dilute solutions of polymers and non-Brownian fibers in the low and modest drag reduction regime. The model is based on a viscous mechanism of drag reduction, in which either extended polymers or non-Brownian fibers increase the extensional viscosity of the fluid and thereby suppress both small and large turbulent eddies and reduce momentum transfer to the wall, resulting in drag reduction. Our model provides a rheological interpretation of the upward parallel shift S+ in the mean velocity profile upon addition of polymer, observed by Virk. We show that Virk’s correlations for the dependence on polymer molecular weight and concentration of the onset wall shear stress and slope increment on the Prandtl-Karman plot can be translated to two dimensionless numbers, namely an onset Weissenberg number and an asymptotic Trouton ratio of maximum extensional viscosity to zero-shear viscosity. We believe that our model, while simple, captures the essential features of drag reduction that are universal to flexible polymers and fibers, and, unlike the Virk phenomenology, can easily be extended to flows with inhomogeneous polymer or fiber concentration fields.

1970 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 488-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. Virk ◽  
H. S. Mickley ◽  
K. A. Smith

The maximum drag reduction in turbulent pipe flow of dilute polymer solutions is ultimately limited by a unique asymptote described by the experimental correlation: f−1/2=19.0log10(NRef1/2)−32.4 The semilogarithmic mean velocity profile corresponding to and inferred from this ultimate asymptote has a mixing-length constant of 0.085 and shares a trisection (at y+ ∼ 12) with the Newtonian viscous sublayer and law of the wall. Experimental mean velocity profiles taken during drag reduction lie in the region bounded by the inferred ultimate profile and the Newtonian law of the wall. At low drag reductions the experimental profiles are well correlated by an “effective slip” model but this fails progressively with increasing drag reduction. Based on the foregoing a three-zone scheme is proposed to model the mean flow structure during drag reduction. In this the mean velocity profile segments are (a) a viscous sublayer, akin to Newtonian, (b) an interactive zone, characteristic of drag reduction, in which the ultimate profile is followed, and (c) a turbulent core in which the Newtonian mixing-length constant applies. The proposed model is consistent with experimental observations and reduces satisfactorily to the Taylor-Prandtl scheme and the ultimate profile, respectively, at the limits of zero and maximum drag reductions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 875 ◽  
pp. 124-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Gómez-de-Segura ◽  
R. García-Mayoral

We explore the ability of anisotropic permeable substrates to reduce turbulent skin friction, studying the influence that these substrates have on the overlying turbulence. For this, we perform direct numerical simulations of channel flows bounded by permeable substrates. The results confirm theoretical predictions, and the resulting drag curves are similar to those of riblets. For small permeabilities, the drag reduction is proportional to the difference between the streamwise and spanwise permeabilities. This linear regime breaks down for a critical value of the wall-normal permeability, beyond which the performance begins to degrade. We observe that the degradation is associated with the appearance of spanwise-coherent structures, attributed to a Kelvin–Helmholtz-like instability of the mean flow. This feature is common to a variety of obstructed flows, and linear stability analysis can be used to predict it. For large permeabilities, these structures become prevalent in the flow, outweighing the drag-reducing effect of slip and eventually leading to an increase of drag. For the substrate configurations considered, the largest drag reduction observed is ${\approx}$20–25 % at a friction Reynolds number $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}=180$.


1976 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giselher Gust

Hot-wire anemometer measurements have been made in a dilute sea-water/claymineral suspension. For fully developed turbulent flows in an open channel with a smooth mud (from the North Sea) bottom, mean streamwise velocity profiles were measured for Reynolds numbers between 5400 and 27 800 (i.e. non-eroding and eroding flow rates) and compared with Newtonian flows under the same experimental conditions. For the clay-mineral suspensions, measurements of the kinematic viscosityv, Kármán's constantkand the mean streamwise velocity$\overline{u}$of the logarithmic layer seemed to verify a Newtonian flow structure. Although the distributions of concentration showed no substantial increase towards the wall, it was found that beneath this Newtonian core there existed a viscous sublayer whose thickness was enhanced by a factor of 2–5. The friction velocityu*determined by the gradient method in the viscous sublayer was reduced by as much as 40 %. The mean flow structure exhibited an additional new layer in the region 10 <y+< 30.The measurements indicate that turbulent-drag reduction occurs for the experimental clay-mineral suspension at non-eroding and also at eroding velocities. Agglomeration of suspended clay-mineral particles is suggested as possible explanation of this phenomenon.


2021 ◽  
Vol 929 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Agastya Balantrapu ◽  
Christopher Hickling ◽  
W. Nathan Alexander ◽  
William Devenport

Experiments were performed over a body of revolution at a length-based Reynolds number of 1.9 million. While the lateral curvature parameters are moderate ( $\delta /r_s < 2, r_s^+>500$ , where $\delta$ is the boundary layer thickness and r s is the radius of curvature), the pressure gradient is increasingly adverse ( $\beta _{C} \in [5 \text {--} 18]$ where $\beta_{C}$ is Clauser’s pressure gradient parameter), representative of vehicle-relevant conditions. The mean flow in the outer regions of this fully attached boundary layer displays some properties of a free-shear layer, with the mean-velocity and turbulence intensity profiles attaining self-similarity with the ‘embedded shear layer’ scaling (Schatzman & Thomas, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 815, 2017, pp. 592–642). Spectral analysis of the streamwise turbulence revealed that, as the mean flow decelerates, the large-scale motions energize across the boundary layer, growing proportionally with the boundary layer thickness. When scaled with the shear layer parameters, the distribution of the energy in the low-frequency region is approximately self-similar, emphasizing the role of the embedded shear layer in the large-scale motions. The correlation structure of the boundary layer is discussed at length to supply information towards the development of turbulence and aeroacoustic models. One major finding is that the estimation of integral turbulence length scales from single-point measurements, via Taylor's hypothesis, requires significant corrections to the convection velocity in the inner 50 % of the boundary layer. The apparent convection velocity (estimated from the ratio of integral length scale to the time scale), is approximately 40 % greater than the local mean velocity, suggesting the turbulence is convected much faster than previously thought. Closer to the wall even higher corrections are required.


2017 ◽  
Vol 827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bayode E. Owolabi ◽  
David J. C. Dennis ◽  
Robert J. Poole

In this study, we experimentally investigate the turbulent drag-reduction (DR) mechanism in flow through ducts of circular, rectangular and square cross-sections using two grades of polyacrylamide in aqueous solution having different molecular weights and various semidilute concentrations. Specifically, we explore the relationship between drag reduction and fluid elasticity, purposely exploiting the mechanical degradation of polymer molecules to vary their rheological properties. We also obtain time-resolved velocity data for various DR levels using particle image velocimetry and laser Doppler velocimetry. Elasticity is quantified via relaxation times determined from uniaxial extensional flow using a capillary breakup apparatus. A plot of DR against Weissenberg number ($Wi$) is found to approximately collapse the data, with the onset of DR occurring at $Wi\approx 0.5$ and the maximum drag-reduction asymptote being approached for $Wi\gtrsim 5$. Thus quantitative predictions of DR in a range of shear flows can be made from a single measurable material property of a polymer solution, at least for this particular flexible linear polymer.


2002 ◽  
Vol 461 ◽  
pp. 61-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. PERRY ◽  
IVAN MARUSIC ◽  
M. B. JONES

A new approach to the classic closure problem for turbulent boundary layers is presented. This involves, first, using the well-known mean-flow scaling laws such as the log law of the wall and the law of the wake of Coles (1956) together with the mean continuity and the mean momentum differential and integral equations. The important parameters governing the flow in the general non-equilibrium case are identified and are used for establishing a framework for closure. Initially closure is achieved here empirically and the potential for achieving closure in the future using the wall-wake attached eddy model of Perry & Marusic (1995) is outlined. Comparisons are made with experiments covering adverse-pressure-gradient flows in relaxing and developing states and flows approaching equilibrium sink flow. Mean velocity profiles, total shear stress and Reynolds stress profiles can be computed for different streamwise stations, given an initial upstream mean velocity profile and the streamwise variation of free-stream velocity. The attached eddy model of Perry & Marusic (1995) can then be utilized, with some refinement, to compute the remaining unknown quantities such as Reynolds normal stresses and associated spectra and cross-power spectra in the fully turbulent part of the flow.


1967 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 657-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Kelly

In experiments concerning the instability of free shear layers, oscillations have been observed in the downstream flow which have a frequency exactly half that of the dominant oscillation closer to the origin of the layer. The present analysis indicates that the phenomenon is due to a secondary instability associated with the nearly periodic flow which arises from the finite-amplitude growth of the fundamental disturbance.At first, however, the stability of inviscid shear flows, consisting of a non-zero mean component, together with a component periodic in the direction of flow and with time, is investigated fairly generally. It is found that the periodic component can serve as a means by which waves with twice the wavelength of the periodic component can be reinforced. The dependence of the growth rate of the subharmonic wave upon the amplitude of the periodic component is found for the case when the mean flow profile is of the hyperbolic-tangent type. In order that the subharmonic growth rate may exceed that of the most unstable disturbance associated with the mean flow, the amplitude of the streamwise component of the periodic flow is required to be about 12 % of the mean velocity difference across the shear layer. This represents order-of-magnitude agreement with experiment.Other possibilities of interaction between disturbances and the periodic flow are discussed, and the concluding section contains a discussion of the interactions on the basis of the energy equation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 390 ◽  
pp. 325-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. NAZARENKO ◽  
N. K.-R. KEVLAHAN ◽  
B. DUBRULLE

A WKB method is used to extend RDT (rapid distortion theory) to initially inhomogeneous turbulence and unsteady mean flows. The WKB equations describe turbulence wavepackets which are transported by the mean velocity and have wavenumbers which evolve due to the mean strain. The turbulence also modifies the mean flow and generates large-scale vorticity via the averaged Reynolds stress tensor. The theory is applied to Taylor's four-roller flow in order to explain the experimentally observed reduction in the mean strain. The strain reduction occurs due to the formation of a large-scale vortex quadrupole structure from the turbulent spot confined by the four rollers. Both turbulence inhomogeneity and three-dimensionality are shown to be important for this effect. If the initially isotropic turbulence is either homogeneous in space or two-dimensional, it has no effect on the large-scale strain. Furthermore, the turbulent kinetic energy is conserved in the two-dimensional case, which has important consequences for the theory of two-dimensional turbulence. The analytical and numerical results presented here are in good qualitative agreement with experiment.


Author(s):  
Sylvain C. Humbert ◽  
Jonas Moeck ◽  
Alessandro Orchini ◽  
Christian Oliver Paschereit

Abstract Thermoacoustic oscillations in axisymmetric annular combustors are generally coupled by degenerate azimuthal modes, which can be of standing or spinning nature. Symmetry breaking due to the presence of a mean azimuthal flow splits the degenerate thermoacoustic eigenvalues, resulting in pairs of counter-spinning modes with close but distinct frequencies and growth rates. In this study, experiments have been performed using an annular system where the thermoacoustic feedback due to the flames is mimicked by twelve identical electroacoustic feedback loops. The mean azimuthal flow is generated by fans. We investigate the standing/spinning nature of the oscillations as a function of the Mach number for two types of initial states, and how the stability of the system is affected by the mean azimuthal flow. It is found that spinning, standing or mixed modes can be encountered at very low Mach number, but increasing the mean velocity promotes one spinning direction. At sufficiently high Mach number, spinning modes are observed in the limit cycle oscillations. In some cases, the initial conditions have a significant impact on the final state of the system. It is found that the presence of a mean azimuthal flow increases the acoustic damping. This has a beneficial effect on stability: it often reduces the amplitude of the self-sustained oscillations, and can even suppress them in some cases. However, we observe that the suppression of a mode due to the mean flow may destabilize another one. We discuss our findings in relation with an existing low-order model.


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