Structure and Branching of Unstable Modes in a Swirling Flow

Swirling has a significant effect on the main characteristics of flow and can lead to its fundamental restructuring. On the flow axis, a stagnation point with zero velocity is possible, behind which a return flow zone is formed. The apparent instability leads to the formation of secondary vortex motions and can also be the cause of vortex breakdown. In the paper, a swirling flow with a velocity profile of the Batchelor vortex type has been studied on the basis of the linear hydrodynamic stability theory. An effective numerical method for solving the spectral problem has been developed. This method includes the asymptotic solutions at artificial and irregular singular points. The stability of flows was considered for the values of the Reynolds number in the range 10≤Re≤5×106. The calculations were carried out for the value of the azimuthal wavenumber parameter n=−1. As a result of the analysis of the solutions, the existence of up to eight simultaneously occurring unstable modes has been shown. The paper presents a classification of the detected modes. The critical parameters are calculated for each mode. For fixed values of the Reynolds numbers 60≤Re≤5000, the curves of neutral stability are plotted. Branching points of unstable modes are found. The maximum growth rates for each mode are determined. A new viscous instability mode is found. The performed calculations reveal the instability of the Batchelor vortex at large values of the swirl parameter for long-wave disturbances.

Parametric study of cone angle influence on bubble vortex breakdown onset in laminar conical flow at various swirl numbers

The current work studies a swirling laminar viscous pipe flow with a controllable swirl number and varying pipe divergence cone angle. Such flows are widely used in various engineering applications. When a certain level of flow swirl is reached, a phenomenon called vortex breakdown occurs, the characteristics of which depend on the intensity of swirling of the flow and the Reynolds number. However, in addition to these two parameters, an important influence is exerted by the pipe opening angle, which often does not allow generalizing the results obtained in the pipe flow with even slightly different angles. Since experimentally it is quite difficult and expensive to change the pipe angle, especially considering the water as working fluid, this issue could be solved using CFD techniques. Using the design study, 63 different combinations of S and α are considered. The effect of the pipe divergence angle on the position of the bubble vortex breakdown and its properties is demonstrated. It is shown that there is a nonlinear relationship between the position of the bubble breakdown onset and the minimum value of the axial velocity at the axis depending on the opening angle of the cone.

Effect of coherent structures on convective heat transfer in a swirling impinging jet

The present paper reports on the detailed investigation of the flow dynamics and unsteady heat transfer in an impinging jet in regimes with high swirl and vortex breakdown. A combination of the time-resolved stereoscopic PIV, time-resolved PLIF and high-speed IR-thermometry methods is used. Two cases of distances between the jet nozzle and impingement surface are considered, H = d and H = 2d. The Reynolds number is fixed as Re = 5000. The temperature distribution in the flow has a maximum on the jet axis near the surface in the region of the central recirculation zone. The data are processed using the POD method to extract coherent flow structures and quantify temperature fluctuations on the impact surface. The helical vortex structure in the case of H = d influences heat transfer between the swirling jet and the surface, the temperature fluctuations on the surface reach 0.05 degrees.

Dual vortex breakdown in a two-fluid whirlpool

Looking for an optimal flow shape for culture growth in vortex bioreactors, an intriguing and impressive structure has been observed that mimics the strong swirling flows in the atmosphere (tornado) and ocean (waterspout). To better understand the flow nature and topology, this experimental study explores the development of vortex breakdown (VB) in a lab-scale swirling flow of two immiscible fluids filling a vertical cylindrical container. The rotating bottom disk drives the circulation of both fluids while the sidewall is stationary. The container can be either sealed with the still top disk (SC) or open (OC). As the rotation strength (Re) increases, a new circulation cell occurs in each fluid—the dual VB. In case SC, VB first emerges in the lower fluid at Re = 475 and then in the upper fluid at Re = 746. In case OC, VB first emerges in the upper fluid at Re = 524 and then in the lower fluid at Re = 538. The flow remains steady and axisymmetric with the interface and the free surface being just slightly deformed in the studied range of Re. Such two-VB swirling flows can provide efficient mixing in aerial or two-fluid bioreactors.

Control of shock-induced vortex breakdown on a delta-wing-body configuration in the transonic regime

Shock-induced vortex breakdown, which occurs on the delta wings at transonic speed, causes a sudden and significant change in the aerodynamic coefficients at a moderate angle-of-attack. Wind-tunnel tests show a sudden jump in the aerodynamic coefficients such as lift force, pitching moment and centre of pressure which affect the longitudinal stability and controllability of the vehicle. A pneumatic jet operated at sonic condition blown spanwise and along the vortex core over a 60° swept delta-wing-body configuration is found to be effective in postponing this phenomenon by energising the vortical structure, pushing the vortex breakdown location downstream. The study reports that a modest level of spanwise blowing enhances the lift by about 6 to 9% and lift-to-drag ratio by about 4 to 9%, depending on the free-stream transonic Mach number, and extends the usable angle-of-attack range by 2°. The blowing is found to reduce the magnitude of unsteady pressure fluctuations by 8% to 20% in the aft portion of the wing, depending upon the method of blowing. Detailed investigations carried out on the location of blowing reveal that the blowing close to the apex of the wing maximises the benefits.

Prediction of Vertical Tail Buffet Using CFD/CSD Coupling Method

The vertical tail buffet induced by the vortex breakdown flow is numerically investigated. The unsteady flow is calculated by solving the RANS equations. The structural dynamic equations are decoupled in the modal coordinates. The radial basis functions (RBFs) are employed to generate the deformation mesh. The buffet response of the flexible tail is predicted by coupling the three sets of equations. The results show that the presence of asymmetry flow on the inner and outer surface of the tail forced the structural deflection offsetting the outboard. The frequency of the 2nd bending mode of the tail structure meets the peak frequency of the pressure fluctuation upon the tail surface, and the resonance phenomenon was observed. Therefore, the 2nd bending responses govern the flow field surrounding the vertical tail. Finally, the displacement of the vertical tail is small, while the acceleration with a large quantitation forces the vertical tail undergoing severe addition inertial loads.

Numerical study of the vortex breakdown and vortex reconnection in the flow path of high-pressure water turbine

The paper presents a study of the instability of the precessing vortex core in the model of the draft tube of a hydraulic turbine. The study was carried out using numerical modeling using various approaches: URANS, RSM, LES. The best agreement with the experimental data was shown by the RSM and LES methods with the modelling of the runner rotation by the sliding mesh method. In the regime under consideration, the precessing vortex rope is subject to instability, which leads to reconnection of its turns and the formation of an isolated vortex ring. Reconnection of the vortex core leads to aperiodic and intense pressure fluctuations recorded on the diffuser wall.

Aerodynamic Analysis of a Supersonic Transport Aircraft at Landing Speed Conditions

Supersonic flight for commercial aviation is gaining a renewed interest, especially for business aviation, which demands the reduction of flight times for transcontinental routes. So far, the promise of civil supersonic flight has only been afforded by the Concorde and Tupolev T-144 aircraft. However, little or nothing can be found about the aerodynamics of these aeroshapes, the knowledge of which is extremely interesting to obtain before the development of the next-generation high-speed aircraft. Therefore, the present research effort aimed at filling in the lack of data on a Concorde-like aeroshape by focusing on evaluating the aerodynamics of a complete aircraft configuration under low-speed conditions, close to those of the approach and landing phase. In this framework, the present paper focuses on the CFD study of the longitudinal aerodynamics of a Concorde-like, tailless, delta-ogee wing seamlessly integrated onto a Sears–Haack body fuselage, suitable for civil transportation. The drag polar at a Mach number equal to 0.24 at a 30 m altitude was computed for a wide range of angles of attack (0∘,60∘), with a steady RANS simulation to provide the feedback of the aerodynamic behaviour post breakdown, useful for a preliminary design. The vortex-lift contribution to the aerodynamic coefficients was accounted for in the longitudinal flight condition. The results were in agreement with the analytical theory of the delta-wing. Flowfield sensitivity to the angle of attack at near-stall and post-stall flight attitudes confirmed the literature results. Furthermore, the longitudinal static stability was addressed. The CFD simulation also evidenced a static instability condition arising for 15∘≤α≤20∘ due to vortex breakdown, which was accounted for.