DNS study of swirling intensity effect on flow pattern of a circular jet

Abstract  

The figures show the 3D flow pattern of a circular jet with different swirling intensity. Reynolds number is approximately 4300 computed based on the nozzle diameter (d), jet velocity (U), and air fluid property at 1 atm and 300 K. The overall computational domain is set to be 4 × 4 × 12 d in spanwise, height, and streamwise direction. The governing equations are the fully compressible Navier–Stokes equations, firstly differenced by eighth-order explicit scheme and then advanced temporarily by using the fourth-order explicit Runge–Kutta method. 3D characteristics non-reflecting boundary condition including transverse source contribution is imposed on all other boundaries except the inflow boundary handled by assigning fixed profiles of temperature and velocity. To ensure the simulation resolution, here over 16 million grids are employed in sum, combined with a handful of grids located at buffer zones of outflow boundaries. To correctly represent the vortex in the flow field, velocity gradient tensor invariant Q is used here. And ψ refers to the swirling intensity defined as the ratio of tangential momentum to axis momentum. As shown in velocity profile, the flow pattern of the jet changes from a close mode to a totally open mode as ψ increases from 0.4 to 1.5. Accordingly, the recirculation zone gradually moves upstream and backflow velocity is enlarged as well. It is inteseting to found that the obvious drops of the momentums in two shown directions always occur at the same position downstream, no matter how large the ψ value is. Therefore, a momentum compensatory mechanism is expected to exist in the vortex-abundant zone. With the increase of ψ value, the increased strain rate in tangential direction can induce vortex more quickly, intensifying the entrainment and velocity-attenuation, which can be observed in Q value profile.     

Three-dimensional vortex visualization in stratified spin-up

Abstract  

We present the results of three-dimensional time-dependent numerical simulations of incremental spin-up of a thermally stratified fluid. The fluid inside a vertical cylindrical container of radius R and height 2H is water characterized by the kinematic viscosity ν and thermal diffusivity κ. Initially, its density (temperature) varies linearly with height and is characterized by a constant buoyancy frequency N, which is proportional to the density gradient. The system undergoes an abrupt change in the rotation rate from its initial value Ω_i, when the fluid is in a solid-body rotation state, to the final value Ω_f. The aim of this contribution is to show the formation of columnar vortices in a high Rossby number spin-up flow.     

POD analysis on the sphere wake at a subcritical Reynolds number

Abstract  

Flow characteristics of turbulent wake behind a sphere at a subcritical flow regime were experimentally investigated. The particle image velocimetry measurements and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modal analysis were employed to get detailed flow information such as the wavy structure, swirling motion and coherent structures of the sphere wake. The variation of turbulent intensities of the radial and circumferential velocity components showed the swirling motion of sphere wake in the cross-sectional planes. The relative contribution of the POD mode 1, 2 and 3 in eigenvalues was 26, 11, and 8%, respectively. The general pattern of velocity fields for the POD mode 1 in the near-wake region of x/d = 0.7–1.4 is similar with that of time-averaged mean velocity fields. In addition, the sweeping flow in the region from x/d = 1.5 to x/d = 2.0 possesses wavy structure of the sphere wake. The experimental results of the present study would contribute to the fundamental understanding of the turbulent near-wake behind a sphere.     

Vestibular effects on cerebral blood flow

Background  

Humans demonstrate a number of unique adaptations that allow for the maintenance of blood pressure and brain blood flow when upright. While several physiological systems, including cerebral autoregulation, are involved in this adaptation the unique role the vestibular system plays in helping to maintain brain blood flow is just beginning to be elucidated. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that stimulation of the vestibular system, specifically the otoliths organs, would result in changes in cerebral blood flow.     

The longitudinal changes of BOLD response and cerebral hemodynamics from acute to subacute stroke. A fMRI and TCD study

Background  

By mapping the dynamics of brain reorganization, functional magnetic resonance imaging MRI (fMRI) has allowed for significant progress in understanding cerebral plasticity phenomena after a stroke. However, cerebro-vascular diseases can affect blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal. Cerebral autoregulation is a primary function of cerebral hemodynamics, which allows to maintain a relatively constant blood flow despite changes in arterial blood pressure and perfusion pressure. Cerebral autoregulation is reported to become less effective in the early phases post-stroke.     

The study of geometric effects on the explosion front propagation in a horizontal channel with a layer of spherical beads

Experiments were performed in a horizontal channel partially filled with a layer of 12.7 mm ceramic-oxide beads filled with a nitrogen-diluted stoichiometric methane–oxygen mixture, i.e., CH₄ + 2(O₂ + 2/3N₂). Ionization probes and pressure transducers were used to track the explosion front velocity in the 1.22 m long, 76 mm wide and 152 mm high horizontal channel. Schlieren photography and smoked foil techniques are used to gain insight into the explosion front structure. The explosion propagation phenomenon was characterized by the combustion in the bead layer and the unobstructed gap above. It was determined that for a fixed gap height the bead layer thickness had very little effect on the explosion propagation phenomenon. However, for a fixed bead layer height the explosion propagation was strongly influenced by the gap height. The combustion products vented from the bead layer behind the flame propagating in the gap affects the structure of the shock-flame front in the gap and the maximum flame velocity achieved. The coupling between the vented products and the flame velocity in the gap was strongly influenced by the gap height. The gap height also affects the structure of the detonation wave propagating in the gap following DDT that always occurred in the gap. The DDT run-up distance was found to increase with increasing gap height and inversely with initial pressure.     

Visualization of behaviors of a propagating flame quenching for hydrogen–air gas mixture

Abstract  

In this research, a flame arrester consisting of a slit structure was experimentally investigated. Experimental data show adequate maximum experimental safe gap (MESG) value for the flame arrester. The flow rate characteristics of the flame arrester were measured and compared with theoretical results. It was made clear that the flow impedance of convergent flow is 20% less than that of divergent flow. The experimental data and theoretical data show good agreement. The performance test by an EN12874 as ‘in-line stable detonation’ flame arrester was examined for a hydrogen–air gas mixture. The experimental data show that the gap was 0.2 times the MESG value in bi-directions for the flame arrester. The quenching and extinguishing processes were visualized by high-speed cameras.     

Nonlinear magnetic induction by helical motion in a liquid sodium turbulent flow

We report an experimental study of the magnetic field B--> induced by a turbulent swirling flow of liquid sodium submitted to a transverse magnetic field B-->(0). We show that the induced field can behave nonlinearly as a function of the magnetic Reynolds number, R(m). At low R(m), the induced mean field along the axis of the flow, , and the one parallel to B-->(0), , first behave like R(2)(m), whereas the third component, , is linear in R(m). The sign of is determined by the flow helicity. At higher R(m), B--> strongly depends on the local geometry of the mean flow: decreases to zero in the core of the swirling flow but remains finite outside. We compare the experimental results with the computed magnetic induction due to the mean flow alone.     

An experimental study on swirling flow in a cylindrical annuli using the PIV technique

Abstract  

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the characteristics of turbulent swirling flow in an axisymmetric annuli. The swirl angle measurements were performed using a flow visualization technique using smoke and dye liquid for Re = 60,000–80,000. Using the two-dimensional particle image velocimetry method, this study found the time-mean velocity distribution and turbulent intensity in water with swirl for Re = 20,000, 30,000, and 40,000 along longitudinal sections. There were neutral points for equal axial velocity at y/(R − r) = 0.7–0.75, and the highest axial velocity was recorded near y/(R − r) = 0.9. Negative axial velocity was observed near the convex tube along X/(D − d) = 3–23.     

Separated flow around a rotating gyroball

Abstract  

In baseball, a gyroball is known as a pitched ball which has its rotation axis oriented towards the catcher, i.e., in flight direction, and therefore does not create a lift force. The purpose of this study was to clarify what effect the seams of such a rotating gyroball have on the drag force acting on the ball. Two typical seam patterns, one with two and one with four seams, were selected. First, pitching experiments were carried out to capture the trajectories of various breaking balls. From the obtained trajectories the drag coefficients were estimated. Flow visualization was applied to a heated flying gyroball with the help of the schlieren technique to investigate the flow separation area. To verify the results obtained in the pitching tests, corresponding wind-tunnel experiments were also conducted with a device which allowed the ball to rotate freely in the tunnel. Drag measurements and flow visualization by fog were performed on a rotating gyroball. Both in the pitching and wind-tunnel tests, the drag coefficient of the two-seam gyroball was smaller than that of the four-seam one by 0.04 or approximately 13%. The flow visualization revealed that the flow-separated area of the two-seam gyroball was smaller due to flow reattachment made possible by a more energetic boundary layer. This observation can well explain the drag difference between two- and four-seam gyroballs.     

Visualization of the tip vortices in a wind turbine wake

Abstract  

In the present study, an experimental study was conducted to characterize the formation and the evolution of the helical tip vortices and turbulent flow structures in the wake of a horizontal axis wind turbine model placed in an atmospheric boundary layer wind. A high-resolution particle image velocimetry system was used to make detailed flow field measurements to quantify the time evolution of the helical tip vortices in relation to the position of the rotating turbine blades in order to elucidate the underlying physics associated with turbine power generation and fatigue loads acting on the wind turbines.     

On interaction of shock wave with elliptic gas cylinder

Abstract  

The interaction of a planar shock with one elliptic heavy-gas (SF₆) cylinder surrounded by air is investigated experimentally. By changing the aspect ratio of the elliptic cylinder, the influence of the initial shape on the evolution of the interface is visualized by a series of dynamic photos utilized by a high-speed camera. It is found that the longer the axis perpendicular to the shock front, the faster and the severer the deformation of the gas cylinder. This can be explained mainly by the different amount of vorticity produced by the misalignment between the density gradient and the pressure gradient. When the vertical axis is much longer than the horizontal axis, the vorticity production is mainly concentrated at the upper and lower corners, which rolls up in time, and results in a structure of big vortex-pair. When the horizontal axis is much longer than the vertical axis, the baroclinic vorticity production distributes at almost every position along the interface, which leads to a faster rolling up of vortices, and even second vortex may develop at later times.     

Large scale correlations for energy injection mechanisms in swirling turbulent flows

We report an experimental study of large scale correlations in the power injected in turbulent swirling flows generated in the gap between two coaxial rotating disks. We measure the pressure fluctuations on the blades of one disk, as well as the pressure drop between the leading and the trailing edges of the rotating blades, i.e. the local drag force. Measurements at different positions on one blade and on two successive blades display a correlation length much larger than the ones usually expected in turbulent flows. The time lag for which the correlation between two points is maximum, strongly depends on the global flow configuration. These results help us to understand the statistical properties of the injected power fluctuations in turbulent swirling flows. Received 2 September 1999     

The Role of the Cricothyroid Joint Anatomy in Cricothyroid Approximation Surgery

Objectives/Hypothesis

Cricothyroid approximation (CTA) surgery aims at raising the voice pitch in male-to-female transsexuals. However, 30% of the patients are not satisfied with the result. The purpose of our study was to examine the cricothyroid joint (CTJ) biomechanics and to analyze if (and how) the CTJ anatomy influences the movement of the cricoid and, consequently, the elongation of the vocal fold and the voice pitch after CTA.

Methods

Twenty-four cadaver larynges were examined with high-resolution computerized tomography and MIMICS three-dimensional imaging software (Materialise Interactive Medical Image Control System, Leuven, Belgium). After superimposing the two scans taken in “neutral” and in “CTA” positions, vector geometrical analysis was used to determine the effective rotation axis of the CTJ and to calculate the elongation of the vocal folds after CTA.

Results

Our results showed that the cricoid rotates around an axis, the position of which depends on the anatomical structure of the CTJ. Based on the location of this effective rotation axis, we could distinguish three groups. In group I (N = 13), the rotation axis was located in the lower third; in group II (N = 5), it was located in the middle third; and in group III (N = 6), it was located in the upper third of the cricoid. The elongations of the vocal fold were 12%, 8%, and 3%, in groups I, II, and III, respectively.

Conclusions

The anatomical structure of the CTJ influences directly (1) the position of the effective rotation axis and (2) the elongation of the vocal folds.     

Entrained droplets in underexpanded gas jet in water

Abstract  

A visualization study was performed to investigate the flow of an underexpanded nitrogen gas jet injected into water. The stagnation pressure was varied in the range 0.5–8.0 MPa. The gas jet length and expansion angle were obtained from time-averaged images captured using a high-speed camera. The gas jet length and expansion angle increased approximately linearly with increasing stagnation pressure. The entrainment velocity and the velocity of entrained water droplets in the gas jet were obtained by particle image velocimetry.     

A visualization study of the near-wall behaviors of an oblique plate at different angles of attack

Abstract  

A combined method of oil flow visualization and smoke visualization with a laser sheet was conducted on an oblique plate with 64° sweep under different angles of attack. The oil flow visualization results reveal the characteristics of the flow pattern on the upper surface of the oblique plate, including the formation of separation, reattachment lines and the variation of these lines when the angle of attack changes. The smoke visualization results show the vortex structure above the oblique plate so as to demonstrate and interpret the flow pattern captured in the oil flow visualization.     

Unsteady surface signature of a pulsed vortex generator jet

Abstract  

Porous pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) is employed as a visualization technique for unsteady flow features on a low-pressure turbine blade. Recognizing that the measurement of high-frequency pressure fluctuations in unsteady flows—especially in turbomachinery—has proven to be difficult, recent advancements in the development of porous PSP have enabled the high-resolution measurement of pressure fields with frequency content of at least 20 kHz. In this work, PSP is applied to an L1A low-pressure turbine blade section (Re = 20,000 based on axial chord) to visualize the surface dynamics of a vortex generator jet (VGJ) pulsed at 10.6 Hz with nitrogen gas. Intensity-based, time-resolved PSP measurements reveal the development and the surface structure of the VGJ as well as the spanwise variation in the blowing profile.     

Investigation of the pseudo-shock wave in a two-dimensional supersonic inlet

Abstract  

This paper describes experimental and numerical investigations into the multiple shock waves/turbulent boundary layer interaction in a supersonic inlet. The test model has a rectangular shape with an asymmetric subsonic diffuser of 5°. Experiments were conducted to obtain the visualization images and static pressure data by using supersonic wind tunnel. Numerical simulation was performed by solving the RANS equations with the Menter’s SST turbulent model. The inflow condition was a free-stream Mach number of 2.5 and a unit Reynolds number of 7.6 × 10⁷/m. Numerical results showed good agreement with the experimental results. Based on this agreement, the flow characteristics which are often very difficult to obtain experimentally alone were analyzed with the aid of numerical simulation. The structures, pressure and velocity distributions, and total pressure loss of the pseudo-shock wave in the supersonic inlet were presented in detail from flow visualization images and static pressures.     

Hippocampal activity during the transverse patterning task declines with cognitive competence but not with age

Background  

The hippocampus is a brain region that is particularly affected by age-related morphological changes. It is generally assumed that a loss in hippocampal volume results in functional deficits that contribute to age-related cognitive decline. In a combined cross-sectional behavioural and magnetoencephalography (MEG) study we investigated whether hippocampal-associated neural current flow during a transverse patterning task - which requires learning relational associations between stimuli - correlates with age and whether it is modulated by cognitive competence.     

The effect of a coriolis force on Taylor-Couette flow

Taylor-Couette flow subject to a Coriolis force is studied experimentally and numerically. In the experiment, the Couette apparatus is mounted on a turntable with the axis of the cylinders orthogonal to the rotation vector of the turntable. The Coriolis force stabilizes the fluid against the onset of Taylor vortices and alters the velocity fields, both above and below the transition from the initial flow. At small dimensionless turntable frequencies, the transition yields time-independent Taylor vortices which are tilted with respect to the cylinder axis. At larger there is a direct transition to turbulence. We determine the first-order correction to the classical Couette initial flow, to account for the effects of the Coriolis force, by expanding in powers of. We present numerical results for the axial velocity (the only nonvanishing correction term to order) in the infinite-cylinder approximation.