Flow field characteristics study of a flapping airfoil using computational fluid dynamics

The flow field of a flapping airfoil in Low Reynolds Number (LRN) flow regime is associated with complex nonlinear vortex shedding and viscous phenomena. The respective fluid dynamics of such a flow is investigated here through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The governing equations are the unsteady, incompressible two-dimensional Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations. The airfoil is a thin ellipsoidal geometry performing a modified figure-of-eight-like flapping pattern. The flow field and vortical patterns around the airfoil are examined in detail, and the effects of several unsteady flow and system parameters on the flow characteristics are explored. The investigated parameters are the amplitude of pitching oscillations, phase angle between pitching and plunging motions, mean angle of attack, Reynolds number (Re), Strouhal number (St) based on the translational amplitudes of oscillations, and the pitching axis location (x/c). It is shown that these parameters change the instantaneous force coefficients quantitatively and qualitatively. It is also observed that the strength, interaction, and convection of the vortical structures surrounding the airfoil are significantly affected by the variations of these parameters.     

Evolution analysis of the main mechanisms of the jet/vortex interaction

A new analysis method of the jet/vortex interaction is presented to better understand the effect of each vortical structure on the others composing the jet and even on itself. Vortical structures are isolated from each other and the velocity field they produce is calculated by means of the Biot–Savart law. The structure influence on each another is then distinguished from the others by using its velocity field in the calculation of the vorticity momentum equations. Based on 3D‐datafields provided by a large‐eddy‐simulation (LES) of the interaction between a Lamb–Oseen vortex and a turbulent round jet, a post‐processing tool educes the vortical structures and quantifies the different vorticity momentum equations terms. The study has been limited to the first steps of the interaction regime when there are still few vortical structures so that the subsequent analysis of the post‐process results remains simple enough to be performed. The present method confirmed the intensification of azimuthal structures as they roll up around the main vortex. Core disturbance of the latter was found to be initially caused by those structures and not by core dynamic instabilities, which become dominant with the appearance of non‐linear mechanisms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three-dimensional instability of an oscillating viscous flow past a circular cylinder

IntroductionTheunsteadyflowpastacircularcylinderhasreceivedagreatdealofattentionowingmainlytoitstheoreticalandpracticalsignificance .Theflowgeneratedbytheoscillationofthecylinder,oroscillatingflowsaroundthecylinder,canbecharacterizedbytwoparameters.OneistheKeulegan_Carpenternumber,definedasKC =UmT/D ,andtheotheristheReynoldsnumberRe=UmD/ν,orafrequencyparameter,definedasβ=D2 / (νT) =Re/KC) ,whichisoftenusedtoreplacetheReynoldsnumberasthesecondparameter.Here,Umisthemaximumvelocityofth…     

A numerical study of an annular liquid jet in a compressible gas medium

An annular liquid jet in a compressible gas medium has been examined using an Eulerian approach with mixed-fluid treatment. The governing equations have been solved by using highly accurate numerical methods. An adapted volume of fluid method combined with a continuum surface force model was used to capture the gas–liquid interface dynamics. The numerical simulations showed the existence of a recirculation zone adjacent to the nozzle exit and unsteady large vortical structures at downstream locations, which lead to significant velocity reversals in the flow field. It was found that the annular jet flow is highly unstable because of the existence of two adjacent shear layers in the annular configuration. The large vortical structures developed naturally in the flow field without external perturbations. Surface tension tends to promote the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability and the development of vortical structures that leads to an increased liquid dispersion. A decrease in the liquid sheet thickness resulted in a reduced liquid dispersion. It was identified that the liquid-to-gas density and viscosity ratios have opposite effects on the flow field with the reduced liquid-to-gas density ratio demoting the instability and the reduced liquid-to-gas viscosity ratio promoting the instability characteristics.     

Direct numerical simulation of a liquid sheet in a compressible gas stream in axisymmetric and planar configurations

A thin liquid sheet present in the shear layer of a compressible gas jet is investigated using an Eulerian approach with mixed-fluid treatment for the governing equations describing the gas–liquid two-phase flow system, where the gas is treated as fully compressible and the liquid as incompressible. The effects of different topological configurations, surface tension, gas pressure and liquid sheet thickness on the flow development of the gas–liquid two-phase flow system have been examined by direct solution of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations using highly accurate numerical schemes. The interface dynamics are captured using volume of fluid and continuum surface force models. The simulations show that the dispersion of the liquid sheet is dominated by vortical structures formed at the jet shear layer due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. The axisymmetric case is less vortical than its planar counterpart that exhibits formation of larger vortical structures and larger liquid dispersion. It has been identified that the vorticity development and the liquid dispersion in a planar configuration are increased at the absence of surface tension, which when present, tends to oppose the development of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. An opposite trend was observed for an axisymmetric configuration where surface tension tends to promote the development of vorticity. An increase in vorticity development and liquid dispersion was observed for increased liquid sheet thickness, while a decreasing trend was observed for higher gas pressure. Therefore surface tension, liquid sheet thickness and gas pressure factors all affect the flow vorticity which consequently affects the dispersion of the liquid.      

Stability of flows of the Hamel type in channels with permeable walls

The stability of nonparallel flows of a viscous incompressible fluid in an expanding channel with permeable walls is studied. The fluid is supplied to the channel through the walls with a constant velocity v₀ and through the entrance cross section, where a Hamel velocity profile is assigned. The resulting flow in the channel depends on the ratio of flow rates of the mixing streams. This flow was studied through the solution of the Navier—Stokes equations by the finite-difference method. It is shown that for strong enough injection of fluid through the permeable walls and at a distance from the initial cross section of the channel the flow approaches the vortical flow of an ideal fluid studied in [1]. The steady-state solutions obtained were studied for stability in a linear approximation using a modified Orr—Sommerfeld equation in which the nonparallel nature of the flow and of the channel walls were taken into account. Such an approach to the study of the stability of nonparallel flows was used in [2] for self-similar Berman flow in a channel and in [3] for non-self-similar flows obtained through a numerical solution of the Navier—Stokes equations. The critical parameters *, R*, and Cr* at the point of loss of stability are presented as functions of the Reynolds number R₀, characterizing the injection of fluid through the walls, and the parameter , characterizing the type of Hamel flow. A comparison is made with the results of [4] on the stability of Hamel flows with R₀ = 0.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 125–129, November–December, 1977.The author thanks G.I. Petrov for a discussion of the results of the work at a seminar at the Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University.     

Temporal Evolution of Vortical Structures in the Wall Region of Turbulent Channel Flow

Hairpin-like vortical structures that form in the wall region of turbulent channel flow are investigated. The analysis is performed by following a procedure in which the Navier-Stokes equations are first integrated by means of a computational code based on a mixed spectral-finite difference technique in the case of the flow in a plane channel. A DNS turbulent-flow database, representing the turbulent statistically steady state of the velocity field through 10 viscous time units, is computed and the vortex-detection method of the imaginary part of the complex eigenvalue pair of the velocity-gradient tensor is applied to the velocity field. As a result, hairpin-like vortical structures are educed. Flow visualizations are provided of the processes of evolution that characterize hairpin vortices in the wall region of turbulent channel flow. The relationship is investigated between vortex dynamics and 2nd- and 4th- quadrant events, showing that ejections and sweeps play a fundamental role in the way the morphological evolution of a hairpin vortex develops with time.     

Evaluation of integral forces and pressure fields from planar velocimetry data for incompressible and compressible flows

The approach to determine pressure fields and integral loads from planar velocimetry data is discussed, in relation to the implementation for incompressible and compressible flows around two-dimensional objects. The method relies upon the application of control-volume approaches in combination with the deduction of the pressure field from the experimental data, by making use of the flow constitutive equations. In this paper the implementation for two specific application areas is addressed. The first is time-mean pressure field and force evaluation from velocity ensemble statistics, as obtained from time-uncorrelated PIV acquisition, for incompressible flow. Two test cases are considered for this flow regime: the unsteady vortical flow around a square section cylinder at incidence, as well as the force characterization of a low-speed airfoil. The second topic considers the extension of the method to steady compressible flow, with the supersonic flow around a bi-convex airfoil as experimental test case. As in this flow regime the density appears as an extra unknown in the momentum equation, additional flow equations need to be invoked. A convenient approach for this was found, using the gas law and the adiabatic flow condition, with which the pressure-integration procedure becomes essentially the same as for the incompressible case.     

Numerical analysis of the rotating viscous flow approaching a solid sphere

A numerical simulation is performed to investigate the flow induced by a sphere moving along the axis of a rotating cylindrical container filled with the viscous fluid. Three‐dimensional incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved using a finite element method. The objective of this study is to examine the feature of waves generated by the Coriolis force at moderate Rossby numbers and that to what extent the Taylor–Proudman theorem is valid for the viscous rotating flow at small Rossby number and large Reynolds number. Calculations have been undertaken at the Rossby numbers (R_o) of 1 and 0.02 and the Reynolds numbers (R_e) of 200 and 500. When R_o=O(1), inertia waves are exhibited in the rotating flow past a sphere. The effects of the Reynolds number and the ratio of the radius of the sphere and that of the rotating cylinder on the flow structure are examined. When R_o ? 1, as predicted by the Taylor–Proudman theorem for inviscid flow, the so‐called ‘Taylor column’ is also generated in the viscous fluid flow after an evolutionary course of vortical flow structures. The initial evolution and final formation of the ‘Taylor column’ are exhibited. According to the present calculation, it has been verified that major theoretical statement about the rotating flow of the inviscid fluid may still approximately predict the rotating flow structure of the viscous fluid in a certain regime of the Reynolds number. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

三角翼大迎角不可压粘流的数值模拟

研究了人工压缩法拟压缩性系数β的选取，采用函数形式的β有效地加速了收敛过程．采用求解不可压Ｎ－Ｓ方程，对三角翼大迎角绕流进行了数值模拟，得到了与实验吻合很好的结果．分析和讨论了大迎角旋涡流动的复杂物理现象     

Draft of a nozzle with the circulating outflow of a vortical flow of gas

The presence of circulation in an outflowing gas leads to a change in the working parameters of a nozzle. The question of the mass flow rate and the draft of a nozzle without a diffusor (a point) for twisted flows has been studied theoretically and experimentally [1–6]. The use of nozzles with a supersonic part introduces a considerable degree of complication into the method for the analytical calculation of the draft characteristics and the program for their experimental investigation. In [2, 7], a theory of a nozzle is formulated for a model of a potential circulating flow of gas; in [5, 8], an electronic computer was used to solve the complete system of the equations of gasdynamics for the motion of a rotating flow along a nozzle; in [7, 9], an investigation was made of a variational problem of the shaping of a diffusor for a circulation flow. The calculation of the draft, carried out in the above-mentioned communications (with the exception of [2], in which a study was made of a partial model of an eddyless rotational motion), is bound up with labor-consuming computer calculations. In the present article, in a development of [3, 6], a quasi-one-dimensional theory of a supersonic nozzle for a vortical flow of gas is formulated and verified experimentally.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 145–149, September–October, 1975.     

Numerical study of a separated-reattaching flow

The flow over a normal plate with a long, downstream splitter plate is numerically studied with fine spatial and temporal resolutions. The time-dependent two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are integrated in time using a high-order, upwind-biased finite-difference scheme. Calculations are performed at several Reynolds numbers to study the evolution of the unsteady nature of the flow. Steady separated flow has been observed for Reynolds numbers up to 150, after which unsteady vortical structures are seen to develop from the shear layer. The time-mean flow characteristics in the steady and unsteady regimes are described. The calculations are seen to agree fairly well with experimental data at high Reynolds numbers.This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research under Grant N-00014-92-J-1640.     

Pulsating regime corresponding to an obstacle in a stationary inhomogeneous flow

The pulsating regime produced by the presence of a cylindrical cavity in a stationary inhomogeneous supersonic flow is simulated mathematically. The system of equations for an inviscid thermally nonconducting gas is solved by a numerical method based on a two-step difference scheme of second order of approximation. This method makes it possible to calculate in each time step the complete flow field at once, which makes it possible to follow the development of the nonstationary flow, which in the present case is a pulsating flow. The flow pattern in the pulsating regime is studied in detail. The pressure pulsations in the cavity are due to the alternating passage through it of shock waves and rarefaction waves, and the pulsations are nonlinear. The influence of the basic parameters on the characteristics of the pulsating flow is studied and some estimates are made.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 64–71, September–October, 1979.     

Three-dimensional numerical study of jet-in-crossflow characteristics at low Reynolds number

A numerical study of a square jet in a cross flow is carried out at a Reynolds number of 100. The flow field and heat transfer characteristic downstream of the jet have been explored by solving three-dimensional unsteady Navier–Stokes equations and energy equation using higher order spatial and temporal discretization. The projection of vortical structure on a plane is seen to give the component of vortex normal to the plane. Four combinations of velocity profile namely (1) uniform crossflow and uniform jet, (2) laminar boundary layer crossflow and uniform jet, (3) uniform crossflow and parabolic jet profile, and (4) laminar boundary layer crossflow and parabolic jet are compared at same phase to see their effect on the flow field and heat transfer characteristic. All the four cases are seen to exhibit unsteadiness but the jet with parabolic profile is seen to show stronger unsteadiness. The instantaneous vortical structures of all the cases at the same phase show that the structures are more complex for the jet with parabolic velocity profile. The temperature field is seen to be correlated with the vortical structures. Comparison of the time averaged flow field reveals that the jet penetration is the highest for the jet having parabolic profile and boundary layer crossflow. The adiabatic effectiveness is observed to be more for the jet with uniform velocity profile and uniform crossflow and was least for the jet with parabolic velocity profile and boundary layer crossflow.     

Prediction of asymmetric vortical flows around slender bodies using Navier-Stokes equations

Steady and unsteady asymmetric vortical flows around slender bodies at high angles of attack are solved using the unsteady, compressible, this-layer Navier-Stokes equations. An implicit, upwind-biased, flux-difference splitting, finite-volume scheme is used for the numerical computations. For supersonic flows past point cones, the locally conical flow assumption has been used for efficient computational studies of this phenomenon. Asymmetric flows past a 5° semiapex-angle circular cone at different angles of attack, free-stream Mach numbers, and Reynolds numbers has been studied in responses to different sources of disturbances. The effects of grid fineness and computational domain size have also been investigated. Next, the responses of three-dimensional supersonic asymmetric flow around a 5° circular cone at different angles of attack and Reynolds numbers to short-duration sideslip disturbances are presented. The results show that flow asymmetry becomes stronger as the Reynolds number and angles of attack are increased. The asymmetric solutions show spatial vortex shedding which is qualitatively similar to the temporal vortex shedding of the unsteady locally conical flow. A cylindrical afterbody is also added to the same cone to study the effect of a cylindrical part on the flow asymmetry. One of the cases of flow over a cone-cylinder configuration is validated fairly well by experimental data.     

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of a vortex ring impacting a bump

A vortex ring impinging on a three-dimensional bump is studied using large eddy simulation for a Reynolds number Re = 4 × 10⁴ based on the initial translation speed and diameter of the vortex ring. The effects of bump height on the vortical flow phenomena and the underlying physical mechanisms are investigated. Based on the analysis of the evolution of vortical structures, two typical kinds of vortical structures, i.e., the wrapping vortices and the hair-pin vortices, are identified and play an important role in the flow state evolution. The circulation of the primary vortex ring reasonably elucidates some typical phases of flow evolution. Furthermore, the mechanism of flow transition from laminar to turbulent state has been revealed based on analysis of turbulent kinetic energy.     

Numerical investigations on vortical structures of viscous film flows along periodic rectangular corrugations

Two-dimensional gravity-driven film flows along a substrate with rectangular corrugations are studied numerically by using Finite Volume Method. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is utilized to capture the evolution of free surfaces. The film flows down an inclined plate are simulated to validate the numerical implementation of the present study. Results obtained indicate that the phase shift between the surface wave and the wall corrugation increases as the Reynolds number. The parametric studies on the interesting resonant phenomenon indicate that the peak Reynolds numbers increase as the raise of the wall depth or the decline of the inclination angle. The dependence of the flow fields is analyzed on the Reynolds numbers and wall depth in details. It is found that the vortical structures in the steady flows, either produced by the interaction between capillary wrinkling and inertia, or by the rectangular geometry, are closely related to the remarkable deformation of the free surfaces. This conclusion is also confirmed by the transient flow development of two typical simulations, i.e., flows in capillary–inertial regime and in inertial regime.     

Vortex shedding from a square cylinder in presence of a moving wall

A numerical study on the flow past a square cylinder placed parallel to a wall, which is moving at the speed of the far field has been made. Flow has been investigated in the laminar Reynolds number (based on the cylinder length) range. We have studied the flow field for different values of the cylinder to wall separation length. The governing unsteady Navier–Stokes equations are discretized through the finite volume method on a staggered grid system. A SIMPLE type of algorithm has been used to compute the discretized equations iteratively. A shear layer of negative vortex generates along the surface of the wall, which influences the vortex shedding behind the cylinder. The flow‐field is distinct from the flow in presence of a stationary wall. An alternate vortex shedding occurs for all values of gap height in the unsteady regime of the flow. The strong positive vortex pushes the negative vortex upwards in the wake. The gap flow in the undersurface of the cylinder is strong and the velocity profile overshoots. The cylinder experiences a downward force for certain values of the Reynolds number and gap height. The drag and lift are higher at lower values of the Reynolds number. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Direct numerical simulation of the near field dynamics of a rectangular reactive plume

Spatial direct numerical simulation (DNS) is used to study the near field dynamics of a buoyant diffusion flame established on a rectangular nozzle with an aspect ratio of 2:1. Combustion is represented by a one-step finite-rate Arrhenius chemistry. Without applying external perturbations at the inflow boundary, large vortical structures develop naturally in the flow field, which interact with the flame and temporally create localized holes within the reaction zone in which no chemical reactions take place. The interaction between density gradients and gravity plays a major role in the vorticity generation of the buoyant plume. At the downstream of the reactive plume, a more disorganized flow regime characterized by small scales has been observed, following the breakdown of the large vortical structures due to three-dimensional (3D) vortex interactions. Analysis of energy spectra shows that the spatially developing reactive plume has a tendency of transition to turbulence under the effects of combustion-induced buoyancy. The buoyancy effects are found to be very important to the formation, development, interaction, and breakdown of vortices in reactive plumes. In contrast with the relaminarization effects of chemical exothermicity via viscous damping and volumetric expansion on non-buoyant jet diffusion flames, the tendency towards transition to turbulence in reactive plumes is greatly enhanced by the buoyancy effects.     

Thermal radiation effects on the natural convection flow over an isothermal horizontal plate

The natural convection boundary layer flow with conduction-radiation interaction of a viscous incompressible fluid along an isothermal horizontal surface has been studied. The equations valid in the upstream, downstream as well as in the entire regime are obtained. Solutions of the non-similar equations governing the flow for the entire regime and the downstream regime are obtained by employing an efficient implicit finite difference approximation together with the Keller box method, for a Prandtl number of 0.73. Also, the effects of the pertinent parameters, R _d, the radiation-conduction parameter and θ_w, the surface heating parameter are shown graphically in terms of the local skin-friction and the local rate of heat transfer. Comparison of the results obtained for the upstream and the downstream regimes shows good agreement over the entire regime. Effects of R _d and θ_w are also shown on the streamlines and the isotherms. Received on 15 December 1998