A new method for extracting spanwise vortex from 2D particle image velocimetry data in open-channel flow

The two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) data are inevitably contaminated by noise due to various imperfections in instrumentation or algorithm, based on which the well-established vortex identification methods often yield noise or incomplete vortex structure with a jagged boundary. To make up this deficiency, a novel method was proposed in this paper and the efficiency of the new method was demonstrated by its applications in extracting the two-dimensional spanwise vortex structures from 2D PIV data in open-channel flows. The new method takes up a single vortex structure by combining model matching and vorticity filtering, and successfully locates the vortex core and draws a streamlined vortex boundary. The new method shows promise as being more effective than commonly used schemes in open-channel flow applications.

CFD-Based Study of Nozzle Section Geometry Effects on the Performance of an Annular Multi-Nozzle Jet Pump

CFD simulation and analysis of the internal flow field of the annular multi-nozzle jet pump are carried out to study the effects of nozzle section geometries on performance of the pump based on the finite volume method and realizable k-ε model. The results show that the square nozzle peak efficiency is 3% higher than that of the circular nozzle and 4.1% higher than that of the triangular nozzle. According to the simulation results, the mixing mechanism of the working fluid and second fluid is analyzed on the basis of the vortex dynamics. The results show the following: the recirculation area and the friction loss of the non-circular nozzle are reduced, and the mixing effect is improved; the streamwise vortex plays a major role in the mixing process and decays to an extremely small value at the end of the throat after attenuating rapidly in the suction chamber; compared with the streamwise vortex, the strength of the spanwise vortex is relatively stronger; the spanwise vortex still fluctuates after developing to a certain extent in the throat; the maximum streamwise vorticity peak value of the square nozzle is 31% more than that of the circular nozzle and 39% more than that of the triangular nozzle; the maximum spanwise vorticity peak value of the square nozzle is 19% less than that of the circular nozzle and 12% less than that of the triangular nozzle.

Experiments on Vortex Shedding From Reconfigured Flexible Filaments Vibrating in Flow

This paper describes an experimental study of the spanwise vortex shedding frequencies from cantilever flexible filaments which are bent (reconfigured) when exposed to air crossflow. At a reduced velocity of approximately U* = 1500 (based on filament diameter) the filaments started to vibrate in the inline direction. Hot-wire anemometry was thus employed to investigate the wake flow of filaments of three aspect ratios (L/D = 38, 80, and 113) at Reynolds numbers Re < 300. Despite the large relative inclination angles between the filament and the flow direction, the vortex shedding frequency measured along the span of the filaments remained close to those of a cylinder in pure crossflow. Moreover, it was found that as the aspect ratio (axial length) of the filaments was increased, vortex shedding lost coherence towards the free end of the filaments, whereas this was not the case for the shortest aspect ratio filament currently tested. This is thought to be due to the interaction between the crossflow vortex shedding and the axial flow component developing along the wake of the inclined filaments. Through comparisons with stiff inclined wires it was confirmed that the spanwise vortex shedding behaviors observed (frequency and coherence) were not modulated by the motions of the filaments.

Large Eddy Simulations of Separated Boundary Layer With Pressure Gradient and Heat Transfer

Separated boundary layers of the low pressure turbine blade suction surface under wall heat transfer and pressure gradient conditions are investigated using large eddy simulations (LES) in this paper. The study constructed a converging-diverging channel with a flat plate as the bottom wall, and the pressure distribution of the bottom wall is similar to that of a high lift low pressure turbine blade suction surface. The boundary layer was investigated under different heat transfer boundary conditions of the bottom wall (i.e., the adiabatic wall and the isothermal wall with the wall temperature being 0.8 times of the inflow temperature). The time-averaged flow parameters and the separation bubble characteristics were analyzed and discussed. The evolution of coherent structure diagrams of the boundary layer was also obtained to study the evolution process of the vortex. The results show that the cooled isothermal wall condition can significantly suppress the separation bubble and reduce the frequency of the large scale spanwise vortex roll-up. Under the two wall heat transfer conditions, the scale of the near wall small scale spanwise vortex is similar as well as the scale of the large scale spanwise wortex. The location of the vortex are also approximate under the two wall heat transfer conditions, but the position of the large scale spanwise vortex shedding from separated laminar boundary layers moves upstream under the cooled isothermal wall condition, and the transition process is more rapid than that of the adiabatic wall condition.

Three-dimensional vorticity, momentum and heat transport in a turbulent cylinder wake

The transport of momentum and heat in the turbulent intermediate wake of a circular cylinder is inherently three-dimensional (3-D). This work aims to gain new insight into the 3-D vorticity structure, momentum and heat transport in this flow. All three components of the velocity and vorticity vectors, along with the fluctuating temperature, are measured simultaneously, at nominally the same point in the flow, with a probe consisting of four X-wires and four cold wires. Measurements are made in the ($x$,$y$) or mean shear plane at$x/d=10$, 20 and 40 at a Reynolds number of$2.5\times 10^{3}$based on the cylinder diameter$d$and the free-stream velocity. A phase-averaging technique is developed to separate the large-scale coherent structures from the remainder of the flow. It is found that the effects of vorticity on heat transport at$x/d=10$and$x/d=20{-}40$are distinctly different. At$x/d=10$, both spanwise and streamwise vorticity components account significantly for the heat flux. At$x/d=20$and 40, the spanwise vortex rollers play a major role in inducing the coherent components of the heat flux vector, while the ribs are responsible for the small-scale heat diffusion out of the spanwise vortex rollers. The present data indicate that, if the spanwise-velocity-related terms are ignored, the estimated values of the production can have errors of approximately 22 % and 13 % respectively for the turbulent energy and temperature variance at$x/d=40$, and the errors are expected to further increase downstream. A conceptual model summarizing the 3-D features of the heat and momentum transports at$x/d=10$is proposed. Compared with the previous two-dimensional model of Matsumura & Antonia (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 250, 1993, pp. 651–668) or MA, the new model provides a more detailed description of the role the rib-like structures undertake in transporting heat and momentum, and also underlines the importance of the upstream half of the spanwise vortex rollers, instead of only one quadrant of these rollers, as in the MA model, in diffusing heat out of the vortex.

Vortex flow and lift generation of a non-slender reverse delta wing

The vortex flow and lift force generated by a 50°-sweep non-slender reverse delta wing were investigated via particle image velocimetry, together with flow visualization and force balance measurement, at Re = 11,000. The non-slender reverse delta wing produced a delayed stall but a lower lift compared to its delta wing counterpart. The stalling mechanism was also found to be triggered by the disruption of the multiple spanwise vortex filaments developed over the upper wing surface. The vortex flowfield was, however, characterized by the co-existence of reverse delta wing vortices and multiple shear-layer vortices. The outboard location of the reverse delta wing vortex further implies that the lift force is mainly generated by the wing lower surface while the upper surface acts as a wake generator. The spatial progression of the flow parameters of the vortex generated by the non-slender reverse delta wing as a function of α was also discussed.