Stereoscopic micro particle image velocimetry

A stereoscopic micro-PIV (stereo-μPIV) system for the simultaneous measurement of all three components of the velocity vector in a measurement plane (2D–3C) in a closed microchannel has been developed and first test measurements were performed on the 3D laminar flow in a T-shaped micromixer. Stereomicroscopy is used to capture PIV images of the flow in a microchannel from two different angles. Stereoscopic viewing is achieved by the use of a large diameter stereo objective lens with two off-axis beam paths. Additional floating lenses in the beam paths in the microscope body allow a magnification up to 23×. The stereo-PIV images are captured simultaneously by two CCD cameras. Due to the very small confinement, a standard calibration procedure for the stereoscopic imaging by means of a calibration target is not feasible, and therefore stereo-μPIV measurements in closed microchannels require a calibration based on the self-calibration of the tracer particle images. In order to include the effects of different refractive indices (of the fluid in the microchannel, the entrance window and the surrounding air) a three-media-model is included in the triangulation procedure of the self-calibration. Test measurement in both an aligned and a tilted channel serve as an accuracy assessment of the proposed method. This shows that the stereo-μPIV results have an RMS error of less than 10% of the expected value of the in-plane velocity component. First measurements in the mixing region of a T-shaped micromixer at Re = 120 show that 3D flow in a microchannel with dimensions of 800 × 200 μm² can be measured with a spatial resolution of 44 × 44 × 15 μm³. The stationary flow in the 200 μm deep channel was scanned in multiple planes at 22 μm separation, providing a full 3D measurement of the averaged velocity distribution in the mixing region of the T-mixer. A limitation is that this approach requires a stereo-objective that typically has a low NA (0.14–0.28) and large depth-of-focus as opposed to high NA lenses (up to 0.95 without immersion) for standard μPIV.     

Sensitivity of an asymmetric 3D diffuser to vortex-generator induced inlet condition perturbations

Modifications of the turbulent separated flow in an asymmetric three-dimensional diffuser due to inlet condition perturbations were investigated using conventional static pressure measurements and velocity data acquired using magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV). Previous experiments and simulations revealed a strong sensitivity of the diffuser performance to weak secondary flows in the inlet. The present, more detailed experiments were conducted to obtain a better understanding of this sensitivity. Pressure data were acquired in an airflow apparatus at an inlet Reynolds number of 10,000. The diffuser pressure recovery was strongly affected by a pair of longitudinal vortices injected along one wall of the inlet channel using either dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators or conventional half-delta wing vortex generators. MRV measurements were obtained in a water flow apparatus at matched Reynolds number for two different cases with passive vortex generators. The first case had a pair of counter-rotating longitudinal vortices embedded in the boundary layer near the center of the expanding wall of the diffuser such that the flow on the outsides of the vortices was directed toward the wall. The MRV data showed that the three-dimensional separation bubble initially grew much slower causing a rapid early reduction in the core flow velocity and a consequent reduction of total pressure losses due to turbulent mixing. This produced a 13% increase in the overall pressure recovery. For the second case, the vortices rotated in the opposite sense, and the image vortices pushed them into the corners. This led to a very rapid initial growth of the separation bubble and formation of strong swirl at the diffuser exit. These changes resulted in a 17% reduction in the overall pressure recovery for this case. The results emphasize the extreme sensitivity of 3D separated flows to weak perturbations.     

The entrance effect of laminar flow over a backward-facing step geometry

The study investigates the entrance effect for flow over a backward-facing step by comparing predictions that set the inlet boundary at various locations upstream of the sudden expansion. Differences are most significant in the sudden expansion region. If the geometry has an inlet channel, then shorter reattachment and separation lengths are predicted. Comparisons with experimental data indicate that better agreement is found using a long inlet channel, but only for low Reynolds numbers where the experimental error is less significant. For certain cases, predictions with a high expansion number are perturbed by the entrance effect more than low-expansion-number predictions; however, the effect is localized in the sudden expansion region. Channels with low expansion numbers always experience a greater entrance effect after some distance upstream and downstream of the sudden expansion. The boundary layer growth in the inlet channel was examined using a uniform inlet velocity profile. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microchannel membrane separation applied to confined thin film desorption

The concept of a confined thin film to enhance the desorption process is based on a reduced mass diffusion resistance. A wide thin film is formed into a microchannel by using a porous membrane as one wall of the channel enabling vapor extraction along the flow. Heat added to the channel results in vapor generation and subsequent extraction through the membrane. This experimental study investigates the performance of vapor extraction as a function of confined thin film thickness, pressure difference across the membrane and inlet concentration to the microchannel. In addition, heat added to the system was varied and results are presented in terms of the wall superheat temperature relative to the inlet saturated conditions of the binary fluid. The test section was equipped with a transparent window to observe bubble formation and vapor extraction. Results show that the performance, measured by the vapor release rate, increases for reduced channel thickness, for increased pressure difference across the membrane, and for lower inlet concentration. Results show that lower wall superheat correspond to higher heat transfer coefficients. Trends of Nusselt number and Sherwood number versus both channel Reynolds number and the product of the Reynolds number and Schmidt number are presented. Bubble formation in the channel does not degrade overall performance provided a critical heat flux condition does not occur.     

A Semi-empirical Correlation for Pressure Drop in Packed Beds of Spherical Particles

The effect of a confining wall on the pressure drop of fluid flow through packed beds of spherical particles with small bed-to-particle diameter ratios was investigated to develop an improved pressure drop correlation. The dependency of pressure loss on both wall friction and increased porosity near the wall was accounted for by using a theoretical approach. A semi-empirical model was created based upon the capillary-orifice model, which included a wall correction factor for the inertial pressure loss. In this model, packed beds were treated as a bundle of capillary tubes whose orifice diameter in the core region was different from that of the wall region. Using this model, a new pressure drop correlation was obtained, based on the Ergun equation and applicable for a wide range of Reynolds numbers (10⁻²–10³). The proposed correlation was compared with previous correlations, as well as with experimental data. This correlation showed close agreement with the experimental data for both low- and high-Reynolds number regimes and for a wide range of bed-to-particle diameter ratios. The ratio of the pressure drop in finite packing to that in homogeneous packing was then calculated. This ratio clearly shows how the wall effect depends on the Reynolds number and the bed-to-particle diameter ratio.     

Effects of coincidence window and measuring volume size on laser Doppler velocimetry measurement of turbulence

The effects of coincidence window and measuring volume size on two-component laser velocimeter measurement of turbulence in an isothermal liquid flow through a concentric annular channel were studied. Three different coincidence windows (100–500 μs) and three different measuring volume sizes (diameter, 5–9 wall units; spanwise length, 24–91 wall units) were used in a flow of Reynolds number 31,500 and data density spanning the high end of intermediate to the low end of high (3–6). While no significant effects of the coincidence window and measuring volume size were found on the time-mean velocity and turbulence intensities, the streamwise Reynolds shear stress measured near a wall was found to be markedly affected by both. The smallest feasible measuring volume along with an appropriate coincidence window provides good measurement of the shear stress. Received: 8 September 1999/Accepted: 11 July 2000     

Numerical solutions of pulsating flow and heat transfer characteristics in a channel with a backward-facing step

The incompressible laminar flow of air and heat transfer in a channel with a backward-facing step is studied for steady cases and for pulsatile inlet conditions. For steady flows the influence of the inlet velocity profile, the height of the step and the Reynolds number on the reattachment length is investigated. A parabolic entrance profile was used for pulsatile flow. It was found with amplitude of oscillation of one by Re=100 that the primary vortex breakdown through one pulsatile cycle. The wall shear rate in the separation zone varied markedly with pulsatile flows and the wall heat transfer remained relatively constant. The time-average pulsatile heat transfer at the walls was greater as with steady flow with the same mean Reynolds number.     

Laminar flow and mass transfer in channels with a porous bottom wall and with fins attached to the top wall

 The steady incompressible, viscous, two- dimensional flow of a solution in a channel was considered. The bottom wall was porous and the fins were attached to the top wall. Employing control volume approach, a computer program based on SIMPLE algorithm was developed. Computations were carried out to investigate the effects of the inlet Reynolds number, the fin length, the suction Reynolds number and the slip coefficient on the flow structure and the concentration distribution. It was observed that the thickness of concentration boundary layer increases in the flow direction. The concentration on the porous wall and the concentration boundary layer thickness decrease with increasing fin length, the slip coefficient and the inlet Reynolds number. These results show that fins attached to the upper wall of the channel can be utilized to reduce the concentration polarization and hence improve the effectiveness of the separation process. Received on 24 February 1999     

Experimental investigation of a scaled-up passive micromixer with uneven interdigital inlet and teardrop obstruction elements

Micromixers are vital components in micro total analysis systems. It is desirable to develop micromixers which are capable of rapidly mixing two or more fluids in a small footprint area, while minimizing mechanical losses. A novel planar scaled-up passive micromixer is experimentally investigated in this study. The design incorporates a 7-substream uneven interdigital inlet which supplies two liquid species in a parallel arrangement and promotes diffusion along the side walls. Forty-eight staggered teardrop-shaped obstruction elements located along the channel length combined with 32 side walls protrusions increase the two-fluid interfacial area while converging the flow due to periodic reductions in cross-sectional area. The scaled-up micromixer has a mixing channel length of 110 mm with a mixing channel height and width of 2 and 5 mm, respectively. Experimental investigations are carried out at four locations along the channel length and at Reynolds numbers equal to 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100, where the Reynolds number is calculated based on total two-fluid flow and the mixing channel hydraulic diameter. Flow visualization is employed to study flow patterns, while induced fluorescence (IF), using de-ionized water and low concentration Rhodamine 6G solutions, provides mixing efficiency data. Results show a change in dominant mixing mechanism from mass diffusion to mass advection, with a critical Reynolds number of 25. At high Reynolds numbers, the formation of additional lamellae is observed, as is the formation of Dean vortices in the vicinity of the teardrop obstructions. Of the tested cases, the highest outlet mixing efficiency, 68.5%, is achieved at a Reynolds number of 1, where mass diffusion dominates. At low Reynolds numbers, superior mixing efficiency is due primarily to the implementation of the uneven interdigital inlet. A comparable mixing length is proposed to allow for reasonable comparison with published studies.     

The use of curved screens for generating uniform shear at low Reynolds numbers

A semi-empirical approach has been applied to compute the shape of curved wire screens that would generate uniformly sheared flows in a water channel as well as the effect of Reynolds number on the value of the generated shear. Experiments with such screens at mean Reynolds numbers (based on the wire diameter) in the range 8–74 were found to be in fair agreement with the predictions.     

An experimental and numerical investigation of fluid flow in a cross-corrugated channel

The hydraulic performance of fluid in a cross-corrugated channel has been investigated, numerically and experimentally, by a three-dimensional model with an exact geometry of the heat exchanger. The distributions of the fluid and local flow characteristics have been discussed, especially for the flow around the contact points in the developing and periodic fully developed sections. The velocity and pressure variations in different cross sections have also been presented. Experiments have been carried out to validate the numerical predictions. The friction factors between the numerical computation and the experimental data are in a reasonable agreement in the range of Reynolds number being equal to 660–2,000.     

Turbulent free convection in a vertical converging channel

This paper presents the results of experimental and numerical investigations of the problem of turbulent natural convection in a converging-plate vertical channel. The channel has two isothermally heated inclined walls and two adiabatic vertical side walls. The parameters involved in this study are the channel geometry represented by the channel width at exit, the inclination of the heated walls and the temperature difference between the heated walls and the ambient. The investigation covered modified Rayleigh numbers up to 10⁸ in the computational study and up to 9.3 × 10⁶ in the experimental work. The experimental measurements focused on the velocity field and were carried out using a PIV system and included measurements of the mean velocity profiles as well as the root-mean-square velocity and shear stress profiles. The experiments were conducted for an inclination angle of 30°, a gap width of 10 mm and two temperature differences (∆T=25.4°C and 49.8°C). The velocity profiles in the lower part of the channel indicated the presence of two distinct layers. The first layer is adjacent to the heated plate and driven by buoyancy forces while the second layer extends from the point of maximum velocity to the channel center plane and driven mainly by shear forces. The velocity profile at the upper portion of the channel has shown the merging of the two boundary layers growing over the two heated walls. The measured values of the Reynolds shear stress and root mean square of the horizontal and vertical velocity fluctuation components have reached their maximum near the wall while having smaller values in the core region. The computational results have shown that the average Nusselt number increases approximately linearly with the increase of the modified Rayleigh number when plotted on log–log scale. The variation of the local Nusselt number indicated infinite values at the channel inlet (leading edge effect) and high values at the channel exit (trailing edge effect). For a fixed value of the top channel opening, the increase of the inclination angle tended to reduce flow velocity at the inlet section while changing the flow structure near the heated plates in such a way to create boundary-layer type flow. The maximum value of the average Nusselt number occurs when θ = 0 and decreases with the increase of the inclination angle. On the other hand, the increase of the channel width at exit for the same inclination angle caused a monotonic increase in the flow velocity at the channel inlet.     

Laser-Doppler measurements of laminar and turbulent flow in a pipe bend

Laser-Doppler measurements are reported for laminar and turbulent flow through a 90° bend of circular cross-section with mean radius of curvature equal to 2.8 times the diameter. The measurements were made in cross-stream planes 0.58 diameters upstream of the bend inlet plane, in 30, 60 and 75° planes in the bend and in planes one and six diameters downstream of the exit plane. Three sets of data were obtained: for laminar flow at Reynolds numbers of 500 and 1093 and for turbulent flow at the maximum obtainable Reynolds number of 43 000. The results show the development of strong pressure-driven secondary flows in the form of a pair of counter-rotating vortices in the streamwise direction. The strength and character of the secondary flows were found to depend on the thickness and nature of the inlet boundary layers, inlet conditions which could not be varied independently of Reynolds number. The quantitative anemometer measurements are supported by flow visualization studies. Refractive index matching at the fluid-wall interface was not used; the measurements consist, therefore, of streamwise components of mean and fluctuating velocities only, supplemented by wall pressure measurements for the turbulent flow. The displacement of the laser measurement volume due to refraction is allowed for in simple geometrical calculations. The results are intenden for use as benchmark data for calibrating flow calculation methods.     

Experimental study of the effects of spanwise rotation on the flow in a low aspect ratio diffuser for turbomachinery applications

Two dimensional time accurate PIV measurements of the flow between pressure and suction side at different spanwise positions of a rotating channel are presented. The Reynolds and Rotation numbers are representative for the flow in radial impellers of micro gas turbines. Superposition of the 2D results at the different spanwise positions provides a quasi-3D view of the flow and illustrates the impact of Coriolis forces on the 3D flow structure. It is shown that the inlet flow is little affected by rotation. An increasing/decreasing boundary layer thickness is reported on the suction/pressure side wall halfway between the channel inlet and outlet. The turbulence intensity moves away from the suction side wall and remains close to the pressure side wall. The instantaneous measurements at mid-height of the rotating channel reveal the presence of hairpin vortices in the pressure side boundary layer and symmetric vortices near the suction side. Hairpin vortices occur in rotation in the pressure and in the suction side, for the measurement plane close to the channel bottom wall.     

Flow and heat transfer performance of a mini-channel radiator with cylinder disturbed flow

Mini-channel heat sinks have relatively low Nusselt number due to small Reynolds number. For heat transfer enhancement purpose, a mini-channel radiator with cylinder disturbed flow was proposed. The disturbed flow was created by a circular cylinder placed horizontally in front of channels entrance. The performance of heat transfer and pressure drop with/without disturbed flow was studied experimentally. It was found that the friction factor of mini-channel flow was larger than that of the macro-channel flow due to larger surface roughness, and the pressure drop caused by cylinder disturbed flow was less than 5%. It also concluded that the average Nusselt number increases with augment of Reynolds and Prandtl number. The Nusselt number correlations as the function of the Reynolds and Prandtl number were given for evaluation the heat removal performance of similar heat radiators. There is an inflexion point in the empirical formulas when the channel length equals to the thermal entrance length. For the mini-channels heat radiators with disturbed flow, the inflexion Reynolds number is larger than that of without disturbed flow. Due to the flow pulsing caused by circular cylinder placed in front of channels entrance, the thermal entrance length increases. On the other hand, for both mini-channels with or without disturbed flow, the thermal resistance increases with the decrease of pressure drop.     

Experimental study on the application of paraffin slurry to high density electronic package cooling

Experiments were performed by using water and paraffin slurry to investigate thermal characteristics from a test multichip module. The parameters were the mass fraction of paraffin slurry (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5%), heat flux (10, 20, 30, 40 W/cm²) and channel Reynolds numbers. The size of paraffin slurry particles was within 10–40 μm. The local heat transfer coefficients for the paraffin slurry were larger than those for water. Thermally fully developed conditions were observed after the third or fourth row. The paraffin slurry with a mass fraction of 5% showed the most efficient cooling performance when the heat transfer and the pressure drop in the test section were considered simultaneously. A new correlation for the water and the paraffin slurry with a mass fraction of 5% was obtained for a channel Reynolds number over 5300. Received on 25 January 1999     

Two-phase flow instabilities in a silicon microchannels heat sink

Two-phase flow instabilities are highly undesirable in microchannels-based heat sinks as they can lead to temperature oscillations with high amplitudes, premature critical heat flux and mechanical vibrations. This work is an experimental study of boiling instabilities in a microchannel silicon heat sink with 40 parallel rectangular microchannels, having a length of 15 mm and a hydraulic diameter of 194 μm. A series of experiments have been carried out to investigate pressure and temperature oscillations during the flow boiling instabilities under uniform heating, using water as a cooling liquid. Thin nickel film thermometers, integrated on the back side of a heat sink with microchannels, were used in order to obtain a better insight related to temperature fluctuations caused by two-phase flow instabilities. Flow regime maps are presented for two inlet water temperatures, showing stable and unstable flow regimes. It was observed that boiling leads to asymmetrical flow distribution within microchannels that result in high temperature non-uniformity and the simultaneously existence of different flow regimes along the transverse direction. Two types of two-phase flow instabilities with appreciable pressure and temperature fluctuations were observed, that depended on the heat to mass flux ratio and inlet water temperature. These were high amplitude/low frequency and low amplitude/high frequency instabilities. High speed camera imaging, performed simultaneously with pressure and temperature measurements, showed that inlet/outlet pressure and the temperature fluctuations existed due to alternation between liquid/two-phase/vapour flows. It was also determined that the inlet water subcooling condition affects the magnitudes of the temperature oscillations in two-phase flow instabilities and flow distribution within the microchannels.     

Experimental visualization of temperature fields and study of heat transfer enhancement in oscillatory flow in a grooved channel

An experimental study was conducted of incompressible, moderate Reynolds number flow of air over heated rectangular blocks in a two-dimensional, horizontal channel. Holographic interferometry combined with high-speed cinematography was used to visualize the unsteady temperature fields in self- sustained oscillatory flow. Experiments were conducted in the laminar, transitional and turbulent flow regimes for Reynolds numbers in the range from Re = 520 to Re = 6600. Interferometric measurements were obtained in the thermally and fluiddynamically periodically fully developed flow region on the ninth heated block. Flow oscillations were first observed between Re = 1054 and Re = 1318. The period of oscillations, wavelength and propagation speed of the Tollmien–Schlichting waves in the main channel were measured at two characteristic flow velocities, Re = 1580 and Re = 2370. For these Reynolds numbers it was observed that two to three waves span one geometric periodicity length. At Re = 1580 the dominant oscillation frequency was found to be around 26 Hz and at Re = 2370 the frequency distribution formed a band around 125 Hz. Results regarding heat transfer and pressure drop are presented as a function of the Reynolds number, in terms of the block-average Nusselt number and the local Nusselt number as well as the friction factor. Measurements of the local Nusselt number together with visual observations indicate that the lateral mixing caused by flow instabilities is most pronounced along the upstream vertical wall of the heated block in the groove region, and it is accompanied by high heat transfer coefficients. At Reynolds numbers beyond the onset of oscillations the heat transfer in the grooved channel exceeds the performance of the reference geometry, the asymmetrically heated parallel plate channel. Received on 26 April 2000     

Velocity profile characterization in sub-millimeter diameter tubes using molecular tagging velocimetry

Fluid flow through microtubes is of interest to many industries and there exists a need for detailed measurements of the velocity field. Velocity profile data are critical for momentum, mass, and heat transport analysis, and thus the design of devices utilizing microgeometries. This paper outlines a measurement technique that has led to time-resolved measurements of velocity profiles in microtubes (less than 1,000 μm). The research program was experimental in nature and consisted of an extension of molecular tagging velocimetry to the microscale. Average velocity and rms profile data in the fully developed region, in addition to mass flow rate and pressure drop data, are presented for numerous Reynolds numbers ranging from 600 to 5,000 in a tube of diameter 705 μm. Received: 20 December 1999 / Accepted: 20 March 2001     

Large-eddy simulation of turbulent flow and heat transfer in plane and rib-roughened channels

Large-eddy simulation results are presented and discussed for turbulent flow and heat transfer in a plane channel with and without transverse square ribs on one of the walls. They were obtained with the finite-difference code Harwell-FLOW3D, Release 2, by using the PISOC pressure-velocity coupling algorithm, central differencing in space, and Crank-Nicolson time stepping. A simple Smagorinsky model, with van Driest damping near the walls, was implemented to model subgrid scale effects. Periodic boundary conditions were imposed in the streamwise and spanwise directions. The Reynolds number based on hydraulic diameter (twice the channel height) ranged from 10 000 to 40 000. Results are compared with experimental data, k-? predictions, and previous large-eddy simulations.