Computational modeling of turbulent mixing in a jet in crossflow

The jet in crossflow is a configuration of highest theoretical and practical importance, in which the turbulent mixing plays a major role. High-resolution measurements using Particle Image Velocimetry combined with Laser Induced Fluorescence have been conducted and used to validate simulations ranging from simple steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes to sophisticated large-eddy simulation. The reasons for the erratic behavior of steady-state simulations in the given case, in which large-scale structures dominate the turbulent mixing, have been discussed. The analysis of intermittency proved to be an appropriate framework to account for the influence of these flow structures on the jet in crossflow, contributing to the explanation of the poor performance of the steady-state simulations.     

Turbulent fuel-air mixing study of jet in crossflow at different velocity ratios using LES

In order to study the mixing mechanism of fuel and air in gas turbine, large eddy simulation has been used to investigate the methane jet-in-crossflow with the velocity ratio (R) of 1.5 and 4. This study aims to explore the formation mechanism of vortices such as the hairpin vortices, hovering vortices and horseshoe vortices, the relationship between the fuel–air mixing and flow characteristics at different velocity ratios. The numerical methods in the present work are firstly validated with the experimental data in terms of mean and root mean square values of velocity. For R = 4, the shear layer vortices, horseshoe vortices, counter-rotating vortices pairs (CVP) and wake vortices can be observed, while the jet shear layer cannot be observed for R = 1.5. The hairpin vortices originating from the vortice-ring are lifted and shed from the downstream of the jet-outlet due to Kutta-Joukowski lift. The hairpin vortices are similar to CVP. The horseshoe vortices in R = 1.5 and 4 are formed due to the blockage of the jet (CH₄) and the crossflow (air) respectively, and its evolution is associated with the hovering vortices which only exist for R = 1.5. The uniform index and pr-obability density function are used for quantitative analysis of the mixing performance. The uniform index at X/D = 0 (fuel-inlet) and at X/D = 25 (outlet) are 0.033 and 0.335 for R = 1.5 and 0.130 and 0.047 for R = 4. For R = 4, the jet penetration is higher and the deflection angle of jet is smaller than that in case of R = 1.5. Higher R will provide more region for mixing, therefore uniform index is higher and the mixing is more uniform in the downstream.     

Deposition of droplets from turbulent stream

A model of particle deposition from a turbulent stream is presented. It is based on the modified stopping distance concept which allows for the difference between particle and eddy diffusivities, recognizing that the particle has equal probability to move toward the wall or back into the turbulent core. The theory is tested against the data which cover a wide range of droplet size and duct Reynolds number for different surface configuration. A quite satisfactory agreement has been found in all examined cases.     

Flow and mixing characteristics of a forward-inclined stack-issued jet in crossflow

The flow and mixing characteristics of a forward-inclined stack-issued jet at various inclination angles (θ) and jet-to-crossflow momentum flux ratios (R) were experimentally studied in an open-loop wind tunnel. Flow behaviors were examined using the laser-assisted smoke flow visualization technique. The instantaneous velocities of the upwind-side shear-layer were digitized by a hot-wire anemometer using a high-speed data acquisition system. The instability frequencies in the upwind-side shear-layer vortices were obtained by the fast Fourier transform method. Long-exposure flow images were processed using the binary edge-detection technique to obtain the jet spread width. Transverse dispersion of jet fluids was determined using tracer gas concentration detection. The upwind-side shear-layer vortices revealed four characteristic flow modes: the High impingement-crossflow dominated mode (about θ < 15° and low R), the High impingement-jet flow dominated mode (about θ < 25° and high R), the Low impingement-crossflow dominated mode (about θ > 15° and low R), and the Low impingement-jet flow dominated mode (about θ > 25° and high R). Increasing θ in the crossflow dominated regimes eliminated the upwind-side shear-layer vortices, while increasing θ in the jet flow dominated regimes emphasized the upwind-side shear-layer vortices. Increasing θ at a fixed value of R increased jet spread width in the far field in all modes. In the near field, at x/d < 5 in the High impingement-crossflow dominated regime, the jet spread width was greater than in the Low impingement-crossflow dominated regime. In the jet flow dominated regimes, higher θ values led to greater jet spread width. Transverse dispersion of the jet fluids approached the jet spread width results. In the Low impingement-jet flow dominated regime, transverse dispersion of the jet fluids was significantly increased compared to the other regimes. In addition, the maximum tracer gas concentration was severely reduced at all axial stages, which implied better dispersion of the jet fluids in this regime.     

Optimization of turbulent jet mixing

We introduce an approach for controlling jet mixing that combines direct numerical simulation of an incompressible jet flow with stochastic optimization procedures. The jet is excited with helical and combined helical and axial actuations at the orifice. An objective function that measures the spreading of the jet evaluates the performance of the actuation parameters. The optimization procedure searches for the best actuation by automatically varying the parameters and calculating their objective function value. Solutions that lead to a pronounced spreading of the jet are found within reasonable time, although the evaluation of the objective function, the DNS of the jet, is expensive. For a jet flow at low Reynolds number the performance of different search algorithms (simulated annealing and evolution strategies) is evaluated. We compare various objective functions based on radial velocity and the concentration of a passive scalar, including functions that penalize actuation with high amplitudes. We find that a combined axial and helical actuation is much more efficient with respect to jet mixing than a helical actuation alone.     

Numerical study on the turbulent mixing of planar shock-accelerated triangular heavy gases interface

The interaction of a planar shock wave with a triangle-shaped sulfur hexafluoride (\(\mathrm{SF_6}\)) cylinder surrounded by air is numerically studied using a high resolution finite volume method with minimum dispersion and controllable dissipation reconstruction. The vortex dynamics of the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability and the turbulent mixing induced by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability are discussed. A modified reconstruction model is proposed to predict the circulation for the shock triangular gas–cylinder interaction flow. Several typical stages leading the shock-driven inhomogeneity flow to turbulent mixing transition are demonstrated. Both the decoupled length scales and the broadened inertial range of the turbulent kinetic energy spectrum in late time manifest the turbulent mixing transition for the present case. The analysis of variable-density energy transfer indicates that the flow structures with high wavenumbers inside the Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices can gain energy from the mean flow in total. Consequently, small scale flow structures are generated therein by means of nonlinear interactions. Furthermore, the occasional “pairing” between a vortex and its neighboring vortex will trigger the merging process of vortices and, finally, create a large turbulent mixing zone.     

Experimental study of turbulent axisymmetric cavity flow

An experimental study is made of turbulent axisymmetric cavity flow. The flow configuration consists of a sudden expansion and contraction pipe joint. In using the LDV system, in an effort to minimize refraction of laser beams at the curved interface, a refraction correction formula for the Reynolds shear stress is devised. Three values of the cavity length (L = 300, 600 and 900 mm) are chosen, and the cavity height (H) is fixed at 55 mm. Both open and closed cavities are considered. Special attention is given to the critical case L = 600 mm, where the cavity length L is nearly equal to the reattachment length of the flow. The Reynolds number, based on the inlet diameter (D = 110 mm) is 73,000. Measurement data are presented for the static wall pressure, mean velocity profiles, vorticity thickness distributions, and turbulence quantities.List of symbols C _f velocity correction factor - C _p static wall pressure coefficient - D diameter of inlet pipe = 110 mm - H step height or difference in radii of two pipes = 55 mm - L cavity length = 300, 600 and 900 mm - n _a , n _w , n _f refraction indices of the medium between the transmitting lens and window, the window itself, and the working fluid - signal validation rate in LDV, Hz - P wall static pressure, Pa - P _ref wall static pressure at x = -70 mm, Pa - r radial distance from centreline, m - r _a radial position of the virtual intersection, m - r _d radial location of the dividing streamline, m - r _f radial position of the real beam intersection, m - Re Reynolds number based on the inlet diameter - R _i inner radius of the cylindrical cavity=110 mm - t thickness of the window, m - T ₁ integral time scale, s - U streamwise mean velocity, m/s - U _c centreline mean velocity, m/s - U _ref maximum upstream velocity at x= -70 mm, m/s - r.m.s. intensity of streamwise, radial and circumferential velocity fluctuations respectively, m/s - Reynolds shear stress, m²/s² - x distance in the streamwise direction, m - x _a streamwise position of virtual intersection, m - x _f streamwise position of real beam intersection, m - x _r mean reattachment length, m - x nondimensional streamwise distance - y distance normal to the wall=R–r, m Greek symbols vorticity thickness - stream function of dividing streamline      

Development of turbulent mixing in a fluid

The development of turbulent mixing produced by a linear source in a flat cell is studied with dyes and a laser thermal marker. The velocity field outside the mixing region is determined. The agreement of region size determined by dye diffusion and thermal marker deformation is shown.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 2, pp. 91–95, March–April, 1973.     

A method for the study of turbulent mixing using fluorescence spectroscopy

The mixing of two feed streams in a reactor, one with a fluorescent tracer, the other without, results in a fluctuating concentration field, due to the turbulent flow. Fluorescence spectroscopy allows the characterization of the fluctuations at small scale and high frequencies. Measurements have been made with a spatial resolution of about 30 μm and up to a frequency of 5,000 Hz. Methods have been developed to determine the variance (intensity of segregation) and the power spectra. The spectra can be used to calculate the integral scale of the fluctuations, and in some cases the microscale and dissipation rate. Two optical setups are presented, one based on a nonfocused and the other on a focused laser beam. It is shown that only the focused system has sufficiently high laser flux density and sufficiently small measurement volume to give useful results at the desired characteristic size and frequency. As a demonstration of the method, the turbulent mixing in a continuous stirred tank reactor has been studied. Experiments were carried out in a 225 cm³ baffled reactor, stirred by a six-bladed Rushton disk turbine. The effects of stirring speed and position on the mixing were investigated.     

Oxygen stripping in deaerator feed water: condensation on spray droplets

Deaerator is used to remove oxygen from boiler feed-water. Experiments with deaerator indicate that the droplet diameter decreases with increasing the mass flow rate of water and the increasing deaerator pressure leads to increase in heat and mass transfer coefficients. The mass transfer coefficients are found to increase with increasing the deaerator pressure, the independent of length and the oxygen concentration in inlet water.     

Experimental study on mixing enhancement in two dimensional supersonic flow

 Studies on mixing enhancement with two dimensional (2D) lobed nozzle have been conducted in a dual stream supersonic flow facility. The distributions of momentum flux, stagnation pressure and stagnation temperature across a plane at different axial distances from the nozzle exit were considered as a measure of mixing. The results indicated an enormous enhancement in mixing when 2D lobed nozzle was employed in comparison with conventional plain 2D nozzle. The enhanced mixing performance could be attributed to the large scale axial vortices observed in the flow-field of subsonic lobed nozzles by earlier investigators. Received: 27 December 1996 / Accepted: 21 August 1997     

Calculating liquid droplets settling on a cylinder in gas-liquid spray flow

Adding atomized liquid to air flowing around a cylinder gives an appreciable increase in heat transfer by forming a liquid film on the cylinder surface. The heat transfer coefficient depends upon the amount of liquid forming the film, which is limited by two phenomena: droplet deflection from the liquid film on the surface and droplets not striking the cylinder. This paper presents a method of calculating the quantity of liquid droplets settling on a cylinder surface in a gas-liquid spray flow. A coefficient $\text{k}$, the volume ratio of the liquid entering the film to the amount of liquid directed at the cylinder, is introduced. $\text{k}$ values were calculated by means of numerical computation and the theory verified experimentally. The calculation method permits estimation of the dependence of the amount of liquid settling on a cylinder on the droplet diameter distribution parameters and on the linear gas velocity     

Experimental study of steady concentration fields in turbulent wakes

 The pollutant transportation process in turbulent wakes is studied experimentally using planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF). The concentration fields in the very near wake region behind typical bluff bodies are measured for steady flow. The characteristics of the mean and instantaneous concentration fields behind circular and sinusoidal islands and peninsulas are investigated. The results indicate that the pollutant distribution is closely related with the unsteady vortex shedding in the flow field. Compared with that of the circular island, more pollutants enter into the wake generated by the sinusoidal-shaped island. The time needed for pollutants to accumulate in or drain out of the wake region after the peninsula before reaching a relatively constant value is longer than that for the islands, regardless of the island or peninsula shape. The results will facilitate pollutant control behind sea islands and other natural or man-made structures in water. Also the results provide some fundamental data for checking numerical models. Received: 11 November 2000/Accepted: 26 January 2001     

A study of turbulent mixing in a turbine-agitated tank using a fluorescence technique

Two-dimensional images of (Plane) Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) have been used to study the turbulent mixing process in a model stirred tank. A calibration procedure is presented and discussed in terms of its accuracy. Data from the literature are used for comparison. A pattern-recognition algorithm has been designed to identify and quantitatively describe large-scale structures in the flow. This methodology, called “structural analysis”, is based on a conditional analysis of the PLIF data and requires the definition of an appropriate structure-detector function which is calculated locally. The mathematical tools developed have been used to study the mixing in a Rushton turbine-agitated reactor. Particular attention is paid to two specific regions of the tank; namely the bulk and the impeller stream regions, at two measured power input (0.3 and 0.7 W kg⁻¹). The averaged concentration fields show a common two-dimensional steady circulation pattern. Concentration probability density functions reflect well the instability of the flow in the two regions investigated. The data reveal the non-isotropic distribution of these instabilities around a reference point when the feed port is situated in the bulk region only. In this case, the structural analysis quantitatively shows the presence of a folding of the concentration field. It was found that this phenomenon can last several seconds. Received: 16 June 1998/Accepted: 14 April 1999     

Experimental study of spray cooling performance on micro-porous coated surfaces

Experiments on evaporative spray cooling of flat heaters with plain and micro-porous coated surfaces were performed in this study. Micro-porous coated surfaces were made by using the DOM [Diamond particle, Omegabond 101, Methyl-Ethyl-Keton] coating method. In pure air-jet cooling, micro-porous coating did not show heat transfer improvement over plain surface. In spray cooling, however, three different flow patterns (complete wetting, evaporative wetting and dryout) were observed on both plain and micro-porous coated surfaces. The effects of various operating conditions, such as water flow rate, particle size, and coating thickness on the micro-porous coated surface were investigated. It was found that the level of surface wetting was an important factor in determining the performance of spray cooling. The level of surface wetting depended on the balance between the amount of liquid absorbed by capillary force over porosity and the amount of liquid evaporated. A micro-porous coated surface has a very high cooling capacity, especially in the evaporative wetting zone. The liquid flow rate and coating thickness are significant factors in the evaporative wetting zone, but are not in the complete wetting zone and the dryout zone.     

Momentum transport in a turbulent mixing layer

The turbulent momentum transport phenomena in a two-dimensional mixing layer are investigated numerically by a discrete vortex method. The numerical model and calculations are verified through a comparison with existing numerical simulations and experimental measurements. The main emphasis is placed on the exploration of the detailed time-dependent instantaneous local momentum fluctuations and on the comparison of numerical results with available experimental measurements. The current simulations confirm qualitatively the various trends in the turbulent momentum flux and fluctuating components of the velocity in the mixing layer found with several experimental results. The study shows that similarity exists in turbulent momentum quantities along the axial direction of the mixing layer. The calculations also show a definite correlation between the passage of a large-scale structure and a burst in the turbulent momentum flux. The probability density functions of the fluctuating quantities are shown to be mostly Gaussian-like, with only a few exceptions.