scholarly journals Low Reynolds Number Scaling Eeffects For Small-Scale Rotors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Jessa

<div>Three T-Motor rotors with different diameters but otherwise identical relative geometries were tested in fully edgewise flow at different advance ratios and Reynolds numbers. The objective was to verify whether the existing scaling relationships between rotor size and the aerodynamic forces are applicable to small scale rotors that operate at relatively low chord-Reynolds numbers. The rotors were mounted onto a test stand housed inside a closed loop wind-tunnel where the air speed of the tunnel was varied to achieve different advance ratios. The chord-Reynolds umber at 75% of the radius of each blade were matched for ranges from 39,000 to 117,000. The experimental data was also compared to computational results from a blade element momentum theory-based method. The results showed that the existing coefficient based scaling laws can be used to predict the performance parameters for the thrust coefficient, power coefficient, longitudinal force coefficient, side force coefficient and, rolling moment coefficient for the full range of Reynolds numbers tested. Although for the pitching moment coefficient, a coefficient approach became less applicable for chord-Reynolds number of less than 100,000.</div>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Jessa

<div>Three T-Motor rotors with different diameters but otherwise identical relative geometries were tested in fully edgewise flow at different advance ratios and Reynolds numbers. The objective was to verify whether the existing scaling relationships between rotor size and the aerodynamic forces are applicable to small scale rotors that operate at relatively low chord-Reynolds numbers. The rotors were mounted onto a test stand housed inside a closed loop wind-tunnel where the air speed of the tunnel was varied to achieve different advance ratios. The chord-Reynolds umber at 75% of the radius of each blade were matched for ranges from 39,000 to 117,000. The experimental data was also compared to computational results from a blade element momentum theory-based method. The results showed that the existing coefficient based scaling laws can be used to predict the performance parameters for the thrust coefficient, power coefficient, longitudinal force coefficient, side force coefficient and, rolling moment coefficient for the full range of Reynolds numbers tested. Although for the pitching moment coefficient, a coefficient approach became less applicable for chord-Reynolds number of less than 100,000.</div>


CFD letters ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-57
Author(s):  
Wan Mazlina Wan Mohamed ◽  
Nirresh Prabu Ravindran ◽  
Parvathy Rajendran

The usage of slots has gained renewed interest in aerospace, particularly on propeller design. Most of the works have focused on improving the aerodynamic performance and efficiency. Modern research on propeller design aims to design propellers with high thrust performance under low torque conditions without any weight penalty. Although research on slotted design has been done before, none has been done to understand its impact on different airfoils on the propeller blade. Thus, this study aims to provide extensive research on slotted propeller design with various airfoil of different properties such as high Reynolds number, low Reynolds number, symmetrical, asymmetrical high lift, and low drag. This work has been investigated using computational fluid dynamics method to predict propeller performance for a small-scale propeller. The slotted blade designs' performance is presented in terms of thrust coefficient, power coefficient, efficiency, and thrust to power ratio. Here, the slotted APC Slow Flyer propeller blade's performance has been investigated for diverse types of airfoils with the shape and position of the slot is fixed which is a square-shaped at 62.5% of the chord length. The flow simulations are performed through three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic software (ANSYS Fluent) to determine the thrust coefficient, power coefficient, efficiency, and thrust to power ratio measured in advancing flow conditions. Findings show that the slotted propeller design composed of symmetrical, high Reynolds number, high lift airfoils can benefit the most with slots' implementation. These improvements were 19.49%, 69.13%, 53.57% and 111.06% in terms of thrust, power, efficiency and trust to power ratio respectively.


Author(s):  
Yukimaru Shimizu ◽  
Edmond Ismaili ◽  
Yasunari Kamada ◽  
Takao Maeda

The results of an extensive experimental research work related to the performance of a HAWT with a tip-mounted Mie type vane are presented in this paper. From performance experiments carried out on four sets of blades with varying aspect ratios and for different Reynolds number, it was found that the application of a tip-mounted Mie vane resulted in a larger increase in maximum power coefficient for rotors with smaller aspect ratio and for lower Reynolds number. To investigate further the phenomenon and to explain the relationships found between power increase due to a Mie vane and blade aspect ratios and Reynolds number, detailed flow visualization around blade tip and the Mie vane were performed. It was found that the tendency of the power increase due to a Mie vane was dependent on the size of a corner vortex between blade tip and the downstream extension of the Mie vane.


2009 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. 103-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. HUTCHINS ◽  
T. B. NICKELS ◽  
I. MARUSIC ◽  
M. S. CHONG

Careful reassessment of new and pre-existing data shows that recorded scatter in the hot-wire-measured near-wall peak in viscous-scaled streamwise turbulence intensity is due in large part to the simultaneous competing effects of the Reynolds number and viscous-scaled wire length l+. An empirical expression is given to account for these effects. These competing factors can explain much of the disparity in existing literature, in particular explaining how previous studies have incorrectly concluded that the inner-scaled near-wall peak is independent of the Reynolds number. We also investigate the appearance of the so-called outer peak in the broadband streamwise intensity, found by some researchers to occur within the log region of high-Reynolds-number boundary layers. We show that the ‘outer peak’ is consistent with the attenuation of small scales due to large l+. For turbulent boundary layers, in the absence of spatial resolution problems, there is no outer peak up to the Reynolds numbers investigated here (Reτ = 18830). Beyond these Reynolds numbers – and for internal geometries – the existence of such peaks remains open to debate. Fully mapped energy spectra, obtained with a range of l+, are used to demonstrate this phenomenon. We also establish the basis for a ‘maximum flow frequency’, a minimum time scale that the full experimental system must be capable of resolving, in order to ensure that the energetic scales are not attenuated. It is shown that where this criterion is not met (in this instance due to insufficient anemometer/probe response), an outer peak can be reproduced in the streamwise intensity even in the absence of spatial resolution problems. It is also shown that attenuation due to wire length can erode the region of the streamwise energy spectra in which we would normally expect to see kx−1 scaling. In doing so, we are able to rationalize much of the disparity in pre-existing literature over the kx−1 region of self-similarity. Not surprisingly, the attenuated spectra also indicate that Kolmogorov-scaled spectra are subject to substantial errors due to wire spatial resolution issues. These errors persist to wavelengths far beyond those which we might otherwise assume from simple isotropic assumptions of small-scale motions. The effects of hot-wire length-to-diameter ratio (l/d) are also briefly investigated. For the moderate wire Reynolds numbers investigated here, reducing l/d from 200 to 100 has a detrimental effect on measured turbulent fluctuations at a wide range of energetic scales, affecting both the broadband intensity and the energy spectra.


Author(s):  
W. J. Baars ◽  
N. Hutchins ◽  
I. Marusic

Small-scale velocity fluctuations in turbulent boundary layers are often coupled with the larger-scale motions. Studying the nature and extent of this scale interaction allows for a statistically representative description of the small scales over a time scale of the larger, coherent scales. In this study, we consider temporal data from hot-wire anemometry at Reynolds numbers ranging from Re τ ≈2800 to 22 800, in order to reveal how the scale interaction varies with Reynolds number. Large-scale conditional views of the representative amplitude and frequency of the small-scale turbulence, relative to the large-scale features, complement the existing consensus on large-scale modulation of the small-scale dynamics in the near-wall region. Modulation is a type of scale interaction, where the amplitude of the small-scale fluctuations is continuously proportional to the near-wall footprint of the large-scale velocity fluctuations. Aside from this amplitude modulation phenomenon, we reveal the influence of the large-scale motions on the characteristic frequency of the small scales, known as frequency modulation. From the wall-normal trends in the conditional averages of the small-scale properties, it is revealed how the near-wall modulation transitions to an intermittent-type scale arrangement in the log-region. On average, the amplitude of the small-scale velocity fluctuations only deviates from its mean value in a confined temporal domain, the duration of which is fixed in terms of the local Taylor time scale. These concentrated temporal regions are centred on the internal shear layers of the large-scale uniform momentum zones, which exhibit regions of positive and negative streamwise velocity fluctuations. With an increasing scale separation at high Reynolds numbers, this interaction pattern encompasses the features found in studies on internal shear layers and concentrated vorticity fluctuations in high-Reynolds-number wall turbulence. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Toward the development of high-fidelity models of wall turbulence at large Reynolds number’.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick A. Walsh ◽  
Edmond J. Walsh ◽  
Ronan Grimes

This paper analyzes the scale effects that occur in miniature centrifugal flow fans and investigates the possibility of optimizing blade geometry so that performance can be enhanced. Such fans are typically employed in small scale heat sinks such as those used for processor cooling applications or in portable electronics. The specific design parameter varied is the blade chord length, and the resulting fan performance is gauged by examining the flow rate, pressure rise, and power consumption characteristics. The former two are measured using a BS 848 fan characterization rig and the latter, by directly measuring the power consumed. These characteristics are studied for three sets of scaled fans with diameters of 15 mm, 24 mm, and 30 mm, and each set considers six individual blade chord lengths. A novel theory is put forward to explain the anticipated effect of changing this parameter, and the results are analyzed in terms of the relevant dimensionless parameters: Reynolds number, chord length to diameter of fan ratio, flow coefficient, pressure coefficient, and power coefficient. When these characteristic parameters are plotted against the Reynolds number, similar trends are observed as the chord length is varied in all sets of scaled fans. The results show that the flow coefficient for all the miniature fans degrade at low Re values, but the onset of this degradation was observed at higher Re values for longer blade chord designs. Conversely, it was found that the pressure coefficient is elevated at low Re, and the onset Re for this phenomenon correlates well with the drop off in flow coefficient. Finally, the trend in power coefficient data is similar to that for the flow coefficient. The derived theory is used to correlate this data for which all data points fall within 6% of the correlation. Overall, the findings reported herein provide a good understanding of how changing the blade chord length affects the performance of miniature centrifugal fans; hence, providing fan designers with guidelines to aid in developing optimum blade designs, which minimize adverse scaling phenomena.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Diehl ◽  
Christoph Schreiber ◽  
Jürg Schiffmann

Abstract In compressor design, a convenient way to save time is to scale an existing geometry to required specifications, rather than developing a new design. The approach works well when scaling compressors of similar size at high Reynolds numbers but becomes more complex when applied to small-scale machines. Besides the well-understood increase in surface friction due to increased relative surface roughness, two other main problems specific to small-scale turbomachinery can be specified: (1) the Reynolds number effect, describing the non-linear dependency of surface friction on Reynolds number and (2) increased relative tip clearance resulting from manufacturing limitations. This paper investigates the role of both effects in a geometric scaling process, as used by a designer. The work is based on numerical models derived from an experimentally validated geometry. First, the effects of geometric scaling on compressor performance are assessed analytically. Second, prediction capabilities of reduced-order models from the public domain are assessed. In addition to design point assessment, often found in other publications, the models are tested at off-design. Third, the impact of tip leakage on compressor performance and its Reynolds number dependency is assessed. Here, geometries of different scale and with different tip clearances are investigated numerically. Fourth, a detailed investigation regarding tip leakage driving mechanisms is carried out and design recommendations to improve small-scale compressor performance are provided.


Author(s):  
Toyotaka Sonoda ◽  
Rainer Schnell ◽  
Toshiyuki Arima ◽  
Giles Endicott ◽  
Eberhard Nicke

In this paper, Reynolds effects on a modern transonic low-aspect-ratio fan rotor (Baseline) and the re-designed (optimized) rotor performance are presented with application to a small turbofan engine. The re-design has been done using an in-house numerical optimization system in Honda and the confirmation of the performance was carried out using DLR’s TRACE RANS stage code, assessed with respect to experimental data obtained from a small scale compressor rig in Honda. The baseline rotor performance is evaluated at two Reynolds number conditions, a high Reynolds condition (corresponding to a full engine scale size) and a low Reynolds number condition (corresponding to the small scale compressor rig size), using standard ISA conditions. The performance of the optimized rotor was evaluated at the low Reynolds number condition. The CFD results show significant discrepancies in the rotor efficiency (about 1% at cruise) between these two points due to the different Reynolds numbers. The optimized rotor’s efficiency is increased compared to the baseline. A unique negative curvature region close to the leading edge on the pressure surface of the optimized rotor is one of the reasons why the optimized rotor is superior to the baseline.


Author(s):  
Yiannis Constantinides ◽  
Kamaldev Raghavan ◽  
Metin Karayaka ◽  
Don Spencer

Deepwater riser interference is an area of significant technical complexity and uncertainty in the design cycle due to the intricacies of wake hydrodynamics. Existing models, found in industry guidelines, are based on approximate theoretical models of bare cylinder wake and nominally checked against small scale tests at low Reynolds numbers. In actual conditions the Reynolds number is sufficiently higher and the risers are fitted with vortex-induced vibration (VIV) suppression devices. This raises questions on the applicability of the standard models and hydrodynamic coefficients used, especially if the geometry is different than a circular cylinder. A series of full scale tests, at supercritical Reynolds numbers, were conducted to address these uncertainties and obtain hydrodynamic coefficients for interference design. The tests were carried out utilizing two full scale cylinders fitted with actual VIV suppression devices and towed either in fixed or spring supported configurations. The paper discusses the experimental methodology and findings from the testing program, showing deviations from the standard models found in industry codes.


2012 ◽  
Vol 713 ◽  
pp. 86-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Augier ◽  
Jean-Marc Chomaz ◽  
Paul Billant

AbstractWe investigate the spectral properties of the turbulence generated during the nonlinear evolution of a Lamb–Chaplygin dipole in a stratified fluid for a high Reynolds number $Re= 28\hspace{0.167em} 000$ and a wide range of horizontal Froude number ${F}_{h} \in [0. 0225~0. 135] $ and buoyancy Reynolds number $\mathscr{R}= Re{{F}_{h} }^{2} \in [14~510] $. The numerical simulations use a weak hyperviscosity and are therefore almost direct numerical simulations (DNS). After the nonlinear development of the zigzag instability, both shear and gravitational instabilities develop and lead to a transition to small scales. A spectral analysis shows that this transition is dominated by two kinds of transfer: first, the shear instability induces a direct non-local transfer toward horizontal wavelengths of the order of the buoyancy scale ${L}_{b} = U/ N$, where $U$ is the characteristic horizontal velocity of the dipole and $N$ the Brunt–Väisälä frequency; second, the destabilization of the Kelvin–Helmholtz billows and the gravitational instability lead to small-scale weakly stratified turbulence. The horizontal spectrum of kinetic energy exhibits a ${{\varepsilon }_{K} }^{2/ 3} { k}_{h}^{\ensuremath{-} 5/ 3} $ power law (where ${k}_{h} $ is the horizontal wavenumber and ${\varepsilon }_{K} $ is the dissipation rate of kinetic energy) from ${k}_{b} = 2\lrm{\pi} / {L}_{b} $ to the dissipative scales, with an energy deficit between the integral scale and ${k}_{b} $ and an excess around ${k}_{b} $. The vertical spectrum of kinetic energy can be expressed as $E({k}_{z} )= {C}_{N} {N}^{2} { k}_{z}^{\ensuremath{-} 3} + C{{\varepsilon }_{K} }^{2/ 3} { k}_{z}^{\ensuremath{-} 5/ 3} $ where ${C}_{N} $ and $C$ are two constants of order unity and ${k}_{z} $ is the vertical wavenumber. It is therefore very steep near the buoyancy scale with an ${N}^{2} { k}_{z}^{\ensuremath{-} 3} $ shape and approaches the ${{\varepsilon }_{K} }^{2/ 3} { k}_{z}^{\ensuremath{-} 5/ 3} $ spectrum for ${k}_{z} \gt {k}_{o} $, ${k}_{o} $ being the Ozmidov wavenumber, which is the cross-over between the two scaling laws. A decomposition of the vertical spectra depending on the horizontal wavenumber value shows that the ${N}^{2} { k}_{z}^{\ensuremath{-} 3} $ spectrum is associated with large horizontal scales $\vert {\mathbi{k}}_{h} \vert \lt {k}_{b} $ and the ${{\varepsilon }_{K} }^{2/ 3} { k}_{z}^{\ensuremath{-} 5/ 3} $ spectrum with the scales $\vert {\mathbi{k}}_{h} \vert \gt {k}_{b} $.


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