Numerical Study of Unsteady Cavitating Flow in an Inducer with Omega Vortex Identification

To accurately capture the behaviors of cavitation and reveal the unsteady cavitating flow mechanism, a condensate pump inducer is numerically analyzed in a separate numerical experiment with LES at critical cavitation number sind,c under the design point. Based on the new Omega vortex identification method, the correction between the flow structures and cavities is clearly illustrated. Besides, the pressure fluctuations around the inducer are analyzed. Special emphasis is put on the analysis of the interactions between the cavities, turbulent fluctuations, and vortical flow structures. The Omega vortex identification method could give an overall picture of the whole cavitating flow structures to present a clear correlation between the vortices and cavities. The results show that the shear cavitation dominant the cavitation characteristics under the design point. The pure rigid rotation region mainly concentrates at the edge of the cavities while the other sheet-like cavities near the casing walls are characterized by strong turbulence fluctuations. Besides, based on the analysis of the correlation between the cavities and flow structures, the rotating cavitation under the design point may mainly attribute to the interaction between the tip leakage vortex cavitation and the next blade.

DSAEF_LTP Model Experiment to Forecast the Accumulated Precipitation of Landfalling Northward-Moving Typhoons in China

We designed two groups of experiments to test the forecast performance of the Dynamical-Statistical-Analog Ensemble Forecast (DSAEF_LTP) model for precipitation caused by landfalling northward-moving typhoons. The first group DSAEF_LTP-1 had the generalized initial value containing three factors (tropical cyclone track, landfall season and tropical cyclone intensity) while the second group DSAEF_LTP-2 added multiple choices of similarity regions. We selected 33 typhoons that brought about maximum daily precipitation ≥100 mm to the area north of the Yangtze River from 2004–2019. We used 22 tropical cyclones from 2004–2015 as training samples to identify the best scheme, which was then used to conduct independent sample forecasting experiments for 11 tropical cyclones from 2016–2019. The results were compared with those of four numerical models (ECMWF, GFS, GRAPES and SMS-WARMS). The simulation ability of the DSAEF_LTP model was significantly improved after adding the similarity regions. The TSsum (TS250 + TS100) for accumulated precipitation ≥250 and ≥100 mm increased from 0.1239 (0 + 0.1239) to 0.1883 (0.0526 + 0.1357). The forecast performance of the DSAEF_LTP for TS100 was 0.1355 for DSAEF_LTP-1 and 0.099 for DSAEF_LTP-2 . Both exceeded the scores for two of the operational Numerical Models, GRAPES (0.0798) and SMS-WARMS (0.0943). The DSAEF_LTP model can capture the distribution patterns of the observed precipitation in most cases. The forecasting performance was good over the southern coast of China but was limited in the north. The development of vortex identification technology for residual vortices and the introduction of new environmental factors into the generalized initial value are required to improve the DSAEF_LTP model.

Investigation on the Flow Behavior of Side Channel Pumps Based on Vortex Identification

The momentum flow exchange between the impeller and side channel produces highly turbulent flows in side channel pumps. The turbulent flows feature complex patterns of vortex structures that are partly responsible for the dissipation of energy losses and unsteady pressure pulsations. The concept of turbulent flows in side channel pumps requires a reliable vortex identification criterion to capture and predict the effects of the vortex structures on the performance. For this reason, the current study presents the application of the new Ω-criterion to a side channel pump model in comparison with other traditional methods such as Q and λ2 criteria. The 3D flow fields of the pump were obtained through unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations. Comparative studies showed that the Ω-criterion identifies the vortex of different intensities with a standard threshold, Ω=0.52. The Q and λ2 criteria required different thresholds to capture vortex of different intensities thus leads to subjective errors. Comparing the Ω-criterion intensity on different planes with the entropy losses and pressure pulsation, the longitudinal vortex plays an important role in the momentum exchange development which increases the head performance of the pump. However, the rate of exchange is impeded by the axial and radial vortices restricted in the impeller. Therefore, the impeller generates the highest entropy loss and pressure pulsation intensities which lower the output efficiency. Finally, the findings provide a fundamental background to the morphology of the vortex structures in the turbulent flows which can be dependent upon for efficiency improvement of side channel pumps.

Influence of Upstream Disturbances on the Vortex Structure of Francis Turbine Based on the Criteria of Identification of Various Vortexes

The inter-blade passage vortex, the vortex rope of the draft tube, and the vortex in the guide apparatus are the characteristics of flow instability of the Francis turbine, which may lead to fatigue failure in serious cases. In the current study, in order to accurately capture the transient turbulent characteristics of flow under different conditions and fully understand the flow field and vortex structure, we conduct a simulation that adopts sliding grid technology and the large-eddy simulation (LES) method based on the wall-adapting local eddy viscosity (WALE) model. Using the pressure iso-surface method, the Q criterion, and the latest third-generation Liutex vortex identification method, this study analyzes and compares the inter-blade passage vortex, the vortex rope of the draft tube, and the outflow and vortex in the guide apparatus, focusing on the capture ability of flow field information by various vortex identification methods and the unique vortex structure under the condition of a small opening. The results indicate that the dependence of Liutex on the threshold is small, and the scale range of the flow direction vortex captured by Liutex is wider, but the ability of the spanwise vortex is relatively weak. The smaller the opening, the more disorderly the vortexes generated in each component and the more unstable the flow field. In the draft tube, the original shape of the vortex rope is destroyed due to the interaction between vortexes. Under the condition of a small opening, an inter-blade passage vortex is generated, affecting the efficient and stable operation of the turbine.

Vortex identification methods applied to wind turbine tip vortices

This study describes the impact of postprocessing methods on the calculated parameters of tip vortices of a wind turbine model when tested using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Several vortex identification methods and differentiation schemes are compared. The chosen methods are based on two components of the velocity field and its derivatives. They are applied to each instantaneous velocity field from the dataset and also to the calculated average velocity field. The methodologies are compared through the vortex center location, vortex core radius and jittering zone. Results show that the tip vortex center locations and radius have good comparability and can vary only a few grid spacings between methods. Conversely, the convection velocity and the jittering surface, defined as the area where the instantaneous vortex centers are located, vary between identification methods. Overall, the examined parameters depend significantly on the post-processing method and selected vortex identification criteria. Therefore, this study proves that the selection of the most suitable postprocessing methods of PIV data is pivotal to ensure robust results.

An Eulerian scheme for identifying fronts and vortices in quasi-balanced flows

The identification of vortices in a fluid flow is a dynamically interesting problem that has practical applications in oceanography due to the outsized role eddies play in water mass, heat, and tracer transport. Here a new Eulerian scheme is developed to detect both vortices and strongly strained fronts, which are both ubiquitous in the world ocean. The new scheme is conceptually linked to the well-known Okubo-Weiss parameter, but is extended to quasigeostrophic flows by recognizing the strong role played by vertical shear in ocean dynamics. Adapted from the λ2-criterion for vortex identification (Jeong and Hussain 1995), the scheme considers the curvature of the pressure field as the differentiator between vortical and strained flow structures, and it is shown that its underlying geometry also exhibits characteristics of quasigeostrophic flow. The uses and skill of the scheme are demonstrated using a high-resolution regional ocean simulation, and prospects for its use with observational products are discussed.

The Four Stage Development of Starting Turbulent Buoyant Plumes

Turbulent heated and buoyant plumes have important applications in the atmosphere such as wildland fire plumes, volcanic plumes, and chemical plumes. The purpose of the study is to analyze the turbulence structures, and to understand the stages of the development of the starting turbulent plumes. For this purpose, data generated from an in-house Weather Research Forecast model coupled with Large-eddy simulation (WRF-bLES) with two-way feedback between the buoyant plume and the atmosphere developed has been used. The release of both dense gases (Co2, So2) and, buoyant gases (He, NH3, heated air) from a circular source at the bottom of the domain have been investigated. The simulations of the axisymmetric plume were performed at a high Reynolds number of 108. Vortex Identification methods were used to extract the Coherent structures and the large-scale features of the flow. The results have demonstrated that both the dense and the buoyant heated plumes with different initial characters exhibited universal characteristics and the development of the starting plumes occurred in four characteristic stages: Stage 1 is the plume acceleration stage, followed by stage 2 which corresponds to the formation of the head of the plume which grows spatially. Stage 3 is when the plume head is fully formed and the flow transitions to quasi-steady-state behavior. The final stage is the fully developed plume. The identification of the four-stage development of the plume in the neutral environment is the first step in studying the turbulent heated and buoyant plumes development in order to characterize realistic plumes and to quantify the extent of mixing at each of these stages. This work has important contributions to fundamental fluid dynamics of buoyant plumes with implications on forecasting the plume trajectory of smoke, wildland fire, and volcanic plumes.