Liquid jet in a high Mach number air stream

The instability of circular liquid jet immersed in a coflowing high velocity air stream is studied assuming that the flow of the viscous gas and liquid is irrotational. The basic velocity profiles are uniform and different. The instabilities are driven by Kelvin–Helmholtz instability due to a velocity difference and neckdown due to capillary instability. Capillary instabilities dominate for large Weber numbers. Kelvin–Helmholtz instability dominates for small Weber numbers. The wavelength for the most unstable wave decreases strongly with the Mach number and attains a very small minimum when the Mach number is somewhat larger than one. The peak growth rates are attained for axisymmetric disturbances (n = 0) when the viscosity of the liquid is not too large. The peak growth rates for the first asymmetric mode (n = 1) and the associated wavelength are very close to the n = 0 mode; the peak growth rate for n = 1 modes exceeds n = 0 when the viscosity of the liquid jet is large. The effects of viscosity on the irrotational instabilities are very strong. The analysis predicts that breakup fragments of liquids in high speed air streams may be exceedingly small, especially in the transonic range of Mach numbers.     

Temporal analysis of breakup for a power law liquid jet in a swirling gas

The breakup mechanism and instability of a power law liquid jet are investigated in this study. The power law model is used to account for the non-Newtonian behavior of the liquid fluid. A new theoretical model is established to explain the breakup of a power law liquid jet with axisymmetric and asymmetric disturbances, which moves in a swirling gas. The corresponding dispersion relation is derived by a linear approximation, and it is applicable for both shear-thinning and shear-thickening liquid jets. Analysis results are calculated based on the temporal mode. The analysis includes the effects of the generalized Reynolds number, the Weber number, the power law exponent, and the air swirl strength on the breakup of the jet. Results show that the shear-thickening liquid jet is more unstable than its Newtonian and shear-thinning counterparts when the effect of the air swirl is taken into account. The axisymmetric mode can be the dominant mode on the power law jet breakup when the air swirl strength is strong enough, while the non-axisymmetric mode is the domination on the instability of the power liquid jet with a high We and a low Re _n . It is also found that the air swirl is a stabilizing factor on the breakup of the power law liquid jet. Furthermore, the instability characteristics are different for different power law exponents. The amplitude of the power law liquid jet surface on the temporal mode is also discussed under different air swirl strengths.     

Absolute inviscid instability of a ring jet with back-flow and swirl

The absolute instability of a ring jet with back-flow and swirl has been investigated on the basis of the inviscid linearized theory for incompressible flow. An axisymmetric disturbance mode is found to be only convectively unstable. The first azimuthal mode can become absolutely unstable, if the ring jet has a back-flow on the jet axis, and an additional swirl can increase the instability. However, for large swirl the absolute instability is suppressed. A ring jet without back-flow becomes absolutely unstable only in the presence of swirl.     

TEMPORAL STABILITY OF FLOW THROUGH VISCOELASTIC TUBES

The stability of the Hagen–Poiseuille flow of a Newtonian fluid in an incompressible, viscoelastic tube contained within a rigid, hollow cylinder is determined using linear stability analysis. The stability of the system subjected to infinitesimal axisymmetric or non-axisymmetric disturbances is considered. The fluid and wall inertia terms are retained in their respective equations of motion. A novel numerical strategy is introduced to study the stability of the coupled fluid–structure system. The strategy alleviates the need for aninitial guess and thus ensures that all the unstable modes within a given closed region in the complex eigenvalue plane will be found. It is found that the system is unstable to both axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric disturbances. Moreover, depending on the values of the control parameters, the first unstable mode can be either an axisymmetric mode with the azimuthal wavenumber n=0 or a non-axisymmetric mode withn =1. For a given azimuthal wavenumber, it is found that there are no more than two unstable modes within the closed region considered here in the complex plane. For both the axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric instabilities, one mode is a solid-based, flow-induced surface instability, while the other one is a fluid-based instability that asymptotes to the least-damped rigid-wall mode as the thickness of the compliant wall tends to zero. All four modes are stabilized, to different degrees, by the solid viscosity.     

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of the wake flow of an afterbody at subsonic speeds

We numerically investigate the wake flow of an afterbody at low Reynolds number in the incompressible and compressible regimes. We found that, with increasing Reynolds number, the initially stable and axisymmetric base flow undergoes a first stationary bifurcation which breaks the axisymmetry and develops two parallel steady counter-rotating vortices. The critical Reynolds number (Re _cs) for the loss of the flow axisymmetry reported here is in excellent agreement with previous axisymmetric BiGlobal linear stability (BiGLS) results. As the Reynolds number increases above a second threshold, Re _co, we report a second instability defined as a three-dimensional peristaltic oscillation which modulates the vortices, similar to the sphere wake, sharing many points in common with long-wavelength symmetric Crow instability. Both the critical Reynolds number for the onset of oscillation, Re _co, and the Strouhal number of the time-periodic limit cycle, St_sat, are substantially shifted with respect to previous axisymmetric BiGLS predictions neglecting the first bifurcation. For slightly larger Reynolds numbers, the wake oscillations are stronger and vortices are shed close to the afterbody base. In the compressible regime, no fundamental changes are observed in the bifurcation process. It is shown that the steady state planar-symmetric solution is almost equal to the incompressible case and that the break of planar symmetry in the vortex shedding regime is retarded due to compressibility effects. Finally, we report the developments of a low frequency which depends on the afterbody aspect ratio, as well as on the Reynolds and on the Mach number, prior to the loss of the planar symmetry of the wake.     

The stability of low Reynolds number round jets

Multigrid cross-correlation digital particle image velocimetry (MCCDPIV) is used to investigate the stability and structure of low Reynolds number axisymmetric jets. The in-plane velocities, out-of-plane vorticity and some of the components of the Reynolds stress tensor are measured. Two Reynolds numbers based on the orifice outlet diameter are examined (680 and 1,030) at two different positions: one close to the orifice, ranging from 2D ₀ to 5D ₀ (D ₀ is the orifice diameter); and the other further from the orifice, ranging from 10D ₀ to 14.4D ₀. The results show that the lower Reynolds number jet (Re=680) is marginally unstable in the near-orifice region and is best described as laminar. Further downstream some intermittent structures are observed in the jet, and the growth in integrated turbulent kinetic energy with axial position indicates that the jet is also unstable in this region. For the higher Reynolds number jet (Re=1,030) the increasing size and intensity of vortical structures in the jet in the near-orifice region observed from the MCCDPIV data and the growth in integrated turbulent kinetic energy indicate that the jet is unstable. Further downstream this jet is best described as transitional or turbulent. From flow visualisation images in the near-orifice region it seems that, for both Reynolds numbers, shear layer roll-up occurs when the jet exits the orifice and enters the quiescent fluid in the tank, resulting in vortical structures that appear to grow as the jet proceeds. This is indicative of instability in both cases and is consistent with previous flow visualisation studies of low Reynolds number round jets. Discrepancies observed between the flow visualisation results and the MCCDPIV data is addressed. On the basis of flow visualisation results it is generally assumed that round jets are unstable at very low Reynolds number, however the present work shows that this assertion may be incorrect.     

The breakup and atomization of a viscous liquid jet

Based on the linear analysis of stability, a dispersion equation is deduced which delineates the evolution of a general 3-dimensional disturbance on the free surface of an incompressible viscous liquid jet. With respect to the spatial growing disturbance mode, the numerical results obtained from the solution of the dispersion equation reveal that a dimensionless parameterJ _e exists. AsJ _e>1, the axisymmetric disturbance mode is most unstable; and whenJ _e<1, the asymmetric disturbances come into being, their growth rate increases with the decrease, ofJ _e, till one of them becomes the most unstable disturbance. The breakup of a low-speed liquid jet results from the developing of axisymmetric disturbances, whose instability is produced by the surface tension; while the atomization of a high-speed liquid jet is brought about by the evolution of nonaxisymmetric disturbance, whose instability is caused by the aerodynamic force on the interface between the jet and the ambient gas. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Selective control of flow coherence in triangular jets

The triangular jet was investigated for use as a passive device to enhance fine-scale mixing and to reduce the coherence of large-scale structures in the flow. The suppression of the structures is vital to the enhancement of molecular mixing, which is important for efficient chemical reactions including combustion. The sharp corners in the jet injector introduced high instability modes into the flow via the non-symmetric mean velocity and pressure distribution around the nozzle. Both aerodynamic and hydrodynamic flows showed the difference between the flow at the corner (vertex) and at the flat side. While highly coherent structures could be generated at the flat side, the corner flow was dominated by highly turbulent small-scale eddies. The flow characteristics were tested using hotwire anemometry for mean flow and turbulence analysis, and flow visualization in air and water.List of symbols D inlet duct diameter - D _e equivalent diameter - D _i inside diameter - E _v velocity fluctuation energy - f _F forcing frequency - f _j preferred mode frequency - L length - Re Reynolds number - R _e equivalent radius (same area) - r _0.5 jet half-width - R _1.2 cross-correlation factor - r radial coordinate (circular duct) - St _e most energetic Strouhal number - St _j preferred mode Strouhal number - U _m centerline (maximum) velocity in radial u-profile - U ₀ jet exit velocity - u local axial mean velocity - x axial coordinate - X ₁ axial position of first of two hot-wires for axial cross-correlation - + y _F lateral coordinate at flat side of triangular duct - - y _V lateral coordinate at vertex side of triangular duct - (E _V)_j preferred mode energy - X axial distance between hot-wires - r radial distance between two hot-wires (circular jet) - y lateral distance between two hot-wires (triangular jet) - P/P pressure amplitude - momentum thickness - time     

Visualization of a locally-forced separated flow over a backward-facing step

A laboratory water channel experiment was made of the separated flow over a backward-facing step. The flow was excited by a sinusoidally oscillating jet issuing from a separation line. The slit was connected to a cavity in which water was forced through a rigid pipe by a scotch-yoke system. The Reynolds number based on the step height (H) was fixed at Re _H =1200. The forcing frequency was varied in the range 0.305?St _H ?0.955 at the forcing amplitude A ₀=0.3. Time-averaged flow measurements were made by a LDV system, especially in the recirculating region behind the backward-facing step. To characterize the large-scale vortex evolution due to the local forcing, flow visualizations were performed by a dye tracer method with fluorescent ink. The vortex amalgamation process was captured at the effective forcing frequency (St _H =0.477) for laminar separation. This vortex merging process enhances flow mixing, which leads to the shortening of the reattachment length.     

Direct numerical simulation of a particle-laden low Reynolds number turbulent round jet

Direct numerical simulation method is used for the investigating of particle-laden turbulent flows in a spatially evolution of low Reynolds number axisymmetric jet, and the Eulerian–Lagrangian point-particle approach is employed in the simulation. The simulation uses an explicit coupling scheme between particles and the fluid, which considers two-way coupling between the particle and the fluid. The DNS results are compared well with experimental data with equal Reynolds number (R_e = 1700). Our objects are: (i) to investigate the correlation between the particle number density and the fluctuating of fluid streamwise velocity; (ii) to examine whether the three-dimensional vortex structures in the particle-laden jet are the same as that in the free-air jet and how the particles modulate the thee-dimensional vortex structures and turbulence properties with different Stokes number particles; (iii) to discover the particle circumferential dispersion with different Stokes number particles. Our findings: (i) all the particles, regardless of their particle size, tend to preferentially accumulate in the region with large-than-mean fluid streamwise velocity; (ii) the small Stokes number particles take an important part in the modulation of three-dimensional vortex structures, but for the intermediate and larger sized particles, this modulation effect seems not so apparent; (iii) the particle circumferential dispersion is more effective for the smaller and intermediate sized particles, especially for the intermediate sized particles.     

Flow instability of nanofuilds in jet

The flow instability of nanofluids in a jet is studied numerically under various shape factors of the velocity profile, Reynolds numbers, nanoparticle mass loadings,Knudsen numbers, and Stokes numbers. The numerical results are compared with the available theoretical results for validation. The results show that the presence of nanoparticles enhances the flow stability, and there exists a critical particle mass loading beyond which the flow is stable. As the shape factor of the velocity profile and the Reynolds number increase, the flow becomes more unstable. However, the flow becomes more stable with the increase of the particle mass loading. The wavenumber corresponding to the maximum of wave amplification becomes large with the increase of the shape factor of the velocity profile, and with the decrease of the particle mass loading and the Reynolds number. The variations of wave amplification with the Stokes number and the Knudsen number are not monotonic increasing or decreasing, and there exists a critical Stokes number and a Knudsen number with which the flow is relatively stable and most unstable,respectively, when other parameters remain unchanged. The perturbation with the first azimuthal mode makes the flow unstable more easily than that with the axisymmetric azimuthal mode. The wavenumbers corresponding to the maximum of wave amplification are more concentrated for the perturbation with the axisymmetric azimuthal mode.     

Non-axisymmetric modes in viscoelastic taylor-couette flow

In this work, the linear stability analysis of the viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow against non-axisymmetric disturbances is investigated. A pseudospectrally generated, generalized algebraic eigenvalue problem is constructed from the linearized set of the three-dimensional governing equations around the steady-state azimuthal solution. Numerical evaluation of the critical eigenvalues shows that for an upper-convected Maxwell model and for the specific set of geometric and kinematic parameters examined in this work, the azimuthal Couette (base) flow becomes unstable against non-axisymmetric time periodic disturbances before it does so for axisymmetric ones, provided the elasticity number ε (De/Re) is larger than some non-zero but small value (ε 0.01). In addition, as ε increases, different families of eigensolutions become responsible for the onset of instability. In particular, the azimuthal wavenumber of the critical eigensolution has been found to change from 1 to 2 to 3 and then back to 2 as ε increases from 0.01 to infinity (inertialess flow).In an analogous fashion to the axisymmetric viscoelastic Taylor-Couette flow, two possible patterns of time-dependent solutions (limit cycles) can emerge after the onset of instability: ribbons and spirals, corresponding to azimuthal and traveling waves, respectively. These patterns are dictated solely by the symmetry of the primary flow and have already been observed in conjunction with experiments involving Newtonian fluids but with the two cylinders counter-rotatng instead of co-rotating as considered here. Inclusion of a non-zero solvent viscosity (Oldroyd-B model) has been found to affect the results quantitatively but not qualitatively. These theoretical predictions are of particular importance for the interpretation of the experimental data obtained in a Taylor-Couette flow using highly elastic viscoelastic fluids.     

Mixing characteristics of a film-exciting flapping jet

We have recently discovered a new type of self-excited flapping jets due to a flexible film whose leading edge is fixed at the nozzle exit [Exp Ther Fluid Sci, 106, 226-233]. This paper is to report the experimental investigation on mixing characteristics of the jet induced by a rectangular FEP film. Hot wire anemometry and flow visualization are used to examine the flapping jet flow versus the non-flapping counterpart. Experiments are conducted under the following conditions: i.e., L/D = 1.0 (fixed), W/D = 0.03 ~ 1.0 (varying) and Re = 10000 ~ 45000 (varying); where W and L are the film's width and length, D is the nozzle-exit diameter, and Re is the Reynolds number defined by Re U_oD/ν with U_o and ν being the jet-exit velocity and fluid viscosity.It is found that the jet-flapping frequency f_F varies with W in a complex fashion while it grows roughly linearly with increasing U_o for W/D ≥ 0.5. The flapping Strouhal number St_F f_FD/U_o ranges in 0.13 ≤ St_F ≤ 0.23 for Re = 15,000 ~ 45,000. These Strouhal numbers are substantially lower than that (≈ 0.45 ~ 0.7) for the primary vortex generation in the free jet, but one to two orders of magnitude higher than those from the conventional self-exciting fluidic devices. In general, the flapping jet decays and spreads more rapidly than does the free jet. As W increases, the decaying and spreading rates both grow. Of significance, the centerline evolutions of Taylor and Kolmogorov scales versus the integral scale are examined to characterize the small scales of turbulence against the large-scale motion.     

Flow regime development analysis in adiabatic upward two-phase flow in a vertical annulus

In this work radial and axial flow regime development in adiabatic upward air-water two-phase flow in a vertical annulus has been investigated. Local flow regimes have been identified using conductivity probes and neural networks techniques. The inner and outer diameters of the annulus are 19.1 mm and 38.1 mm, respectively. The equivalent hydraulic diameter of the flow channel, D_H, is 19.0 mm and the total length is 4.37 m. The flow regime map includes 1080 local flow regimes identifications in 72 flow conditions within a range of 0.01 m/s < 〈j_g〉 < 30 m/s and 0.2 m/s < 〈j_f〉 < 3.5 m/s where 〈j_g〉 and 〈j_f〉 are, respectively, superficial gas and liquid velocities. The local flow regime has been classified into four categories: bubbly, cap-slug, churn-turbulent and annular flows. In order to study the radial and axial development of flow regime the measurements have been performed at five radial locations. The three axial positions correspond to z/D_H = 52, 149 and 230, where z represents the axial position. The flow regime indicator has been chosen as some statistical parameters of local bubble chord length distributions and self-organized neural networks have been used as mapping system. This information has been also used to compare the results given by the existing flow regime transition models. The local flow regime is characterized basically by the void fraction and bubble chord length. The radial development of flow regime shows partial and complete local flow regime combinations. The radial development is controlled by axial location and superficial liquid velocity. The radial flow regime transition is always initiated in the center of the flow channel and it is propagated towards the channel boundaries. The axial development of flow regime is observed in all the flow maps and it is governed by superficial liquid velocity and radial location. The prediction results of the models are compared for each flow regime transition.     

Drag law for monodisperse gas–solid systems using particle-resolved direct numerical simulation of flow past fixed assemblies of spheres

Gas–solid momentum transfer is a fundamental problem that is characterized by the dependence of normalized average fluid–particle force F on solid volume fraction ? and the Reynolds number based on the mean slip velocity Re_m. In this work we report particle-resolved direct numerical simulation (DNS) results of interphase momentum transfer in flow past fixed random assemblies of monodisperse spheres with finite fluid inertia using a continuum Navier–Stokes solver. This solver is based on a new formulation we refer to as the Particle-resolved Uncontaminated-fluid Reconcilable Immersed Boundary Method (PUReIBM). The principal advantage of this formulation is that the fluid stress at the particle surface is calculated directly from the flow solution (velocity and pressure fields), which when integrated over the surfaces of all particles yields the average fluid–particle force. We demonstrate that PUReIBM is a consistent numerical method to study gas–solid flow because it results in a force density on particle surfaces that is reconcilable with the averaged two-fluid theory. The numerical convergence and accuracy of PUReIBM are established through a comprehensive suite of validation tests. The normalized average fluid–particle force F is obtained as a function of solid volume fraction ? (0.1 ? ? ? 0.5) and mean flow Reynolds number Re_m (0.01 ? Re_m ? 300) for random assemblies of monodisperse spheres. These results extend previously reported results of  and  to a wider range of ?, Re_m, and are more accurate than those reported by Beetstra et al. (2007). Differences between the drag values obtained from PUReIBM and the drag correlation of Beetstra et al. (2007) are as high as 30% for Re_m in the range 100–300. We take advantage of PUReIBM’s ability to directly calculate the relative contributions of pressure and viscous stress to the total fluid–particle force, which is useful in developing drag correlations. Using a scaling argument, Hill et al. (2001b) proposed that the viscous contribution is independent of Re_m but the pressure contribution is linear in Re_m (for Re_m > 50). However, from PUReIBM simulations we find that the viscous contribution is not independent of the mean flow Reynolds number, although the pressure contribution does indeed vary linearly with Re_m in accord with the analysis of Hill et al. (2001b). An improved correlation for F in terms of ? and Re_m is proposed that corrects the existing correlations in Re_m range 100–300. Since this drag correlation has been inferred from simulations of fixed particle assemblies, it does not include the effect of mobility of the particles. However, the fixed-bed simulation approach is a good approximation for high Stokes number particles, which are encountered in most gas–solid flows. This improved drag correlation can be used in CFD simulations of fluidized beds that solve the average two-fluid equations where the accuracy of the drag law affects the prediction of overall flow behavior.     

Mode spectra of natural disturbances in a circular jet and the effect of acoustic forcing

A modal spectrum technique was used to study coherent instability modes (both axisymmetric and azimuthal) triggered by naturally occurring disturbances in a circular jet. This technique was applied to a high Reynolds number (400,000) jet for both untripped (transitional) and tripped (turbulent) nozzle exit boundary layers, with both cases having a core turbulence level of 0.15%. The region up to the end of the potential core was dominated by the axisymmetric mode, with the azimuthal modes dominating further downstream. The growth of the azimuthal modes was observed closer to the nozzle exit for the jet with a transitional boundary layer. Whether for locally parallel flow or slowly diverging flow, even at low levels of acoustic forcing, the inviscid linear theory is seen to be inadequate for predicting the amplitude of the forced mode. In contrast, the energy integral approach reasonably predicts the evolution of the forced mode.     

Smoke-wire flow visualization of the near-wake region behind a circular disc at low Reynolds numbers

The flow structures in the near field of the unducted wake region behind a circular disc for annular flow at low Reynolds numbers were studied by smoke-wire flow visualization technique. A twisted-dual-wire was employed to perform the time evolving visualization. Three typical characteristic flow modes: Q-tip, open-top toroid, and closed toroid, were identified in the near disc region. For Reynolds number between 130 and 390, the Q-tip flow mode which subject to a periodic up-down oscillatory motion was observed. The open-top toroid mode which experiences the expelling vortex shedding was found for Reynolds number between 390 and 455. The free separation surface turns around and merges to the central axisymmetric axis to form the conventionally observed toroidal recirculation bubble for Reynolds number higher than 455. The closed toroid mode exhibits both expelling and shear-layer vortex sheddings. With the identified flow modes at low Reynolds numbers, the recirculation contours, recirculation length, and the shedding frequency in each mode were measured and discussed.List of symbols B.R. blockage ratio (=D ² /D _a ² ) - D _a outer diameter of annular jet, 30 mm - D diameter of circular disc, 20 mm - f frequency of vortex shedding, Hz - L _r axial length of recirculation zone - R radius of circular disc, 10 mm - u _a average exit velocity of annular jet - ₀ stream function with value of zero - mass density of annular flow - u average axial velocity - r radial coordinate, originated from center of circular disk - r ₀ radial coordinate of the boundary of the recirculation zone - Re _a Reynolds number of annular jet based on the disc diameter - Z axial coordinate, originated from center of circular disk - w _max maximum half-width of the recirculation zone - St Strouhal number (=fD/D _a )     

Single-phase convection and boiling heat transfer: Confined single and array-circular impinging jets

In the present study, the effects of diverse situations of confinement on heat transfer from single and array-circular jet impingements are carefully investigated over various heat transfer regimes of single-phase convection and fully developed nucleate boiling. For the single, circular, unconfined free-surface jet, the transition to turbulence was observed to start around x/d = 5.5 and end around x/d = 9. For the array-circular jet, however, the wall jet structure yielded no transition to turbulence for all the tested cases, instead monotonically decreasing the convection coefficient. Conversely, the single-circular jet experienced the transition for V ? 6.1 m/s. For the confined submerged jet, the transition length was very short due to the vigorous mixing driven by lateral velocity components, and the locus of the secondary peak moved downstream as velocity increased. The temperature distributions of the confined array-circular jet were fairly uniform over the whole heated surface. The averaged single-phase convection coefficients indicated that the confined jet provided the most uniform convection in the lateral direction.