Dynamics of a spiral convective plume in a high-Prandtl-number fluid

The results of an experimental investigation of a developed convective plume proceeding from a laser-radiation-generated point heat source in a fluid with a high Prandtl number Pr = 2×10³ in the presence of background cellular convective flow are presented. It is found that when the plume growth velocity is similar in value with the characteristic velocity of the cellular convective flow the plume can take the shape of a vertical plane spiral.     

Effect of particles on turbulent thermal field of channel flow with different Prandtl numbers

The direct numerical simulation(DNS) of heat transfer in a fully developed non-isothermal particle-laden turbulent channel flow is performed.The focus of this paper is on the modulation of the particles on turbulent thermal statistics in the particle-laden flow with three Prandtl numbers(P r = 0.71,1.5,and 3.0) and a shear Reynolds number(Reτ = 180).Some typical thermal statistics,including normalized mean temperature and their fluctuations,turbulent heat fluxes,Nusselt number and so on,are analyzed.The results show that the particles have less effects on turbulent thermal fields with the increase of Prandtl number.Two reasons can explain this.First,the correlation between fluid thermal field and velocity field decreases as the Prandtl number increases,and the modulation of turbulent velocity field induced by the particles has less influence on the turbulent thermal field.Second,the heat exchange between turbulence and particles decreases for the particle-laden flow with the larger Prandtl number,and the thermal feedback of the particles to turbulence becomes weak.     

Large eddy simulations of a turbulent thermal plume

Large eddy simulations of a three-dimensional turbulent thermal plume in an open environment have been carried out using a self-developed parallel computational fluid dynamics code SMAFS (smoke movement and flame spread) to study the thermal plume’s dynamics including its puffing, self-preserving and air entrainment. In the simulation, the sub-grid stress was modeled using both the standard Smagorinsky and the buoyancy modified Smagorinsky models, which were compared. The sub-grid scale (SGS) scalar flux in the filtered enthalpy transport equation was modeled based on a simple gradient transport hypothesis with constant SGS Prandtl number. The effect of the Smagorinsky model constant and the SGS Prandtl number were examined. The computation results were compared with experimental measurements, thermal plume theory and empirical correlations, showing good agreement. It is found that both the buoyancy modification and the SGS turbulent Prandtl number have little influence on simulation. However, the SGS model constant C _s has a significant effect on the prediction of plume spreading, although it does not affect much the prediction of puffing.     

Turbulent thermal diffusion in a multi-fan turbulence generator with imposed mean temperature gradient

We studied experimentally the effect of turbulent thermal diffusion in a multi-fan turbulence generator which produces a nearly homogeneous and isotropic flow with a small mean velocity. Using particle image velocimetry and image processing techniques, we showed that in a turbulent flow with an imposed mean vertical temperature gradient (stably stratified flow) particles accumulate in the regions with the mean temperature minimum. These experiments detected the effect of turbulent thermal diffusion in a multi-fan turbulence generator for relatively high Reynolds numbers. The experimental results are in compliance with the results of the previous experimental studies of turbulent thermal diffusion in oscillating grid turbulence (Buchholz et al. 2004; Eidelman et al. 2004). We demonstrated that the turbulent thermal diffusion is an universal phenomenon. It occurs independently of the method of turbulence generation, and the qualitative behavior of particle spatial distribution in these very different turbulent flows is similar. Competition between turbulent fluxes caused by turbulent thermal diffusion and turbulent diffusion determines the formation of particle inhomogeneities.     

Application of the Galerkin method to the solution of the problem of combined (forced and free) turbulent convection in a vertical circular channel in a uniform solid mass

We consider steady-state combined (forced and free) turbulent convection in a vertical circular channel in a uniform solid medium for the case in which a constant vertical temperature gradientis maintained in the solid mass, far from the channel. The velocity and temperature distributions are found, and the critical values of the Rayleigh number for axisymmetric and antisymmetric fluid motions are calculated. The problem is solved by the Galerkin method.Notation v⁽⁰⁾ forced convection velocity - v⁽¹⁾ free convection velocity - v velocity with combination of forced and free convection - v average velocity across channel section - T temperature with combined forced and free convection - T_w channel wall temperature - y distance from channel wall - y_* dimensionless distance from wall - r₀ channel radius - r distance from centerline - v_t turbulent viscosity - _t turbulent thermal diffusivity - P₀ averaged pressure corresponding to constant fluid ternperature - z coordinate along channel axis, directed upward - Q quantity of heat released by internal sources per unit fluid volume per unit time - fluid thermal conductivity (_e for the surrounding mass) - R Reynolds number - R^* Rayleigh number - P Prandtl number - G Grashof number - V_* dynamic viscosity     

Heat convection from a cylinder performing steady rotation or rotary oscillation – Part I: Steady rotation

In this paper, the problem of laminar, two dimensional heat convection from a circular cylinder performing steady rotation is investigated. The cylinder is␣placed with its axis horizontal in a quiescent fluid of infinite extent. Because of viscous dissipation, the flow process is confined to the region adjacent to the cylinder and is mainly driven by shear and buoyancy forces. The study is based on the solution of the full conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy for Rayleigh numbers up to 10⁴ and Reynolds numbers (based on surface velocity) up to 400 while Prandtl number ranges between 0.7 and 7.0. For the range of parameters considered, the study revealed that the rate of heat transfer increases with the increase of Rayleigh number and decreases with the increase of speed of rotation. The increase of Prandtl number resulted in an appreciable increase in the average Nusselt number only at low Reynolds numbers. The effect of Prandtl number at high Reynolds number is negligibly small. The resulting flow field in all cases is steady with no vortex shedding. The streamlines and isotherms are plotted for a number of cases to show the details of the velocity and thermal fields. Received on 15 December 1997     

The BGK-model with velocity-dependent collision frequency

We consider the BGK-model with velocity dependent collision frequency. By use of the Chapman-Enskog method we calculate thermal conductivity and viscosity. We show that a simple power law for the collision frequency may lead to the proper Prandtl number. Moreover we use Grad's moment method to calculate thermal conductivity and viscosity. We show that the results of both methods coincide if Grad's method is based on a large number of moments. Received: December 12, 1996     

Mixed convection flow investigation in a rectangular horizontal tube stenosis via liquid crystal thermography and planar PIV

The temperature and velocity field in a horizontal convergent-divergent rectangular channel heated from below is studied experimentally for a Reynolds range 8-120, Grashof numbers from 0.44 × 10⁵ to 2.56 × 10⁵ and Richardson numbers from 3 to 4000, using water as working fluid. The duct aspect ratio (width/height) varies from 1 at its inlet to 2.28 at the stenosis neck, and both the upper and bottom walls are tilted with an angle of ±15.7° with respect to the horizontal. The temperature of the bottom wall is kept constant above that of the issuing fluid. The temperature field is recorded by liquid crystals in the vertical mid plane whereas the velocity field is measured in this plane as well as in four cross sections of the divergent passage by planar PIV, revealing the characteristics of the secondary velocity field. For all the examined cases the flow in the convergent passage is free of thermal plumes, and the thermal boundary layer is thin. In contrast, the divergent passage is characterized by a thermal plume which is shifted upstream with increasing Gr or reducing Re. Both transversal and longitudinal rolls emerge in this diffuser the strength of which depend on Re and Gr influencing the streamwise distribution of Nusselt which for low Re presents a minimum.     

Roughness effects on turbulent plane wall jets in an open channel

This paper reports the effects of surface roughness on the mean flow characteristics for a turbulent plane wall jet created in an open channel. The velocity measurements were obtained using a laser Doppler anemometer over smooth and transitionally rough surfaces. The power law proposed by George et al. (2000) was used to determine the friction velocity. Both conventional scaling and the momentum–viscosity scaling proposed by Narasimha et al. (1973) were used to analyze the streamwise evolution of the flow. The results show that surface roughness increases the skin friction coefficient and the inner layer thickness, but the jet half-width is nearly independent of surface roughness.     

The laminar plume above a line heat source in a transverse magnetic field

The dynamics of a buoyant plume rising above a horizontal line heat source in a transverse, horizontal magnetic field is investigated. Similarity is shown to occur when the magnetic field strength varies as the −2/5 power of vertical distance from the source. The plume depends on two parameters — the Prandtl number (Pr) and the Lykoudis number (Z _L). Families of exact closed form solutions are derived for Pr=5/9 and Pr≥2. A family of numerical integrations for Pr=0.01 (typical of liquid metals) is also reported. The magnetic field is shown to affect the profiles of velocity and temperature by altering the similarity functions, the coefficients, and the value of the independent similarity variable corresponding to a fixed physical position. An approximate closed form solution valid for low Pr and high Z _L is presented. Possible experimental tests of the theory are proposed. Research sponsored by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration under interagency agreement with Union Carbide Corporation.     

Application of Rheological Models in Prediction of Turbulent Slurry Flow

The paper deals with fully developed steady turbulent flow of slurry in a circular straight and smooth pipe. The Kaolin slurry consists of very fine solid particles, so the solid particles concentration, and density, and viscosity are assumed to be constant across the pipe. The mathematical model is based on the time averaged momentum equation. The problem of closure was solved by the Launder and Sharma k-ε turbulence model (Launder and Sharma, Lett Heat Mass Transf 1:131–138, 1974) but with a different turbulence damping function. The turbulence damping function, used in the mathematical model in the present paper, is that proposed by Bartosik (1997). The mathematical model uses the apparent viscosity concept and the apparent viscosity was calculated using two- and three-parameter rheological models, namely Bingham and Herschel–Bulkley. The main aim of the paper is to compare measurements and predictions of the frictional head loss and velocity distribution, taking into account two- and three-parameter rheological models, namely Bingham and Herschel–Bulkley, if the Kaolin slurry possesses low, moderate, and high yield stress. Predictions compared with measurements show an observable advantage of the Herschel–Bulkley rheological model over the Bingham model particularly if the bulk velocity decreases.     

Vanishing Viscous Limits for 3D Navier–Stokes Equations with a Navier-Slip Boundary Condition

In this paper, we investigate the vanishing viscosity limit for solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations with a Navier slip boundary condition on general compact and smooth domains in R ³. We first obtain the higher order regularity estimates for the solutions to Prandtl’s equation boundary layers. Furthermore, we prove that the strong solution to Navier–Stokes equations converges to the Eulerian one in C([0, T]; H ¹(Ω)) and ${L^\infty((0,T) \times \Omega)}$ , where T is independent of the viscosity, provided that initial velocity is regular enough. Furthermore, rates of convergence are obtained also.     

Non-isobaric Marangoni boundary layer flow for Cu,Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> and TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles in a water based fluid

In this paper, a non-isobaric Marangoni boundary layer flow that can be formed along the interface of immiscible nanofluids in surface driven flows due to an imposed temperature gradient, is considered. The solution is determined using a similarity solution for both the momentum and energy equations and assuming developing boundary layer flow along the interface of the immiscible nanofluids. The resulting system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is solved numerically using the shooting method along with the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method. Numerical results are obtained for the interface velocity, the surface temperature gradient as well as the velocity and temperature profiles for some values of the governing parameters, namely the nanoparticle volume fraction φ (0≤φ≤0.2) and the constant exponent β. Three different types of nanoparticles, namely Cu, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ are considered by using water-based fluid with Prandtl number Pr =6.2. It was found that nanoparticles with low thermal conductivity, TiO₂, have better enhancement on heat transfer compared to Al₂O₃ and Cu. The results also indicate that dual solutions exist when β<0.5. The paper complements also the work by Golia and Viviani (Meccanica 21:200–204, 1986) concerning the dual solutions in the case of adverse pressure gradient.     

Investigation of droplets impinging on a deep pool: transition from coalescence to jetting

An experimental investigation of droplets impinging vertically on a deep liquid pool of the same fluid was conducted. Coalescence and jetting as two of the main regimes were identified and studied. Five fluids, distilled water, technical ethanol, n-pentane, methanol and 1-propanol were used for providing different liquid-phase physical properties with density from 600 to 1,000 kg/m³, viscosity from 0.20 to 2.00 mPa s, and surface tension from 13.7 to 72.0 mN/m. Except for the experimental run of n-pentane, which was carried out in n-pentane saturated vapor, the ambient gas for the other experiments was air. The impact processes of micro-level (diameter below 1 mm) droplets were captured using a high-speed camera with a backlight. The observations, velocity and diameter ranges of the experimental runs were described, and based on them, the effects of the liquid-phase properties were studied. It was found that both low viscosity and low surface tension can increase the instability during impact processes. By curve-fitting, the transition from coalescence to jetting was characterized by using two models, one employing the Weber number (We) and the Ohnesorge number (Oh), and one employing the Froude number (Fr) and the Capillary number (Ca). Both models characterize the coalescence-jetting threshold well. The We-Oh model was based on a commonly used model from Cossali et al. (in Exp Fluids 22:463–472, 1997) for characterizing coalescence-splashing. For the small droplet diameters (below 1 mm) considered in this study, it was required to modify the We-Oh model with a diameter-dependent term to fit the sharp change in thresholds for fluids with relatively high viscosity. The Fr-Ca model has not previously been presented in the literature. A comparison of the two models with literature data (Rodriguez and Mesler, J Colloid Interface Sci 106(2):347–352, 1985) indicates that they are also valid for impacts of droplets with diameters above 1mm. Calculation methods to generalize the two models were proposed.     

Free convection around a vertical isothermically heated plate of finite length at large prandtl numbers

A free convection boundary layer arises because of the appearance of viscosity forces near a solid boundary. For high viscosity fluids the viscosity is significant over the whole flow region, and the thermal boundary layer which forms because of the restriction of heat diffusion from a heated wall by convection is characterized by the ratio between the coefficients of viscosity and thermal diffusivity, i.e., the Prandtl number. The divergence between the theoretical [1–4] and experimental data [5, 6] for the velocity profiles of free convective flow around a vertical surface at large Prandtl nunbers is due to an insufficiently clear distinction between the physical laws mentioned. In the present study the form of the velocity and temperature profiles is determined more accurately on the basis of an asymptotic analysis of the complete Navier-Stokes equations and energy equation with Prandtl number Pr and Grashof numbers of the order of unity.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 161–165, September–October, 1984.     

Effects of a transverse flows with variable viscosity in micropolar fluids

A regular perturbation analysis is presented for three laminar natural convection flows in micropolar fluids in liquids with temperature dependent viscosity: a freely-rising plane plume, the flow above a horizontal line source on an adiabatic surface (a plane wall plume) and the flow adjacent to a vertical uniform flux surface. While these flows have well-known power-low similarity solutions when the fluid viscosity is taken to be constant, they are non-similar when the viscosity is considered to a function of temperature. A single similar flow, that adjacent to a vertical isothermal surface, is also analysed for comparison in order to estimate the extent of validity of perturbation analysis. The formulation used here provides a unified treatment of variable viscosity effects on those four flows. Computed first-order perturbation quantities are presented for all four flows. Numerical results for velocity, angular velocity and thermal functions has been shown graphically or tabulated for different values of micropolar parameters. Received on 20 October 1997     

Reynolds Number Effects on the Coherent Dynamics of the Turbulent Horseshoe Vortex System

The adverse pressure gradient induced by a surface-mounted obstacle in a turbulent boundary layer causes the approaching flow to separate and form a dynamically rich horseshoe vortex system (HSV) in the junction of the obstacle with the wall. The Reynolds number of the flow (Re) is one of the important parameters that control the rich coherent dynamics of the vortex, which are known to give rise to low-frequency, bimodal fluctuations of the velocity field (Devenport and Simpson, J Fluid Mech 210:23–55, 1990; Paik et al., Phys Fluids 19:045107, 2007). We carry out detached eddy simulations (DES) of the flow past a circular cylinder mounted on a rectangular channel for Re = 2.0 × 10⁴ and 3.9 × 10⁴ (Dargahi, Exp Fluids 8:1–12, 1989) in order to systematically investigate the effect of the Reynolds number on the HSV dynamics. The computed results are compared with each other and with previous experimental and computational results for a related junction flow at a much higher Reynolds number (Re = 1.15 × 10⁵) (Devenport and Simpson, J Fluid Mech 210:23–55, 1990; Paik et al., Phys Fluids 19:045107, 2007). The computed results reveal significant variations with Re in terms of the mean-flow quantities, turbulence statistics, and the coherent dynamics of the turbulent HSV. For Re = 2.0 × 10⁴ the HSV system consists of a large number of necklace-type vortices that are shed periodically at higher frequencies than those observed in the Re = 3.9 × 10⁴ case. For this latter case the number of large-scale vortical structures that comprise the instantaneous HSV system is reduced significantly and the flow dynamics becomes quasi-periodic. For both cases, we show that the instantaneous flowfields are dominated by eruptions of wall-generated vorticity associated with the growth of hairpin vortices that wrap around and disorganize the primary HSV system. The intensity and frequency of these eruptions, however, appears to diminish rapidly with decreasing Re. In the high Re case the HSV system consists of a single, highly energetic, large-scale necklace vortex that is aperiodically disorganized by the growth of the hairpin mode. Regardless of the Re, we find pockets in the junction region within which the histograms of velocity fluctuations are bimodal as has also been observed in several previous experimental studies.     

Statistical analysis of instantaneous turbulent heat transfer in circular pipe flows

Turbulent heat transfer in circular pipe flow with constant heat flux on the wall is investigated numerically via Large Eddy Simulations for frictional Reynolds number Re _τ  = 180 and for Prandtl numbers in the range 0.1 ≤ Pr ≤ 1.0. In our simulations we employ a second-order finite difference scheme, combined with a projection method for the pressure, on a collocated grid in cylindrical coordinates. The predicted statistical properties of the velocity and temperature fields show good agreement with available data from direct numerical simulations. Further, we study the local thermal flow structures for different Prandtl numbers. As expected, our simulations predict that by reducing the Prandtl number, the range of variations in the local heat transfer and the Nusselt number decrease. Moreover, the thermal flow structures smear in the flow and become larger in size with less sharpness, especially in the vicinity of the wall. In order to characterize the local instantaneous heat transfer, probability density functions (PDFs) for the instantaneous Nusselt number are derived for different Prandtl number. Also, it is shown that these PDFs are actually scaled by the square root of the Prandtl number, so that a single PDF can be employed for all Prandtl numbers. The curve fits of the PDFs are presented in two forms of log-normal and skewed Gaussian distributions.     

The preheated Airy wall jet

The Airy jet is a wall-bounded flow belonging to the similarity class of the well known free jet but, in contrast to the latter, its far field behavior is an algebraically decaying rotational flow. The velocity and temperature distributions of a preheated Airy jet flowing over an insulated wall are investigated using both analytical and numerical methods, and are compared with those of the classical (preheated) exponentially decaying wall jet. For the same value of the dimensionless skin friction parameter, the maximum of the similar velocity profile of the Airy jet exceeds that of the classical wall jet by approximately 20%. The dimensionless temperature along the insulated wall scales for large values of the Prandtl number with Pr^2/3 for both jets, while for small values of the Prandtl number the temperature scales with Pr^1/3 for the Airy jet and goes to 1 for the classical wall jet.This work is dedicated to Michael B. Glauert who passed away on June 14, 2004     

Locally similar solutions for hydromagnetic and thermal slip flow boundary layers over a flat plate with variable fluid properties and convective surface boundary condition

This paper presents heat transfer process in a two-dimensional steady hydromagnetic convective flow of an electrically conducting fluid over a flat plate with partial slip at the surface of the boundary subjected to the convective surface heat flux at the boundary. The analysis accounts for both temperature-dependent viscosity and temperature dependent thermal conductivity. The local similarity equations are derived and solved numerically using the Nachtsheim-Swigert iteration procedure. Results for the dimensionless velocity, temperature and ambient Prandtl number within the boundary layer are displayed graphically delineating the effect of various parameters characterizing the flow. The results show that momentum boundary layer thickness significantly depends on the surface convection parameter, Hartmann number and on the sign of the variable viscosity parameter. The results also show that plate surface temperature is higher when there is no slip at the plate compared to its presence. For both slip and no-slip cases surface temperature of the plate can be controlled by controlling the strength of the applied magnetic field. In modelling the thermal boundary layer flow with variable viscosity and variable thermal conductivity, the Prandtl number must be treated as a variable irrespective of flow conditions whether there is slip or no-slip at the boundary to obtain realistic results.