Study of turbulent mixing processes at a mesoscale confluence through aerial drone imagery and eddy-resolved modelling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Duguay ◽  
Pascale Biron ◽  
Thomas Buffin-Bélanger
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Turbulent Structures ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Instantaneous Flow Field

<p>The large-scale turbulent structures that develop at confluences fall into three main categories: vertically orientated (Kelvin-Helmholtz) vortices, large-scale secondary flow helical cells and smaller strongly coherent streamwise orientated vortices. The causal mechanisms of each class, how they interact with one another and their respective contributions to mixing is still unclear. Our investigation emphasises the role played by the instantaneous flow field in mixing at a mesoscale confluence (Mitis-Neigette, Quebec, Canada) by complementing aerial drone observations of turbulent suspended sediment mixing processes with results from a high-resolution eddy-resolved numerical simulation. The high velocity near-surface flow of the main channel (Mitis) separates at the crest of the scour hole before downwelling upon collision with the slower tributary (Neigette). Fed by incursions of lateral momentum of the Mitis, shear generated Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities expand as they advect along the mixing-interface. As the instabilities shed, water from the deeper Neigette passes underneath the fast, over-topping Mitis, causing a large portion of the Neigette’s discharge to cross under the mixing-interface in a short distance. The remaining flow of the tributary crosses over inside large-scale lateral incursions farther downstream. The downwelling Mitis, upwelling Neigette and recirculatory cell interact to generate coherent streamwise vortical structures which assist in rapidly mixing the waters of the two rivers in the vicinity of the mixing-interface. Evidence of large-scale helical cells were not observed in the flow field. Results suggest that flow interaction with bathymetry, and both vertical and streamwise orientated coherent turbulent structures play important roles in mixing at confluences. Our findings strongly suggest that investigating mixing at confluences cannot be based solely on mean flow field variables as this approach can be misleading. Visualization of a confluence’s mixing processes as revealed by suspended sediment gradients captured in aerial drone imagery complemented with eddy-resolved numerical modelling of the underlying flow is a promising means to gain insights on the role of large-scale turbulent structures on mixing at confluences.</p>

scholarly journals Instability wave models for the near-field fluctuations of turbulent jets

2011 ◽  
Vol 689 ◽  
pp. 97-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Gudmundsson ◽  
Tim Colonius
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Microphone Array ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Turbulent Jets ◽  
Instability Wave ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Scale Structures

AbstractPrevious work has shown that aspects of the evolution of large-scale structures, particularly in forced and transitional mixing layers and jets, can be described by linear and nonlinear stability theories. However, questions persist as to the choice of the basic (steady) flow field to perturb, and the extent to which disturbances in natural (unforced), initially turbulent jets may be modelled with the theory. For unforced jets, identification is made difficult by the lack of a phase reference that would permit a portion of the signal associated with the instability wave to be isolated from other, uncorrelated fluctuations. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which pressure and velocity fluctuations in subsonic, turbulent round jets can be described aslinearperturbations to the mean flow field. The disturbances are expanded about the experimentally measured jet mean flow field, and evolved using linear parabolized stability equations (PSE) that account, in an approximate way, for the weakly non-parallel jet mean flow field. We utilize data from an extensive microphone array that measures pressure fluctuations just outside the jet shear layer to show that, up to an unknown initial disturbance spectrum, the phase, wavelength, and amplitude envelope of convecting wavepackets agree well with PSE solutions at frequencies and azimuthal wavenumbers that can be accurately measured with the array. We next apply the proper orthogonal decomposition to near-field velocity fluctuations measured with particle image velocimetry, and show that the structure of the most energetic modes is also similar to eigenfunctions from the linear theory. Importantly, the amplitudes of the modes inferred from the velocity fluctuations are in reasonable agreement with those identified from the microphone array. The results therefore suggest that, to predict, with reasonable accuracy, the evolution of the largest-scale structures that comprise the most energetic portion of the turbulent spectrum of natural jets, nonlinear effects need only be indirectly accounted for by considering perturbations to the mean turbulent flow field, while neglecting any non-zero frequency disturbance interactions.

Study of the Standard k-ε Model for Tip Leakage Flow in an Axial Compressor Rotor

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfei Gao ◽  
Yangwei Liu ◽  
Luyang Zhong ◽  
Jiexuan Hou ◽  
Lipeng Lu
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Turbulent Viscosity ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage Flow ◽  
Tip Leakage ◽  
Compressor Rotor

AbstractThe standard k-ε model (SKE) and the Reynolds stress model (RSM) are employed to predict the tip leakage flow (TLF) in a low-speed large-scale axial compressor rotor. Then, a new research method is adopted to “freeze” the turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate of the flow field derived from the RSM, and obtain the turbulent viscosity using the Boussinesq hypothesis. The Reynolds stresses and mean flow field computed on the basis of the frozen viscosity are compared with the results of the SKE and the RSM. The flow field in the tip region based on the frozen viscosity is more similar to the results of the RSM than those of the SKE, although certain differences can be observed. This finding indicates that the non-equilibrium turbulence transport nature plays an important role in predicting the TLF, as well as the turbulence anisotropy.

Investigation on hydrodynamic forces leading to coarse particle entrainment using Large-Eddy Simulations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaston Latessa ◽  
Angela Busse ◽  
Manousos Valyrakis
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Large Eddy Simulations ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Particle Entrainment ◽  
Large Eddy

<p>The prediction of particle motion in a fluid flow environment presents several challenges from the quantification of the forces exerted by the fluid onto the solids -normally with fluctuating behaviour due to turbulence- and the definition of the potential particle entrainment from these actions. An accurate description of these phenomena has many practical applications in local scour definition and to the design of protection measures.</p><p>In the present work, the actions of different flow conditions on sediment particles is investigated with the aim to translate these effects into particle entrainment identification through analytical solid dynamic equations.</p><p>Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are an increasingly practical tool that provide an accurate representation of both the mean flow field and the large-scale turbulent fluctuations. For the present case, the forces exerted by the flow are integrated over the surface of a stationary particle in the streamwise (drag) and vertical (lift) directions, together with the torques around the particle’s centre of mass. These forces are validated against experimental data under the same bed and flow conditions.</p><p>The forces are then compared against threshold values, obtained through theoretical equations of simple motions such as rolling without sliding. Thus, the frequency of entrainment is related to the different flow conditions in good agreement with results from experimental sediment entrainment research.</p><p>A thorough monitoring of the velocity flow field on several locations is carried out to determine the relationships between velocity time series at several locations around the particle and the forces acting on its surface. These results a relevant to determine ideal locations for flow investigation both in numerical and physical experiments.</p><p>Through numerical experiments, a large number of flow conditions were simulated obtaining a full set of actions over a fixed particle sitting on a smooth bed. These actions were translated into potential particle entrainment events and validated against experimental data. Future work will present the coupling of these LES models with Discrete Element Method (DEM) models to verify the entrainment phenomena entirely from a numerical perspective.</p>

scholarly journals Physical Transport Processes that Affect the Distribution of Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Modeling

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
Michel Boufadel ◽  
◽  
Annalisa Bracco ◽  
Eric Chassignet ◽  
Shuyi Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Surface Mixed Layer ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Mixing Processes ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Wide Range

Physical transport processes such as the circulation and mixing of waters largely determine the spatial distribution of materials in the ocean. They also establish the physical environment within which biogeochemical and other processes transform materials, including naturally occurring nutrients and human-made contaminants that may sustain or harm the region’s living resources. Thus, understanding and modeling the transport and distribution of materials provides a crucial substrate for determining the effects of biological, geological, and chemical processes. The wide range of scales in which these physical processes operate includes microscale droplets and bubbles; small-scale turbulence in buoyant plumes and the near-surface “mixed” layer; submesoscale fronts, convergent and divergent flows, and small eddies; larger mesoscale quasi-geostrophic eddies; and the overall large-scale circulation of the Gulf of Mexico and its interaction with the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; along with air-sea interaction on longer timescales. The circulation and mixing processes that operate near the Gulf of Mexico coasts, where most human activities occur, are strongly affected by wind- and river-induced currents and are further modified by the area’s complex topography. Gulf of Mexico physical processes are also characterized by strong linkages between coastal/shelf and deeper offshore waters that determine connectivity to the basin’s interior. This physical connectivity influences the transport of materials among different coastal areas within the Gulf of Mexico and can extend to adjacent basins. Major advances enabled by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative in the observation, understanding, and modeling of all of these aspects of the Gulf’s physical environment are summarized in this article, and key priorities for future work are also identified.

scholarly journals Large-Scale Flow in Micro Electrokinetic Turbulent Mixer

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyi Nan ◽  
Zhongyan Hu ◽  
Wei Zhao ◽  
Kaige Wang ◽  
Jintao Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Electric Conductivity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Mixing Process ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Two Fluids ◽  
Large Scale Flow ◽  
Particle Imaging

In the present work, we studied the three-dimensional (3D) mean flow field in a micro electrokinetic (μEK) turbulence based micromixer by micro particle imaging velocimetry (μPIV) with stereoscopic method. A large-scale solenoid-type 3D mean flow field has been observed. The extraordinarily fast mixing process of the μEK turbulent mixer can be primarily attributed to two steps. First, under the strong velocity fluctuations generated by μEK mechanism, the two fluids with different conductivity are highly mixed near the entrance, primarily at the low electric conductivity sides and bias to the bottom wall. Then, the well-mixed fluid in the local region convects to the rest regions of the micromixer by the large-scale solenoid-type 3D mean flow. The mechanism of the large-scale 3D mean flow could be attributed to the unbalanced electroosmotic flows (EOFs) due to the high and low electric conductivity on both the bottom and top surface.

Reducing Instrumentation Errors Caused by Circumferential Flow-Field Variations in Multistage Axial Compressors

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Chilla ◽  
G. Pullan ◽  
S. Gallimore
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sampling Error ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Stagnation Pressure ◽  
Wave Number ◽  
Stagnation Temperature ◽  
Sampling Errors ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Axial Compressors

Abstract The effects of blade row interactions on stator-mounted instrumentation in axial compressors are investigated using unsteady numerical calculations. The test compressor is an eight-stage machine representative of an aero-engine core compressor. For the unsteady calculations, a 180-deg sector (half-annulus) model of the compressor is used. It is shown that the time-mean flow field in the stator leading edge planes is circumferentially nonuniform. The circumferential variations in stagnation pressure and stagnation temperature, respectively, reach 4.2% and 1.1% of the local mean. Using spatial wave number analysis, the incoming wakes from the upstream stator rows are identified as the dominant source of the circumferential variations in the front and middle of the compressor, while toward the rear of the compressor, the upstream influence of the eight struts in the exit duct becomes dominant. Based on three circumferential probes, the sampling errors for stagnation pressure and stagnation temperature are calculated as a function of the probe locations. Optimization of the probe locations shows that the sampling error can be reduced by up to 77% by circumferentially redistributing the individual probes. The reductions in the sampling errors translate to reductions in the uncertainties of the overall compressor efficiency and inlet flow capacity by up to 50%. Recognizing that data from large-scale unsteady calculations are rarely available in the instrumentation phase for a new test rig or engine, a method for approximating the circumferential variations with single harmonics is presented. The construction of the harmonics is based solely on the knowledge of the number of stators in each row and a small number of equispaced probes. It is shown how excursions in the sampling error are reduced by increasing the number of circumferential probes.

scholarly journals IDDES Evaluation of Oscillating Hydraulic Jumps

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 05067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vimaldoss Jesudhas ◽  
Frédéric Murzyn ◽  
Ram Balachandar
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Hydraulic Jump ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Wall Jet ◽  
Hydraulic Jumps ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Instantaneous Flow Field ◽  
Type Flow ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Flow Features

This paper presents the results of three-dimensional, unsteady, Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulations of an oscillating and a stable hydraulic jump at Froude numbers of 3.8 and 8.5, respectively. The different types of oscillations characterised in a hydraulic jump are analysed by evaluating the instantaneous flow field. The instability caused by the flapping wall-jet type flow in an oscillating jump is distinct compared to the jump-toe fluctuations caused by the spanwise vortices in the shear layer of a stable jump. These flow features are accurately captured by the simulations and are presented with pertinent discussions. The near-bed vortical structures in an oscillating jump is extracted and analysed using the λ2 criterion.

scholarly journals A Study on the Instantaneous Turbulent Flow Field in a 90-Degree Elbow Pipe with Circular Section

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiming Wang ◽  
Cheng Ren ◽  
Yangfei Sun ◽  
Xingtuan Yang ◽  
Jiyuan Tu
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Dean Vortex ◽  
Instantaneous Flow Field ◽  
Instantaneous Pressure ◽  
Turbulent Flow Field

Based on the special application of 90-degree elbow pipe in the HTR-PM, the large eddy simulation was selected to calculate the instantaneous flow field in the 90-degree elbow pipe combining with the experimental results. The characteristics of the instantaneous turbulent flow field under the influence of flow separation and secondary flow were studied by analyzing the instantaneous pressure information at specific monitoring points and the instantaneous velocity field on the cross section of the elbow. The pattern and the intensity of the Dean vortex and the small scale eddies change over time and induce the asymmetry of the flow field. The turbulent disturbance upstream and the flow separation near the intrados couple with the vortexes of various scales. Energy is transferred from large scale eddies to small scale eddies and dissipated by the viscous stress in the end.

Multiple-arrayed pressure measurement for investigation of the unsteady flow structure of a reattaching shear layer

2002 ◽  
Vol 463 ◽  
pp. 377-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
INWON LEE ◽  
HYUNG JIN SUNG
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vortical Structure ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Vortical Flow ◽  
Recirculation Region ◽  
Stream Velocity ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Wall Pressure Fluctuations

Spatio-temporal characteristics of wall pressure fluctuations in separated and reattaching flows over a backward-facing step were investigated through an extensive pressure-velocity joint measurement with an array of microphones. The experiment was performed in a wind tunnel with a Reynolds number of 33 000 based on the step height and the free-stream velocity. Synchronized wavelet maps showed the evolutionary behaviour of pressure fluctuations and gave further insight into the modulated nature of large-scale vortical structures. To see the relationship between the flow field and the relevant spatial mode of the pressure field, a new kind of wavenumber filtering, termed ‘spatial box filtering’ (SBF), was introduced and examined. The vortical flow field was reconstructed using every single-point velocity measurement by means of the conditional average based on the SBF second mode of pressure fluctuations. The flow field showed a well-organized spanwise vortical structure convected with a speed of 0.6U0 and a characteristic ‘sawtooth’ pattern of the unsteady trace of reattachment length. In addition to the coherent vortical structures, the periodic enlargement/shrinkage process of the recirculation region owing to apping motion was analysed. The recirculation region was found to undergo an enlargement/shrinkage cycle in accordance with the lowpass-filtered component of pressure fluctuations. In addition, such modulatory behaviour of the vortical structure as the global oscillation phase was discussed in connection with the conditionally averaged flow field.

scholarly journals A Puzzling Disagreement between Observations and Numerical Models in the Central Gulf of Mexico

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 2673-2681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilton Sturges ◽  
Alexandra Bozec
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Return Flow ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The West ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Two large, independent sets of direct observations in the central Gulf of Mexico show a mean near-surface flow of ~10 cm s−1 to the west, concentrated in the northern and southern Gulf. Numerical models that the authors have examined do not produce this mean westward flow. The observed speeds appear to be almost an order of magnitude larger than the estimated errors; this paper studies the observations to estimate carefully the possible errors involved and compares the observations with model results. The flow to the west in the southern Gulf is presumably wind driven on the shallow parts of the shelf, and, in slightly deeper water at the outer edges of the shelf, is possibly the result of southward Sverdrup interior flow driven by the negative curl of the wind stress. In another possibly related issue, long-term deep current-meter observations in the northern Gulf at ~1000 m and below find flow to the west, whereas some models find flow to the east. The flow proposed here assumes a mean flow to the west above roughly 300 m, with a required return flow in deep water. The difference between the deep observations and the models will produce a slope of pressure surfaces of the opposite sign below 1000 m, reversing the direction of upper-layer geostrophic flow in the models.

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