Comparison of turbulent channel and pipe flows with varying Reynolds number

Single normal hot-wire measurements of the streamwise component of velocity were taken in fully developed turbulent channel and pipe flows for matched friction Reynolds numbers ranging from 1,000 ≤ Re _τ ≤ 3,000. A total of 27 velocity profile measurements were taken with a systematic variation in the inner-scaled hot-wire sensor length l ⁺ and the hot-wire length-to-diameter ratio (l/d). It was observed that for constant l ⁺ = 22 and l/d >~200l/d \gtrsim 200, the near-wall peak in turbulence intensity rises with Reynolds number in both channels and pipes. This is in contrast to Hultmark et al. in J Fluid Mech 649:103–113, (2010), who report no growth in the near-wall peak turbulence intensity for pipe flow with l ⁺ = 20. Further, it was found that channel and pipe flows have very similar streamwise velocity statistics and energy spectra over this range of Reynolds numbers, with the only difference observed in the outer region of the mean velocity profile. Measurements where l ⁺ and l/d were systematically varied reveal that l ⁺ effects are akin to spatial filtering and that increasing sensor size will lead to attenuation of an increasingly large range of small scales. In contrast, when l/d was insufficient, the measured energy is attenuated over a very broad range of scales. These findings are in agreement with similar studies in boundary layer flows and highlight the need to carefully consider sensor and anemometry parameters when comparing flows across different geometries and when drawing conclusions regarding the Reynolds number dependency of measured turbulence statistics. With an emphasis on accuracy, measurement resolution and wall proximity, these measurements are taken at comparable Reynolds numbers to currently available DNS data sets of turbulent channel/pipe flows and are intended to serve as a database for comparison between physical and numerical experiments.     

Decaying turbulence in a passive mean scalar gradient

We consider the generation of passive scalar fluctuations by decaying isotropic turbulence in the presence of a uniform mean scalar gradient. At high Reynolds numbers, two distinct similarity states may be established depending on the form of the energy spectrum at low wavenumber magnitude (k). In the first similarity state characterized by a low wavenumber magnitude energy spectrum proportional tok ², the mean-square scalar fluctuation grows liket ^4/5, while in the second similarity state characterized by a spectrum proportional tok ⁴, the mean-square scalar fluctuation grows approximately liket ^4/7. These two high Reynolds number asymptotic similarity states have been subsequently confirmed by large-eddy numerical simulations. As a consequence of the decreasing flow Reynolds number as the turbulence decays, these similarity states do not continue indefinitely. At very long times, a final period of decay of the turbulence occurs, and in this final period, the mean-square scalar fluctuation in the first state continues to grow liket ^1/2, while that in the second state ultimately decays liket ^–1/2.     

Reynolds-number-dependence of the maximum in the streamwise velocity fluctuations in wall turbulence

A survey is made of the standard deviation of the streamwise velocity fluctuations in near-wall turbulence and in particular of the Reynolds-number-dependency of its peak value. The following canonical flow geometries are considered: an incompressible turbulent boundary layer under zero pressure gradient, a fully developed two-dimensional channel and a cylindrical pipe flow. Data were collected from 47 independent experimental and numerical studies, which cover a Reynolds number range of R _θ=U _∞ θ/v=300−20,920 for the boundary layer with θ the momentum thickness and R ⁺=u _*R/v=100-4,300 for the internal flows with R the pipe radius or the channel half-width. It is found that the peak value of the rms-value normalised by the friction velocity, u _*, is within statistical errors independent of the Reynolds number. The most probable value for this parameter was found to be 2.71±0.14 and 2.70±0.09 for the case of a boundary layer and an internal flow, respectively. The present survey also includes some data of the streamwise velocity fluctuations measured over a riblet surface. We find no significant difference in magnitude of the normalised peak value between the riblet and smooth surfaces and this property of the normalised peak value may for instance be exploited to estimate the wall shear stress from the streamwise velocity fluctuations. We also consider the skewness of the streamwise velocity fluctuations and find its value to be close to zero at the position where the variance has its peak value. This is explained with help of the equations of the third-order moment of velocity fluctuations. These results for the peak value of the rms of the streamwise velocity fluctuations and also the coincidence of this peak with the zero value of the third moment can be interpreted as confirmation of local equilibrium in the near-wall layer, which is the basis of inner-layer scaling. Furthermore, these results can be also used as a requirement which turbulence models for the second and triple velocity correlations should satisfy. The authors are indebted to Prof. P. Bradshaw for making available his list of references on this topic and for his remarks on “active” and “inactive” motions. We also gratefully acknowledge discussions with Prof. I. Castro regarding the value of σ _u ⁺ above rough walls.     

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.     

On the performance of sudden‐expansion pipe without/with cross‐flow injection: experimental and numerical studies

The paper explores the possibilities that different turbulence closures offer, for in‐depth analysis of a complex flow. The case under investigation is steady, turbulent flow in a pipe with sudden expansion without/with normal‐to‐wall injection through jets. This is a typical geometry where generation of turbulence energy takes place, due to sudden change in boundary conditions. This study is aimed at investigating the capability of a developed computational program by the present authors with three different turbulence models to calculate the mean flow variables. Three two‐equation models are implemented, namely the standard linear k ? ε model, the low Reynolds number k ? ε model and the cubic nonlinear eddy viscosity (NLEV) k ? ε model. The performance of the chosen turbulence models is investigated with regard to the available data in the literature including velocity profiles, turbulent kinetic energy and reattachment position in a pipe expansion. In order to further assess the reliability of the turbulence models, an experimental program was conducted by the present authors also at the fluid mechanics laboratory of Menoufiya University. Preliminary measurements, including the surface pressure along the two walls of the expansion pipe and the pressure drop without and with the presence of different arrangements of wall jets produced by symmetrical or asymmetrical fluid cross‐flow injection, are introduced. The results of the present studies demonstrate the superiority of the cubic NLEV k ? ε model in predicting the flow characteristics over the entire domain. The simple low Reynolds number k ? ε model also gives good prediction, especially when the reattachment point is concerned. The evaluation of the reattachment point and the pressure‐loss coefficient is numerically addressed in the paper using the cubic NLEV k ? ε model. The results show that the injection location can control the performance of the pipe‐expansion system. It is concluded that the introduction of flow injection can increase the energy loss in the pipe expansion. The near‐field turbulence structure is also considered in the present study and it is noticed that the turbulence level is strongly affected by the cross‐flow injection and the jet location. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Atmospheric boundary layer simulation in a wind tunnel, using air injection

The inner part of a neutral atmospheric boundary layer has been simulated in a wind tunnel, using air injection through the wind tunnel floor to thicken the boundary layer. The flow over both a rural area and an urban area has been simulated by adapting the roughness of the wind tunnel floor. Due to the thickening of the boundary layer the scaling factor of atmospheric boundary layer simulation with air injection is considerably smaller than that without air injection. This reduction of the scaling factor is very important for the simulation of atmospheric dispersion problems in a wind tunnel.The time-mean velocity distribution, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress and turbulence spectra have been measured in the inner part of the wind tunnel boundary layer. The results are in rather good agreement with atmospheric measurements.Nomenclature d Zero plane displacement, m - h Height of roughness elements, m - k Von Kármán's constant - n Frequency of turbulence velocity component, s^–1 - S _u(n) Energy spectrum for longitudinal turbulence velocity component, m² s^–1 - S _v(n) Energy spectrum for lateral turbulence velocity component, m² s^–1 - S _w(n) Energy spectrum for vertical turbulence velocity component, m² s^–1 - U _o Free stream velocity outside the boundary layer, m s^–1 - Time-mean velocity inside the boundary layer, m s^–1 - u* Wall-friction velocity, m s^–1 - u Longitudinal turbulence intensity, m s^–1 - v Lateral turbulence intensity, m s^–1 - w Vertical turbulence intensity, m s^–1 - Reynolds stress, m² s^–2 - z Height above earth's surface or wind tunnel floor, m - z _o Roughness length, m - Thickness of inner part of boundary layer, m - Thickness of boundary layer, m - Kinematic viscosity, m² s^–1     

Measurement of the local wavenumber and frequency spectrum in a plane wake

A digital technique is presented for experimentally measuring the local wavenumber-frequency spectrum S _L(k, f) of a fluctuating velocity field using two probes. From S _L(k, f), the local wavenumber spectrum S _L(k), the averaged dispersion relation, and the broadening of the wavenumber spectrum for a given frequency can be determined. The technique is demonstrated by applying it to the velocity field of a plane wake which is undergoing transition from laminar to turbulent flow. A specially designed two sensor hotwire probe is used to obtain simultaneous records of streamwise velocity fluctuations at two locations having a fixed streamwise separation. New information is obtained concerning: the spatial characteristics of instability waves in the wake; the importance of local wavenumber matching in nonlinear coupling among waves; and broadening of the dispersion relation associated with the transition to turbulence. The usefulness of the S _L(k, f) approach when Taylor's hypothesis is not valid is also discussed.     

Acetone: a tracer for concentration measurements in gaseous flows by planar laser-induced fluorescence

The structure of fully-developed turbulence in a smooth pipe has been studied via wavenumber spectra for various friction velocities, namely, u ,=0.61 and 1.2 m/s (the corresponding Reynolds numbers based on centerline velocity and pipe radius being respectively 134,000 and 268,000) at various distances from the wall, namely y ⁺ = 70, 200,400 and 1,000. For each distance from the wall, correlations of the longitudinal component of turbulence were obtained simultaneously in seven narrow frequency bands by using an automated data acquisition system which jointly varied the longitudinal (x) and transverse (z) separations of two hot-wire probes. The centre frequencies of the bandpass filters used correspond to a range of nondimensional frequencies ⁺ from 0.005 to 0.21. By taking Fourier transforms of these correlations, three-dimensional power spectral density functions and hence wavenumber spectra have been obtained at each y ⁺ with nondimensional frequency ⁺ and nondimensional longitudinal and transverse wavenumbers k _x ⁺ and k _z ⁺ as the independent variables. The data presented in this form show the distribution of turbulence intensity among waves of different size and inclination. The data reported here cover a wave size range of over 100, spanning a range of wave angles from 2° to 84°. The effects of friction velocity and Reynolds number on the distribution of waves, their lifetimes and convection velocities are also discussed.List of symbols A wave strength function - C _x streamwise phase velocity - C _z circumferential phase velocity - f wave intensity function - k resultant wave number = [k _x ² + k _z ² ]^1/2 - k _x , k _z longitudinal (x) and transverse (z) wavenumber respectively - P(k _x ⁺ , k _z ⁺ , ⁺) power spectral density function in u - R radius of pipe - Re Reynolds number (based on centerline velocity and pipe radius) - R _uu (x ⁺, z⁺, ) normalized correlation function in u - R _unu (x ⁺, z⁺,¦⁺¦) normalized filtered correlation function in u, as defined in equation (1) - t time - U mean velocity in the x-direction - u, v, w turbulent velocities in the cartesian x, y and z directions respectively - û, v, turbulent velocities in the wave coordinate x, and directions respectively - u friction velocity - x, y, z cartesian coordinates in the longitudinal (along the pipe axis), normal (to the pipe wall) and transverse (along the circumference of the pipe) directions respectively, as defined in Fig. 1 - wave angle - difference between two quantities - v kinematic viscosity - time delay - circular frequency (radians/s) - + quantity nondimensionalized using u and v - overbar time average A version of this paper was presented at the 12th Symposium on Turbulence, University of Missouri-Rolla, 24–26 September, 1990     

An experimental study of a two-dimensional plane turbulent wall jet

 Laser-Doppler measurements were conducted in a plane turbulent wall jet at a Reynolds number based on inlet velocity, Re ₀, of 9600. The initial development as well as the fully developed flow was studied. Special attention was given to the near-wall region, including the use of small measuring volumes and the application of specific near-wall data corrections, so that wall shear stresses were determined directly from the mean velocity gradient at the wall using only data below y ⁺=4. It was possible to resolve the inner peak in the streamwise turbulence intensity as well as the inner (negative) peak in the shear stress. Limiting values of (u′)⁺ and uv ⁺ were determined. Turbulence data from the outer region of the flow were compared to earlier hot wire measurements and large differences in the normal turbulence intensity and the shear stress were found. These differences can be attributed to high turbulence intensity effects on the hot-wires. Received: 17 October 1996 / Accepted: 8 December 1997     

PIV measurements of the flow field inside an enclosed cubical cavity in natural convection

The natural convective velocity field in an enclosed air-filled cubical cavity with two opposing isothermal faces and the remaining four sides having a well-defined linear temperature rise from the cold to the hot face has been measured at different physical orientations and Rayleigh (Ra) numbers. In particular, two components of the velocity at the mid-plane have been measured by using particle image velocimetry (PIV) at Ra = 10⁶ and 6 × 10⁶ at each of two different physical orientations: heating-from-the-side (HFS), and heating-from-below (HFB). The 95% confidence limit uncertainties in the measured velocity vectors are about 2% for laminar flow. The accuracy and integrity of the experiments were validated by the comparison to some well-established CFD results at the HFS orientation at Ra = 10⁶. It was concluded that the experimental method is sound and so findings at other orientations and at other values of Ra should have an accuracy consistent with the findings of the uncertainty analysis. Therefore, the other results can be confidently used as benchmark data for testing CFD codes. The turbulence intensities at the mid-plane are also presented.     

Two‐dimensional prediction of time dependent,turbulent flow around a square cylinder confined in a channel

This paper presents two‐dimensional and unsteady RANS computations of time dependent, periodic, turbulent flow around a square block. Two turbulence models are used: the Launder–Sharma low‐Reynolds number k–ε model and a non‐linear extension sensitive to the anisotropy of turbulence. The Reynolds number based on the free stream velocity and obstacle side is Re=2.2×10⁴. The present numerical results have been obtained using a finite volume code that solves the governing equations in a vertical plane, located at the lateral mid‐point of the channel. The pressure field is obtained with the SIMPLE algorithm. A bounded version of the third‐order QUICK scheme is used for the convective terms. Comparisons of the numerical results with the experimental data indicate that a preliminary steady solution of the governing equations using the linear k–ε does not lead to correct flow field predictions in the wake region downstream of the square cylinder. Consequently, the time derivatives of dependent variables are included in the transport equations and are discretized using the second‐order Crank–Nicolson scheme. The unsteady computations using the linear and non‐linear k–ε models significantly improve the velocity field predictions. However, the linear k–ε shows a number of predictive deficiencies, even in unsteady flow computations, especially in the prediction of the turbulence field. The introduction of a non‐linear k–ε model brings the two‐dimensional unsteady predictions of the time‐averaged velocity and turbulence fields and also the predicted values of the global parameters such as the Strouhal number and the drag coefficient to close agreement with the data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computation of turbulent asymmetric wake

The development of asymmetric wake behind an aerofoil in turbulent incompressible flow has been computed using finite volume scheme for solving two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations along with the k-ε model of turbulence. The results are compared with available experimental data. It is observed that the computed shift of the point of minimum velocity with distance is sensitive to the prescribed value of the normal component of velocity at the trailing edge of the aerofoil. Making the model constant C_u as a function of streamline curvature and changing the production term in the equation for ε, has only marginal influence on the results.     

LES and RANS for Turbulent Flow over Arrays of Wall-Mounted Obstacles

Large-eddy simulation (LES) has been applied to calculate the turbulent flow over staggered wall-mounted cubes and staggered random arrays of obstacles with area density 25%, at Reynolds numbers between 5 × 10³ and 5 10⁶, based on the free stream velocity and the obstacle height. Re = 5 × 10³ data were intensively validated against direct numerical simulation (DNS) results at the same Re and experimental data obtained in a boundary layer developing over an identical roughness and at a rather higher Re. The results collectively confirm that Reynolds number dependency is very weak, principally because the surface drag is predominantly form drag and the turbulence production process is at scales comparable to the roughness element sizes. LES is thus able to simulate turbulent flow over the urban-like obstacles at high Re with grids that would be far too coarse for adequate computation of corresponding smooth-wall flows. Comparison between LES and steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) results are included, emphasising that the latter are inadequate, especially within the canopy region.     

Turbulent flow simulation of liquid jet emanating from pressure-swirl atomizer

The performances of three linear eddy viscosity models (LEVM) and one algebraic Reynolds stress model (ARSM) for the simulation of turbulent flow inside and outside pressure-swirl atomizer are evaluated by comparing the interface position with available experimental data and by comparing the turbulence intensity profiles at the atomizer exit. It is found that the turbulence models investigated exhibit zonal behaviors, i.e. none of the models investigated performs well throughout the entire flow field. The turbulence intensity has a significant influence on the global characteristics of the flow field. The turbulence models with better predictions of the turbulence intensity, such as Gatski-Speziale’s ARSM model, can yield better predictions of the global characteristics of the flow field, e.g. the reattachment lengths for the backward-facing step flow and the sudden expansion pipe flow, or the discharge coefficient, film thickness and the liquid sheet outer surface position for the atomizer flows. The standard k–ε model predicts stronger turbulence intensity as compared to the other models and therefore yields smaller film thickness and larger liquid sheet outer surface position. In average, the ARSM model gives both quantitatively and qualitatively better results as compared to the standard k–ε model and the low Reynolds number models.     

Analysis of Streamwise Velocity Fluctuations in Turbulent Pipe Flow with the Use of an Ultrasonic Doppler Flowmeter

Data collected from several studies of experimental and numerical nature in wall-bounded turbulent flows and in particular in internal flows (channel and pipe flows, Mochizuki and Nieuwstadt [1]) at different Reynolds numbers R ⁺(Ru _*/ν), indicate that: (i) the peak of the rms-value (normalized by u _*) of the streamwise velocity fluctuations (σ _u ⁺|_peak) is essentially independent of the Reynolds number, (ii) the position of the rms peak value (y ⁺|_peak) is weakly dependent of the Reynolds number, (iii) the skewness of the streamwise velocity fluctuations (S _u ) is close to zero at the position in which the variance has its peak. A series of measurements of streamwise velocity fluctuations has been performed in turbulent pipe flow with the use of an Ultrasonic Doppler Velocimeter and our results support those reported in [1]. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Turbulent pipe flow of a drag-reducing rigid “rod-like” polymer solution

Fully developed turbulent pipe flow of an aqueous solution of a rigid “rod-like” polymer, scleroglucan, at concentrations of 0.005% (w/w) and 0.01% (w/w) has been investigated experimentally. Fanning friction factors were determined from pressure-drop measurements for the Newtonian solvent (water) and the polymer solutions and so levels of drag reduction for the latter. Mean axial velocity u and complete Reynolds normal stress data, i.e. u′, v′ and w′, were measured by means of a laser Doppler anemometer at three different Reynolds numbers for each fluid. The measurements indicate that the effectiveness of scleroglucan as a drag-reducing agent is only mildly dependent on Reynolds number. The turbulence structure essentially resembles that of flexible polymer solutions which also lead to low levels of drag reduction.     

On the effect of Reynolds number on von Kármán’s constant

Fully developed turbulence measurements in pipe flow were made in the Reynolds number ranging from 10×10³ to 350×10³ with a hot-wire anemometer and a Pitot tube. Comparisons were made with the experimental results of previous work. The mean velocity profile and the turbulent intensity in the experiments indicate that for the mean velocity profile, in the fully developed turbulent pipe flow, von Kármán's constant κ is a function of Reynolds number, i.e. κ increases slowly with the Reynolds number. The empirical relationships could not be considered to be accurate enough to describe the fully developed turbulence over the whole Reynolds number range in pipe flow. The project supported by the Deutscher Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD)     

THE RENORMALIZATION-GROUP ANALYSIS FOR THE STATISTICAL PROPERTIES OF RAPIDLY ROTATING TURBULENCE

利用重正化群方法对强旋转湍流场统计性质予以研究, 通过重正化微扰展开, 对高波数速度分量进行逐 阶平均.计算结果显示当旋转角速度Ω → ∞时, 用以表征高波数速度分量对低波数速度分量影响的重正化黏性将趋于0, 这表明在强旋转条件下科氏力将抑制湍流速度分量之间的非线性相互作用, 从而阻碍湍流的能量级串效应, 当Ω → ∞时湍流的能量级串效应消失, 导致湍流脉动消失, 流动将层流化.理论计算结果还显示对于强旋转湍流, 时域-空域联立Fourier的湍流速度分量存在二维化趋势, 球面平均能谱函数有标度关系E(k) ∝ k^-3.     

Accuracy of out-of-plane vorticity measurements derived from in-plane velocity field data

 A study of the errors in out-of-plane vorticity (ω _z ) calculated using a local χ² fitting of the measured velocity field and analytic differentiation has been carried out. The primary factors of spatial velocity sampling separation and random velocity measurement error have been investigated. In principle the ω _z error can be decomposed into a bias error contribution and a random error contribution. Theoretical expressions for the transmission of the random velocity error into the random vorticity error have been derived. The velocity and vorticity field of the Oseen vortex has been used as a typical vortex structure in this study. Data of different quality, ranging from exact velocity vectors of analytically defined flow fields (Oseen vortex flow) sampled at discrete locations to computer generated digital image frames analysed using cross-correlation DPIV, have been investigated in this study. This data has been used to provide support for the theoretical random error results, to isolate the different sources of error and to determine their effect on ω _z measurements. A method for estimating in-situ the velocity random error is presented. This estimate coupled with the theoretically derived random error transmission results for the χ² vorticity calculation method can be used a priori to estimate the magnitude of the random error in ω _z . This random error is independent of a particular flow field. The velocity sampling separation is found to have a profound effect on the precise determination of ω _z by introducing a bias error. This bias error results in an underestimation of the peak vorticity. Simple equations, which are based on a local model of the Oseen vortex around the peak vorticity region, allowing the prediction of the ω _z bias error for the χ² vorticity calculation method, are presented. An important conclusion of this study is that the random error transmission factor and the bias error cannot be minimised simultaneously. Both depend on the velocity sampling separation, but with opposing effects. The application of the random and bias vorticity error predictions are illustrated by application to experimental velocity data determined using cross-correlation DPIV (CCDPIV) analysis of digital images of a laminar vortex ring. Received: 31 October 1997/Accepted: 6 February 1998     

Turbulent flow measurement in a square duct with hybrid holographic PIV

 A hybrid holographic system has been developed for three-dimensional particle image velocimetry. With unique high pass filters, the system combines advantages of both in-line and off-axis holography without having their draw-backs. It improves the signal to noise ratio of the reconstructed image, allows use of 3–15 μm particles in water at high population and achieves large dynamic ranges in both velocity and space. With an automated image acquisition and processing system it has been used for measuring the velocity distributions in a square duct at Re=1.23×10⁵. The data consists of 97×97×87 vectors (with 50% overlapping of adjacent interrogation windows). The quality of the results is evaluated using the continuity equation. The deviation from the equation decreases rapidly with increasing control volume and reaches a level of less than 10%. Mean velocities, r.m.s. velocity fluctuations and turbulence spectra are estimated using the data. Received: 16 December 1996/Accepted: 6 March 1997