On locally embedded two-scale solution for wall-bounded turbulent flows

Recent findings on wall-bounded turbulence have prompted a new impetus for modelling development to capture and resolve the Reynolds-number-dependent influence of outer flow on near-wall turbulence in terms of the ‘foot-printing’ of the large-scale coherent structures and the scale-interaction associated ‘modulation’. We develop a two-scale method to couple a locally embedded near-wall fine-mesh direct numerical simulation (DNS) block with a global coarser mesh domain. The influence of the large-scale structures on the local fine-mesh block is captured by a scale-dependent coarse–fine domain interface treatment. The coarse-mesh resolved disturbances are directly exchanged across the interface, while only the fine-mesh resolved fluctuations around the coarse-mesh resolved variables are subject to periodic conditions in the streamwise and spanwise directions. The global near-wall coarse-mesh region outside the local fine-mesh block is governed by the augmented flow governing equations with forcing source terms generated by upscaling the space–time-averaged fine-mesh solution. The validity and effectiveness of the method are examined for canonical incompressible channel flows at several Reynolds numbers. The mean statistics and energy spectra are in good agreement with the corresponding full DNS data. The results clearly illustrate the ‘foot-printing’ and ‘modulation’ in the local fine-mesh block. Noteworthy also is that neither spectral-gap nor scale-separation is assumed, and a smooth overlap between the global-domain and the local-domain energy spectra is observed. It is shown that the mesh-count scaling with Reynolds number is potentially reduced from $O(R{e^2})$ for the conventional fully wall-resolved large-eddy simulation (LES) to $O(Re)$ for the present locally embedded two-scale LES.

Numerical Modelling of Liquid Film Spreading Dynamics over Smooth Vertical Surface under Isothermal Conditions

The paper presents numerical modelling of the liquid film spreading dynamics of the R21 (mol. fraction: 0.9) and R114 refrigerants mixture. We considered an outer flow along a round vertical cylinder at Reynolds number of 104 and various contact angles. The simulation was performed in OpenFOAM software on the basis of the volume of fluid (VOF) method. We have shown that the wetting front deforms at wetting angles of 30 and 50 degrees, and regular jets form. At the same time, it was demonstrated that at the wetting angle of 10 degrees the spreading front has practically a flat shape, but one may see some regular thickenings of the liquid film along the contact line of the front.

On the role of turbulent large-scale streaks in generating sediment ridges

The role of turbulent large-scale streaks or large-scale motions in forming subaqueous sediment ridges on an initially flat sediment bed is investigated with the aid of particle resolved direct numerical simulations of open channel flow at bulk Reynolds numbers up to 9500. The regular arrangement of quasi-streamwise ridges and troughs at a characteristic spanwise spacing between 1 and 1.5 times the mean fluid height is found to be a consequence of the spanwise organisation of turbulence in large-scale streamwise velocity streaks. Ridges predominantly appear in regions of weaker erosion below large-scale low-speed streaks and vice versa for troughs. The interaction between the dynamics of the large-scale streaks in the bulk flow and the evolution of sediment ridges on the sediment bed is best described as ‘top-down’ process, as the arrangement of the sediment bedforms is seen to adapt to changes in the outer flow with a time delay of several bulk time units. The observed ‘top-down’ interaction between the outer flow and the bed agrees fairly well with the conceptual model on causality in canonical channel flows proposed by Jiménez (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 842, 2018, P1, § 5.6). Mean secondary currents of Prandtl's second kind of comparable intensity and lateral spacing are found over developed sediment ridges and in single-phase smooth-wall channels alike in averages over ${O}(10)$ bulk time units. This indicates that the secondary flow commonly observed together with sediment ridges is the statistical footprint of the regularly organised large-scale streaks.

Rotating co-flow jets with horizontal lip and shape transition

Purpose Control over large-scale coherent structures and stream-wise vortices lead to enhanced entrainment/conservation of the jet which is desirable for most free jet applications such as design of combustion chamber in jet engines and flame length elongation of welding torch used for metal cutting. Design/methodology/approach A co-flow nozzle with lip thickness of 2 mm, between the primary (inner) and secondary (outer) flow, is selected. Three nozzle combinations are used, i.e. C–C (circle–circle), C–E (circle–ellipse) and C–S (circle–square) for acquiring comparative data. For these nozzle combinations, inner nozzle exit plane is kept as a circle, whereas the outer nozzle exit planes are varied to circle, ellipse and square. The exit plane area of outer nozzle for the nozzle combinations has equivalent diameter, De. The nozzles are fabricated in a way that the outer nozzle can be rotated along the longitudinal axis, keeping the inner nozzle intact. Findings The C–C nozzle combination is effective in low Mach number regime in decaying the jet, when the rotational component is introduced. Around 30% reduction in the jet core length is observed for the C–C nozzle combinations without any lip. The C–E nozzle shows sedative result in decaying or preserving the jet. The C–S nozzle combination shows interesting phenomenon, whereby the low subsonic case tends to conserve the jet by 15% and the higher subsonic case tends to decay the jet by 10%. Originality/value The developed nozzle systems show both conservative and destructive effect on the jet, which is desirable for the mentioned applications.

Characterization and Evaluation of 3D-Printed Connectors for Microfluidics

3D printing is regarded as a useful tool for the fabrication of microfluidic connectors to overcome the challenges of time consumption, clogging, poor alignment and bulky fixtures existing for current interconnections. 3D-printed connectors without any additional components can be directly printed to substrate with an orifice by UV-assisted coaxial printing. This paper further characterized and evaluated 3D-printed connectors fabricated by the proposed method. A process window with an operable combination of flow rates was identified. The outer flow rate could control the inner channel dimensions of 3D-printed connectors, which were expected to achieve less geometric mismatch of flow paths in microfluidic interfaces. The achieved smallest inner channel diameter was around 120 µm. Furthermore, the withstood pressure of 3D-printed connectors was evaluated to exceed 450 kPa, which could enable microfluidic chips to work at normal pressure.

A simple model for desulphurisation of flue gas using reactive filters

Desulphurisation of flue gas is essential before it can be released safely into the atmosphere. One way of removing sulphur dioxide is to use a purification device incorporating a reactive filter, in which the flue gas stream passes in front of a porous-catalyst-filled structure which converts the gaseous sulphur dioxide into liquid sulphuric acid. In this paper, we build and solve a simple mathematical model to describe the operation of a paradigm reactive filter. Our model captures the transport of sulphur dioxide through the device via advection in the main “outer” flow and diffusion through the catalyst structure along with the production of sulphuric acid. This sulphuric acid gradually accumulates in the filter rendering it less efficient. We determine the clogging time for an individual channel (that is, the time at which the entrance to the channel becomes completely filled with liquid) and explore how the concentrations of sulphur dioxide and oxygen and the thickness of the sulphuric acid layer change as the key dimensionless parameters are varied, comparing numerical and asymptotic results where appropriate. We then turn our attention to the device scale and solve our model numerically to determine the overall lifetime of the device. We vary the key dimensionless parameters and explore how they affect the efficiency of the device. In the physically relevant parameter regime, we find an explicit solution to the outer flow problem which agrees well with numerical solutions and provides a formula for the lifetime of the device. Finally, we propose a formula for determining the catalyst reaction rate, given data on the concentration of sulphur dioxide exiting the device.

Microfluidic Fabrication of Helical Ca-Alginate Hydrogel Fibers

Helix is a sophisticated structure in nature and has many unique functions which makes it possible to store more information and energy, even receive more sensitive signals. Besides, as an effective method for preparing hydrogel fibers, microfluidic spinning has achieved unprecedented development in the past decade. However, hydrogel fiber with helical structure has began to be studied only in recent years. In this paper, the helical hydrogel fibers were prepared by the microfluidic spinning method. The microfluidic chip was assembled by PDMS connector, collection tube, inner and outer channels. Sodium alginate (SA) and calcium chloride were used as the core fluid and sheath fluid, respectively. By designing and adjusting the length of the chip, changing the concentration of SA and the ratio of two flow rates (inner flow rate/outer flow rate), a continuous and uniform helical hydrogel fiber was prepared. The relationships between the diameter of the fiber, the pitch of the helix and the concentration of SA, the ratio of two flow rates were discussed. The results showed that the diameter of the fiber was mainly affected by the core fluid. Within a certain range, as the concentration of SA increased, the diameter of the fiber increased. Besides, the pitch of the helix was greatly affected by the flow rate of sheath fluid. As the velocity of the sheath fluid increased, the pitch of the fiber increased. Such helical fiber could be used in micro sensors when added some conductive materials or crosslinked with some temperature responsive polymers such as N-isopropylacrylamide.

Experimental and CFD Simulation Studies on the Flow Approaching a Type-A Piano Key Weir

<p>Many dams around the world are ageing and require upgradation in terms of spillway capacity and other safety aspects. In recent times, challenges faced due to global warming, climate change and cloudburst events have grown not just in numbers but also in extremity. Consequently, several dams and diversion structures are being modified to cope up with the floods resulting from such events. Piano key weir (PKW) has effectively been used in many dam upgradation projects, especially in France and Vietnam, to enhance the discharge capacity of the existing ogee-crested weirs or labyrinth weirs. It has also been used in a diversion scheme in India (Sawra Kuddu). The flow field around a PKW is spatially varied, complex and three-dimensional in nature. The previous researches on PKWs were predominantly focused on the effect of different parameters on its discharging capacity and limited studies are available on the flow field, sediment movement and scouring at PKWs. Considering these gaps, this study was initiated to understand the flow pattern near PKW and its effect on the sediment transport over PKW. Presented here is the experimental work carried out at IIT Roorkee, India on a Type-A PKW flume model with two discharge values, the CFD simulations of those two flow conditions and a comparison between the results. The time-averaged velocity values were measured at different locations in the front of inlet and outlet keys (upto a distance of 0.1 m from the bed level) using a 3D Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter. The simulations were performed in Ansys (academic 19.1) CFX solver using finite volume method, standard k-ε turbulent model, (where k denotes the turbulent kinetic energy and ε is the rate of dissipation of k) and multiphase (volume of fluid) modelling. The experimental results showed an increase in the depth-averaged longitudinal flow velocity towards the inlet, but a decrease in that towards the outlet. A significant rise in the upward velocity (in the outer flow region) towards both the keys was observed experimentally and numerically. Both the approaches also indicated a significant increase in the lateral velocity near the inlet, especially in the inner flow region. CFD simulations clearly showed decelerating and accelerating flow zones in front of the outlet and inlet keys, respectively, and also revealed an accelerating flow over the inlet. However, the velocity profile inside the inlet key could not be measured experimentally, possibly due to flow unsteadiness, high turbulence and flow separation, and it demands further research. The CFD results generally underestimated the velocity values for the measured 0.1 m depth of flow and the mean absolute error values for the resultant velocity were 18.32% and 15.52% for the two discharges, respectively. The rise in the approaching flow velocity components towards the inlet and the sloping key enhance the opportunity of sediment passage over a PKW in comparison to other weirs. Extending this work, the study on the flow field near two-cycles and three-cycles PKW models is undergoing.</p>

Interaction of Wake and Propulsive Jet Flow of a Generic Space Launcher

This work investigates the interaction of the afterbody flow with the propulsive jet flow on a generic space launcher equipped with two alternative nozzle concepts and different afterbody geometries. The flow phenomena are characterized by experimental measurements and numerical URANS and LES simulations. Investigations concern a configuration with a conventional truncated ideal contour nozzle and a configuration with an unconventional dual-bell nozzle. In order to attenuate the dynamic loads on the nozzle fairing, passive flow control devices at the base of the launcher main body are investigated on the configuration with TIC nozzle. The nozzle Reynolds number and the afterbody geometry are varied for the configuration with dual-bell nozzle. The results for integrated nozzles show a shift of the nozzle pressure ratio for transition from sea-level to altitude mode to significant lower levels. The afterbody geometry is varied including a reattaching and non-reattaching outer flow on the nozzle fairing. Investigations are performed at supersonic outer flow conditions with a Mach number of $$Ma_\infty =3$$. It turns out, that a reattachment of the outer flow on the nozzle fairing leads to an unstable nozzle operation.