Vortex formation behind a cylinder in a fluctuating flow

A visual investigation of the flow structure in the near wake behind a transverse cylinder in a fluctuating flow is carried out. The experiments were performed on a special setup, on wide ranges of the frequencies and amplitudes of superimposed fluctuations. Characteristic flow patterns are revealed and the corresponding wake flow structures are described. On the basis of the generalization of the information obtained the flow pattern map is constructed.     

Atomization of a Powder by a Swirling Flow with a Recirculation Zone

The problem of the motion of a swirling flow in an axisymmetric channel with permeable walls is investigated numerically. Various flow regimes including those with the formation of recirculation zones are obtained. The problem of atomization of a powder by a swirling flow for the purpose of obtaining a finely dispersed mixture is considered. Particle concentration distributions in the flow are calculated, the formation of characteristic deposition zones is demonstrated, and the unsteady process of particle transfer is investigated with allowance for deposition on the lateral surface of the channel.     

Flow regimes formed by a counterflow jet in a supersonic flow

Results on the effect of the dynamic pressure, Mach number, and temperature of a jet injected from a body upstream in a free supersonic flow on the formation of flow regimes are presented. Flow regimes that ensure the greatest decrease in the drag of the body are given, the mechanism of formation of the LPM flow structure is described, and an approximate criterion is found, which allows determination of the range of existence of various modes of jet penetration into the flow.     

Flow rate through a long channel with a rotating damper at the end

The experimental data on the flow rate (velocity) of a fluctuating air flow are presented on a wide fluctuation frequency range at a constant pressure difference between the channel entry and exit. The superimposed flow fluctuations were produced by periodic cut-off of the exit section by a rotating damper. A considerable dependence of the mean flow rate (velocity) on the wave structure of the flow is established. A flow rate minimum corresponds to resonance flow modes with a maximum relative amplitude of the flow velocity fluctuations.     

Two-phase flow of R-134a refrigerant during flow boiling through a horizontal circular mini-channel

This research focuses on heat transfer to R-134a during flow boiling in a 1.75 mm internal diameter tube. Flow visualisation and heat transfer experiments are conducted to obtain heat transfer coefficients for different flow patterns. The measured data in each flow regime are compared with predictions from a three-zone flow boiling model. The calculations are in fair agreement with the experimental results which correspond in particular to slug flow, throat-annular flow and churn flow regimes under conditions of low heat flux.     

Interactions between a rectangular cylinder and a free-surface flow

The salient features of the interaction between a free-surface flow and a cylinder of rectangular cross-section are investigated and discussed. Laboratory-scale experiments are performed in a water channel under various flow conditions and elevations of the cylinder above the channel floor. The flow field is characterized on the basis of time-averaged and fluctuating local velocity measurements. Dynamic loadings on the cylinder are measured by two water-insulated dynamometers placed inside the cylinder structure. Starting from frequency and spectral analyses of the force signals, insights on the relationship between force dominant frequencies and the Strouhal number of the vortex shedding phenomenon are provided. Experimental results highlight the strong influence of the asymmetric configuration imposed by the two different boundary conditions (free surface and channel floor) on (i) the mean force coefficients and (ii) the vortex shedding frequencies. We provide an analysis of the nature of the dependence of average force coefficients on relevant dimensionless groups, i.e., the Reynolds number, normalized flow depth and cylinder submersion.     

Buoyancy-induced airflow in a side-heated structure consisting of a cubic box and vertical ducts

Buoyancy-induced airflow in a box with one wall heated, an unheated inlet duct connected to its floor, and an exit duct with one side heated connected to its ceiling is experimentally investigated. A flow rate prediction method based on buoyancy and flow resistance balance is proposed and experimentally validated. The flow pattern and thermal stratification in the box; the flow resistance characteristics for low Reynolds numbers; the relationship among buoyancy, flow resistance, and pressure defect; the chimney effect caused by the exit duct; and the heat transfer characteristics of the heated walls are clarified. The flow rate, thermal stratification, and flow enhancement due to the chimney effect are considerably dependent on the size of the gap of the exit duct.     

The flow gradients in the vicinity of a shock wave for a thermodynamically imperfect gas

Supersonic rotational planar and axisymmetric flows of a non-viscous, non-heat-conductive gas with arbitrary thermodynamic properties in the vicinity of a steady shock wave are studied. The differential equations describing the gas flow upstream and downstream of the discontinuity surface and the dynamic compatibility conditions at this discontinuity are used. The gas flow non-uniformity in the shock vicinity is described by the spatial derivatives of the gasdynamic parameters at a point on the shock surface. The parameters are the gas pressure, density, and velocity vector. The derivatives with respect to the directions of the streamline and normal to it, and of the shock surface and normal to it, are considered. Spatial derivatives of all gasdynamic parameters are expressed through the flow non-isobaric factor along the streamline, the streamline curvature, and the flow vorticity and non-isoenthalpy factors. An algorithm for determining these factors of the gas flow downstream of a shock wave is developed. Example calculations of these factors for imperfect oxygen and thermodynamically perfect gas are presented. The influence coefficients of the upstream flow factors on the downstream flow factors are calculated. The gas flow in the vicinity of the shock is described by the isolines of gasdynamic parameters. Uniform planar and axisymmetric flows at different distances from the axis of symmetry are examined; the isobars, isopycnics, isotachs and isoclines are used to characterize the downstream flow behind a curved shock in an imperfect gas.     

Two-phase flow over a surface with the formation of a liquid film by particle deposition

A consistent asymptotic theory of wall flow with film formation is constructed with reference to subsonic two-phase flow over a blunt body. The external flow problem and the film equations are solved simultaneously. This formulation of the problem supplements the investigation carried out in [4] in which particles deposited on the surface were assumed to disappear from the flow. It is shown that depending on the values of the governing parameters the flow in the film should be described either by the boundary layer equations or by the equations of creeping flow in a layer of unknown thickness. At the outer edge of the film the mass, momentum and energy fluxes found from the numerical solution of the flow problem are given. The case of isothermal film flow on the front of a sphere is investigated. The thickness of the film and the friction and heat transfer coefficients near the axis of symmetry are found for nonisothermal flows. The conditions under which the presence of a film significantly reduces the heat flow to the wall are determined. A similar formulation of the problem (but with another type of mass, momentum and energy sources at the outer edge) is encountered in problems of film condensation on a cold surface [5, 6].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 85–92, July–August, 1989.     

Experimental investigation on flow characteristics in a narrow annulus

Experiments are carried out to investigate the flow characteristics with/without heat exchange in a narrow annulus. In the experiments, directions of flow include horizontal, upstream and downstream flow. Experimental results show that the flow characteristics of water through the narrow annulus are different from those in normal tubes. Flow directions have little influences on the flow friction for the fluid flow in the narrow annulus with/without heat exchange. The flow characteristics in the narrow annulus have relations to the liquid temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of the annulus. Their influences on the flow characteristics are relatively obvious in the laminar flow area. When the Reynolds number is larger than 10⁴, there are little differences between the flow friction factors with/without heat exchange. It is also found that the asymmetrical flow can make the friction factor increase, whereas the symmetrical flow can reduce the flow friction. In the experiments, the transition from laminar to turbulent flow is carefully observed. In the narrow annulus, the flow transition is initiated earlier than that in normal pipes at a Reynolds number range from 1,100 to 1,500, which is different from the heat transfer transition. The results are gained to provide bases for the further investigations on the two-phase flow in narrow annuli.     

Transient removal of a contaminated fluid from a cavity

A numerical and experimental study of the time-dependent hydrodynamic removal of a contaminated fluid from a cavity on the floor of a duct is presented. The duct flow has a parabolic inlet velocity profile and laminar flows are considered in a Reynolds number range between 50 and 1600 based on the duct height. The properties of the contaminated cavity fluid are assumed to be the same as for the fluid flowing in the duct. Attention is focussed on the convective transport of contaminated fluid out from the cavity and the effect of duct flow acceleration on the cleaning process. Passive markers which are convected with the flow are used in the numerical simulation for the purpose of identifying the contaminated cavity fluid. It is shown that the cleansing of the cavity is more pronounced during the unsteady start-up of the duct flow and the rate of cleaning decreases as the flow reaches a steady state. The cleaning process is enhanced as the cavity aspect ratio is increased and as the duct Reynolds number increases. A ‘volumetric’ approach based on the spread of markers is shown to be useful in determining the fraction of the cavity that remains contaminated after steady conditions have been reached. The distribution of the contaminant in a cavity during the unsteady stage and after steady conditions are reached are identified using passive markers.     

Profiling the Supersonic Part of a Plug Nozzle with a Nonuniform Transonic Flow

The effect of transonic flow nonuniformity on the profiling of optimal plug nozzles is studied in the inviscid gas approximation. Sonic and supersonic regions providing maximum thrust for given nozzle dimensions and a given outer pressure are designed for given subsonic contours and calculated nonuniform transonic flows. As in the case of uniform flow on a cylindrical sonic surface, the initial regions of the designed contours satisfy the condition that in these regions the flow Mach number is unity or near-unity. In all the examples calculated, the optimal plug nozzles produce a greater thrust than the optimal axisymmetric and annular nozzles with a near-axial flow for the same lengths and the same gas flow rates through the nozzle. It is established that contouring without regard for transonic flow nonuniformity can result in considerable thrust losses. However, these losses are due only to a decrease in the flow rate, while the specific thrust may even increase slightly.     

Three-dimensional gas flow in a rotating cylinder with a retarding cover

The study of rotating flows is of interest due to both the development of the centrifugal method of separation of gas and isotope mixtures and the possibility of astrophysical applications. An analytical nonlinear model for calculating the hydrodynamic characteristics of the viscous incompressible fluid flow in a rotating cylinder in the presence of a retarding cover is presented. The cases of stationary and rotating covers are considered. The analysis is performed on the basis of the system of hydrodynamic Navier-Stokes equations. The flow domain is divided up into the main flow and end boundary layers at the cylinder bottom and at the rotating cover. In its turn, the main flow is divided up into an inviscid quasi-rigid core and a lateral layer within which almost the entire upward circulatory flow is concentrated. The equations of the boundary layers at the end surfaces are analyzed by the approximate Slezkin-Targ method. The solutions in the boundary and lateral layers are “stitched” together with the velocity distribution in the main flow core. The unknown angular velocity ω ₁ and radial boundary R ₁ of the core are determined from the balance of the moments of the friction forces acting on the main rotating flow and the continuity condition for the circulatory flow. The experimental and calculated data are compared.     

Problem of Deceleration of a Supersonic Conducting Channel Flow by a Magnetic Field

Problems of the deceleration of a supersonic conducting flow by a magnetic field are investigated. A conducting gas flow in a circular tube is considered in the presence of an axisymmetric magnetic field induced by a unit current loop or solenoid of finite length. The analysis is carried out on the basis of both the Euler equations (inviscid gas) and the complete system of Navier-Stokes equations for laminar viscous gas flow and turbulent flow using a one-parameter turbulence model. The numerical simulation is based on an implicit relaxation finite-difference scheme which is a modification of the Godunov method. The total pressure losses are determined for various values of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) interaction, the initial Mach number, and different magnetic field geometries and it is shown that the irreversible losses are significant in MHD supersonic flow deceleration.     

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of a vortex ring impacting a bump

A vortex ring impinging on a three-dimensional bump is studied using large eddy simulation for a Reynolds number Re = 4 × 10⁴ based on the initial translation speed and diameter of the vortex ring. The effects of bump height on the vortical flow phenomena and the underlying physical mechanisms are investigated. Based on the analysis of the evolution of vortical structures, two typical kinds of vortical structures, i.e., the wrapping vortices and the hair-pin vortices, are identified and play an important role in the flow state evolution. The circulation of the primary vortex ring reasonably elucidates some typical phases of flow evolution. Furthermore, the mechanism of flow transition from laminar to turbulent state has been revealed based on analysis of turbulent kinetic energy.     

Pulsating flow past a spanwise rib in a channel at moderate Reynolds numbers

The results of visual investigations and direct numerical simulation of flow past a spanwise rib in a channel in a pulsating external flow at the Reynolds numbers corresponding to transition to turbulence in the separation region downstream of the rib in steady-state flow past the latter are represented. It is shown that the calculated and experimental data are in the adequate accordance. The effect of the forced unsteadiness parameters on the vortex flow structure downstream of the rib is analyzed. Some laws of the formation and evolution of the vortex structure downstream of the rib in a pulsating flow are obtained.     

Helical Outflow through a Circular Hole in the Bottom of a Semi-Infinite Cylinder (Modification of a Slezkin Problem)

The steady axisymmetric helical flow of an incompressible ideal fluid in a semi-infinite cylinder due to the presence of a circular hole in its bottom is analyzed. At an infinite distance from the bottom, in contrast to the similar problem considered by N. A. Slezkin, constant axial and angular components of the quasi-rigid rotation are maintained and the hole-induced flow is uniformly helical in the Zhukovsky sense, that is, the vorticity vector of the absolute motion is collinear to the relative velocity. In the coordinate system rotating with the fluid, this flow can be represented as the superposition of a straight-line translational flow in the direction of the bottom and a uniformly helical Gromeka-Beltrami flow. The problem is solved using the generalized stream function. The limiting cases of a helical sink in the bottom of a semi-infinite cylinder and helical flow out of a half-space through a circular hole on the boundary are considered. The results are compared with those for potential flow.     

Two-dimensional planar flow of a viscoelastic plastic medium

The present study is concerned with finite element simulation of the planar entry flow of a viscoelastic plastic medium exhibiting yield stress. The numerical scheme is based on the Galerkin formulation. Flow experiments are carried out on a carbon black filled rubber compound. Steady-state pressure drops are measured on two sets of contraction or expansion dies having different lengths and a constant contraction or expansion ratio of 4:1 with entrance angles of 90, 45 and 15 degrees. The predicted and measured pressure drops are compared. The predicted results indicate that expansion flow has always a higher pressure drop than contraction flow. This prediction is in agreement with experimental data only at low flow rates, but not at high flow rates. The latter disagreement is possibly an indication that the assumption of fully-developed flow in the upstream and downstream regions is not realistic at high flow rates, even for the large length-to-thickness ratio channels employed. The evolution of the velocity, shear stress, and normal stress fields in the contraction or expansion flow and the location of pseudo-yield surfaces are also calculated.     

Cavities behind a spillway with a wide sill

The paper reports experimental results on flow regimes with and without cavities behind a rectangular sill in an open channel. Photographs illustrating the shapes of the free ends of the cavities are given. It is shown that the domains of existence of various flow regimes overlap in the phase space of problem parameters, which leads to nonuniqueness of various functions of the parameters. Quantitative information is obtained for free surface profiles, the discharge coefficient, and the pressure on the flow bottom.