Spatial resolution effects on the measurement of scalar variance and scalar gradient in turbulent nonpremixed jet flames

The effect of spatial averaging is important for scalar gradient measurements in turbulent nonpremixed flames, especially when the local dissipation length scale is small. Line imaging of Raman, Rayleigh and CO-LIF is used to investigate the effects of experimental resolution on the scalar variance and radial gradient in the near field of turbulent nonpremixed CH₄/H₂/N₂ jet flames at Reynolds numbers of 15,200 and 22,800 (DLR-A and B) and in piloted CH₄/air jet flames at Reynolds numbers of 13,400, 22,400 and 33,600 (Sandia flames C/D/E). The finite spatial resolution effects are studied by applying the Box filter with varying filter widths. The resulting resolution curves for both scalar variance and mean squared-gradient follow nearly the same trends as theoretical curves calculated from the model turbulence kinetic energy spectrum of Pope. The observed collapse of resolution curves of mean squared-gradient for nearly all studied cases implies the shape of the dissipation spectrum is approximately universal. Fluid transport properties are shown to have no effect on the dissipation resolution curve, which implies that the dissipation length scale inferred from the square gradient is equivalent to the length scale for the scalar dissipation rate, which includes the diffusion coefficient. With the Box filter, the required spatial resolution to resolve 98% of the mean dissipation rate is about one−two times of the dissipation cutoff length scale (analogous to the Batchelor scale in turbulent isothermal flows). The effects of resolution on the variances of mixture fraction, temperature, and the inverted Rayleigh signal are also compared. The ratio of the filtered variance to the true variance is shown to depend nearly linearly on the probe resolution. The inverted Rayleigh scattering signal can be used to study the resolution effect on temperature variance even when the Rayleigh scattering cross section is not constant. The experimental results also indicate that these laboratory scale turbulent jet flames have small effective Reynolds numbers, such that there is some direct interaction of the large (energy containing) and small (dissipative) scalar length scales, especially for the near field case at x/d = 7.5 of the piloted Sandia flames C/D/E.     

Sub-nanomol per second flow measurement near atmospheric pressure

 We present a measurement technique designed to accurately measure small flow rates near atmospheric pressure, and demonstrate the ability to measure flows on the order of 10^-10 mol/sec. The technique is based upon a modification of a constant-volume mass accumulation scheme where the flow rate is measured by monitoring the change in pressure of a known volume of gas. We identify two phenomena, thermally-induced fluctuations and thermodynamically-induced fluctuations, which will affect the resolution and dynamic range of the instrumentation and discuss how the problems associated with them can be mitigated. We estimate the resolution to be approximately 2.0×10^-13 mol/s, and the maximum measurable flow rate to be to the order 2×10^-9 mol/s. Received: 16 July 1996/Accepted: 2 June 1997     

Direct Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Flow over a Rectangular Trailing Edge

This paper describes a direct numerical simulation (DNS) study of turbulent flow over a rectangular trailing edge at a Reynolds number of 1000, based on the freestream quantities and the trailing edge thickness h; the incoming boundary layer displacement thickness δ^* is approximately equal to h. The time-dependent inflow boundary condition is provided by a separate turbulent boundary layer simulation which is in good agreement with existing computational and experimental data. The turbulent trailing edge flow simulation is carried out using a parallel multi-block code based on finite difference methods and using a multi-grid Poisson solver. The turbulent flow in the near-wake region of the trailing edge has been studied first for the effects of domain size and grid resolution. Then two simulations with a total of 256 × 512 × 64 (∼ 8.4×10⁶) and 512 × 1024 × 128 (∼ 6.7×10⁷) grid points in the computational domain are carried out to investigate the key flow features. Visualization of the instantaneous flow field is used to investigate the complex fluid dynamics taking place in the near-wake region; of particular importance is the interaction between the large-scale spanwise, or Kármán, vortices and the small-scale quasi-streamwise vortices contained within the inflow boundary layer. Comparisons of turbulence statistics including the mean flow quantities are presented, as well as the pressure distributions over the trailing edge. A spectral analysis applied to the force coefficient in the wall normal direction shows that the main shedding frequency is characterized by a Strouhal number based on h of approximately 0.118. Finally, the turbulence kinetic energy budget is analysed. Received 4 March 1999 and accepted 27 October 2000     

Planar measurements of the full three-dimensional scalar dissipation rate in gas-phase turbulent flows

A simultaneous planar Rayleigh scattering and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique is described which allows planar measurement of the full three-dimensional scalar gradient, ∇C (x, t), and scalar energy dissipation rate, χ≡D ∇C·∇C, in gas-phase turbulent flows. The conserved scalar used is the jet fluid concentration, where the jet consists of propane and seeded acetone. The propane serves as the primary Rayleigh scattering medium, while the acetone is used for fluorescence. For a given amount of available laser energy, this planar Rayleigh scattering/PLIF technique yields much higher signals levels than would, for example, a two-plane Rayleigh scattering technique. By applying the current technique to a single spatial plane, the errors incurred in measuring a spatial derivative across distinct planes are quantified. The errors are found to be well described by a random distribution, and the magnitude of these errors is found to be smaller than the magnitude of significant events in the true scalar gradient fields. Sample results for the fields of the three-dimensional scalar gradient and scalar energy dissipation in a planar turbulent jet, with outer scale Reynolds numbers between 3200 and 8400, are shown, demonstrating the applicability of these measurements to analyses of the fine scale mixing in turbulent flows. The application of these measurements to determination of the scaling properties of the dissipation rate is also discussed. Received: 3 June 1998/Accepted: 12 February 1999     

Boundary layer structure of oscillatory open-channel shallow flows over smooth and rough beds

The boundary layer structure of oscillatory shallow open channel flows has been studied in a wide flume. Fluorescence solution was released at a porous rough bed through a diffuser covered by gravel of 0.5 cm grain size. A planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) system was used to visualise the dye plumes in both vertical and horizontal planes for a qualitative understanding of the roles of large-scale flow structures in mass transport. A variety of tests were conducted for a range of oscillatory periods (30–240 s), water depths (3–16 cm) and velocity amplitudes (0.027–0.325 m/s), which cover a wide range of oscillatory flows with Reynolds numbers Re _a varied from 0.3 × 10⁴ (laminar) to 2.1 × 10⁶ (fully turbulent). For quantitative investigation, a novel technique, namely combined laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and 2D laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) (LIF/LDV), was developed and used to measure the velocity and solute concentration simultaneously in a vertical plane over 50 cycles. From the dye plumes revealed by the PLIF in transitional flows, there are different patterns of flow structure and solute transport with three representative stages of acceleration, deceleration and flow reversal. In the acceleration stage, turbulence was suppressed with dye layers adhering to the surface with little vertical mass transport. In the deceleration stage, flame-like turbulent structures occurred when turbulence generation was prominent. This was investigated quantitatively by recording the percentage occurrence of the adhered smooth layers per cycle. For those smooth bed cases with Re _a < 1.8 × 10⁵, the adhered smooth dye layers type of boundary layer occupied 100% of the oscillation period. Over a sufficiently high Re _a , a rough bed can generate fully turbulent oscillatory flows without the appearance of adhering dye layers. Between these two extremes, a transitional flow regime occurs in a wide range of flow conditions: Re _a > 2.7 × 10⁴ over the rough bed and Re _a > 8.3 × 10⁶ over a smooth bed.     

Visualization and measurements of void fraction in a gas-molten tin multiphase system by X-ray absorption

 A technique has been developed to measure void fraction using X-rays in a 10 cm thick pool of molten tin with gas injection at various flow rates. Visualization of the multiphase mixture using high energy X-rays can be performed at imaging rates of 220 fps with 256×256 pixel resolution or at 30 fps with 480×1128 pixel resolution. The images are subsequently processed to obtain two dimensional distributions of the chordal average void fraction in the mixture. The estimated relative uncertainty of the measurement is discussed in detail and shown to be of the order of 10% of the reported value. Received: 6 June 1997/Accepted: 2 December 1997     

K-ε-T model of dense liquid-solid two-phase turbulent flow and its application to the pipe flow

To predict the characteristics of dense liquid-solid two-phase flow, K-ε-T model is established, in which the turbulent flow of fluid phase is described with fluid turbulent kinetic energy K_f and its dissipation rate ε_f, and the particles random motion is described with particle turbulent energy K_p and its dissipation rate ε_p and pseudothermal temperature T_p. The governing equations are also derived. With K-ε-T model, numerical study of dense liquid-solid two-phase turbulent up-flow in a pipe is performed. The calculated results are in good agreement with experimental data of Alajbegovic et al. (1994), and some flow features are captured.     

Correlation of the separation region length in shock wave/channel boundary layer interaction

 Results of an experimental investigation of the characteristics of a separation region induced by the interaction of an externally generated oblique shock with the turbulent boundary layer formed in a rectangular half channel are discussed. The experiments were carried out in the supersonic wind tunnel of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics SB RAS at a free-stream Mach number M _∞=3.01 over a range of Reynolds numbers Re ₁=(9.7–47.5)×10⁶ m^-1 and at zero incidence and zero yaw of the model. Particular attention is paid to the size of the zone of the upstream propagation of disturbances (upstream influence region) under different experimental conditions: with varied values of the shock wave strength, half channel width, and Reynolds number. It is shown, in particular, that the normalized upstream influence region length as a function of inclination angle of the shock generator in a rectangular half channel is readily approximated by a simple exponential function. In support of the known reference data obtained for supersonic numbers M _∞ and moderate Re in other configurations, it is also shown that the upstream influence region length decreases with increasing Reynolds number. Generalization of experimental data on the length of the upstream influence region formed in similar geometric configurations is possible using an additional reference linear scale which is the distance from the leading edge of the shock generator to the exposed surface. A substantial dependence of the reference dimensions of separation region on the half channel width is also established. Received: 20 January 1997/Accepted: 30 June 1997     

Flow field analysis of a turbulent boundary layer over a riblet surface

The near-wall flow structures of a turbulent boundary layer over a riblet surface with semi-circular grooves were investigated experimentally for the cases of drag decreasing (s ⁺=25.2) and drag increasing (s ⁺=40.6). One thousand instantaneous velocity fields over riblets were measured using the velocity field measurement technique and compared with those above a smooth flat plate. The field of view was 6.75 × 6.75 mm² in physical dimension, containing two grooves. Those instantaneous velocity fields were ensemble averaged to get turbulent statistics including turbulent intensities and turbulent kinetic energy. To see the global flow structure qualitatively, flow visualization was also carried out using the synchronized smoke-wire technique under the same experimental conditions. For the case of drag decreasing (s ⁺=25.2), most of the streamwise vortices stay above the riblets, interacting with the riblet tips frequently. The riblet tips impede the spanwise movement of the streamwise vortices and induce secondary vortices. The normalized rms velocity fluctuations and turbulent kinetic energy are small near the riblet surface, compared with those over a smooth flat plate. Inside the riblet valleys, these are sufficiently small that the increased wetted surface area of the riblets can be compensated. In addition, in the outer region (y ⁺ > 30), these values are almost equal to or slightly smaller than those for the smooth plate. For the case of drag increasing (s ⁺=40.6), however, most of the streamwise vortices stay inside the riblet valleys and contact directly with the riblet surface. The high-speed down-wash flow penetrating into the riblet valley interacts actively with the wetted riblet surface and increases the skin friction. The rms velocity fluctuations and turbulent kinetic energy have larger values compared with those over a smooth flat plate. Received: 24 March 1999/Accepted: 10 March 2000     

High-resolution imaging of turbulence structures in jet flames and non-reacting jets with laser Rayleigh scattering

A comparative study of the length scales and morphology of dissipation fields in turbulent jet flames and non-reacting jets provides a quantitative analysis of the effects of heat release on the fine-scale structure of turbulent mixing. Planar laser Rayleigh scattering is used for highly resolved measurements of the thermal and scalar dissipation in the near fields of CH₄/H₂/N₂ jet flames (Re _d  = 15,200 and 22,800) and non-reacting propane jets (Re _d  = 7,200–21,700), respectively. Heat release increases the dissipation cutoff length scales in the reaction zone of the flames such that they are significantly larger than the cutoff scales of non-reacting jets with comparable jet exit Reynolds numbers. Fine-scale anisotropy is enhanced in the reaction zone. At x/d = 10, the peaks of the dissipation angle PDFs in the Re _d  = 15,200 and 22,800 jet flames exceed those of non-reacting jets with corresponding jet exit Reynolds numbers by factors of 2.3 and 1.8, respectively. Heat release significantly reduces the dissipation layer curvature in the reaction zone and in the low-temperature periphery of the jet flames. These results suggest that the reaction zone shields the outer regions of the jet flame from the highly turbulent flow closer to the jet axis.     

A study of the three-dimensional spectral energy distribution in a zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer

Time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements performed in wall parallel planes at three wall normal locations, y ⁺ = 34, 108, and 278, in a zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer at Re _τ = 470 are used to illuminate the distribution of streamwise velocity fluctuations in a three-dimensional energy spectrum (2D in space and 1D in time) over streamwise, spanwise, and temporal wavelengths. Two high-speed cameras placed side by side in the streamwise direction give a 10δ × 5δ streamwise by spanwise field of view with a vector spacing of _boxclose = z^+ 37\Updelta x^+ = \Updelta z^+ \approx 37 and a time step of \Updelta t⁺=0.5\Updelta t^+=0.5. Although 3D wavenumber--frequency spectra have been calculated in acoustics studies, to the authors’ knowledge this is the first time they has been calculated and presented for a turbulent boundary layer. The calculation and normalization of this spectrum, its relation to 2D and 1D spectra, and the effects of the PIV algorithm on its shape are carefully analyzed and outlined.     

On the correlation between enstrophy and energy dissipation rate in a turbulent wake

All three components of the vorticity fluctuation have been measured simultaneously in a turbulent wake using a new eight-sensor vorticity probe. The vorticity fluctuation spectra agree reasonably well with those from a direct numerical simulation of a turbulent channel flow at high wavenumbers. The similarity between the instantaneous energy dissipation rate ε and the instantaneous enstrophy ω² is examined using spectra and probability density functions. The correlation between ω² and ε is evaluated in some detail. The homogeneous value of ε is strongly correlated with ω². The full value of ε and, more especially its isotropic value, are less well correlated with the enstrophy. Conditional averaging indicates that high enstrophy regions are associated with high energy dissipation rate regions.     

Drag characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate with transverse square grooves

 The effect of transverse square grooves on the drag characteristics of a flat plate has been investigated using direct drag measurements in a tow tank. Two flat plates with 2.5 and 5 mm transverse square grooves, with groove spacing (s) to groove width (w) ratio, s/w=10, 20 and 40, were tested at plate length Reynolds numbers in the range 2–10×10⁶. There is an increase in drag over the “smooth” plate for all s/w configurations. Received: 31 December 1997/Accepted: 4 April 1998     

Interaction of turbulent natural convection and surface thermal radiation in inclined square enclosures

Two-dimensional numerical studies of flow and temperature fields for turbulent natural convection and surface radiation in inclined differentially heated enclosures are performed. Investigations are carried out over a wide range of Rayleigh numbers from 10⁸ to 10¹², with the angle of inclination varying between 0° and 90°. Turbulence is modeled with a novel variant of the k–ε closure model. The predicted results are validated against experimental and numerical results reported in literature. The effect of the inclination of the enclosure on pure turbulent natural convection and the latter’s interaction with surface radiation are brought out. Profiles of turbulent kinetic energy and effective viscosity are studied to observe the net effect on the intensity of turbulence caused by the interaction of natural convection and surface radiation. The variations of local Nusselt number and average Nusselt number are presented for various inclination angles. Marked change in the convective Nusselt number is found with the orientation of enclosure. Also analyzed is the influence of change in emissivity on the flow and heat transfer. A correlation relevant to practical applications in the form of average Nusselt number, as a function of Rayleigh number, Ra, radiation convection parameter, N _RC and inclination angle of the enclosure, φ is proposed.     

Particle tracking velocimetry beneath water waves. Part I: visualization and tracking algorithms

 A novel particle tracking system working with a high particle concentration for the measurement of flow fields beneath water waves is described. It features a 1–4 cm thick light sheet parallel to the main wave propagation direction so that the seeding particles stay long enough in the illuminated area to enable tracking over several wave periods. An area of up to 14.0×10.0 cm² is observed by a CCD camera with up to 200 fields/s. The polychromatic scattering theory of small particles in a light sheet illumination is investigated, enabling the segmentation of individual particles at high particle concentration. Received: 12 July 1995/Accepted: 18 April 1997     

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.     

A particle image velocimetry system for microfluidics

 A micron-resolution particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) system has been developed to measure instantaneous and ensemble-averaged flow fields in micron-scale fluidic devices. The system utilizes an epifluorescent microscope, 100–300 nm diameter seed particles, and an intensified CCD camera to record high-resolution particle-image fields. Velocity vector fields can be measured with spatial resolutions down to 6.9×6.9×1.5 μm. The vector fields are analyzed using a double-frame cross-correlation algorithm. In this technique, the spatial resolution and the accuracy of the velocity measurements is limited by the diffraction limit of the recording optics, noise in the particle image field, and the interaction of the fluid with the finite-sized seed particles. The stochastic influence of Brownian motion plays a significant role in the accuracy of instantaneous velocity measurements. The micro-PIV technique is applied to measure velocities in a Hele–Shaw flow around a 30 μm (major diameter) elliptical cylinder, with a bulk velocity of approximately 50 μm s^-1. Received: 26 November 1997/Accepted: 26 February 1998     

Small-scale measurements in a partially stirred reactor

This paper describes an experimental study of a partially stirred reactor (PaSR). The reactor is a cubic box in which air (either pure or mixed with a tracer) is continuously injected through 12 jets situated in two opposite planes and impinging through the center. The flow in the reactor interior is well approximated as stationary, globally homogeneous and isotropic. Global properties of turbulent flow and passive scalar mixing are studied, in terms of length scales, characteristic times, spectra, etc. Particular attention has been paid to a proper determination of the mean value of the passive scalar variance dissipation rate 〈ε _Z 〉, in the central quasi-homogeneous zone of the reactor.     

Turbulent flow around a rotating cylinder in a quiescent fluid

 Hot-wire measurements have been carried out in the turbulent flow around a rotating circular cylinder in still air for Reynolds numbers Re=∣U _w ∣D/ν=1.5×10⁴ to 10⁵. The experimental results confirm the analysis derived by asymptotic theory for high Reynolds numbers. Two different ways of deriving the friction law from the experiments (via shear stress and via velocity distribution) resulted practically in the same law. It is shown, that in spite of the curvature of the streamlines the universal logarithmic velocity distribution is still valid near the wall. Received: 8 August 1996/Accepted: 24 April 1998     

Reynolds Number Effects on the Coherent Dynamics of the Turbulent Horseshoe Vortex System

The adverse pressure gradient induced by a surface-mounted obstacle in a turbulent boundary layer causes the approaching flow to separate and form a dynamically rich horseshoe vortex system (HSV) in the junction of the obstacle with the wall. The Reynolds number of the flow (Re) is one of the important parameters that control the rich coherent dynamics of the vortex, which are known to give rise to low-frequency, bimodal fluctuations of the velocity field (Devenport and Simpson, J Fluid Mech 210:23–55, 1990; Paik et al., Phys Fluids 19:045107, 2007). We carry out detached eddy simulations (DES) of the flow past a circular cylinder mounted on a rectangular channel for Re = 2.0 × 10⁴ and 3.9 × 10⁴ (Dargahi, Exp Fluids 8:1–12, 1989) in order to systematically investigate the effect of the Reynolds number on the HSV dynamics. The computed results are compared with each other and with previous experimental and computational results for a related junction flow at a much higher Reynolds number (Re = 1.15 × 10⁵) (Devenport and Simpson, J Fluid Mech 210:23–55, 1990; Paik et al., Phys Fluids 19:045107, 2007). The computed results reveal significant variations with Re in terms of the mean-flow quantities, turbulence statistics, and the coherent dynamics of the turbulent HSV. For Re = 2.0 × 10⁴ the HSV system consists of a large number of necklace-type vortices that are shed periodically at higher frequencies than those observed in the Re = 3.9 × 10⁴ case. For this latter case the number of large-scale vortical structures that comprise the instantaneous HSV system is reduced significantly and the flow dynamics becomes quasi-periodic. For both cases, we show that the instantaneous flowfields are dominated by eruptions of wall-generated vorticity associated with the growth of hairpin vortices that wrap around and disorganize the primary HSV system. The intensity and frequency of these eruptions, however, appears to diminish rapidly with decreasing Re. In the high Re case the HSV system consists of a single, highly energetic, large-scale necklace vortex that is aperiodically disorganized by the growth of the hairpin mode. Regardless of the Re, we find pockets in the junction region within which the histograms of velocity fluctuations are bimodal as has also been observed in several previous experimental studies.