Particle image velocimetry measurements of a backward-facing step flow

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were carried out on a backward-facing step flow at a Reynolds number of Re_h=U_Xh/9=4,660 (based on step height and freestream velocity). In-plane velocity, out-of-plane vorticity, Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy production measurements in the x-y and x-z planes of the flow are presented. Proper orthogonal decomposition was performed on both the fluctuating velocity and vorticity fields of the x-y plane PIV data using the method of snapshots. Low-order representations of the instantaneous velocity fields were reconstructed using the velocity modes. These reconstructions provided insight into the contribution that the various length scales make to the spatial distribution of mean and turbulent flow quantities such as Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy production. Large scales are found to contribute to the Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy production downstream of reattachment, while small scales contribute to the intense Reynolds stresses in the vicinity of reattachment.     

Orthogonal wavelet analysis of turbulent wakes behind various bluff bodies

The multi-scale structures of turbulent wakes generated by three kinds of bluff body, i.e. circular cylinder, square cylinder and compound of cylinder and square (CS) cylinders, have been experimentally investigated in this paper. Firstly, the instantaneous velocity fields and vorticity were measured by the high-speed PIV technique in a circulating water channel. The instantaneous streamlines and corresponding normalized vorticity contours are obtained at a Reynolds number of 5600. Then one- and two-dimensional wavelet multi-resolution technique was used to analyze the instantaneous velocities and vorticity measured by the high-speed PIV. The turbulence structures were separated into a number of subsets based on their central frequencies, which are linked with the turbulence scales. The instantaneous vorticity and Reynolds shear stresses of various scales were examined and compared between the three generators. It is found that the large-scale turbulent structure makes the largest contribution to the vorticity and Reynolds shear stresses for the three wake generators and exhibits a strong dependence upon the initial conditions or the wake generators. The large-scale vorticity and the sizes of vortex in the circular and square cylinders are larger than those in the CS cylinder wake. The contributions to the Reynolds shear stresses from the large-scale turbulent structures account for 90-96% to the measured maximum Reynolds shear stresses for the three wakes. However, the small-scale structures make less contribution to the vorticity and Reynolds shear stresses.     

Experimental analysis of turbulent flow structure in a fully developed rib-roughened rectangular channel with PIV

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the turbulent water-flow structure over one-side micro-repeated ribs in a narrow two-dimensional rectangular channel by particle image velocimetry (PIV). Two rib pitch-to-height ratios p/k of 10 and 20 were investigated while the rib height was held constant at 4 mm. The rib height-to-channel equivalent diameter ratio k/D_e was 0.1. The streamwise mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy fields in the fully developed flow region of the channel were calculated at three different positions of x=0, 3.8, and -6.2 mm, which corresponded to center, downstream, and upstream of the rib, respectively, and for two Reynolds numbers Re of 7,000 and 20,000. A large-scale turbulent eddy was generated by the rib promoter and then propagated into the mainstream flow, which led to the deformation of the velocity profile. Downstream of the rib, rotating and counter-rotating eddies were also generated by the rib promoter. The enhancement of the turbulent kinetic energy was not changed when the Reynolds number increased from 7,000 to 20,000 between p/k=20 and 10. The reattachment length L_R was measured from velocity vector fields in the developing, fully developed, and exit regions of the flow over the range Re=1,400-50,000. The results showed that the ratio p/k and the Reynolds number had no significant effect on the reattachment length beyond a critical value of Re=15,000, where L_R was found to be approximately 4 times the rib height.     

Coherent vortical and straining structures in the finite wall-mounted square cylinder wake

Topological aspects of the turbulent wake of a finite, surface-mounted, square-cross-section cylinder of h/d = 4 are addressed by decomposing the velocity field into a quasi-periodic coherent part and the unresolved incoherent fluctuations. The three-dimensional large scale structure is educed through a reconstruction of planar phase-averaged PIV measurements using the simultaneously sampled surface pressure difference on opposing sides of the obstacle as a phase reference. A topological model for the vortex structure is educed and mean streamwise wake vorticity is explained in terms of the connections between initially vertical structures shed alternately from either side of the obstacle, rather than previously proposed ‘tip’ vortex structures generated at the obstacle free-end. The coherent structure educed accounts for a significant portion of the fluctuating energy in the wake. The turbulent field is further analyzed by finding Lagrangian straining structures that form by induction of the coherent vorticity field, and these structures are related to the energy transfer from the base phase-averaged flow since they act to stretch incoherent vorticity fluctuations in their neighbourhood.     

Stereoscopic PIV on multiple color-coded light sheets and its application to axial flow in flapping robotic insect wings

Non-scanning volume flow measurement techniques such as 3D-PTV, holographic and tomographic particle image velocimetry (PIV) permit reconstructions of all three components (3C) of velocity and vorticity vectors in a fluid volume (3D). In this study, we present a novel 3D3C technique termed Multiple-Color-Plane Stereo Particle-Image-Velocimetry (color PIV), which allows instantaneous measurements of 3C velocity vectors in six parallel, colored light sheets. We generated the light sheets by passing white light of two strobes through dichroic color filters and imaged the slices by two 3CCD color cameras in Stereo-PIV configuration. The stereo-color images were processed by custom software routines that sorted each colored fluid particle into one of six gray-scale images according to its hue, saturation, and luminance. We used conventional Stereo PIV cross-correlation algorithms to compute a 3D planar vector field for each light sheet and subsequently interpolated a volume flow map from the six vector fields. As a first application, we quantified the wake and axial flow in the vortical structures of a robotic insect (fruit fly) model wing. In contrast to previous findings, the measured data indicate strong axial flow components on the upper wing surface, including axial flow in the leading-edge vortex core. Collectively, color PIV is robust against mechanical misalignments, avoids laser safety issues, and computes instantaneous 3D vector fields in a fraction of the time typical for other 3D systems. Color PIV might thus be of value for volume measurements of highly unsteady flows.     

PIV analysis of near-wake behind a sphere at a subcritical Reynolds number

The vortical structure of near-wake behind a sphere is investigated using a PIV technique in a circulating water channel at Re = 11,000. The measured velocity fields show a detailed vortical structure in the recirculation region such as recirculation vortices, reversed velocity zone, and out-of-plane vorticity distribution. The vorticity distribution of the sphere wake shows waviness in cross-sectional planes. The time-averaged turbulent structures are consistent with the visualized flow showing the onset of shear layer instability. The spatial distributions of turbulent intensities provide turbulent statistics for validating numerical predictions.     

Dynamic wind loads and wake characteristics of a wind turbine model in an atmospheric boundary layer wind

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the dynamic wind loads and evolution of the unsteady vortex and turbulent flow structures in the near wake of a horizontal axis wind turbine model placed in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. In addition to measuring dynamic wind loads (i.e., aerodynamic forces and bending moments) acting on the wind turbine model by using a high-sensitive force-moment sensor unit, a high-resolution digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was used to achieve flow field measurements to quantify the characteristics of the turbulent vortex flow in the near wake of the wind turbine model. Besides conducting “free-run” PIV measurements to determine the ensemble-averaged statistics of the flow quantities such as mean velocity, Reynolds stress, and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) distributions in the wake flow, “phase-locked” PIV measurements were also performed to elucidate further details about evolution of the unsteady vortex structures in the wake flow in relation to the position of the rotating turbine blades. The effects of the tip-speed-ratio of the wind turbine model on the dynamic wind loads and wake flow characteristics were quantified in the terms of the variations of the aerodynamic thrust and bending moment coefficients of the wind turbine model, the evolution of the helical tip vortices and the unsteady vortices shedding from the blade roots and turbine nacelle, the deceleration of the incoming airflows after passing the rotation disk of the turbine blades, the TKE and Reynolds stress distributions in the near wake of the wind turbine model. The detailed flow field measurements were correlated with the dynamic wind load measurements to elucidate underlying physics in order to gain further insight into the characteristics of the dynamic wind loads and turbulent vortex flows in the wakes of wind turbines for the optimal design of the wind turbines operating in atmospheric boundary layer winds.     

The turbulent/non-turbulent interface at the outer boundary of a self-similar turbulent jet

The flow at the outer boundary of a submerged self-similar turbulent jet at Re=2᎒³ is investigated experimentally by means of combined particle image velocimetry (PIV) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurements. The jet fluid contains a fluorescent dye so that the LIF data can be used to discriminate between the jet fluid and the ambient fluid. The axial velocity, Reynolds stress, and vorticity are determined relative to the jet boundary. The results are compared against the conventional profiles, and the results of a direct numerical simulation of the turbulent far-wake behind a flat plate. The results show a sharp transition between rotational and irrotational fluid at the fluid interface, and the existence of a layer of irrotational velocity fluctuations outside the turbulent region.     

Three-dimensional temporally resolved measurements of turbulence–flame interactions using orthogonal-plane cinema-stereoscopic PIV

A new orthogonal-plane cinema-stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (OPCS-PIV) diagnostic has been used to measure the dynamics of three-dimensional turbulence–flame interactions. The diagnostic employed two orthogonal PIV planes, with one aligned perpendicular and one aligned parallel to the streamwise flow direction. In the plane normal to the flow, temporally resolved slices of the nine-component velocity gradient tensor were determined using Taylor’s hypothesis. Volumetric reconstruction of the 3D turbulence was performed using these slices. The PIV plane parallel to the streamwise flow direction was then used to measure the evolution of the turbulence; the path and strength of 3D turbulent structures as they interacted with the flame were determined from their image in this second plane. Structures of both vorticity and strain-rate magnitude were extracted from the flow. The geometry of these structures agreed well with predictions from direct numerical simulations. The interaction of turbulent structures with the flame also was observed. In three dimensions, these interactions had complex geometries that could not be reflected in either planar measurements or simple flame–vortex configurations.     

Generalized detection of a turbulent front generated by an oscillating grid

This report presents experimental results on the propagation of a turbulent front induced by an oscillating grid starting from rest. The purpose of this preliminary investigation is to implement and validate detection methods of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface, which are based on flow measurements (velocity and vorticity) and scalar intensity, for oscillating grid turbulence. This is done using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and fluorescent dye visualization, separately. The results of both techniques describe the spreading of the turbulent front, confirming the known dependency of the front location, H, on time, t. It is demonstrated, that the level-based detection of a turbulent front can be applied to an unsteady flow, such as grid turbulence advancing into a fluid at rest.     

PIV measurements of turbulent flow in planar mixing layer

A turbulent mixing layer consists of two different flow types, i.e. shear layer (shear-flow turbulence) and free stream regions (nearly homogeneous turbulence). The inherent non-uniform seeding tracer distributions observed around the interfaces between the shear layer and two free stream regions usually lead to a difficulty in particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. A parametric study on the application of PIV to the measurement of velocity field in a planar mixing layer is made by means of six factors, including interrogation window size, aspect ratio of interrogation window, interrogation window offset, threshold of data validation, sharpening spatial filters (Prewitt and Sobel masks), and smoothing spatial filter (median mask). The objective of this study is to obtain accurate turbulent measurements in both mean and fluctuating velocities using PIV under an appropriate parametric setting. The optimal levels, which are trade-off in between the accuracy and fine spatial resolution of velocity field measurements, are determined with the aid of the Taguchi method. It is shown that the PIV measurements made with this optimal set of parameters are in good agreement with the measurements made by a two-component hot-wire anemometer. Case independency of the proposed optimal set of parameters on the flow condition of the mixing layer is validated through the applications to two additional tests under the different experimental conditions in changing solely either velocity ratio of high-speed to low-speed free stream velocities or Reynolds number.     

Traversing field of view and AR-PIV for mid-field wake vortex investigation in a towing tank

Wake vortex flow experiments are performed in a water tank where a 1:48 scaled model of a large transport aircraft A340-300 is towed at the speed of 3 and 5 ms^-1 with values of the angle of attack !={2°, 4°, 8°}. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are performed in a plane perpendicular to the towing direction describing the streamwise component of the wake vorticity. The instantaneous field of view (I-FOV) is traversed vertically with an underwater moving-camera device tracking the vortex core during the downward motion. An adaptive resolution (AR) image-processing technique is introduced that enhances the PIV interrogation in terms of spatial resolution and accuracy. The main objectives of the investigation are to demonstrate the applicability of PIV diagnostics in wake vortex research with towing-tank facilities. The specific implementation of the traversing field-of-view (T-FOV) technique and the AR image processing are driven by the need to characterize the vortex wake global properties as well as the vortex decay phenomenon in the mid- and far-field. Relevant aerodynamic information is obtained in the mid-field where the time evolution of the vortex structure (core radius and tangential velocity) and of the overall vortex wake (vortex trajectory, descent velocity, circulation) are discussed.     

Turbulent transport dissimilarity with modulated turbulence structure in channel flow of viscoelastic fluid

This experimental study investigated the turbulent transport dissimilarity with a modulated turbulence structure in a channel flow of a viscoelastic fluid using simultaneous particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements. An instantaneous dye concentration field with fluctuating velocity vectors showed that mass was transferred by hierarchically large-scale wavy motions with inclination. A co-spectral analysis showed that the spatial phase modulation of the streamwise velocity and dye concentration fluctuations for the wall-normal velocity fluctuation corresponded to the relaxation time. The occurrence of intense dye concentration fluctuation and small streamwise velocity fluctuation in a thin boundary layer caused dissimilar turbulent transport because of the non-zero negative correlation of the streamwise velocity and dye concentration fluctuations for the wall-normal velocity fluctuation only on large scales. This explains the turbulent transport dissimilarity which leads to the zero averaged Reynolds shear stress and non-zero wall-normal turbulent mass flux.     

Tomographic and time resolved PIV measurements on a finite cylinder mounted on a flat plate

Tomographic and time resolved PIV measurements were performed to examine the 3D flow topology and the flow dynamic above the upper surface of a low-aspect ratio cylinder at Re ≈ 1 ×  10⁵. This generic experiment is of fundamental interest because it represents flow features which are relevant to many applications such as laminar separation bubbles and turbulent reattachment. At Re  ≈ 1 × 10⁵, laminar separation bubbles arise on the side of the cylinder. Furthermore, on the top of the cylinder a separation with reattachment is of major interest. The tomographic PIV measurement, which allows to determine all three velocity components in a volume instantaneously, was applied to examine the flow topology and interaction between the boundary layer and wake structures on the top of the finite cylinder. In the instantaneous flow fields the tip vortices and the recirculation region becomes visible. However, it is also observed that the flow is quite unsteady due to the large separation occurring on the top of the cylinder. In order to study the temporal behaviour of the separation, time resolved PIV was applied. This technique allows capturing the dynamic processes in detail. The development of vortices in the separated shear layer is observed and in addition regions with different dominant frequencies are identified.     

Free-stream turbulence effects on the instantaneous pressure and forces on cylinders of rectangular cross section

Simultaneous measurements of instantaneous pressure distributions on rectangular cylinders of length to height ratio(B/D) of 1.0, 2.5 and 3.0 in smooth nonturbulent and homogeneous turbulent flows were made and the data were analyzed by phase averaging and spectral analysis in addition to more conventional methods. The turbulence in the inflow stream is nearly homogeneous and isotropic with the intensity and the scale of 5% and 1.2-1.5 times the cylinder height, respectively. The main effects of the turbulence in the inflow free stream of this scale and intensity are to laterally move the separated shear flow off the upstream corners and cause intermittent reattachment on the side surfaces of cylinders of B/D of 2.5 and larger. For the cylinder with smaller B/D, the flow does not reattach with or without turbulence in the free stream, and the instantaneous surface pressure distributions fluctuate quite periodically at a frequency corresponding to the Strouhal frequency of the vortex shedding. The effects of the free-stream turbulence appear in the increased fluctuation on the front surface as buffeting due to the impinging turbulence. When the separated shear layers reattach due to the influence of the free-stream turbulence, the reattachment point moves intermittently, the pressure distributions downstream of the reattachment fluctuate periodically, and a mild peak is formed in the spectra at a frequency much larger than the Strouhal frequency.     

Flow field investigation in rotating rib-roughened channel by means of particle image velocimetry

The turbulent velocity field over the rib-roughened wall of an orthogonally rotating channel is investigated by means of two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV). The flow direction is outward, with a bulk Reynolds number of 1.5 × 10⁴ and a rotation number ranging from 0.3 to 0.38. The measurements are obtained along the wall-normal/streamwise plane at mid-span. The PIV system rotates with the channel, allowing to measure directly the relative flow velocity with high spatial resolution. Coriolis forces affect the stability of the boundary layer and free shear layer. Due to the different levels of shear layer entrainment, the reattachment point is moved downstream (upstream) under stabilizing (destabilizing) rotation, with respect to the stationary case. Further increase in rotation number pushes further the reattachment point in stabilizing rotation, but does not change the recirculation length in destabilizing rotation. Turbulent activity is inhibited along the leading wall, both in the boundary layer and in the separated shear layer; the opposite is true along the trailing wall. Coriolis forces affect indirectly the production of turbulent kinetic energy via the Reynolds shear stresses and the mean shear. Two-point correlation is used to characterize the coherent motion of the separated shear layer. Destabilizing rotation is found to promote large-scale coherent motions and accordingly leads to larger integral length scales; on the other hand, the spanwise vortices created in the separating shear layer downstream of the rib are less organized and tend to be disrupted by the three-dimensional turbulence promoted by the rotation. The latter observation is consistent with the distributions of span-wise vortices detected in instantaneous flow realizations.     

Uncovering large-scale coherent structures in natural and forced turbulent wakes by combining PIV,POD, and FTLE

Planar velocity data of the unsteady separated flow in the turbulent wake of a circular cylinder obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV) are analyzed in order to visualize the large-scale coherent structures associated with alternating vortex shedding at a Reynolds number of 2,150. Two different cases are examined: unforced vortex shedding in the natural wake and vortex lock-on incited by forced perturbations superimposed in the inflow velocity. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is employed to reconstruct the low-order wake dynamics from randomly sampled snapshots of the velocity field. The reconstructed flow is subsequently used to determine the evolution of the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) fields which identify the Lagrangian coherent structures. The results demonstrate that the combination of methods employed offers a powerful visualization tool to uncover large-scale coherent structures and to exemplify vortex dynamics in natural and forced bluff-body wakes.     

Dynamics of PIV seeding particles in turbulent premixed flames

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) estimates the fluid velocity field measuring the displacement of small dispersed particles between two successive instants separated by a small time interval. The accuracy of the measurements depends on the ability of the particles to accommodate their velocity to the fluid fluctuations. When the fluid is subjected to extreme accelerations, the small but finite inertia prevents the particles from following the fluid, originating a substantial relative velocity. This effect is shown to be crucial for applications of PIV to turbulent premixed combustion, particularly in the product region at locations just behind the instantaneous flame front. The issuing inaccuracy may easily spoil the estimate of certain statistical observables which are of crucial importance in the theory of turbulent premixed combustion. By exploiting the direct numerical simulation of a model air/methane flame, a suitable criterion for proper particle seeding is validated and compared with the corresponding experiments with a combined PIV/OH-LIF (laser-induced fluorescence) system. The proposed parameter, the flamelet Stokes number, depends on particle properties and thermochemical conditions of the flame and substantially restricts the particle dimensions required for a reliable estimate of the relevant flow statistics.     

Comparison of flow structures in the downstream region of a cylinder and sphere

An experimental investigation of flow structures downstream of a circular cylinder and sphere immersed in a free-stream flow is performed for Re = 5000 and 10,000 using qualitative and quantitative flow visualization techniques. The obtained results are presented in terms of time-averaged velocity vectors, patterns of streamlines, vorticity, Reynolds stress correlations and turbulent kinetic energy distributions. Flow data reveal that the size of wake flow region, the location of singular and double points, the peak values of turbulence quantities, such as Reynolds stress correlations, vorticity fluctuations and turbulent kinetic energy vary as a function of models’ geometry and Reynolds Numbers. The concentration of small scale vortices is more dominant in the wake of the sphere than that of the cylinder. The maximum value of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) occurs close to the saddle point for the cylinder case while two maximum values of TKE occur along shear layers for the sphere one because of the 3-D flow behavior.     

Comparison of flow structures in the downstream region of a cylinder and sphere

An experimental investigation of flow structures downstream of a circular cylinder and sphere immersed in a free-stream flow is performed for Re = 5000 and 10,000 using qualitative and quantitative flow visualization techniques. The obtained results are presented in terms of time-averaged velocity vectors, patterns of streamlines, vorticity, Reynolds stress correlations and turbulent kinetic energy distributions. Flow data reveal that the size of wake flow region, the location of singular and double points, the peak values of turbulence quantities, such as Reynolds stress correlations, vorticity fluctuations and turbulent kinetic energy vary as a function of models’ geometry and Reynolds Numbers. The concentration of small scale vortices is more dominant in the wake of the sphere than that of the cylinder. The maximum value of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) occurs close to the saddle point for the cylinder case while two maximum values of TKE occur along shear layers for the sphere one because of the 3-D flow behavior.