Unsteady laminar separated flow through constricted channel

In the present paper unsteady Navier-Stokes equations have been solved numerically by finite-difference technique in staggered grid distribution for a flow through a channel with locally symmetric and asymmetric constrictions. A coordinate stretching has been made to map the infinite irregular geometry into a finite regular computational domain. Pressure and pressure-velocity corrections scheme have been developed. Convergence criteria (in terms of continuity equation) has been achieved after few time iterations. The critical Reynolds number for asymmetric flow through a symmetric constriction has been found. Critical values depend on the area reduction and the length of the constriction. The increment of Reynolds number grows the asymmetry of the flow. The root mean square (r.m.s.) centreline vertical velocity for asymmetric flow through a symmetric constriction has been drawn at different Reynolds numbers. For flow through symmetric constriction the centreline vertical velocity shows finite oscillation behind the constriction at high Reynolds number.     

基于PIV测量的超声波流量计内流场特性研究

采用PIV(Particle Image Velocimetry)测量手段,考察了小口径超声波流量计的流动特性。首先针对前端安装直管段时,不同流量条件下的流场特性建立基本认识,实验结果表明,在低流量条件下,流量计内流场存在明显的不稳定演变和非定常流动特征。进一步以上游前端安装球阀为典型案例,考察了安装条件对超声波流量计响应特性和测量偏差的影响。结合直管段的实验观测结果,发现此种结构超声波流量计的适应性与其流场非定常性的关系具有很好的一致性,即流场结构稳定则适应性强。此外,综合多参数的实验结果表明,雷诺数是判断小口径超声波流量计测量准确性的重要无量纲参数。     

The local structure of gas fluidized beds —I. A statistically based measuring system

A system is described for measuring the parameters characterizing the local state of fluidization in beds of arbitrary sizes. This system is based on a miniaturized capacitance probe shaped so as not to disturb the local state of fluidization. Based on a statistical analysis of the signal, the mean bubble pulse duration, the number of bubbles striking the probe per unit time and the local mean bubble rise velocity are measured. The latter is measured by using the cross-correlation technique. From these parameters, further characteristics of the local state of fluidization are derived, in particular the local mean pierced length of bubbles, the local bubble volume fraction and the local bubble gas flow.     

Nonlinear temporal filtering of time-resolved digital particle image velocimetry data

Nonlinear filtering methods have been developed to identify and replace outlying data points in velocity time series obtained with time-resolved digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) of the flow around a surface-mounted cube at a Reynolds number of 20,000. Nuances associated with the spectral computation of the cross-correlation are highlighted, including the requirement of zero-padding an image interrogation area to eliminate the circular components of the cross-correlation. Three nonlinear filtering methods for the replacement of outliers are applied to the velocity time series sampled at 1,000 Hz: a median filter, a decision-based Hampel filter, and a PIV-specific Hampel filter. The particular benefit of the PIV-specific Hampel filter is that it allows the retention of actual measured data, sometimes derived from alternate peaks in the cross-correlation function, while still providing for the removal of outliers when a consistent, nonoutlying measurement is not available.     

Measurement of bubble size, velocity and concentration in flashing flow behind a sudden constriction

In the present paper the results of investigations in flashing flow behind a sudden constriction in vertical upflow are described. Flow visualization, laser-Doppler and phase-Doppler anemometry have been used to measure local bubble and fluid velocities, local bubble sizes and void fractions. The measurements were performed in the midplane of a two-dimensional channel with a 2:1 stepwise constriction.It was found that bubble nucleation takes place in the recirculation zone immediately behind the constriction, which is the location of the lowest static pressure. These bubbles are transported downstream by the mean flow field, while undergoing further growth. No additional nucleation was observed downstream of the recirculation zone. A periodic, cloudwise behaviour of the bubble formation was found which could be explained by the interaction between the bubble growth and the mean flow field. This interaction results in strong disturbances of the mean flow field, which show up as an increase of the fluctuating bubble velocity by a factor of 3 compared to single-phase measurements in a region of 10 step heights behind the constriction. However, these fluctuations appear more like a periodic change in the mean velocity rather than a higher turbulence level. The measured arithmetic mean bubble diameters rise from approx. 50 μm in the recirculation region to about 70–80 μm 50 step heights downstream. Maximum local bubble number density and void fraction were found to be 160001/cm³ and 0.8%, respectively.     

An experimental investigation of the effect of a constriction on turbulent pipe flow

Measurements have been made of the distributions of the mean-velocity and the axial turbulence velocity component in a cross-section of a circular tube at various distances downstream from a number of different constrictions. Also spectral distributions of the turbulence velocity have been measured in the axis of the tube and in a point very close to the wall. The constrictions had a contraction ratio of 0.25 except one which had a ratio of 0.5. One of the constrictions was made of a thin rubber hose. When for this constriction the contraction ratio was reduced to a value smaller than 0.25, self-excited vibrations of the hose took place, producing an oscillating flow of the air in the tube. The Reynoldsnumber was kept at roughly 5,000. As could be expected, after 40 tube diameter distance downstream from the constrictions an almost complete recovery of the disturbed turbulent flow, as far as the distributions of the mean velocity and relative turbulence intensity are concerned, was obtained. Depending on the shape of the constriction even a shorter distance appeared to be sufficient. The flexible constriction then was in the non-vibrating condition. However, the spectral distributions showed in some cases still a difference with the undisturbed case, in particular in the low frequency range. If the flexible constriction was vibrating, the induced oscillations of the flow which showed up as discrete peaks in the spectral distributions, persisted over the entire length of the tube, again as expected.     

Measurement of multiple gas-bubble velocities in gas–liquid flows using hot-film anemometry

A dual-probe hot-film anemometry technique has been developed to measure multiple gas-bubble velocities corresponding to different gas-bubble size groups in air–water flows. A data reduction scheme using wavelet analysis combined with a phase-detection technique is used to discriminate the hot-film anemometer output signals into signals corresponding to different bubble size groups. The phase and bubble size discrimination is based on the magnitude and time derivative of the signal, and the streamwise length of the gas bubbles. A cross-correlation between the discriminated signals from the two probes yields an average time difference of arrival of the gas bubbles at the two sensor locations. The velocities are estimated from the distance between the sensors and the time difference of arrival. The mean bubble size is estimated from the chord length distribution. Measurements performed in vertical-up air–water slug flow show the technique to be a viable method for obtaining bubble velocity and size information. The velocity measurements from the hot-film anemometry are corroborated using a high-speed quantitative flow visualization system. Received: 22 December 1999/Accepted: 8 May 2001     

An experimental investigation of pulsatile flow through a smooth constriction

Measurements of flow disturbances in the downstream region of modeled stenoses in a rigid tube, with upstream pulsatile flow are reported. Experiments were conducted over physiologically relevant mean Reynolds numbers of 600; based on the tube diameter and the time-averaged value of upstream centerline velocity. Contoured constrictions with 25%, 50% and 75% area reductions were investigated and velocity data were obtained from ensemble averaging techniques (phase-locked waveform). Experimental data over extensive spatial regions of poststenotic fields were taken, employing a two-component laser Doppler velocimeter LDV. Constant time sampling techniques for performing data or frequency analyses were used to avoid velocity bias and to study the evolution of poststenotic flow disturbances. It is found that different types of flow disturbances exist downstream of the constriction. Data analysis methods with the aid of flow visualization allow accurate classification of the disturbances which are sensitive indicators of mild to moderate constrictions. Although the present study was motivated by a biological situation, sufficient data were reported in detail that they may also be used by investigators working in computational fluid dynamics.     

Experiments on turbulence beneath a free surface in a stationary field generated by a Crump weir: free-surface characteristics and the relevant scales

This work concerns the analysis of experimental instantaneous fluid levels and three-component fluid velocity measurements in a stationary flow field generated by a Crump weir in a laboratory flume using an ultrasonic distance sensor and a three-probe arrangement of an ultrasonic Doppler velocity profiler. The tests are characterised by different and increasing Froude numbers (Fr = 0.10–0.38), with the free surface of the fluid ranging from flat (low Froude number) to almost aerated (high Froude number). The statistics of the free surface are computed, and the relevant length and velocity scales are measured. A free-surface boundary layer was detected having a thickness proportional to the root mean square of the free-surface height series and with a velocity scale that related well to the free-surface elevation time gradient. The mean velocity profiles are presented. There are many indicators that a specific regime occurs with an optimal tuning between free surface and turbulence. In this regime, the length scales are raised.     

PIV study on a shock-induced separation in a transonic flow

A transonic interaction between a steady shock wave and a turbulent boundary layer in a Mach 1.4 channel flow is experimentally investigated by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV). In the test section, the lower wall is equipped with a contour profile shaped as a bump allowing flow separation. The transonic interaction, characterized by the existence in the outer flow of a lambda shock pattern, causes the separation of the boundary layer, and a low-speed recirculating bubble is observed downstream of the shock foot. Two-component PIV velocity measurements have been performed using an iterative gradient-based cross-correlation algorithm, providing high-speed and flexible calculations, instead of the classic multi-pass processing with FFT-based cross-correlation. The experiments are performed discussing all the hypotheses linked to the experimental set-up and the technique of investigation such as the two-dimensionality assumption of the flow, the particle response assessment, the seeding system, and the PIV correlation uncertainty. Mean velocity fields are presented for the whole interaction with particular attention for the recirculating bubble downstream of the detachment, especially in the mixing layer zone where the effects of the shear stress are most relevant. Turbulence is discussed in details, the results are compared to previous study, and new results are given for the turbulent production term and the return to isotropy mechanism. Finally, using different camera lens, a zoom in the vicinity of the wall presents mean and turbulent velocity fields for the incoming boundary layer.     

Effect of measurement volume size on turbulent flow measurement using ultrasonic Doppler method

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the effects of measurement volume size on the mean velocity profile and the Reynolds stress for fully developed turbulent pipe flows. The study employs the ultrasonic velocity profile method, which is based on the ultrasonic Doppler method. The ultrasonic Doppler method offers many advantages over conventional methods for flow rate measurement in the nuclear power plant piping system. This method is capable of measuring the instantaneous velocity profile along the measuring line and is applicable for opaque liquids and opaque pipe wall materials. Furthermore, the method has the characteristic of being non-intrusive. Although it is applicable to various flow conditions, it requires a relatively large measurement volume. The measurement volume of the present method has a disk-shape determined by the effective diameter of the piezoelectric element and the number of the wave cycles of the ultrasonic pulse. Considering this disk-shaped measurement volume and expressing the time-averaged velocity in a truncated Taylor series expansion around the value at the center of the measuring control volume, the value of the velocity can be obtained. The results are then compared with the data obtained from DNS and LDA measurements. The result shows that the effect of the measurement volume size appears in the buffer region and viscous sublayer.     

A kilohertz frame rate cinemagraphic PIV system for laboratory-scale turbulent and unsteady flows

A kilohertz frame rate cinemagraphic particle image velocimetry (PIV) system has been developed for acquiring time-resolved image sequences of laboratory-scale gas and liquid-phase turbulent flows. Up to 8000 instantaneous PIV images per second are obtained, with sequence lengths exceeding 4000 images. The two-frame cross-correlation method employed precludes directional ambiguity and has a higher signal-to-noise ratio than single-frame autocorrelation or cross-correlation methods, facilitating acquisition of long uninterrupted sequences of valid PIV images. Low and high velocities can be measured simultaneously with similar accuracy by adaptively cross-correlating images with the appropriate time delay. Seed particle illumination is provided by two frequency-doubled Nd:YAG lasers producing Q-switched pulses at the camera frame rate. PIV images are acquired using a 16 mm high-speed rotating prism camera. Frame-to-frame registration is accomplished by imaging two pairs of crossed lines onto each frame and aligning the digitized image sequence to these markers using image processing algorithms. No flow disturbance is created by the markers because only their image is projected to the PIV imaging plane, with the physical projection device residing outside the flow field. The frame-to-frame alignment uncertainty contributes 2% to the overall velocity measurement uncertainty, which is otherwise comparable to similar film-based PIV methods. Received: 11 July 2000 / Accepted: 21 June 2001 Published online: 29 November 2001     

4D Magnetic resonance velocimetry for mean velocity measurements in complex turbulent flows

An adaptation of a medical magnetic resonance imaging system to the noninvasive measurement of three-component mean velocity fields in complex turbulent engineering flows is described. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the capabilities of the technique with respect to its accuracy, time efficiency and applicability as a design tool for complex turbulent internal geometries. The technique, called 4D magnetic resonance velocimetry (4D-MRV), is used to measure the mean flow in fully developed low-Reynolds number turbulent pipe flow, Re=6400 based on bulk mean velocity and diameter, and in a model of a gas turbine blade internal cooling geometry with four serpentine passages, Re=10,000 and 15,000 based on bulk mean velocity and hydraulic diameter. 4D-MRV is capable of completing full-field measurements in three-dimensional volumes with sizes on the order of the magnet bore diameter in less than one hour. Such measurements can include over 2 million independent mean velocity vectors. Velocities measured in round pipe flow agreed with previous experimental results to within 10%. In the turbulent cooling passage flow, the average flow rates calculated from the 4D-MRV velocity profiles agreed with ultrasonic flowmeter measurements to within 7%. The measurements lend excellent qualitative insight into flow structures even in the highly complex 180° bends. Accurate quantitative measurements were obtained throughout the Re=10,000 flow and in the Re=15,000 flow except in the most complex regions, areas just downstream of high-speed bends, where velocities and velocity fluctuations exceeded MRV capabilities for the chosen set of scan parameters. General guidelines for choosing scanning parameters and suggestions for future development are presented.     

Separation behaviour in front of a two-dimensional fence

The wall-bounded turbulent shear flow in front of a two-dimensional fence was investigated experimentally. In this prototype of a rapidly separating flow the assumptions for a first-order boundary-layer theory cease to apply. This is caused by the streamline curvature, the ensuing pressure gradient normal to the wall and the large vertical velocity component v in front of the fence. For the present experiment, where the ratio of the boundary layer thickness δ₀ measured without the fence and the fence height h is 0.82, the time mean separation length upstream of the fence l_f is 0.65h. However, instantaneous reverse flow events can be detected up to 4 mean separation lengths l_f upstream of the fence. The maximum value of the reverse flow factor χ_w is 95% indicating a strong reverse flow region. The experiments were performed by LDA and a wall pulsed-wire skin-friction meter. They show the limits of first-order boundary-layer theory and provide the first comprehensive data set of mean and fluctuating velocities and of wall shear-stress for this type of separating flow.     

Evaluation of the performance of high-speed PIV compared to standard PIV in a turbulent jet

In this paper, a comparison between two particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems, one based on a standard cross-correlation charge coupled device (CCD) camera with pulsed laser and another using high-speed complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera with continuous laser is performed. The objective of the paper is to point out advantages and disadvantages of the two systems when computing large and small flow scale statistics. The comparison is performed on velocity measurements in the near and far fields of a circular water jet: on this flow several experimental data and empirical self-similarity laws are available for comparisons. The results show that both systems are suitable for measurements with a preference for the standard one when investigating small-scale statistics. This result depends on the lower number of effectively independent samples acquired by a high-speed system and on the higher noise levels of CMOS sensors in comparison to CCDs.     

Influence of local ultrasonic forcing on a turbulent boundary layer

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effect of local ultrasonic forcing on a turbulent boundary layer. The ultrasonic forcing system was constructed by adhering six ultrasonic transducers to a flat plate over which water was flowed. In this system, the ultrasonic waves projected into the water by the transducers caused cavitation, giving rise to an enormous number of tiny water-vapor bubbles. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) was used to probe the flow characteristics. The SPIV results showed that imposition of the ultrasonic forcing caused a substantial increase in the mean wall-normal velocity but a decrease in the mean streamwise velocity. The ultrasonic forcing reduced the skin friction coefficient by up to 60% immediately downstream of the transducers; this effect gradually dissipated with moving downstream. The streamwise turbulence intensity was reduced near the wall but increased away from the wall, whereas the wall-normal turbulence intensity was not much affected near the wall but increased away from the wall. The Reynolds shear stress and the production of turbulent kinetic energy were reduced near the wall. Imposition of the ultrasonic forcing shifted the streamwise vortical structures away from the wall, leading to a reduction in skin friction.     

A numerical study of pulsatile laminar flows in a pipe with a ring-type constriction

Numerical simulations have been carried out to study pulsatile laminar flows in a pipe with an axisymmetric ringtype constriction. Three types of pulsatile flows were investigated, namely a physiological flow, a pure sinusoidal flow and a non-zero mean velocity sinusoidal flow. The laminar flow governing equations were solved by the SIMPLE algorithm on a non-staggered grid and a modified Crank-Nicolson approximation was used to discretrize the momentum equations with respect to time. The maximum flow Reynolds numer (Re) is 100. The Womersley number (N_w) ranges from 0 to 50, with the corresponding Strouhal number (St) ranging from 0 to 3·98. The constriction opening ratio (d/D) and thickness ratio (h/D) are fixed at 0·5 and 0·1 respectively. Within the time period investigated, all these pulsatile flows include both forward and backward flows. The unsteady recirculation region and the recirculation points change in size and location with time. For N_w ≤ 1 and St≤ 1·56 x 10^?3 the three pulsatile flows have the same simple relation between the instantaneous flow rate and pressure loss (Δp) across the constriction and the pressure gradient in the axial direction (dp/dz) in the fully developed flow region. The phase angles between the flow rate and pressure loss and the pressure gradient are equal to zero. With increasing N_w and St, the phase angle between the flow rate and the dp/dz becomes larger and has its maximum value of 90° at N_w = 50 and St = 3·98. The three pulsatile flows also show different relations between the flow rate and the pressure gradient. The pure sinusoidal flow has the largest maximum pressure gradient and the non-zero mean velocity sinusoidal flow has the smallest. For larger N_w and St the fully developed velocity profiles in the fully developed flow region have a smaller velocity gradient along the radial direction in the central region. The maximum recirculation length increases for N_w ranging from 0 to 4·2, while this length becomes very small at N_w = 50 and St = 3·98. The deceleration tends to enlarge the recirculation region and this effect appears for N_w ≥ 3 and St ≥ 1·43×10^?2. Linear relations exist between the flow rate and the instantaneous maximum values of velocity, vorticity and shear stress.     

Stereoscopic PIV: validation and application to an isotropic turbulent flow

 A new stereoscopic PIV system to measure the three velocity components is developed and applied to grid turbulence flows. This system uses two CCD cameras coupled with an accurate cross-correlation calculation method. An experimental test (based upon three-dimensional displacements) has been carried out to demonstrate the capability of this process to locate the maximum of correlation, and to detect accurately the 3D displacements. Experiments in a well-established turbulent flow have validated the method for quantitative measurements and a comparison with LDV results showed a good agreement in terms of mean and fluctuating velocities. Combined PIV and stereoscopic PIV measurements on a turbulent flow revealed the need to the stereoscopic systems to measure accurate 2D velocity fields. It has been shown that an error of up to 10% in the velocity fluctuation measured by conventional PIV could be attained due to 3D effects in highly turbulent cases. Finally, the digital cross-correlation technique adapted to the determination of small displacements seems to be the most suitable technique for stereoscopic PIV. Received: 22 July 1997/Accepted: 27 January 1998     

The importance of downstream events in microfluidic viscoelastic entry flows: Consequences of increasing the constriction length

Polymer solutions and melts can exhibit large upstream corner and lip vortices, unstable and diverging flow and an enhanced pressure drop when flowing through a geometry containing a constriction. In the present work, we use a planar microfluidic device to show that the length of the downstream constriction plays an important role in the upstream kinematics and the extra pressure drop. That is, the elastic flow phenomena observed upstream of a constriction during entry flows of polymer solutions are not exclusively a result of the stretching dynamics induced by the converging flow—the downstream relaxation events are, at least, equally important. Flow visualization experiments with semi-dilute solutions of a high molecular weight polymer showed that large stable symmetric vortices could be reduced to highly chaotic asymmetric flow, merely by increasing the length of the constriction—the Reynolds number and elasticity number were both held constant. This was accompanied by a higher extra pressure. These results support the hypothesis that elastic flow instabilities originate downstream of the constriction (at the expansion) and move progressively upstream with time and/or flowrate. These findings may also partly explain the discrepancies commonly observed between the results of entry flow experiments and numerical simulations, in which the downstream geometry is very rarely considered. Lastly, we illustrate how to minimize the occurrence of unstable flow upstream of a constriction, which is a necessary condition for closed microrheometry devices used to characterize low viscosity elastic fluids.     

Uncertainty analysis of flow rate measurement for multiphase flow using CFD

The venturi meter has an advantage in its use,because it can measure flow without being much affected by the type of the measured fluid or flow conditions.Hence,it has excellent versatility and is being widely applied in many industries.The flow of a liquid containing air is a representative example of a multiphase flow and exhibits complex flow characteristics.In particular,the greater the gas volume fraction(GVF),the more inhomogeneous the flow becomes.As a result,using a venturi meter to measure the rate of a flow that has a high GVF generates an error.In this study,the cause of the error occurred in measuring the flow rate for the multiphase flow when using the venturi meter for analysis by CFD.To ensure the reliability of this study,the accuracy of the multiphase flow models for numerical analysis was verified through comparison between the calculated results of numerical analysis and the experimental data.As a result,the Grace model,which is a multiphase flow model established by an experiment with water and air,was confirmed to have the highest reliability.Finally,the characteristics of the internal flow Held about the multiphase flow analysis result generated by applying the Grace model were analyzed to find the cause of the uncertainty occurring when measuring the flow rate of the multiphase flow using the venturi meter.A phase separation phenomenon occurred due to a density difference of water and air inside the venturi,and flow inhomogeneity happened according to the flow velocity difference of each phase.It was confirmed that this flow inhomogeneity increased as the GVF increased due to the uncertainty of the flow measurement.