Convective transport of air bubbles in strong hydraulic jumps

A hydraulic jump is a flow singularity characterised by a significant amount of air entrainment in the shear zone. The air is entrapped at the jump toe that is a discontinuity between the impinging flow and the roller. The impingement point is a source of air bubbles, as well as a source of vorticity. Herein the convective transport of air bubbles in the jump roller is re-visited. Some analytical extension is presented and the theoretical results are compared with some laboratory experiments conducted in a large-size facility operating at large Froude numbers. The turbulent air bubble mixing coefficient was found to increase linearly with increasing distance and be independent of the Froude and Reynolds numbers. Overall the study highlighted some seminal features of the air–water shear layer in hydraulic jumps with large Froude numbers (5.1 < Fr₁ < 11.2). The air bubble entrainment in the mixing zone was a convective transport process, although there was some rapid flow de-aeration for all Froude numbers.     

Simulating air entrainment and vortex dynamics in a hydraulic jump

The air entrainment characteristics of three separate Froude number hydraulic jumps are investigated numerically using an unsteady RANS, realizable k–ε turbulence model, with a Volume of Fluid treatment for the free surface. Mean velocity profiles, average void fraction, and Sauter mean diameter compare favorably with experimental data reported in literature. In all simulations, time-averaged void fraction profiles show good agreement with experimental values in the turbulent shear layer and an accurate representation of interfacial aeration at the free surface. Sauter mean diameter is well represented in the shear layer, and free surface entrainment results indicate bubble size remains relatively unchanged throughout the depth of the jump. Several different grid resolutions are tested in the simulations. Significant improvements in void fraction and bubble size comparison are seen when the diameter to grid size ratio of the largest bubbles in the shear layer surpasses eight. A three-dimensional simulation is carried out for one Froude number jump, showing an improvement in the prediction of entrained air and bubble size compared with two-dimensional results at a substantial increase in computation time. An analysis of three-dimensional vorticity shows a complex interaction between spanwise and streamwise vortical structures and entrained air bubbles. The jump is similar to a turbulent mixing layer, constrained by the free surface, with vortex pairing and subsequent fluctuations in free surface elevation. Downstream fluctuations of the toe are associated with a roll up of the primary spanwise vortex, fluctuations of the free surface, and counter-rotating streamwise vortex pairs. The action of these flow structures is likely responsible for the improvement in three-dimensional results.     

Experimental assessment of scale effects affecting two-phase flow properties in hydraulic jumps

A hydraulic jump is the rapid transition from a supercritical to subcritical free-surface flow. It is characterised by strong turbulence and air bubble entrainment. New air–water flow properties were measured in hydraulic jumps with partially developed inflow conditions. The data set together with the earlier data of Chanson (Air bubble entrainment in hydraulic jumps. Similitude and scale effects, 119 p, 2006) yielded similar experiments conducted with identical inflow Froude numbers Fr ₁ = 5 and 8.5, but Reynolds numbers between 24,000 and 98,000. The comparative results showed some drastic scale effects in the smaller hydraulic jumps in terms of void fraction, bubble count rate and bubble chord time distributions. The present comparative analysis demonstrated quantitatively that dynamic similarity of two-phase flows in hydraulic jumps cannot be achieved with a Froude similitude. In experimental facilities with Reynolds numbers up to 10⁵, some viscous scale effects were observed in terms of the rate of entrained air and air–water interfacial area.     

Bubbly flow measurements in hydraulic jumps with small inflow Froude numbers

The transition from supercritical to subcritical open channel flow is characterised by a strong dissipative mechanism called a hydraulic jump. A hydraulic jump is turbulent and associated with the development of large-scale turbulence and air entrainment. In the present study, some new physical experiments were conducted to characterise the bubbly flow region of hydraulic jumps with relatively small Froude numbers (2.4 < Fr₁ < 5.1) and relatively large Reynolds numbers (6.6 × 10⁴ < Re < 1.3 × 10⁵). The shape of the time-averaged free-surface profiles was well defined and the longitudinal profiles were in agreement with visual observations. The turbulent free-surface fluctuation profiles exhibited a peak of maximum intensity in the first half of the hydraulic jump roller, and the fluctuations exhibited some characteristic frequencies typically below 3 Hz. The air–water flow properties showed two characteristic regions: the shear layer region in the lower part of the flow and an upper free-surface region above. The air–water shear layer region was characterised by local maxima in terms of void fraction and bubble count rate. Other air–water flow characteristics were documented including the distributions of interfacial velocity and turbulence intensity. The probability distribution functions (PDF) of bubble chord time showed that the bubble chord times exhibited a broad spectrum, with a majority of bubble chord times between 0.5 and 2 ms. An analysis of the longitudinal air–water structure highlighted a significant proportion of bubbles travelling within a cluster structure.     

Free-surface fluctuations and turbulence in hydraulic jumps

A hydraulic jump is the highly turbulent transition between a high-velocity impinging flow and a turbulent roller. The jump flow is characterised by some substantial air bubble entrainment, spray and splashing. In the present study, the free-surface fluctuations and air-water properties of the hydraulic jump roller were investigated physically for relatively small Froude numbers (2.4 < Fr₁ < 5.1) and relatively large Reynolds numbers (6.6 × 10⁴ < Re < 1.3 × 10⁵). The shape of the mean free surface profile was well defined, and the time-averaged free-surface elevation corresponded to the upper free-surface, with the quantitative values being close to the equivalent clear-water depth. The turbulent fluctuation profiles exhibited a maximum in the first part of the hydraulic jump roller. The free-surface fluctuations presented some characteristic frequencies between 1.4 and 4 Hz. Some simultaneous free-surface measurements at a series of two closely located points yielded the free-surface length and time scales of free-surface fluctuations in terms of both longitudinal and transverse directions. The length scale data seemed to depend upon the inflow Froude number, while the time scale data showed no definite trend. Some simultaneous measurements of instantaneous void fraction and free-surface fluctuations exhibited different features depending upon the phase-detection probe sensor location in the different regions of the roller.     

Turbulence measurements in the bubbly flow region of hydraulic jumps

A hydraulic jump is characterized by a highly turbulent flow with macro-scale vortices, some kinetic energy dissipation and a bubbly two-phase flow structure. New air–water flow measurements were performed in a large-size facility using two types of phase-detection intrusive probes: i.e. single-tip and double-tip conductivity probes. These were complemented by some measurements of free-surface fluctuations using ultrasonic displacement meters. The void fraction measurements showed the presence of an advective diffusion shear layer in which the void fractions profiles matched closely an analytical solution of the advective diffusion equation for air bubbles. The free-surface fluctuations measurements showed large turbulent fluctuations that reflected the dynamic, unsteady structure of the hydraulic jumps. The measurements of interfacial velocity and turbulence level distributions provided new information on the turbulent velocity field in the highly-aerated shear region. The velocity profiles tended to follow a wall jet flow pattern. The air–water turbulent integral time and length scales were deduced from some auto- and cross-correlation analyses based upon the method of Chanson [H. Chanson, Bubbly flow structure in hydraulic jump, Eur. J. Mech. B/Fluids 26 (3) (2007) 367–384], providing the turbulent scales of the eddy structures advecting the air bubbles in the developing shear layer. The length scale L_xz is an integral air–water turbulence length scale which characterized the transverse size of the large vortical structures advecting the air bubbles. The experimental data showed that the dimensionless integral turbulent length scale L_xz/d₁ was closely related to the inflow depth: i.e. L_xz/d₁ = 0.2–0.8, with L_xz increasing towards the free-surface.     

Total pressure fluctuations and two-phase flow turbulence in hydraulic jumps

The large-scale turbulence and high air content in a hydraulic jump restrict the application of many traditional flow measurement techniques. This paper presents a physical modelling of hydraulic jump, where the total pressure and air–water flow properties were measured simultaneously with intrusive probes, namely a miniature pressure transducer and a dual-tip phase-detection probe, in the jump roller. The total pressure data were compared to theoretical values calculated based upon void fraction, water depth and flow velocity measured by the phase-detection probe. The successful comparison showed valid pressure measurement results in the turbulent shear region with constant flow direction. The roller region was characterised by hydrostatic pressure distributions, taking into account the void fraction distributions. The total pressure fluctuations were related to both velocity fluctuations in the air–water flow and free-surface dynamics above the roller, though the time scales of these motions differed substantially.     

Modeling air entrainment and transport in a hydraulic jump using two-fluid RANS and DES turbulence models

Both RaNS (Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes) and DES (Detached Eddy Simulation) type turbulence models were used in conjunction with a two-fluid model of bubbly flow and a new subgrid air entrainment model to predict air entrainment and transport in a hydraulic jump. It was found that the void fraction profiles predicted by both methods are in agreement with the experimental data in the lower shear layer region, which contains the air bubbles entrained at the so-called toe of the hydraulic jump. In contrast, in the upper roller region behind the toe, the averaged results of the DES turbulence model gives accurate predictions while a RaNS turbulence model does not. This is because the DES turbulence model successfully captures the strong fluctuations on the free surface which allows it to entrain air near the top of the roller region. In contrast, RaNS type turbulence model results in a steady, smooth interface which fails to capture the wave-induced bubble sources in that region. To our knowledge, this study is the first successful quantitative numerical simulation of the overall void fraction profiles in a hydraulic jump.     

Estimating void fraction in a hydraulic jump by measurements of pixel intensity

A hydraulic jump is a sudden transition from supercritical to subcritical flow. It is characterized by a highly turbulent roller region with a bubbly two-phase flow structure. The present study aims to estimate the void fraction in a hydraulic jump using a flow visualization technique. The assumption that the void fraction in a hydraulic jump could be estimated based on images’ pixel intensity was first proposed by Mossa and Tolve (J Fluids Eng 120:160–165, 1998). While Mossa and Tolve (J Fluids Eng 120:160–165, 1998) obtained vertically averaged air concentration values along the hydraulic jump, herein we propose a new visualization technique that provides air concentration values in a vertical 2-D matrix covering the whole area of the jump roller. The results obtained are found to be consistent with new measurements using a dual-tip conductivity probe and show that the image processing procedure (IPP) can be a powerful tool to complement intrusive probe measurements. Advantages of the new IPP include the ability to determine instantaneous and average void fractions simultaneously at different locations along the hydraulic jump without perturbing the flow, although it is acknowledged that the results are likely to be more representative in the vicinity of sidewall than at the center of the flume.     

Flow property and self-similarity in steady hydraulic jumps

The flow structure in a steady hydraulic jump in both the non-aerated and aerated regions was measured using the image-based particle image velocimetry and bubble image velocimetry techniques, respectively. Three highly aerated steady jumps with Froude numbers varying from 4.51 to 5.35 were tested, and a weak jump with a Froude number of 2.43 was generated for comparison. Mean velocities and turbulence statistics were obtained by ensemble averaging the repeated velocity measurements. Based on the mean velocities, the flow structure in the steady jumps was classified into four regions to distinguish their distinct flow behaviors; they are the potential core region, the boundary layer region, the mixing layer region, and the recirculation region. The flow structure in the weak jump features only three regions without the recirculation region. In addition, spatial variations of mean velocities, turbulence intensity, and Reynolds stresses were also presented. It was observed that the maximum horizontal bubble velocity and maximum horizontal water velocity occur at the same location in the overlapping regions of potential core and mixing layer. The ratio between the maximum horizontal bubble velocity and maximum horizontal water velocity is between 0.6 and 0.8, depending on the Froude number. Examining the mean horizontal bubble velocities in the mixing layer, a similarity profile was revealed with representative mixing layer thickness as the characteristic length scale and the difference between the maximum positive and maximum negative velocities as the characteristic velocity scale. It was also found that the mean horizontal water velocities in the near-wall region are self-similar and behave like a wall jet. Further analyzing autocorrelation functions and energy spectra of the water and bubble velocity fluctuations found that the energy spectra in the water region follow the ?5/3 slope, whereas the spectra in the bubble region follow a ?2/5 slope. In addition, the integral length scale of bubbles is one order of magnitude shorter than that of water.     

Air entrainment in two-dimensional turbulent shear flows with partially developed inflow conditions

In plunging jet flows and at hydraulic jumps, large quantities of air are entrained at the intersection of the impinging flow and the receiving body of water. The air bubbles are entrained into a turbulent shear layer and strong interactions take place between the air bubble advection/diffusion process and the momentum shear region. New air-water flow experiments were conducted with two free shear layer flows: a vertical supported jet and a horizontal hydraulic jump. The inflows were partially developed boundary layers, characterized by the presence of a velocity potential core next to the entrapment point. In both cases, the distributions of air concentration exhibit a Gaussian distribution profile with an exponential longitudinal decay of the maximum air content. Interestingly, the location of the maximum air content and the half-value band width are identical for both flow situations, i.e. independent of buoyancy effects.     

Free-surface fluctuations in hydraulic jumps: Experimental observations

A hydraulic jump is the rapid and sudden transition from a high-velocity supercritical open channel flow to a subcritical flow. It is characterised by the dynamic interactions of the large-scale eddies with the free-surface. New series of experimental measurements were conducted in hydraulic jumps with Froude numbers between 3.1 and 8.5 to investigate these interactions. The dynamic free surface measurements were performed with a non-intrusive technique while the two-phase flow properties were recorded with a phase-detection probe. The shape of the mean free surface profile was well defined and the turbulent fluctuation profiles highlighted a distinct peak of turbulent intensity in the first part of the jump roller, with free-surface fluctuation levels increasing with increasing Froude number. The dominant free-surface fluctuation frequencies were typically between 1 and 4 Hz. A comparison between the acoustic sensor signals and conductivity probe data suggested that the air–water “free-surface” detected by the acoustic sensor corresponded to about the boundary between the turbulent shear layer and the upper free-surface layer. Simultaneous measurements of free surface and bubbly flow fluctuations for Fr = 5.1 indicated that the frequency ranges of both sensors were similar (F < 5 Hz) whatever the position downstream of the toe. The present results highlighted that the dynamic free-surface measurements can be conducted successfully using acoustic displacement meters, and the time-averaged depth measurements was a physical measure of the free-surface location in hydraulic jumps.     

An experimental study on the effect of air bubble injection on the flow induced rotational hub

Modification of shear stress due to air bubbles injection in a rotary device was investigated experimentally. Air bubbles inject to the water flow crosses the neighbor of the hub which can rotate just by water flow shear stresses, in this device. Increasing air void fraction leads to decrease of shear stresses exerted on the hub surface until in high void fractions, the hub motion stopped as observed. Amount of skin friction decrease has been estimated by counting central hub rotations. Wall shear stress was decreased by bubble injection in all range of tested Reynolds number, changing from 50,378 to 71,238, and also by increasing air void fraction from zero to 3.06%. Skin friction reduction more than 85% was achieved in this study as maximum measured volume of air fraction injected to fluid flow while bubbles are distinct and they do not make a gas layer. Significant skin friction reduction obtained in this special case indicate that using small amount of bubble injection causes large amount of skin friction reduction in some rotary parts in the liquid phases like as water.     

Air–water flow properties in step cavity down a stepped chute

For the last three decades, the research into skimming flows down stepped chutes was driven by needs for better design guidelines. The skimming flow is characterised by some momentum transfer from the main stream to the recirculation zones in the shear layer developing downstream of each step edge. In the present study some physical modelling was conducted in a relatively large facility and detailed air–water flow measurements were conducted at several locations along a triangular cavity. The data implied some self-similarity of the main flow properties in the upper flow region, at step edges as well as at all locations along the step cavity. In the developing shear layer and cavity region (i.e. y/h < 0.3), the air–water flow properties presented some specific features highlighting the development of the mixing layer downstream of the step edge and the strong interactions between cavity recirculation and mainstream skimming flows. Both void fraction and bubble count rate data showed a local maximum in the developing shear layer, although the local maximum void fraction was always located below the local maximum bubble count rate. The velocity profiles had the same shape as the classical mono-phase flow data. The air–water flow properties highlighted some intense turbulence in the mixing layer that would be associated with large shear stresses and bubble–turbulence interactions.     

Air transport in chute flows

The air bubble rise velocity in still water depends mainly on the bubble size and is basically influenced by buoyancy, viscosity and surface tension. In high-speed flows the number of forces acting on air bubbles increases with turbulence, non-hydrostatic pressure gradient, shear forces, bubble clouds and free-surface entrainment. Air bubbles in these flows are used for cavitation protection of hydraulic structures such as chutes, spillways and bottom outlets. Here, air is normally added by means of aerators upstream of regions where the cavitation number falls below a critical value mainly to reduce the sonic velocity of the fluid and cushion the cavitation bubble collapse process. The distance between successive aerators depends basically on the bubble rise velocity. Until today, the bubble rise velocity in high-speed flows was not thoroughly investigated because of limited laboratory instrumentation. The present project focused on the streamwise development of air concentrations in high-speed flows along a 14 m long model chute. The bubble rise velocity was indirectly derived from the air detrainment gradient of the air concentration contour lines downstream of an aeration device. It accounts for the main hydraulic parameters chute slope, Froude number and air concentration. It is demonstrated that the bubble rise velocity in high-speed flow and stagnant water differ significantly due to fracturing processes, turbulence, and the ambient air concentration.     

Flow characteristics in hydraulically equilibrium two-phase flows in a vertical 2 × 3 rod bundle channel

In order to increase data on two-phase flow distribution in a multi-subchannel system, being similar to a rod bundle, experiments have been carried out using water and air at ambient pressure and temperature as the working fluids and a newly constructed 2 × 3 rod bundle channel as the test channel. The channel contained six rods in rectangular array and two-kinds of six subchannels, simulating a BWR fuel rod bundle. Experimental data on flow distribution and pressure drop along each subchannel axis were obtained in various single- and two-phase flows under a hydraulic equilibrium flow condition. From the measured pressure drop in the single-phase flow, friction factor data in each subchannel were obtained. The two-phase pressure drop data were compared with calculations by a simple, one-dimensional, one-pressure two-fluid model. In addition, Taylor bubble velocity in each subchannel in slug-churn flows was measured with a double needle contact probe. Using the bubble velocity data, we obtained a subchannel void fraction in each subchannel, and discussed a relationship of the subchannel void fractions between two different subchannels. Results of such experiments and discussions are presented in this paper.     

Air–water flow characteristics in high-velocity free-surface flows with 50% void fraction

High-velocity free-surface flows are complex two-phase flows and limited information is available about the interactions between air and water for void fractions of about 50%. Herein a detailed experimental study was conducted in the intermediate flow region (C ∼ 50%) on a stepped spillway and the microscopic air–water flow characteristics were investigated. The results showed differences in water and droplet chord times with comparatively larger number of air chord times (0–2 ms), and larger number of water chord times (2–6 ms). A monotonic decrease of particle chord modes was observed with increasing bubble count rates. Several characteristic time scales were identified based upon inter-particle arrival time analyses of characteristic chord time classes as well as spectral analyses of the instantaneous void fraction signal. Chord times of 3–5 ms appeared to be characteristic time scales of the intermediate flow region having similar time scales compared to the local correlation and integral turbulent time scales and to time scales associated with bubble break-up and turbulent velocity fluctuations. A further characteristic time scale of 100 ms was identified in a frequency analysis of instantaneous void fraction. This time scale was of the same order of magnitude as free-surface auto-correlation time scales suggesting that the air–water flow structure was affected by the free-surface fluctuations.     

Current knowledge in hydraulic jumps and related phenomena. A survey of experimental results

The hydraulic jump is the sudden transition from a high-velocity open channel flow regime to a subcritical flow motion. The flow properties may be solved using continuity and momentum considerations. In this review paper, recent advances in turbulent hydraulic jumps are developed: the non-breaking undular hydraulic jump, the positive surge and tidal bore, and the air bubble entrainment in hydraulic jumps with roller. The review paper demonstrates that the hydraulic jump is a fascinating turbulent flow motion and the present knowledge is insufficient, especially at the scales of environmental and geophysical flows.     

Quantitative flow visualization using the hydraulic analogy

The current work describes the development of a non-intrusive optical method for the quantitative determination of water heights along a hydraulic jump in shooting water flows on a water table. The technique involves optically superimposing a series of alternating dark and clear fringes on the water flow. It is proposed that the fringe deviations seen under a hydraulic jump can be simulated using a series of optical prisms oriented along the direction of the hydraulic jump. The height of each prism gives the local maximum water height at the fringe location. Three types of theoretical prism configurations (isosceles flat-topped prism, scalene flat-topped prism and rounded-topped prism models) have been studied for two flow systems: shooting flow around a wedge and around a cylinder. Equations relating the physical characteristics of the deviated fringes to the height of the theoretical prism and hence the local water height are presented. The variation in water height along a hydraulic jump for flow around a wedge obtained using the optical technique has been compared with heights obtained using a depth gauge. The results were in good agreement for the range of Froude numbers studied (Fr=1.9−3.6). The rounded-topped prism model led to the best agreement with the physical measurements, within 11% throughout the range of conditions studied. The uncertainty associated with the water height determination using the optical technique is ±10%. Received: 15 September 1998/Accepted: 16 April 1999     

Wave structure in the radial film flow with a circular hydraulic jump

 A circular hydraulic jump is commonly seen when a circular liquid jet impinges on a horizontal plate. Measurements of the film thickness, jump radius and the wave structure for various jet Reynolds numbers are reported. Film thickness measurements are made using an electrical contact method for regions both upstream and downstream of the jump over circular plates without a barrier at the edge. The jump radius and the separation bubble length are measured for various flow rates, plate edge conditions, and radii. Flow visualization using high-speed photography is used to study wave structure and transition. Waves on the jet amplify in the film region upstream of the jump. At high flow rates, the waves amplify enough to cause three-dimensional breakdown and what seems like transition to turbulence. This surface wave induced transition is different from the traditional route and can be exploited to enhance heat and mass transfer rates. Received: 25 April 2000/Accepted: 1 June 2001