Aerodynamics and heat transfer in a separated flow in an axisymmetric diffuser with sudden expansion

Results of a numerical study of the influence of a positive pressure gradient in an axisymmetric diffuser with sudden expansion of a circular tube on aerodynamics and turbulent heat transfer in regions of flow separation, reattachment, and relaxation are reported. The air flow prior to separation is assumed to be fully turbulent and to have a constant Reynolds number Re _D1 = 2.75 · 10⁴. The tube expansion degree is 1.78, and the apex half-angle of the diffuser is varied from 0 to 5°. It is found that an increase in the pressure gradient leads to a decrease in the heat transfer intensity in the separation region, and the maximum heat release point moves away from the flow separation point. The calculated results are compared with experimental data. It is shown that the behavior of the separated flow behind the step becomes significantly different as the streamwise pressure gradient changes.     

The structure of instantaneous reversals in highly turbulent flows

Structure of instantaneous flow reversals has been measured in a highly turbulent axisymmetric diffuser flow using pulsed-wire anemometry. In this 8° nominal included angle conical diffuser, the adverse pressure gradient (APG) is strong enough to cause appreciable instantaneous flow reversals (instantaneous backflow up to 30% of the time), but the time-averaged flow is non-separated. The results are compared with the other severe APG separating flows reported in literature. An increase in entry Reynolds number indicated a decrease in the size of near-wall instantaneous reversals region as well as a decrease in the magnitude of instantaneous backflow. Also, the region of instantaneous reversals moves slightly downstream at appreciably higher Reynolds numbers. The initiation and growth of instantaneous reversals in a conical diffuser was found to strongly influence the wall-layer and the central region. Present results also suggest that the instantaneous backflow should be considered for modelling of instantaneously-separating diffuser flows. In the final stages of a conical diffuser, the magnitudes of cross-stream pressure gradient were found to be appreciably larger than that of the longitudinal pressure gradient, indicating that accurate representation of a conical diffuser flow can not be achieved without considering V-momentum equation. A comparison of various separating flows revealed remarkable similarity of instantaneous reversals regions and distributions even in different flow configurations.     

Low frequency sound generated by flow separation in a conical diffuser

The sound field in a circular pipe generated by a concentric jet flow entering the pipe is studied. In the first case the air flow enters the pipe through a convergent nozzle only. In the second case a short diffuser is attached to the nozzle. When the diffuser half angle is small enough to ensure attached flow conditions, the sound pressure level in the duct is reduced over the entire frequency range measured. When the diffuser angle is increased up to the point where flow separation occurs, an increase in the duct sound pressure level is observed. It is shown by means of cross-correlation measurements involving the unsteady wall pressures in the diffuser and the sound pressure in the duct that the increased sound levels are in fact caused by the flow separation in the diffuser.     

Effect of humidity on the flow characteristics of a two-phase medium in a diffuser

The effect of the initial humidity of a two-phase flow on the aerodynamic characteristics of a diffuser is considered. A series of calculations is carried out which permit the pressure distribution in the diffuser to be investigated in the case of change of the initial flow velocity, coefficient of slip of the phases, and the initial humidity of the flow. It is shown that, with increase of the initial humidity in the diffuser, there appears a sharply expressed region which has a negative pressure gradient, where the steam velocity can reach the critical value. The numerical solution is compared with the experimental results.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 44–49, November–December, 1973.     

Vibrations of a Rigid Body with Cylindrical Surface on a Vibrating Foundation

The analytic solution of the problem of forced vibrations of a rigid body with cylindrical surface on a horizontal foundation is given. It is assumed that the dry friction force acts at the point of contact between the cylindrical surface of the body and the foundation and the foundation moves by a harmonic law in the horizontal direction perpendicularly to the cylindrical surface element. The averaging method is used to determine the forced vibration mode near the natural frequency of the body vibrations on the fixed foundation. The results are presented as amplitude-frequency and phase-frequency characteristics.     

The flow of closely fitting particles in tapered tubes

The flow of rigid spheres, truncated cones and elastic incompressible spheres in tapered tubes is investigated assuming that the Reynolds equation is valid in the fluid and the linear theory of elasticity is applicable in the solid. It is shown that leading terms in the asymptotic expansion of pressure drop in terms of minimum fluid film thickness for neutrally buoyant rigid spheres and truncated cones are of higher order of magnitude compared to the corresponding terms for the flow of these particles in circular cylindrical tubes. The effect of taper angle on pressure drop is reduced in the case of soft elastic particles because of particle deformations and significant velocities at the particle surface.     

Viscous flow of a suspension of liquid drops in a cylindrical tube

Viscous flow in a circular cylindrical tube containing an infinite line of viscous liquid drops equally spaced along the tube axis is considered under the assumption that a surface tension, sufficiently large, holds the drops in a nearly spherical shape. Three cases are considered: (1) axial translation of the drops, (2) flow of the external fluid past a line of stationary drops, and (3) flow of external fluid and liquid drops under an imposed pressure gradient. Both fluids are taken to be Newtonian and incompressible, and the linearized equations of creeping flow are used.The results show that both drag and pressure drop per sphere increase as the spacing increases at fixed radius and also increase as the radius of the drop increases. The presence of the internal motion reduces the drag and pressure gradients in all cases compared to rigid spheres, particularly for drops approaching the size of the tube.     

LES study on the influence of the diffuser inlet angle of a centrifugal pump on pressure fluctuations

Large-Eddy Simulations are conducted on a centrifugal pump at design and reduced flow-rates for three diffuser geometries, to investigate the effect of changing the diffuser inlet angle on the overall performance and the pressure fields. In particular, pressure fluctuations are investigated, which affect the unsteady loads acting on the pump, as well as vibrations, noise and cavitation phenomena. The considered modification of the diffuser geometry is targeted at decreasing the incidence angle at the off-design flow-rate by rotating the stationary blades of the pump around their leading edge. Results are compared against those of an earlier study, where the same modification of the diffuser inlet angle was achieved by increasing also the radial gap between impeller and diffuser, whose blades were rotated relative to their mid camber location. The comparisons across cases demonstrate that the radial gap between the trailing edge of the impeller blades and the leading edge of the diffuser blades has a more profound influence on pressure fluctuations, compared to the angle of incidence on the diffuser blades of the flow coming from the impeller.     

Inviscid gas flows in nozzles with a steeply converging contour

Inviscid gas flows in nozzles with a uniform exit flow and contours profiled starting from the lower point of a steeply converging region with an angle θ = −90° are analyzed. It is shown that there exists a class of convergent-divergent contours, within which the flow is characterized by the fact that the line θ = 0 of zero angle of the velocity vector inclination to the x axis consists of two oppositely-directed regions located partially or even completely ahead of the minimum section, while near the minimum sections their regions convex inward the gas stream are in decelerated flow. The minimum sections of the nozzles with M _e → 1 approach the center of the nozzle from the right.     

Numerical prediction of turbulent flow in a conical diffuser usingk-ε model

Fully developed incompressible turbulent flow in a conical diffuser having a total divergence angle of 8° and an area ratio of 4∶1 has been simulated by ak-ε turbulence model with high Reynolds number and adverse pressure gradient. The research has been done for pipe entry Reynolds numbers of 1.16×10⁵ and 2.93×10⁵. The mean flow velocity and turbulence energy are predicted successfully and the advantage of Boundary Fit Coordinates approach is discussed. Furthermore, thek-ε turbulence model is applied to a flow in a conical diffuser having a total divergence angle of 30° with a perforated screen. A simplified mathematical model, where only the pressure drop is considered, has been used for describing the effect of the perforated screen. The optimum combination of the resistance coefficient and the location of the perforated screen is predicted for high diffuser efficiency or the uniform velocity distribution.     

Minimization of the drag of blunt edges of projecting elements of a hypersonic object

An approximate method is given for calculating the pressure on the critical line of a cylindrical edge of an element projecting above the surface of a hypersonic object. Correlations of the pressure distribution in the interference regions are proposed on the basis of the calculations and analysis of the experimental data. Variational problems of finding the form of a leading edge having minimum drag are set up and solved on the basis of the pressure calculation model obtained. The solutions are sought with the use of Pontryagin's maximum principle. The effect on the minimum drag profile of Mach numbers and blunting of the body is analyzed. The advantage of the optimal form of the edge in comparison with a corresponding rectilinear edge is shown.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 3–9, May–June, 1976.     

Investigation of the flows in axisymmetric and plane divergent channels with preseparation boundary layers on their walls

The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to develop a procedure for constructing separationless plane and axisymmetric diffusers for incompressible high-Reynolds-number flows with a given pressure distribution over the diffuser surface and minimum friction losses. The problem for the region of interaction between the boundary layer and the inviscid outer flow is numerically solved and the effect of variation of the on-design flow parameters in the entry section on the diffuser flow parameters is studied.     

Flow regime visualization and pressure drops of HFO-1234yf,R-134a and R-410A during downward two-phase flow in vertical return bends

This paper provides a qualitative visual observation of the two-phase flow patterns for HFO-1234yf and R-134a during downward flow in a vertical 6.7 mm inner diameter glass return bend. The different flow regimes observed are: slug, intermittent and annular flows. Bubble and vapor slug dynamical behaviors in downward slug flow are reported for HFO-1234yf. In addition, to determine the perturbation lengths up- and downstream of the return bend, the total pressure drop has been measured at different pressure tap location up- and downstream of the singularity. Furthermore, 285 pressure drop data points measured for two-phase flow of HFO-1234yf, R-134a and R-410A in vertical downward flow return bends are presented. The flow behavior in the return bend, which is subjected to the complex combined actions of gravity and centrifugal force was expressed in terms of the vapor Froude number. This experimental pressure drop database, which is included in the appendix, is compared to four well-known prediction methods available in the literature.     

A study of pulsating flow in automotive catalyst systems

Conversion efficiency, durability and pressure drop of automotive exhaust catalysts are dependent on the flow distribution within the substrate. This study examines the effect of pulsating flow on the flow distribution within these systems. The flow distribution was measured for a range of flow rates at pulsation frequencies of 16, 32, 64 and 100 Hz. It was shown that the flow uniformity at 16 Hz was similar to the steady equivalent whereas improved uniformity was seen at the higher frequencies resulting in a reduced pressure drop. It was further found that flow maldistribution under pulsating conditions was less sensitive to increases in flow rate compared to steady-state flow. Downstream of the monolith strong pulses were observed although the pulse shapes changed across the substrate diameter. Flow maldistribution correlated well with a non-dimensional parameter derived from the inlet flow velocity, pulsation frequency and diffuser length.     

Interaction of zones of flow separation in a centrifugal impeller-stationary vane system

In a radial flow pump operating in off-design conditions, regions of stall can exist on the rotating impeller blade and on the downstream diffuser blade, vane or tongue. Interaction of these stall zones can generate complex patterns of vorticity concentrations. In turn, these vorticity concentrations are related to sources of unsteady stagnation enthalpy. The form of these patterns is strongly dependent on the instantaneous location of the impeller trailing-edge relative to the leading-edge of the vane.Comparison of instantaneous with ensemble-averaged images shows that the flow structure in the gap region between the impeller and the vane is highly repetitive. Away from this region, in particular in the separated shear layer from the vane, the nonrepetitive nature of the vorticity field is manifested in substantial reduction of peak levels of vorticity in the ensemble-averaged image, relative to the instantaneous image.The three-dimensional flow structure resulting from these separation zone interactions was characterized via end views of the flow patterns. Particularly pronounced concentrations of vorticity can occur in this plane. They tend to be located in the shear layer at the outer edge of the large-scale separation zone. These vorticity concentrations are, however, highly non-stationary for successive passages of the impeller blade. Ensemble-averaging reveals that they persist primarily on the endwalls of the diffuser.The authors are grateful to the Office of Naval Research for support of this research program     

Wedge flows of a plasticoviscous medium with nonlinear velocity

The properties of plasticoviscous media have been the subject of numerous studies, in particular [1–5]. This paper deals with the problem of plasticoviscous flow in the absence of a pressure drop of a medium with nonlinear viscosity in pure shear in a region wedge-shaped in plan, and with the problem of flow under the influence of a pressure drop, when one face of the wedge moves parallel to the edge.     

Deformation and Heating of an Elastoviscoplastic Cylindrical Layer Moving Owing to a Varying Pressure Drop

Within the framework of the theory of large elastoplastic deformations generalized to the case of viscous and thermophysical properties of materials, we give a solution of a sequence of coupled problems on the onset and development of a flow in a material layer filling the gap between two rigid coaxial cylindrical surfaces under increasing pressure drop and on the subsequent flow deceleration under decreasing pressure gradient. Here the thermophysical and deformation processes are coupled, and the yield stress depends on temperature. Heat production due to the layer material friction against the rough cylindrical boundary surfaces is taken for an additional heat source.     

Supersonic flow past a wedge on a flat plate. Laminar boundary layer separation and reattachment

Supersonic laminar flow past a two-dimensional “flat-plate/wedge“ configuration is numerically investigated. The pressures at the boundary layer separation and reattachment points are calculated over wide Mach and Reynolds number ranges. The minimum angles of the wedge surface inclination at which a return flow occurs are determined. The results are presented in the form of generalized Mach-number-dependences of the theoretical pressure on the wedge surface initiating boundary layer separation and the pressure at the boundary layer reattachment point.     

The turbulent boundary layer on the moving surface of a cylindrical body

A study is made of the problem of a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer on the moving surface of a cylindrical body (a Rankine oval with a relative elongation of four) moving at constant velocity in an incompressible fluid. For the numerical simulation of the turbulent flow of the fluid, the boundary layer is divided into exterior and interior regions in accordance with a two-layer model, using different expressions for the coefficients of turbulent transfer for each region. A study was nade of the development of the boundary layer on the body at different speeds of the body surface and different Reynolds numbers. The following integral characteristics were found by numerical calculation: the work of friction as the body is displaced; the work expended on the movement of its surface; and, for a flow regime with separation, the work of the pressure force. In this case the following model of separation flow is assumed: beyond the singular point in the solution of the boundary layer equations that indicates the appearance of a region of reverse flow, the pressure and friction stress on the wall are constant and are determined by their values at the singular point.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSH, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 61–67, September–October, 1984.Finally, the author would like to thank G. G. Chernyi and Yu. D. Shevelev for useful discussions and for their interest in this work.     

Minimization of the Wing Airfoil Drag Coefficient Using the Optimal Control Method

The problem of designing a wing airfoil starting from the surface velocity (or pressure) distribution, given in multi-parameter form, is considered. In the diffuser region, the velocity decrease law is determined from the conditions of minimum drag and separationless flow for a given Reynolds number. The case of boundary layer suction for the purpose of improving the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil is studied. A solution is obtained using optimal control theory.