Impact of buoyancy on vortex ring development in the near field

The development of a buoyant vortex ring in the near field was examined experimentally, and the findings were compared with those of a non-buoyant ring with a similar Reynolds number. The experiments were performed in a water tank, and the vortices were produced by a cylindrical tube of aspect ratio 2. Laser sheet flow visualization and PIV measurements were carried out. In the near field, the initial column of the buoyant fluid breaks down due to the presence of Rayleigh–Taylor instability at the buoyant fluid interface. Subsequently, a large diameter vortex ring with a large spreading rate, compared with the non-buoyant ring, emerges. The celerity of buoyant vortex continued to decrease throughout the range examined, in contrast to the constant celerity of the non-buoyant ring. The vorticity in the core of buoyant and non-buoyant vortex rings is symmetric and has a Gaussian distribution. However, the buoyant vortex ring evolves into a thin core ring, whereas the non-buoyant ring becomes a thick core ring shortly after the ring formation. This difference is brought on by the rapid entrainment and the significant growth of the buoyant ring following the breakup of the initial formation.     

Sound emission by a vortex ring passing through a circular hole in a large flat plate

Acoustic emission has been studied experimentally when a vortex ring passes through a circular hole in a large flat plate, along its normal axis. The speed of the vortex ring is made high enough for the sound emission to be detectable, but can be regarded as sufficiently low in comparison to the sound speed. Substantial monopole and quadrupole components are observed in the detected wave profiles. Translational motion of the vortex ring in the presence of the flat plate with a hole has been observed optically, and its relation with the sound emission is determined. In this case, the power law of the acoustic pressure amplitude of monopolar vortex sound versus the translation speed U of the vortex ring is first measured in detail and is found to be U^2.1–U^2.4. This means that experimentally determined powers for the monopole components in the two half-spaces also agree approximately with the corresponding values predicted by the theory of vortex sound.     

Long-wave instability of a vortex ring

The instability of barrel-shaped vibrations of a vortex ring in an ideal fluid is investigated. These vibrations, stable for a vortex ring with a piecewise-uniform vorticity profile, appear to be unstable for a vortex ring with a smooth vorticity profile. The instability growth rate is found on the basis of the energy balance equation determining the energy transport from perturbations with negative energy in the critical layer to perturbations with positive energy in the rest of the flow. The curvature of the vortex ring, by virtue of which the perturbations with energies of different signs appear to be connected, plays a prominent role in the mechanism under consideration.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 72–78, November–December, 1995.     

Reconnections of vortex filaments

The process of break-down and reconnection of vortex filaments is considered by the method of three-dimensional vortex singularities (vortons) in various situations, including oblique interaction of a vortex ring with a boundary in shear flow, shedding of a vortex ring from a horseshoe vortex, instability of elliptic vortex ring, Crow instability of two perturbed antiparallel vortex filaments, merging and subsequent splitting of vortex rings. Special attention is paid to the global integrals (vorticity, momentum, angular momentum) and to the inviscid dissipation of energy. The visualization of the effective vortex core, created by the interference of the vorticity fields of vortons, is presented. The comparisons with other methods of simulation of three-dimensional vortex interactions and with the observations have been made.     

Dynamics of thin vortex rings in a low-viscosity fluid

In order to describe the unsteady flow of a viscous fluid induced by a toroidal vorticity distribution we use the two-scale expansion method [6], By this means we obtain a vorticity distribution in the core of the thin vortex ring that is consistent with the external potential flow. The time dependence of the flow characteristics obtained confirms the experimental results for the inertial regime. The interaction of coaxial vortex rings is investigated as an example.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.5, pp. 52–59, September–October, 1992.     

Acoustic waves emitted by a vortex ring passing near a wedge-like plate

Acoustic waves emitted by a vortex ring moving near a thin wedge-like plate of finite width have been studied. The experiments are performed for three configurations: the plate (A) is held edgeways to the direction of the vortex motion, (B) is held sideways to the direction, and (C) is held edgeways at an angle of 45° against the vortex motion. The observed sound wave is of dipole radiation type, and the magnitude of the pressure is large in the direction of the normal to the plate plane and small in parallel. The observed pressure is proportional to the third power of the vortex speed. The instantaneous force exerted on the plate by the vortex motion has also been examined. The force vector is mainly normal to the plate plane. The observed profiles agree within a reasonable degree of accuracy with the theoretical ones calculated for the vortex ring interacting with the flat plate of thickness zero.     

Flow of linear molecules through a 4:1:4 contraction–expansion using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics: Extensional rheology and pressure drop

In this work, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are used to generate the flow of linear polymer chains (monomer-springs with FENE potential) and a Lennard–Jones fluid (Newtonian fluid) through a contraction–expansion (4:1:4) geometry. An external force field simulating a constant pressure gradient upstream the contraction region induces the flow, where the confining action of the walls is represented by a Lennard–Jones potential. The equations of motion are solved through a multiple-step integration algorithm coupled to a Nosé-Hoover dynamics [S. Nose, A unified formulation of the constant temperature molecular dynamics methods, J. Chem. Phys. 81 (1984) 511–519], i.e., to simulate a thermostat, which maintains a constant temperature. In this investigation, we assume that the energy removed by the thermostat is related to the viscous dissipation along the contraction–expansion geometry. A non-linear increasing function between the pressure drop and the mean velocity along the contraction for the linear molecules is found, being an order of magnitude larger than that predicted for the Lennard–Jones fluid. The pressure drop of both systems (the linear molecules and Lennard–Jones fluid) is related to the dissipated energy at the contraction entry. The large deformation that the linear molecules experience and the evolution of the normal stress at the contraction entry follow a different trajectory in the relaxation process past the contraction, generating large hysteresis loops. The area enclosed by these cycles is related to the dissipated energy. Large shear stresses developed near the re-entrant corners as well as the vortex formation, dependent on the Deborah number, are also predicted at the exit of the contraction. To our knowledge, for the first time, the excessive pressure losses found in experimental contraction flows can be explained theoretically.     

Instabilities of nonuniform flows of acoustically active media

The analytic methods and results of investigating the acoustic instability of nonuniform steady channel flows are reviewed. The study is based on the system of equations describing the motion of an electrically conducting gas at low magnetic Reynolds numbers [25]. This makes it possible to consider the acoustic effects in plasma and nonconducting gas flows within the framework of a unified approach.Based on paper presented to the fluid mechanics sections of the Seventh Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Moscow, August 1991.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.5, pp. 31–46, September–October, 1992.     

Cavitation bubble dynamics — new tools for an intricate problem

With the help of laser produced bubbles in water and high speed photography and holography sophisticated experiments on cavitation bubble dynamics can be conducted. The observation of a bubble vortex ring after jet formation upon collapse of a spherical bubble in front of a plane solid boundary is reported. The vortex ring may expand and contract several times until it disintegrates into a ring of bubbles by some instability finally taking over. A critical discussion of our qualitative understanding of jet formation is included. In a second part the problem of the acoustic cavitation noise spectrum is discussed. Numerically obtained ‘visible cavitation noise’ plots from a single bubble already resemble those obtained experimentally from acoustic cavitation. A discussion shows that the theory should be extended to self-consistency.     

Experimental observation of the straining field responsible for vortex ring instabilityObservation expérimentale du champ responsable de l'instabilité du tourbillon torique

The aim of this work is to show experimentally the straining field responsible for the vortex ring instability. To do so, the velocity field in the neighbourhood of the core is measured with Particle Image Velocimetry. This field is compared with the one coming from theoretical work on a thin vortex ring in an ideal fluid. Theoretical and experimental data fit well. This indicates that the linear phase of the instability is weakly influenced by viscosity. To cite this article: A. Dazin et al., C. R. Mecanique 332 (2004).     

Rising vortex ring in a viscous fluid

Most theoretical results for thermals, whose motion is determined by the complex interaction between dynamics and buoyancy, have been obtained numerically [1–4]. The analytic solutions for a convection element have been limited to consideration of the self-similar regime [5]. At the same time, the preself-similar stage of development of a vortex ring of dynamic origin has been described analytically [6]. This approach is now extended to a rising vortex ring. In this case a modification of the traditional formulation of the problem makes it possible to obtain an analytic solution of the problem of a weak thermal in the form of unsteady temperature, vorticity and stream function fields that tend in the limit to the self-similar regime. The rate of ascent of the convective vortex ring is found. A solution is obtained for the two-dimensional analog of the problem.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 42–48, May–June, 1989.     

Solution of linear problems of the uniform motion of a vortex source in a multilayer fluid

A method of solving linear problems of the uniform motion of a vortex source in a multilayer fluid having an arbitrary finite number of layers is proposed. As an example, the problem of the motion of a vortex source of given intensity in a three-layer fluid is solved. Formulas for the complex velocities and hydrodynamic reactions are obtained.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 127–132, May–June, 1995.     

波涡相互作用研究的某些进展(Ⅱ)

<正> 5 波涡共振 从第3节的感受性问题再前进一步,自然要问在什么条件下入射波激发起涡中之波的最大响应.这就导致了入射波与层状或轴状涡中受激波之间共振的概念,简称波涡共振.一般说来,在流体内部若有两个或多个波相会,它们将互相穿透而沿原来的方向离去.但若它们的波矢量和频率满足一定的关系(参见Craik 1985),就会在相会点产生新的波.2阶扰动的振幅可达到1阶扰动振幅的量级,而且流场中会出现一些重要的独特性质.这就是流体内部波共振,波涡共振是其一类情形.      

The evolution of an initially circular vortex near an escarpment. Part I: analytical results

The motion of a quasigeostrophic, equivalent-barotropic, initially circular vortex patch near an infinitely long topographic escarpment is studied using f-plane dynamics. There are two time scales in the problem: the advective time scale associated with the vortex, and the time scale for topographic vortex stretching. Analytical progress is possible when these two time scales are well-separated and results are presented here.If topographic vortex stretching dominates advection by the vortex the vortex is said to be ‘weak’. The vortex patch remains circular on the topographic time scale, and dispersive topographic waves rapidly propagate the initial disturbance away from the vicinity of the vortex. Subsequently cross-isobath motion is inhibited, and the vortex moves as though the escarpment were a plane wall. The same behaviour was observed for the motion of a weak singular vortex near an escarpment by Dunn, McDonald and Johnson [7], who named the phenomenon the ‘pseudoimage’ of the vortex.If advection dominates over topographic effects, the vortex is said to be ‘intense’. The vortex also remains circular to leading order, but the relative vorticity produced by the swirl of the vortex is less able to escape the vicinity of the vortex. The vortex follows a similar curved trajectory to those observed for intense vortices on the β-plane. The dipolar mechanism for this behaviour is described. Large time solutions are inhibited by the form of the escarpment topography, but examination of the equations leads to the conclusion that the leading order solution may be predict the motion for times beyond its formal range of validity.     

From generation to chaotic motion of a ring configuration of vortex structures on a sphere

This is a review article of recent research developments on the motion of a polygonal ring configuration of vortex structures with singular vorticity distributions in incompressible and inviscid flows on a non-rotating sphere. Numerical computation of a single vortex sheet reveals that the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability gives rise to the formation of a polygonal ring arrangement of rolling-up spirals. An application of methods of Hamiltonian dynamics to the N-vortex problem on the sphere shows that the motion of the ring configuration of homogeneous point vortices, which is a simple model for the rolling-up spirals, becomes chaotic after a long time evolution. Some remarks on an extension of the present research and a generic non-self-similar collapse are also provided.     

Computational analysis of exit conditions on the sound field of turbulent hot jets

A hybrid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational aeroacoustics (CAA) method is used to compute the acoustic field of turbulent hot jets at a Reynolds number $Re=316,000$ and a Mach number $M=0.12$. The flow field computations are performed by highly resolved large-eddy simulations (LES), from which sound source terms are extracted to compute the acoustic field by solving the acoustic perturbation equations (APE). Two jets are considered to analyze the impact of exit conditions on the resulting jet sound field. First, a jet emanating from a fully resolved non-generic nozzle is simulated by solving the discrete conservation equations. This computation of the jet flow is denoted free-exit-flow (FEF) formulation. For the second computation, the nozzle geometry is not included in the computational domain. Time averaged exit conditions, i.e. velocity and density profiles of the first formulation, plus a jet forcing in form of vortex rings are imposed at the inlet of the second jet configuration. This formulation is denoted imposed-exit-flow (IEF) formulation. The free-exit-flow case shows up to 50% higher turbulent kinetic energy than the imposed-exit-flow case in the jet near field, which drastically impacts noise generation. The FEF and IEF configurations reveal quite a different qualitative behavior of the sound spectra, especially in the sideline direction where the entropy source term dominates sound generation. This difference occurs since the noise sources generated by density and pressure fluctuations are not perfectly modeled by the vortex ring forcing method in the IEF solution. However, the total overall sound pressure level shows the same qualitative behavior for the FEF and IEF formulations. Towards the downstream direction, the sound spectra of the FEF and IEF solutions converge.     

INFLUENCE OF SEPARATION ON SOUND GENERATED BY VORTEX-STEP INTERACTION

An analysis of the sound produced when a line vortex interacts at low Mach number with forward or backward facing steps is made. The radiation is dominated by an aeroacoustic dipole whose strength is equal to the unsteady drag on the step. The drag is determined by the vorticity distribution, and a correct estimate of the sound must therefore include contributions from vorticity in the separated flow induced by the vortex. The separation is modelled by assuming that the shed vorticity rolls up into a concentrated core, fed by a connecting sheet from the edge of the step of negligible circulation. The motion everywhere is irrotational except at the impinging vortex and the separation core, and the trajectory of the core is governed by an emended Brown & Michael equation. For large steps it is found that estimates of the generated sound that neglect separation are typically an order of magnitude too large. The sound levels predicted for small steps with and without separation are of comparable magnitudes, although the respectivephasesare different.Turbulentflow over a step frequently involves separation and large surface pressure fluctuations at reattachment zones. The results of this paper suggest that numerical schemes for determining the noise generated by turbulent flow over a step must take proper account of “forcing” of the separation region by the impinging turbulence and of vorticity production via the no-slip condition.     

Wake dynamics of external flow past a curved circular cylinder with the free-stream aligned to the plane of curvature

The fundamental mechanism of vortex shedding past a curved cylinder has been investigated at a Reynolds number of 100 using three-dimensional spectral/hp computations. Two different configurations are presented herein: in both cases the main component of the geometry is a circular cylinder whose centreline is a quarter of a ring and the inflow direction is parallel to the plane of curvature. In the first set of simulations the cylinder is forced to transversely oscillate at a fixed amplitude, while the oscillation frequency has been varied around the Strouhal value. Both geometries exhibit in-phase vortex shedding, with the vortex cores bent according to the body's curvature, although the wake topology is markedly different. In particular, the configuration that was found to suppress the vortex shedding in absence of forced motion exhibits now a primary instability in the near wake. A second set of simulations has been performed imposing an oscillatory roll to the curved cylinder, which is forced to rotate transversely around the axis of its bottom section. This case shows entirely different wake features from the previous one: the vortex shedding appears to be out-of-phase along the body's span, with straight cores that tend to twist after being shed and manifest a secondary spanwise instability. Further, the damping effect stemming from the transverse planar motion of the part of the cylinder parallel to the flow is no longer present, leading to a positive energy transfer from the fluid to the structure.