Localized velocity and turbulence measurement in turbulent swirling flows using laser Doppler anemometry

Turbulent swirling water flow in a pipe has complex velocity distributions with special measurement problems tor experimental work. Some of these problems are described in the introduction to the paper along with comments on the basic characteristics of turbulent swirling flow.The form of laser Doppler anemometer used is briefly noted, with some special optical features developed to suit this class of flow. Experience during some two years of comprehensive experimentation is then outlined, including comment on the data processing system.Results from experiments with tangentially injected water flow in 50 mm bore pipes up to 60 diameters long are reported, with local measurements of mean velocity and turbulence intensity. The variation of mean velocity components and turbulence intensity with radius and distance along the pipe are discussed with a few comparisons of results obtained from other experimental techniques, e.g. pitot-static probe and hot films.For the particular problem examined here it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to obtain the measurements using a technique other than laser anemometry.     

Numerical simulation of instantaneous flow structure of swirling and non-swirling coaxial-jet particle-laden turbulence flows

A subgrid scale two-phase second-order-moment (SGS-SOM) model based on the two-fluid continuum approach is presented for the analysis of the instantaneous flow structures of swirling and non-swirling coaxial-jet particle-laden turbulence flows. Since the interaction between the two-phase subgrid scale stresses and the anisotropy of two-phase subgrid scale stresses is fully considered, it is superior to the conventional subgrid scale model on the basis of single gas phase or together with their similar forms for the particle phase for not taken these characters thoroughly into account. The swirling numbers s=0.47 and s=0 of coaxial-jet particle-laden turbulence flows (measured by M. Sommerfeld, H.H. Qiu, Detailed measurements in a swirling particulate two-phase flow by a phase Doppler anemometer, Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 12 (1991) 20-28) are numerically simulated by large eddy simulation using this model, together with a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes model using the unified second-order-moment two-phase turbulence model (RANS-USM). The instantaneous results show that the multiple recirculating gas flow structure is similar to that of single-phase swirling flows; but the particle flow structure contains less vortices. Both SGS-SOM and RANS-USM predicted that the two-phase time-averaged velocities and the root-mean-square fluctuation velocities are validated and are in good agreement with the experimental results. It is seen that for the two-phase time-averaged velocities both the models give almost the same results, hence the RANS-USM modeling is validated by large eddy simulation. For the two-phase root-mean-square fluctuation velocities the SGS-SOM results are obviously better than the RANS-USM results.     

Rayleigh-Taylor instability in variable density swirling flows

Using linear instability theory and nonlinear dynamics, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of variable density swirling flows is studied. It is found that the flow topology could be predicted, when the instability sets in, using a function χ dependent on density and axial and azimuthal velocities. It is shown that even when the inner axial-flow is heavier than the outer one (a favorable case for the development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability thanks to the centrifugal force) the instability is not necessarily Rayleigh-Taylor-dominated. It is also shown that when the Rayleigh-Taylor instability develops, it is helical.     

Transition to turbulence for doubly periodic flows

We construct a typical model for the Poincaré map of doubly periodic flows, which presents numerically a transition to chaotic behavior. After the frequency locking phenomenon, we observe two types of transitions to turbulence. The first one involves successive subharmonic instabilities of a periodic solution. The second one occurs after the disappearance of a periodic solution and can be either intermittent or discontinuous with hysteresis.     

A one-equation turbulence model for recirculating flows

A one-equation turbulence model which relies on the turbulent kinetic energy transport equation has been developed to predict the flow properties of the recirculating flows. The turbulent eddy-viscosity coefficient is computed from a recalibrated Bradshaw’s assumption that the constant a₁ = 0.31 is recalibrated to a function based on a set of direct numerical simulation (DNS) data. The values of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy consist of the near-wall part and isotropic part, and the isotropic part involves the von Karman length scale as the turbulent length scale. The performance of the new model is evaluated by the results from DNS for fully developed turbulence channel flow with a wide range of Reynolds numbers. However, the computed result of the recirculating flow at the separated bubble of NACA4412 demonstrates that an increase is needed on the turbulent dissipation, and this leads to an advanced tuning on the self-adjusted function. The improved model predicts better results in both the non-equilibrium and equilibrium flows, e.g. channel flows, backward-facing step flow and hump in a channel.     

Weak turbulence in periodic flows

We consider the stability of a two-dimensional plane-parallel flow of viscous liquid in an external force field which is a periodic function of one of the coordinates. At sufficiently high Reynolds numbers the plane-parallel flow becomes unstable and a two-dimensional secondary flow ensues. Near the stability threshold, the secondary flow turns out to be large-scale and chaotically self-fluctuating in time.     

A turbulence characteristic length scale for compressible flows

The current RANS models are generally established and calibrated under incompressible condition and these kinds of models could succeed in predicting many features of incompressible flows. However, these models extended to the high-speed, compressible flows are always less accurate. In the paper, a compressible von Kármán length scale is proposed for compressible flows considering the variable densities. It contains no empirical coefficients and is based on phenomenological theory. In the turbulent kinetic equation, the extra unclosed terms induced by non-constant densities are treated as dissipation terms and the equation is closed algebraically via the introduction of the von Kármán length scale. The original and the proposed von Kármán length scale lead to two different kinds of SAS (scale adaption simulation) models, KDO (turbulence kinetic energy dependent only) and CKDO (compressible KDO), respectively. Compressible mixing layer with significant compressibility is studied within standard k–?, k–ω, KDO turbulence models and their compressible versions. The compressibility effects such as the reduced mixing layer thickness, growth rate and turbulence intensity can be reproduced by CKDO. The new length scale can improve the performances of the model in predicting the mixing layer thickness, stream-wise velocity and Reynolds shear stresses when the convective Mach number is 0.8. Besides, the new length scale also leads to accurate computed growth rate when the convective Mach number ranges from 0.1 to 1.0.     

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     

Imprint of large-scale flows on turbulence

We investigate the locality of interactions in hydrodynamic turbulence using data from a direct numerical simulation on a grid of 1024(3) points; the flow is forced with the Taylor-Green vortex. An inertial range for the energy is obtained in which the flux is constant and the spectrum follows an approximate Kolmogorov law. Nonlinear triadic interactions are dominated by their nonlocal components, involving widely separated scales. The resulting nonlinear transfer itself is local at each scale but the step in the energy cascade is independent of that scale and directly related to the integral scale of the flow. Interactions with large scales represent 20% of the total energy flux. Possible explanations for the deviation from self-similar models, the link between these findings and intermittency, and their consequences for modeling of turbulent flows are briefly discussed.     

Micromixing models for turbulent flows

In transported probability density function and filtered density function methods, micromixing models are required to close the molecular mixing term. The accuracy and computational efficiency of improved versions of the parameterized scalar profile (PSP) model are assessed and compared with commonly used mixing models such as Curl, modified Curl, interaction by exchange with the mean and Euclidean minimum spanning tree. Different generalizations of the PSP mixing model for spatially inhomogeneous flow configurations are presented. The selected test cases focus on molecular mixing and avoid interference with other models. Simulation results for a three-stream problem, involving two inert scalars, and a multi-scalar test case with mean-scalar-gradients are presented.     

Comments on heuristic models for electron turbulence

Summary The difficulties imposed by the largely nonlinear character of the differential equations governing turbulence resulted in many proposals for empirical models. We shall prove that some often used models are incorrect as they are clearly not properly normalized.

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Riassunto Le difficoltà imposte dal carattere largamente non lineare delle equazioni differenziali che regolano la turbolenza hanno dato come risultato molte proposte per modelli empirici. Si prova che alcuni modelli spesso usati non sono corretti poiché non possono essere normalizzati appositamente.

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Резюме Трудности, накладываемые нелинейным характером дифференциальных уравнений, описывающих турбулентность, приводят к большому числу эмпирических моделей. Мы доказываем, что некоторые часто используемые модели не являются корректными, так как они не нормированы надлежащим образом.

     

Efficient computation of compressible and incompressible flows

The combination of explicit Runge–Kutta time integration with the solution of an implicit system of equations, which in earlier work demonstrated increased efficiency in computing compressible flow on highly stretched meshes, is extended toward conditions where the free stream Mach number approaches zero. Expressing the inviscid flux Jacobians in terms of Mach number, an artificial speed of sound as in low Mach number preconditioning is introduced into the Jacobians, leading to a consistent formulation of the implicit and explicit parts of the discrete equations. Besides extension to low Mach number flows, the augmented Runge–Kutta/Implicit method allowed the admissible Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy number to be increased from O(1 0 0) to O(1 0 0 0). The implicit step introduced into the Runge–Kutta framework acts as a preconditioner which now addresses both, the stiffness in the discrete equations associated with highly stretched meshes, and the stiffness in the analytical equations associated with the disparity in the eigenvalues of the inviscid flux Jacobians. Integrated into a multigrid algorithm, the method is applied to efficiently compute different cases of inviscid flow around airfoils at various Mach numbers, and viscous turbulent airfoil flow with varying Mach and Reynolds number. Compared to well tuned conventional methods, computation times are reduced by half an order of magnitude.     

Lagrangian turbulence in nonstationary 2-D flows

Lagrangian particle transport in nonstationary 2-D flows is studied both analytically and numerically. Analytic expressions for the diffusion coefficients are obtained for the adiabatic regime. Numerical estimates of the diffusion coefficients are found to agree with the theoretical results.     

Shell models of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

Shell models of hydrodynamic turbulence originated in the seventies. Their main aim was to describe the statistics of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence in spectral space, using a simple set of ordinary differential equations. In the eighties, shell models of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence emerged based on the same principles as their hydrodynamic counter-part but also incorporating interactions between magnetic and velocity fields. In recent years, significant improvements have been made such as the inclusion of non-local interactions and appropriate definitions for helicities. Though shell models cannot account for the spatial complexity of MHD turbulence, their dynamics are not over simplified and do reflect those of real MHD turbulence including intermittency or chaotic reversals of large-scale modes. Furthermore, these models use realistic values for dimensionless parameters (high kinetic and magnetic Reynolds numbers, low or high magnetic Prandtl number) allowing extended inertial range and accurate dissipation rate. Using modern computers it is difficult to attain an inertial range of three decades with direct numerical simulations, whereas eight are possible using shell models.     

A modified PANS model for computations of unsteady turbulence cavitating flows

A modification to the PANS (partially averaged Navier-Stokes) model is proposed to simulate unsteady cavitating flows. In the model, the parameter f _k is modified to vary as a function of the ratios between the water density and the mixture density in the local flows. The objective of this study is to validate the modified model and further understand the interaction between turbulence and cavitation around a Clark-Y hydrofoil. The comparisons between the numerical and experiment results show that the modified model can be improved to predict the cavity evolution, vortex shedding frequency and the lift force fluctuating in time fairly well, as it can effectively modulate the eddy viscosity in the cavitating region and various levels of physical turbulent fluctuations are resolved. In addition, from the computational results, it is proved that cavitation phenomenon physically influences the turbulent level, especially by the vortex shedding behaviors. Also, the mean u-velocity profiles demonstrate that the attached cavity thickness can alter the local turbulent shear layer.     

A front-tracking method for computation of interfacial flows with soluble surfactants

A finite-difference/front-tracking method is developed for computations of interfacial flows with soluble surfactants. The method is designed to solve the evolution equations of the interfacial and bulk surfactant concentrations together with the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations using a non-linear equation of state that relates interfacial surface tension to surfactant concentration at the interface. The method is validated for simple test cases and the computational results are found to be in a good agreement with the analytical solutions. The method is then applied to study the cleavage of drop by surfactant—a problem proposed as a model for cytokinesis [H.P. Greenspan, On the dynamics of cell cleavage, J. Theor. Biol. 65(1) (1977) 79; H.P. Greenspan, On fluid-mechanical simulations of cell division and movement, J. Theor. Biol., 70(1) (1978) 125]. Finally the method is used to model the effects of soluble surfactants on the motion of buoyancy-driven bubbles in a circular tube and the results are found to be in a good agreement with available experimental data.     

Efficient computation of the spectrum of viscoelastic flows

The understanding of viscoelastic flows in many situations requires not only the steady state solution of the governing equations, but also its sensitivity to small perturbations. Linear stability analysis leads to a generalized eigenvalue problem (GEVP), whose numerical analysis may be challenging, even for Newtonian liquids, because the incompressibility constraint creates singularities that lead to non-physical eigenvalues at infinity. For viscoelastic flows, the difficulties increase due to the presence of continuous spectrum, related to the constitutive equations.The Couette flow of upper convected Maxwell (UCM) liquids has been used as a case study of the stability of viscoelastic flows. The spectrum consists of two discrete eigenvalues and a continuous segment with real part equal to ?1/We (We is the Weissenberg number). Most of the approximations in the literature were obtained using spectral expansions. The eigenvalues close to the continuous part of the spectrum show very slow convergence.In this work, the linear stability of Couette flow of a UCM liquid is studied using a finite element method. A new procedure to eliminate the eigenvalues at infinity from the GEVP is proposed. The procedure takes advantage of the structure of the matrices involved and avoids the computational overhead of the usual mapping techniques. The GEVP is transformed into a non-degenerate GEVP of dimension five times smaller. The computed eigenfunctions related to the continuous spectrum are in good agreement with the analytic solutions obtained by Graham [M.D. Graham, Effect of axial flow on viscoelastic Taylor–Couette instability, J. Fluid Mech. 360 (1998) 341].     

A turbulence model in unbounded smooth shear flows: The weak turbulence approach

We discuss a new concept of the subcritical transition to turbulence in unbounded smooth (noninflectional) spectrally stable shear flows. This concept (the so-called bypass transition) follows from considering the nonnormality of the linear dynamics of vortex disturbances in shear flows and is most easily interpreted by tracing the evolution of spatial Fourier harmonics (SFHs) of the disturbances. The key features of the concept are as follows: the transition of the flow by only finite-amplitude vortex disturbances despite the fact that the phenomenon is energetically supported by a linear process (the transient growth of SFHs); the anisotropy of processes in the k space; the onset of chaos due to the dynamical (not stochastic) process—nonlinear processes that close the transition feedback loop by the angular redistribution of SFHs in the k space. The evolution of two-dimensional small-scale vortex disturbances in a parallel flow with a uniform shear is analyzed within the weak turbulence approach. This numerical test analysis is carried out to prove the most problematic statement of the concept, the existence of a positive feedback caused by the nonlinear process. Numerical calculations also show the existence of a threshold: if the amplitude of the initial disturbance exceeds the threshold value, the self-maintenance of disturbances becomes realistic. The latter is a characteristic feature of the flow transition to the turbulent state and its maintenance.