Holographic flow visualization as a tool for studying three-dimensional coherent structures and instabilities

Holography is capable of three-dimensional (3D) representation of spatial objects such as fluid interfaces and particle ensembles. Based on this, we adapt it into a 3D flow visualization tool called Holographic Flow Visualization (HFV). This technique provides a novel means of studying spatially and temporally evolving complex fluid flow structures marked by a disperse phase or interfaces of different fluids. This paper demonstrates that HFV is a straightforward technique, especially when the In-line Recording Off-axis Viewing (IROV) configuration is used. The technique can be applied either as a stand-alone experimental tool for studying scalar-based coherent structures, flow instabilities, interactions of different fluids driven by fluid dynamics, interfacial phenomena, or as a precursor to volumetric 3D velocity vector field measurement of complex transient flow dynamics. Experimental results in several complex fluid flows and flames demonstrate the effectiveness of HFV. Different methods are used to mark flow structures undergoing different instabilities: 1) a vortex ring grown out of a drop of polymer suspension falling in water, 2) cascade of a bag-shaped drop of milk in water, and 3) internal flow structures of a jet diffusion flame.     

Optical oscilloscope for three-dimensional flow visualization

A previous article described a method for tomographic flow visualization by means of the scattering of a plane laser light sheet. This paper shows recent improvements of such a method using two-dimensional sweeps of a pencil laser, which allows three-dimensional visualization, particularly in internal flows.     

Quantitative visualization of high-speed 3D turbulent flow structures using holographic interferometric tomography

Using holographic interferometry the three-dimensional structure of unsteady and large-scale motions within subsonic and transonic turbulent jet flows has been studied. The instantaneous 3D flow structure is obtained by tomographic reconstruction techniques from quantitative phase maps recorded using a rapid-switching, double reference beam, double pulse laser system. The reconstruction of the jets studied here reveal a three-dimensional nature of the flow. In particular an increasing complexity can be seen in the turbulence as the flow progresses from the jet nozzle. Furthermore, a coherent three-dimensional, possibly rotating, structure can be seen to exist within these jets. The type of flow features illustrated here are not just of fundamental importance for understanding the behavior of free jet flows, but are also common to a number of industrial applications, ranging from the combustion flow within an IC engine to the transonic flow through the stages of a gas turbine.     

Oscillatory thermal structures in a reattaching jet flow

Spatially varying surface temperature oscillations in a nominally steady reattaching slot jet at a Reynolds number (Re) of 5000 are analyzed using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) for two nozzle-to-surface spacings, and three exit openings of the nozzle. The surface temperature data in these experiments were recorded using infrared thermography at a frequency of 20 Hz along two selected lines on the impingement surface corresponding to geometrically similar and dissimilar regions within the reattachment curtain. The magnitude of temperature oscillations were found to increase with an increase in exit opening for the larger nozzle spacing. The POD analysis results indicate that a majority of the temperature flucutations are well captured by 15 dominant modes. In many cases, the three dominant modes accounted for approximately 60 percent of the variance in surface temperature fluctuation.     

Quantitative visualization of micro-tube flow using micro-PIV

This paper describes PIV measurements ofthe flow field in a micro round tube with an internal diameter of 100 μm in order to examine micro-scale effects. Since the refractive index of the micro tube almost corresponds to that of water, the inner flow in the tube can be observed clearly. The micro PIV system has been developed using a microscope, a high sensitive CCD camera, a double pulsed Nd:YAG laser and optics. Applying the micro PIV technique to the flow, the velocity distributions with spatial resolution of 1.8 × 1.8 μm were measured even near the wall in the center plane of the round tube. It was found that the velocities near the tube wall were smaller than the theoretical values calculated by using Poiseuille’s law. It is believed that this disparity is due to micro-scale effects such as interference between particles and the wall, friction at the wall, surface tension and so on.     

Evolution of three-dimensional coherent structures in compressible axisymmetric jet

A high order difference scheme is used to simulate the spatially developing compressible axisymmetric jet. The results show that the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability appears first when the jet loses its stability, and then with development of jet the increase in nonlinear effects leads to the secondary instability and the formation of the streamwise vortices. The evolution of the three-dimensional coherent structure is presented. The computed results verify that in axisymmetric jet the secondary instability and formation of the streamwise vortices are the important physical mechanism of enhancing the flow mixing and transition occurring.     

Integrated approach to computational and experimental flow visualization of a double annular confined jet

The cold flow of a prototype industrial burner in a cylindrical combustion chamber is investigated. Two concentric annular axial jets simulate this complex flow field, which is investigated using Laser Sheet flow Visualization (LSV), Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV), Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The aim is to advance the physical understanding of combustion chamber flow fields and to assist the development of CFD codes specialized in such flows. These simulations generate large amount of data for various measured and calculated quantities. Thus, visualization and comparison procedures are applied for the validation of obtained results. The study reported here is one of the experiments applied in the design of the Quantitative Flow Field Visualization (QFView) software, a web-based environment which supports distributed data access. The application of QFView data analysis greatly improved the understandings about the various transition regions of the flow under investigation.     

A swirling jet with vortex breakdown: three-dimensional coherent structures

The paper reports on shape of a three-dimensional coherent structure in a velocity field of a high-swirl turbulent jet with the bubble-type vortex breakdown. A set of the 3D instantenous velocity fields was measured by using the tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomographic PIV) technique and processed by the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method. The detected intensive coherent velocity component corresponded to a helical vortex core of the swirling jet and two secondary spiral vortices. The entire coherent structure was rotating around the jet axis in compliance with the direction of the flow swirl. From the 3D data it is concluded that the dynamics of the strsucture can be described by a traveling wave equation: Re[A(y, r)·e ^{i(mθ + ky - ωt)}] with the number of the spiral mode m = +1 for positively defined k and ω.     

Properties of a three-dimensional photonic jet

By focusing light with a sphere several wavelengths in diameter, we can obtain a photonic nanojet [Opt. Express 13, 526 (2005)]: if light is focused on the surface of the sphere, the width of the beam stays smaller than the wavelength along a distance of propagation of approximately two wavelengths and reaches a high intensity. We use the rigorous Mie theory to analyze the basic properties of the photonic jet in the general three-dimensional polarized case. This fast algorithm allows us to determine the influence of the radius and the refractive index of the sphere on the photonic jet. The polarization response is also studied. We observe that high-intensity concentrations and subwavelength focusing are two different effects. Their basic properties are analyzed, and explanations are proposed.     

Quantitative three-dimensional holographic interferometry for flow field analysis

Holographic interferometry offers the potential for quantitative, wholefield analysis of three-dimensional compressible flows. The technique is non-intrusive, does not require the introduction of seeding particles, and records the entire flow information within the pulse duration of a Q-switched ruby laser (˜30ns). At present, however, holographic interferometry is mainly used qualitatively due to the practical restrictions of data recording, acquisition and processing.To address the potential of holographic flow analysis a prototype multi-channel interferometer has been designed and preliminary wind tunnel results have been obtained. The proposed configuration uses specular illumination which, unlike comparable diffuse systems, does not suffer from fringe localisation and speckle noise. Beam collimation and steering through the flow field is achieved in a single operation by the use of holographic optical elements (HOEs). The resulting design is compact, light efficient, has aberration compensation, and the recorded data are conducive to both tomographic analysis and direct comparison to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions.Holograms have been recorded of simple two-dimensional and axisymmetric compressible flows, to compare the accuracy of holographic density measurements with data from conventional pressure sensors and CFD codes. Data extraction from the holograms, and the elimination of rigid body motion, was achieved using digital Fourier transform fringe analysis. The introduction of phase errors by image processing has been investigated by analysing simulated fringe patterns generated from a combination of experimental amplitude information and computer generated phase data.     

Interferometric visualization of jet flames

This paper presents visualizations of reacting, round jets of the premixed and nonpremixed type realized by using interferometry and, complementarily, direct photography. The available interferometer, proposed by Carlomagno (1986), employs low-cost components and is flexible and robust to geometrical misalignments, allowing the drawbacks limiting the application of traditional interferometric systems to be overcome. Several flames are produced by varying the non-dimensional, governing parameters (Reynolds number, equivalence ratio, Grashof number). The results discussion is organized considering laminar, transitional and turbulent flows. In the steady, laminar case, in view of the radial symmetry of the fringes pattern, the temperature field is reconstructed by the interferograms. The structure of the transitional and turbulent combusting jets, primarily determined by shear layer destabilization mechanisms and large-scale vortices formation due to buoyancy, is analyzed and differences with isothermal flows are pointed out. In turbulent regime, studied only for premixed combustion case, qualitative insights into the structure of the reaction zone as a function of the equivalence ratio and turbulence properties in the incoming fresh mixture are also deduced.     

Flow visualization and scanning PIV measurement of three-dimensional structure in near field of strongly buoyant jet

Abstract  

The near-field structure of strongly buoyant jet issuing from a square nozzle at low Froude and Reynolds numbers is studied by using LIF flow visualization and time-resolved scanning PIV. These experimental techniques allow the visualization of unsteady three-dimensional flow phenomenon occurring in the near-field of strongly buoyant jet. It is found that the buoyant jet is unstable to the positive buoyancy forces, which promote the inflow motion near the nozzle exit. The surrounding low temperature fluid moves into the nozzle inside along the nozzle corner and mixes with the high temperature fluid deep into the nozzle. Then, the flow pattern inside the nozzle becomes highly complex to promote the laminar to turbulent transition of the jet. The statistical flow characteristics of the strongly buoyant jet are evaluated from the scanning PIV measurement, and the result indicates the presence of axisymmetric distributions of mean flow and velocity fluctuations in the circle of diameter equal to the square side of the nozzle.     

Particle flow in a jet

The angular distribution of hadrons in a jet is evaluated in perturbative QCD. The predictions are restrictive in the sense they do no depend on the details of the non-perturbative process. The distribution depends on only one phenomenologically adjustable parameter, a cutoff massQ ₀ (in addition to the universal QCD mass-scale ). The fit of the leading order prediction to the TASSO data is obtained withQ ₀270 MeV.The low value ofQ ₀ supports the hypothesis of local partonhadron duality. The particle flow in a gluon jet is also analysed.