On unsteady unidirectional flows of a second grade fluid

Some properties of unsteady unidirectional flows of a fluid of second grade are considered for flows produced by the sudden application of a constant pressure gradient or by the impulsive motion of one or two boundaries. Exact analytical solutions for these flows are obtained and the results are compared with those of a Newtonian fluid. It is found that the stress at the initial time on the stationary boundary for flows generated by the impulsive motion of a boundary is infinite for a Newtonian fluid and is finite for a second grade fluid. Furthermore, it is shown that initially the stress on the stationary boundary, for flows started from rest by sudden application of a constant pressure gradient is zero for a Newtonian fluid and is not zero for a fluid of second grade. The required time to attain the asymptotic value of a second grade fluid is longer than that for a Newtonian fluid. It should be mentioned that the expressions for the flow properties, such as velocity, obtained by the Laplace transform method are exactly the same as the ones obtained for the Couette and Poiseuille flows and those which are constructed by the Fourier method. The solution of the governing equation for flows such as the flow over a plane wall and the Couette flow is in a series form which is slowly convergent for small values of time. To overcome the difficulty in the calculation of the value of the velocity for small values of time, a practical method is given. The other property of unsteady flows of a second grade fluid is that the no-slip boundary condition is sufficient for unsteady flows, but it is not sufficient for steady flows so that an additional condition is needed. In order to discuss the properties of unsteady unidirectional flows of a second grade fluid, some illustrative examples are given.     

A practical implementation of turbulence models for the computation of three-dimensional separated flows

An upwind MUSCL-type implicit scheme for the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations is presented and details on the implementation for three-dimensional flows of a ‘diagonal’ upwind implicit operator are developed. Turbulence models for separated flows are also described with an emphasis on the numerical specificities of the Johnson-King non-equilibrium model. Good predictions of separated two- and three-dimensional flows are demonstrated.     

A nonintrusive laser interferometer method for measurement of skin friction

A method is described for monitoring the changing thickness of a thin oil film subject to an aerodynamic shear stress using two focused laser beams. The measurement is then simply analyzed in terms of the surface skin friction of the flow. The analysis includes the effects of arbitrarily large pressure and skinfriction gradients, gravity, and time-varying oil temperature. It may also be applied to three-dimensional flows with unknown direction. Applications are presented for a variety of flows including two-dimensional flows, three-dimensional swirling flows, separated flows, supersonic high-Reynolds-number flows, and delta-wing vortical flows.     

On the stability of plane parallel viscoelastic shear flows in the limit of infinite Weissenberg and Reynolds numbers

Elastic effects on the hydrodynamic instability of inviscid parallel shear flows are investigated through a linear stability analysis. We focus on the upper convected Maxwell model in the limit of infinite Weissenberg and Reynolds numbers. We study the effects of elasticity on the instability of a few classes of simple parallel flows, specifically plane Poiseuille and Couette flows, the hyperbolic-tangent shear layer and the Bickley jet.The equation for stability is derived and solved numerically using the spectral Chebyshev collocation method. This algorithm is computationally efficient and accurate in reproducing the eigenvalues. We consider flows bounded by walls as well as flows bounded by free surfaces. In the inviscid, nonelastic case all the flows we study are unstable for free surfaces. In the case of wall bounded flow, there are instabilities in the shear layer and Bickley jet flows. In all cases, the effect of elasticity is to reduce and ultimately suppress the inviscid instability.     

Assessment of the performance of different classes of turbulence models in a wide range of non-equilibrium flows

The performance of thirteen benchmark turbulence models within the RANS framework has been assessed in classical non-equilibrium flows. Linear and non-linear eddy-viscosity schemes, Reynolds stress transport models and single- and two-time-scale approaches have been considered in the investigation. Among the test cases studied are homogeneous shear and normally strained flows, adverse-pressure-gradient, favourable-pressure-gradient and oscillatory boundary layer flows, fully developed oscillatory and ramp up pipe flows and steady and pulsated backward-facing-step flows. The main advantages and drawbacks of the models in each of the test cases are discussed. These discussions provide a reasonably wide understanding of the expected behaviour of the models for future applications in non-equilibrium flows, and also result in suggestions on how the effectiveness of existing models can be further improved.     

On the steady motion of two immiscible fluids in an undulating porous reservoir

We describe steady two-dimensional flows of two immiscible fluids through an undulating porous medium of constant thickness, with impermeable or slightly permeable boundaries. Flows in the same or opposite directions are called, respectively, direct or counter flows. Three special classes of flow are determined:

1. The pressure dominated case occurs for high direct flows and has the interface approximately a constant vertical distance from the impermeable boundaries.
2. The gravity dominated case occurs for low direct flows and has the interface very close to the lower (upper) boundary for downward (upward) sloping boundaries except at crossovers.
3. Counter flows require the interface to decrease in the direction of flow of the lower fluid.

Numerical examples illustrate the three classifications above. For incompressible flows the interface and pressure equations uncouple. A stability analysis shows that the direction of integration of the differential equation for the interface must be opposite to the flow direction for direct flows; for counter flows the direction of integration depends on whether the interface is above or below a critical height. Direct flows through cyclic geometries are asymptotically cyclic upstream. If the reservoir is ‘leaky’, asymptotically self-similar flows result when the (small) permeability ratio is scaled to the dynamical flow parameters.     

On the non-linear stability of parallel shear flows

The non-linear stability of parallel shear flows in incompressible fluids is studied by the Lyapunov method for stress-free boundary conditions. It is shown that plane Couette flows and plane Poiseuille flows are asymptotically stable for all Reynolds numbers.     

Instabilities in viscoelastic flows

Viscoelastic instabilities are of practical importance, and are the subject of growing interest. Reviewed here are the fresh developments as well as earlier work in this area, organized into the following categories: instabilities in Taylor-Couette flows, instabilities in cone-and-plate and plate-and-plate flows, instabilities in parallel shear flows, extrudate distortions and fracture, instabilities in shear flows with interfaces, instabilities in extensional flows, instabilities in multidimensional flows, and thermohydrodynamic instabilities. Emphasized in the review are comparisons between theory and experiment and suggested directions for future work.     

Spectral-based simulations of particle-laden turbulent flows

In this paper, we discuss the application of spectral-based methods to simulation of particle-laden turbulent flows. The primary focus of the article is on the past and ongoing works by the authors. The particles are tracked in Lagrangian framework, while direct numerical simulation (DNS) or large-eddy simulation (LES) is used to describe the carrier-phase flow field. Two different spectral methods are considered, namely Fourier pseudo-spectral method and Chebyshev multidomain spectral method. The pseudo-spectral method is used for the simulation of homogeneous turbulence. DNS of both incompressible and compressible flows with one- and two-way couplings are reported. For LES of particle-laden flows, two new models, developed by the authors, account for the effect of sub-grid fluctuations on the dispersed phase. The Chebyshev multidomain method is employed for the works on inhomogeneous flows. A number of canonical flows are discussed, including flow past a square cylinder, channel flow and flow over backward-facing step. Ongoing research on particle-laden LES of inhomogeneous flows is briefly reported.     

Calculation of stagnation streamline quantities in hypersonic blunt body flows

An approximate method for the efficient calculation of stagnation-streamline quantities in hypersonic flows about spheres or cylinders is suggested. Based on the local similarity of the flow field the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are simplified to a one-dimensional approximation for the stagnation streamline. These equations are solved with an implicit finite-volume scheme. Comparisons with fully two–dimensional Euler and Navier–Stokes calculations for flows about spheres are presented, that include perfect gas flows and flows in chemical non-equilibrium. Comparisons with a number of experiments conclude this report. Received 8 May 1996 / Accepted 31 October 1996     

Application of differential constraint method to exact solution of second-grade fluid

A differential constraint method is used to obtain analytical solutions of a second-grade fluid flow. By using the first-order differential constraint condition, exact solutions of Poiseuille flows, jet flows and Couette flows subjected to suction or blowing forces, and planar elongational flows are derived. In addition, two new classes of exact solutions for a second-grade fluid flow are found. The obtained exact solutions show that the non-Newtonian second-grade flow behavior depends not only on the material viscosity but also on the material elasticity. Finally, some boundary value problems are discussed.     

Vorticity in plane parallel, axially symmetrical or spherical flows of viscous fluid

For viscous (barotropic or incompressible) fluids it is shown that, if the vorticity and the viscous force are orthogonal, vortex lines are convected by a vector field which fits with the velocity field when viscosity vanishes (extension of Helmholtz theorem); it is also found that energy remains constant along the field lines of this vector field (extension of Bernoulli theorem).If, moreover, vorticity and velocity are orthogonal too, the magnitude of the vorticity then behaves as the density of a fluid which flows along streamsheets according to this very same vector field. These properties are mainly encountered for plane parallel flows, axially symmetrical flows, spherical flows, but also for some other miscellaneous flow geometries such as unidirectional or radial flows. The set of the former three flows can even be characterized by these properties; that enhances this set of important flow geometries, avails a general view on vorticity behavior, and explains the great simplicity of vorticity equations in these cases. Numerous examples and comments are given for illustrating.     

On Plane-Parallel Separated Flows of an Incompressible Fluid near Flat Boundaries

On the basis of Stokes separated flows, examples of separated flows described by the Navier-Stokes equations of a viscous incompressible fluid are constructed. These flows are represented by series convergent in a certain non-zero neighborhood of a flat contour immersed in the flow. In this neighborhood, the series have the same structure as those for the basic Stokes flows. Examples of the regions in which the series segments chosen give only a slight deviation from the numerical solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations are presented. The comparison between inviscid separated flows (without the no-slip condition on the contour) and viscous flows of the same structure (with the no-slip condition) shows that the viscosity does not play a decisive role in the formation of separation or the type of streamline approach to or departure from the contour.     

The Fascination of Vortex Rings

We present inviscid and viscous models for the formation and propagation of single, and co-axial pairs of, vortex rings. Inviscid flows are based on both thin rings, and thick rings treated by a contour dynamics approach, whilst viscous flows are determined from numerical solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations. A kaleidoscope of different flow behaviours for these axisymmetric flows is presented.     

Large-eddy structures of turbulent swirling flows and methane-air swirling diffusion combustion

Turbulent swirling flows and methane-air swirling diffusion combustion are studied by large-eddy simulation (LES) using a Smagorinsky-Lilly subgrid scale turbulence model and a second-order moment (SOM) SGS combustion model, and also by RANS modeling using the Reynolds Stress equation model with the IPCM+wall and IPCM pressure-strain models and SOM combustion model. The LES statistical results for swirling flows give good agreement with the experimental results, indicating that the adopted subgrid-scale turbulence model is suitable for swirling flows. The LES instantaneous results show the complex vortex shedding pattern in swirling flows. The initially formed large vortex structures soon break up in swirling flows. The LES statistical results of combustion modeling are near the experimental results and are as good as the RANS-SOM modeling results. The LES results show that the size and range of large vortex structures in swirling combustion are different from those of isothermal swirling flows, and the chemical reaction is intensified by the large-eddy vortex structures. The project supported by the Special Funds for Major State Basic Research (G-1999-0222-07). The English text was polished by Keren Wang.     

Axisymmetric-conical and locally conical flows without swirling

Axisymmetric steady conical and locally conical non-swirled flows of an ideal (inviscid and non-heat-conducting) gas are considered. Like two-dimensional conical flows, the examined onedimensional (axisymmetric) flows can be conically subsonic and supersonic. If the uniform flow is not considered as a conical flow, then the type of one-dimensional conical flows can change only on the shock wave, except for the junction of two one-dimensional conical flows of different types on the C ⁺ characteristic. C ^± characteristics and streamlines are constructed for a number of locally conical flows and some already known and new conical flows.     

Numerical simulations of complex yield-stress fluid flows

Viscoplasticity is characterized by a yield stress, below which the materials will not deform and above which they will deform and flow according to different constitutive relations. Viscoplastic models include the Bingham plastic, the Herschel-Bulkley model and the Casson model. All of these ideal models are discontinuous. Analytical solutions exist for such models in simple flows. For general flow fields, it is necessary to develop numerical techniques to track down yielded/unyielded regions. This can be avoided by introducing into the models a regularization parameter, which facilitates the solution process and produces virtually the same results as the ideal models by the right choice of its value. This work reviews several benchmark problems of viscoplastic flows, such as entry and exit flows from dies, flows around a sphere and a bubble and squeeze flows. Examples are also given for typical processing flows of viscoplastic materials, where the extent and shape of the yielded/unyielded regions are clearly shown. The above-mentioned viscoplastic models leave undetermined the stress and elastic deformation in the solid region. Moreover, deviations have been reported between predictions with these models and experiments for flows around particles using Carbopol, one of the very often used and heretofore widely accepted as a simple “viscoplastic” fluid. These have been partially remedied in very recent studies using the elastoviscoplastic models proposed by Saramito.     

A Dissipation Rate Equation for Low-Reynolds-Number and Near-Wall Turbulence

Two-equation turbulence models are usually formulated for specific flow types and are seldom validated against a variety of flows to account for near-wall and low-Reynolds-number effects simultaneously. In addition to low-Reynolds-number effects, near-wall flows also experience wall blocking, which is absent in free flows. Consequently, near-wall modifications to two-equation models could be quite different from low-Reynolds-number corrections. Besides, it is known that existing two-equation models perform poorly when used to calculate plane wall jets and two-dimensional backstep flows. These problems could be traced to the modeling of the dissipation rate equation. In this paper an attempt is made to improve the modeling of the dissipation rate equation so that it could successfully predict both free and wall-bounded shear flows including plane wall jets and backstep flows. The predictions are compared with experimental and direct numerical simulation data whenever available. Most of the data used are obtained at low Reynolds numbers. Good correlation with data is obtained. Therefore, for the first time, a model capable of correctly predicting free and wall-bounded shear flows, backstep flows, and plane wall jets is available. Received: 12 December 1995 and accepted 12 November 1996     

Mathematical model of convective heat transfer between flows of finely dispersed media in adjacent channels with permeable walls

The discussion is concerned with a mathematical model for convective heat transfer between the flows of finely dispersed media moving in adjacent channels separated by a permeable wall where portions of the fluid phases are exchanged many times between the flows. Numerical solutions are given for a countercurrent flow of a suspension and a liquid. Equations are derived and curves constructed to show the distribution of the flow velocity and the suspension porosity along the length of the channels as well as the dependence on time of the temperatures of the flows.