A crossed hot-wire technique for complex turbulent flows

This paper describes a crossed hot-wire technique for the measurement of all components of mean velocity, Reynolds stresses, and triple products in a complex turbulent flow. The accuracy of various assumptions usually implicit in the use of crossed hot-wire anemometers is examined. It is shown that significant errors can result in flow with gradients in mean velocity or Reynolds stress, but that a first order correction for these errors can be made using available data. It is also shown how corrections can be made for high turbulence levels using available data.     

A miniature triple hot-wire probe for wall bounded flows

 Four orthogonal and one non-orthogonal miniature triple hot-wire probes have been developed and tested in a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer. The influence of the different wire configurations on measurements of the Reynolds stresses has been studied. A directional calibration with an analytical solution for the wire response equations was used for the measurements of the non-orthogonal probe and was tested for the orthogonal probes in order to correct their possible geometrical imperfections. It is shown that a directional calibration does not significantly improve the quality of the measurements for precisely manufactured orthogonal probes and that measuring errors are related rather to the measuring volume, the size of the domain of unique solutions for the instantaneous velocity vector and interference effects, i.e. the wire configuration itself. Received: 7 February 1997/Accepted: 18 November 1997     

A simple automated hot-wire positioning technique for near-wall measurements

4 Summary A simple hot-wire sensor positioning technique is presented. The technique is easily integrated with a personal computer to achieve a completely automated system. A single initial calibration of the system outside of the test section is all that is necessary and no subsequent manual re-positioning is required during experimentation. This gives the capability of performing multiple measurements of near-wall velocity at different locations on a wall surface without the need of cumbersome and extensive alignment of the traverse system with respect to the wall surface. Preliminary tests indicate that the technique is viable for near-wall velocity measurements.     

Application of hot-wire anemometry in shock-tube flows

Several techniques associated with the use of hot wire anemometry in compressible turbulence measurements are described and tested in shock tube flows. These techniques include 1. in-situ calibration of the hot-wire probe by firing several shock waves of different strengths in the shock tube; 2. on-line analog frequency compensation or off-line digital compensation of the temperature-wire; 3. simultaneous acquisition of time-dependent flow velocity and temperature of the flow without invoking Morkovin's hypothesis of strong Reynolds analogy. The techniques were tested in two different shock tube facilities, where a grid generated turbulent flow interacting with a moving shock was set up.The financial support provided by National Science Foundation and NASA is greatly acknowledged.     

A generalized Brinkman number for non-Newtonian duct flows

When viscous dissipation effects are important in duct flows the Brinkman number is widely used to quantify the relationship between the heat generated by dissipation and the heat exchanged at the wall. For Newtonian laminar fully developed pipe flow the use of the classical expression for this dimensionless group is appropriate, but under different conditions it can lead to misleading conclusions, such as when comparing flows through different cross-section ducts, flow regimes and mainly non-Newtonian flows. In this work a generalized Brinkman number is proposed, based on an energy balance for the power dissipated by friction, that allows proper quantification of viscous heating effects and reduces to the classical definition in laminar Newtonian pipe flow. The advantages of the new definition are shown and expressions are given for generalized Brinkman numbers in the most common cases.     

An indirect pressure-gradient technique for measuring instantaneous flow rates in unsteady duct flows

A new technique is presented for making measurements of the instantaneous flow rate in unsteady laminar pipe flows. It utilizes a relationship between flow rate and pressure-gradient history that is an exact solution to the Navier–Stokes equations for parallel, developed flow of constant-property Newtonian fluids undergoing arbitrary unsteadiness from an initially steady or stationary state. The method does not rely on any assumption about velocity profiles, and applies instantaneously in momentarily reversing flow. Experimental comparisons between direct measurements of the cumulative flow and the results of this technique indicate that it is capable of providing measurements of cumulative flow and flow rate which are accurate to within a few percent at any instant during a flow transient, provided the instantaneous pressure gradient can be measured with this accuracy.     

An oscillating hot-wire technique for resolving the magnitude and direction of velocity measurements using single hot-wire sensors

Thermal anemometry is a classic flow-velocity measurement technique that is known to suffer from the inability to discern the flow direction. The current paper describes an innovative approach whereby an oscillating hot wire is used to extract velocity direction and magnitude information from single hot-wire measurements. It is shown that the new sensor operates in one of two modes depending on the velocity amplitude of the wire oscillation. Furthermore, results from applying the technique to measure the phase-averaged velocity in an oscillating pipe flow experiment are presented. The results from the hot-wire measurements show good agreement with those from laser Doppler velocimetery measurements in the same facility.     

A simple pendulum technique for the calibration of hot-wire anemometers over low-velocity ranges

A method for low velocity calibration of hot-wire anemometers, in which the probe is mounted on a pendulum arm, is presented. The calibration constants are determined from recorded traces of the anemometer signal obtained in the forward swing of the pendulum with the probe mounted at two different radii along the arm. Typical calibration results are presented and the use of a modified King's law in the low Reynolds number range is discussed.List of Symbols A, B, n calibration constants in King's law - E anemometer voltage output - E ₀ anemometer voltage output for zero flow velocity - Re Reynolds number - r radius along the pendulum arm - T period of oscillation of the pendulum arm - t time - U velocity - y ⁺ non-dimensional distance from the wall Greek Symbols root mean square of the velocity difference in half the forward swing - angular position of pendulum - angular velocity of pendulum arm Financial support for this work was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.     

A three-dimensional PSME model for rotating flows in an annular cavity

A pseudospectral matrix-element (PSME) numerical model is described for the simulation of rotating flows in a three-dimensional annular cavity. Temporal discretisation is implemented using a second-order semi-implicit scheme. Modified compressibility is invoked to handle the coupling between velocity and pressure while maintaining the incompressibility constraint. The governing continuity and Navier–Stokes momentum equations and boundary conditions are discretised using Chebyshev and Fourier collocation formulae. The model is validated against numerical results from alternative schemes and experimental data on rotating flows in an annular cavity. A base flow regime and instability patterns are observed, in accordance with other previously published investigations. It is demonstrated that the PSME model provides an accurate representation of rotating flows in an annular cavity.     

A fast simple hot-wire method of determining the mean velocity vector of complex three-dimensional flows

A fast and simple method of determining the mean velocity vector of complex three-dimensional flow fields is outlined. Straight and slanted single hot-wires are rotated in two perpendicular planes. This method increases the angular resolution, which is of importance in flow situations where one of the velocity components dominates and the other changes rapidly from one point to another. The method was calibrated in a wind tunnel and assessed in the internal flow field at the outlet of a fan in a defroster channel. It is shown that the hot-wire method yields good agreement with corresponding flow visualizations determined using a textile thread, and an integration of the measured mean flow yields a flow rate which agrees within a few percent with corresponding direct measurements on an orifice plate.     

Asymptotic analysis of equilibrium states for rotating turbulent flows

The equilibrium states of homogeneous turbulence simultaneously subjected to a mean velocity gradient and a rotation are examined by using asymptotic analysis. The present work is concerned with the asymptotic behavior of quantities such as the turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate associated with the fixed point (/kS)=0, whereS is the shear rate. The classical form of the model transport equation for (Hanjalic and Launder, 1972) is used. The present analysis shows that, asymptotically, the turbulent kinetic energy (a) undergoes a power-law decay with time for (P/)<1, (b) is independent of time for (P/)=1, (c) undergoes a power-law growth with time for 1<(P/)<(C ₂–1), and (d) is represented by an exponential law versus time for (P/)=(C ₂–1)/(C ₁–1) and (/kS)>0 whereP is the production rate. For the commonly used second-order models the equilibrium solutions forP/,II, andIII (whereII andIII are respectively the second and third invariants of the anisotropy tensor) depend on the rotation number when (P/kS)=(/kS)=0. The variation of (P/kS) andII versusR given by the second-order model of Yakhot and Orzag are compared with results of Rapid Distortion Theory corrected for decay (Townsend, 1970).     

Reynolds-stress modelling of turbulent rotating flows

The present analysis shows that the EVM can not reflect the turbulence physics in non-inertial frame. The effects of Coriolis force on turbulence is embodied naturally in the Reynolds-stress transport equation. It is observed that the existing second-moment closure model with appropriate near-wall treatment can adequately predict flows in rotating channel and in axially rotating pipe for moderate rotation rate. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, State Education Commission and Tsinghua University     

An experimental investigation of the response of hot-wire X-probes in shear flows

The response of hot-wire X-probes in regions of strong velocity gradients (such as in the near wall region of boundary layer flows) is investigated experimentally. Although the wall-normal velocity component should be close to zero near the wall, one usually encounters an increased absolute value of this component when the wall is approached. Moreover some physically inconsistent behaviour in other measured quantities, for instance the Reynolds stresses, may be found. These effects can be due to a physical displacement of the wires (e.g. a wall-normal displacement of the two wires so that they do not cross at their mid-points), but also due to the influence of the probe on the local flow field. The latter might be an effect of blockage or wall interference and can be treated as a virtual displacement. The response equations of an X-probe with different wall-normal displacement of the wires are derived and applied in order to correct the measured data. A systematic experimental investigation of the effect of varying the physical displacement of the wires is also made, and it is shown that both the first and second order correction terms of the probe response equations can be estimated from this experiment. A correction procedure for measurements close to the wall is proposed and used to correct Reynolds stress profiles in a flat plate boundary-layer. It is also shown that the present experimental set-up can be used to estimate some turbulence correlations which otherwise are unaccessible with standard measurement techniques. Received: 12 September 1998/Accepted: 20 June 1999     

The reduction of spatial aliasing by long hot-wire anemometer probes

 Experiment and numerical analysis are presented to demonstrate that a hot-wire anemometer probe reduces spatial aliasing of turbulent velocity fluctuations because of the filtering property of the probe sensing element. The experiment focuses on the one-dimensional turbulent velocity spectrum and utilizes a long sensing length hot-wire probe to exaggerate the effect of the sensing element on the turbulent field. The numerical analysis utilizes a model of the hot-wire probe from Wyngaard (1968) along with isotropic turbulence relations to obtain an equation for the hot-wire response in a turbulent velocity field. The model can be used to determine the effect of hot-wire length on the one and three-dimensional turbulent spectra. The experimental study demonstrates that the finite length, hot-wire probe filters out energy in the high wave number region of the one-dimensional spectrum thereby verifying its ability to reduce spatial aliasing. Interestingly, the study also shows that energy in the low wave numbers of the one-dimensional spectrum is attenuated. The numerical study of the hot-wire probe demonstrates that this low wave-number attenuation is purely an artifact of the one-dimensional spectrum and not an effect of the hot-wire probe. Received: 20 May 996 / Accepted: 14 November 1996     

A novel PIV technique for measurements in multiphase flows and its application to two-phase bubbly flows

A new experimental procedure for performing simultaneous, phase-separated velocity measurements in two-phase flows is introduced. Basically, the novel particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique is a combination of the three most often used PIV techniques in multiphase flows: PIV with fluorescent tracer particles, shadowgraphy, and the digital phase separation with a masking technique. The combination of these three independent measurement techniques is achieved by shifting the background intensity of a PIV recording to a higher, but uniform gray value level. In order to combine the advantages of these multiphase-PIV methods, a new PIV set-up was developed. With this set-up the velocity distributions of the two phases are measured simultaneously with only one b/w camera. This experimental set-up is aimed at providing a means for characterizing the modification of turbulence in the liquid phase by bubbles. This phenomenon is often called "pseudo-turbulence".     

Theory of stability of rotating shear flows

The stability of rotating horizontal-shear flows is investigated within the framework of the linear approximation. The shear flow perturbations are divided into three classes (symmetric and two- and three-dimensional) and sufficient conditions of stability are obtained for each class. The perturbation dynamics in a flow with constant horizontal shear are described and the algebraic instability of the flow with respect to three-dimensional perturbations is detected. It is shown that the symmetric perturbations may be localized (trapped) inside the shear layer. The problem of finding the growth rates and frequencies of the trapped waves is reduced to a quantum-mechanical Schrödinger equation. Exact solutions are obtained for a “triangular” jet and hyperbolic shear.     

高速转动圆盘流动数值模拟研究

重点研究高速离心压气机叶轮与机匣间的间隙流动及其温度分布。研究将离心压气机简化为高速转动圆盘,搭建了相关实验平台,并开展了相应的数值模拟研究。通过改变转动圆盘的转速和轴向进入的冷却流的流量,研究了转速和流量对于间隙内温度和速度分布的影响。结果显示,转速是影响温度变化的最主要因素,转速越大,温度越高;同等幅度的流量变化对温度的影响则较小。研究发现,在实验和模拟对应的大雷诺数条件下,无量纲的速度分布基本不受到圆盘转速、冷却流量和温度场的影响。