Experimental study on hydrodynamic characteristics of upward gas–liquid slug flow

To clarify the impacts of the hydrodynamic boundary layer and the diffusion boundary layer in the near wall zone on gas–liquid two-phase flow induced corrosion in pipelines, the hydrodynamic characteristics of fully developed gas–liquid slug flow in an upward tube are investigated with limiting diffusion current probes, conductivity probes and digital high-speed video system. The Taylor bubble and the falling liquid film characteristics are studied, the effects of various factors are examined, and the experimental results are compared with the data and models available in literature. The length of Taylor bubble, the local void fraction of the slug unit and the liquid slug, the shear stress and mass transfer coefficient in the near wall zone, are all increased with the increase of superficial gas velocity and decreased with the increase of superficial liquid velocity, whereas the length of liquid slug and the liquid slug frequency are changed contrarily. The alternate wall shear stress due to upward gas–liquid slug flow is considered to be one of the major causes for the corrosion production film fatigue cracking. A normalized formula for mass transfer coefficient is obtained based on the experimental data.     

The Effect of Wall Normal Actuation on a Turbulent Boundary Layer

In this work, a series of direct numerical simulations are conducted to study the effect of wall normal spanwise homogeneous wall actuation on a turbulent boundary layer. The moving boundary is represented by a boundary data immersion technique. A parametric study was performed, varying the actuator length, the wall normal actuation amplitude and the actuation frequency. It was found that localized actuation, relying only on wall motion instead of requiring a plenum in the case of synthetic jets, generated a net momentum flux jet affecting the flow not only in the immediate vicinity of the actuator but also for a significant distance downstream. The cases with an actuator velocity of \( u^{+}_{act}=?20.1 \) showed a particularly pronounced effect on the boundary layer and resulted in a recirculation region.     

Stability of Flow with Viscous Dissipation in a Horizontal Porous Layer with an Open Boundary Having a Prescribed Temperature Gradient

A buoyancy-induced stationary flow with viscous dissipation in a horizontal porous layer is investigated. The lower boundary surface is impermeable and subject to a uniform heat flux. The upper open boundary has a prescribed, linearly varying, temperature distribution. The buoyancy-induced basic velocity profile is parallel and non-uniform. The linear stability of this basic solution is analysed numerically by solving the disturbance equations for oblique rolls arbitrarily oriented with respect to the basic velocity field. The onset conditions of thermal instability are governed by the Rayleigh number associated with the prescribed wall heat flux at the lower boundary, by the horizontal Rayleigh number associated with the imposed temperature gradient on the upper open boundary, and by the Gebhart number associated with the effect of viscous dissipation. The critical value of the Rayleigh number for the onset of the thermal instability is evaluated as a function of the horizontal Rayleigh number and of the Gebhart number. It is shown that the longitudinal rolls, having axis parallel to the basic velocity, are the most unstable in all the cases examined. Moreover, the imposed horizontal temperature gradient tends to stabilise the basic flow, while the viscous dissipation turns out to have a destabilising effect.     

A three-velocity-component laser-Doppler velocimeter for measurements inside the linear compressor cascade

A 24′′ (610 mm) access laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) system was developed to make simultaneous three-velocity-component measurements in a low speed linear cascade wind tunnel with moving wall simulation. The probe has a 610 mm access length and achieves a measurement spatial resolution of 100 μm by using off-axis optical heads. With the relatively large access length, the LDV probe allows for measurements from the side of a wind tunnel instead of through the tunnel floor, while the high spatial resolution allows for quality near-wall measurements. The probe has been tested in a zero-pressure gradient 2D turbulent boundary layer and the test results agree well with the experimental data measured with different LDV systems and hot-wire anemometery for the boundary layer flows. The energy spectral density was estimated using a slot correlation, and Von Kármán’s model for the energy-spectrum function was used to analyze the measured spectral data to estimate the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate, which compares favorably with the measured production values in the log-layer region of the turbulent boundary layer. Measurements are presented for the moving endwall boundary layer at the inlet of the linear compressor cascade facility to validate the capability of this LDV for tip leakage flow measurements. These results indicate that the moving endwall reduces velocity gradients in the near-wall region and results in less production of Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy compared to the stationary endwall case.     

High-Velocity Laminar and Turbulent Flow in Porous Media

We model high-velocity flow in porous media with the multiple scale homogenization technique and basic fluid mechanics. Momentum and mechanical energy theorems are derived. In idealized porous media inviscid irrotational flow in the pores and wall boundary layers give a pressure loss with a power of 3/2 in average velocity. This model has support from flow in simple model media. In complex media the flow separates from the solid surface. Pressure loss effects of flow separation, wall and free shear layers, pressure drag, flow tube velocity and developing flow are discussed by using phenomenological arguments. We propose that the square pressure loss in the laminar Forchheimer equation is caused by development of strong localized dissipation zones around flow separation, that is, in the viscous boundary layer in triple decks. For turbulent flow, the resulting pressure loss due to average dissipation is a power 2 term in velocity.     

Hypersonic multicycle gas jet with a high degree of underexpansion at the nozzle exit

Experimental research on highly underexpanded gas jets flowing from supersonic nozzles into an ambient medium has shown that for fairly large Mach and Reynolds numbers at the nozzle exit the jet consists of several cycles or barrels [1–3]. The authors have made a theoretical study of these jets, using the nonstationary analogy method (law of plane sections). An approximate model of the flow is constructed and an analytic solution is obtained for the location of the boundary of the multicycle jet. The corresponding equivalent nonstationary problem of the expansion of a cylindrical slug of gas is solved numerically. The results are found to be consistent with the experimental data and make it possible to explain a number of observations. It is shown, for example, that the experimentally observed decrease in the amplitude of the cycles (maximum radius of the barrels) as they progress downstream is due to the dissipation of energy in shock waves. It appears that the length of the cycles is more or less independent of the dissipation and almost constant. The effect of the removal (supply) of heat, for example, due to radiation, the relaxation of internal degrees of freedom, etc., on the geometry of the jet is examined. It is shown that the removal of heat leads to a decrease in the amplitude of the cycles and the supply of heat to an increase, but, like dissipation, neither affects the length of the cycles. The problem of a jet in a weakly inhomogeneous atmosphere is solved. It has shown that the jet geometry possesses an adiabatic invariant linking the length and amplitude of the cycles.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 27–35, November–December, 1984.     

Effect of surface roughness on a turbulent wall-attaching offset jet

The flow characteristics of a two-dimensional offset jet discharged parallel to a rough wall is experimentally investigated by using a split film probe. The distributions of the mean velocity and turbulent stresses in the flow field are obtained and compared with those of the wall attaching offset jet on a smooth wall. It is found that the wall-attaching region on the rough wall is longer than on the smooth wall for the same offset height and the jet speed. The normal distance of the maximum velocity point is farther away from the wall than that for the smooth wall case because of the thick wall boundary layer established by the surface roughness. It is also found that the roughness of the wall accelerates the relaxation process towards redeveloped plane wall jet and that it exhibits a quite different turbulent diffusion behavior especially near the wall from that in the wall jet over a smooth surface.     

Numerical simulation of two‐dimensional laminar slot‐jet impingement flows confined by a parallel wall

Two‐dimensional laminar incompressible impinging slot‐jet is simulated numerically to gain insight into flow characteristics.Computations are done for vertically downward‐directed slot‐jets impinging on a plate at the bottom and confined by a parallel surface on top. The behaviour of the jet with respect to aspect ratio (AR) and Reynolds number (Re) are described in detail. The computed flow patterns for various AR (2–5) and for a range of jet‐exit Reynolds numbers (100–500) are analysed to understand the flow characteristics. The transient development of the flow is also simulated for AR = 4 and Re = 300. It is found that the reattachment length is dependent on both AR and Reynolds number for the range considered. The correlation for reattachment length is suggested. The maximum resultant velocity V_rmax and its trajectory is reported. A detailed study of horizontal velocity profile at different downstream locations is reported. It is found that the effect of Reynolds number and AR is significant to the bottom wall vorticity in the impingement and wall jet regions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

防风网透流风空气动力学特性大涡数值模拟研究

基于有限体积法建立不可压缩粘性流体运动的大涡模拟模型,采用Smagorinsky-Lilly亚格子模型,并引入浸入边界法(IBM)实现无滑移固壁边界条件,对雷诺数30~30000之间防风网透流风进行模拟研究。基于模拟结果,提出蝶型防风网透流风存在4个典型分区结构,流场中存在由蝶型形态引起的大尺度分层剪切流动,加强流体动能耗散。透流风在雷诺数300时发生层流至湍流的转捩,而在雷诺数增长至3000以上时,湍流充分发展,纵向流速脉动强度可达70%。防风网整体空气阻力远大于单个孔口射流阻力的线性叠加,射流间的相互作用以及大尺度的分层剪切结构大大增加流体阻力损失,这为通过优化孔口布置和网板形态来节省材料提供了科学依据。     

Mechanism of compressor airfoil boundary layer flow control using nanosecond plasma actuation

The flow control effects of nanosecond plasma actuation on the boundary layer flow of a typical compressor controlled diffusion airfoil are investigated using large eddy simulation method. Three types of plasma actuation are designed to control the boundary layer flow, and two mechanisms of compressor airfoil boundary layer flow control using nanosecond plasma actuation have been found. The plasma actuations located within the laminar boundary layer flow can induce a small vortex structure through influencing on the density and pressure of the flow field. As the small vortex structure moves downstream along the blade surface with the main flow, it can suppress the turbulent flow mixing and reduce the total pressure loss. The flow control effect of the small vortex structure is summarized as wall jet effect. Differently, the plasma actuation located within the turbulent boundary layer flow can act on the shear layer flow and induce a large vortex structure. While moving downstream, this large vortex structure can suppress the turbulent flow mixing too.     

On the viscous dissipation modeling of thermal fluid flow in a porous medium

The problem of viscous dissipation and thermal dispersion in saturated porous medium is numerically investigated for the case of non-Darcy flow regime. The fluid is induced to flow upward by natural convection as a result of a semi-infinite vertical wall that is immersed in the porous medium and is kept at constant higher temperature. The boundary layer approximations were used to simplify the set of the governing, nonlinear partial differential equations, which were then non-dimensionalized and solved using the finite elements method. The results for the details of the governing parameters are presented and investigated. It is found that the irreversible process of transforming the kinetic energy of the moving fluid to heat energy via the viscosity of the moving fluid (i.e., viscous dissipation) resulted in insignificant generation of heat for the range of parameters considered in this study. On the other hand, thermal dispersion has shown to disperse heat energy normal to the wall more effectively compared with the normal diffusion mechanism.     

Holdup of the liquid slug in two phase intermittent flow

A physical model for the prediction of gas holdup in liquid slugs in horizontal and vertical two phase pipe slug flow is presented. This model can also be used to yield the transition between elonganted bubbles and slug flow within the intermittent flow pattern. In addition a previously published model for predicting the stable slug length in vertical upward slug flow (Taitel et al. 1980) is extended here for the case of horizontal slug flow.     

The turbulent boundary layer on the moving surface of a cylindrical body

A study is made of the problem of a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer on the moving surface of a cylindrical body (a Rankine oval with a relative elongation of four) moving at constant velocity in an incompressible fluid. For the numerical simulation of the turbulent flow of the fluid, the boundary layer is divided into exterior and interior regions in accordance with a two-layer model, using different expressions for the coefficients of turbulent transfer for each region. A study was nade of the development of the boundary layer on the body at different speeds of the body surface and different Reynolds numbers. The following integral characteristics were found by numerical calculation: the work of friction as the body is displaced; the work expended on the movement of its surface; and, for a flow regime with separation, the work of the pressure force. In this case the following model of separation flow is assumed: beyond the singular point in the solution of the boundary layer equations that indicates the appearance of a region of reverse flow, the pressure and friction stress on the wall are constant and are determined by their values at the singular point.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSH, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 61–67, September–October, 1984.Finally, the author would like to thank G. G. Chernyi and Yu. D. Shevelev for useful discussions and for their interest in this work.     

A weakly compressible MPS method for modeling of open‐boundary free‐surface flow

A mesh‐free particle method, based on the moving particle semi‐implicit (MPS) interaction model, has been developed for the simulation of two‐dimensional open‐boundary free‐surface flows. The incompressibility model in the original MPS has been replaced with a weakly incompressible model. The effect of this replacement on the efficiency and accuracy of the model has been investigated. The new inflow–outflow boundary conditions along with the particle recycling strategy proposed in this study extend the application of the model to open‐boundary problems. The final model is able to simulate open‐boundary free surface flow in cases of large deformation and fragmentation of free surface. The models and proposed algorithms have been validated and applied to sample problems. The results confirm the model's efficiency and accuracy. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Film thickness measurements in liquid–liquid slug flow regimes

At present there is significant interest in the development of small scale medical diagnostic equipment. These devices offer faster processing times and require smaller sample volumes than equivalent macro scale systems. Although significant attention has been focused upon their outputs, little attention has been devoted to the detailed fluid mechanics that govern the flow mechanisms within these devices. Conventionally, the samples in these small scale devices are segmented into distinct discrete droplets or slugs which are suspended in an organic carrier phase. Separating these slugs from the channel wall is a very thin film of the organic carrier phase.The magnitude of this film is the focus of the present study and the effects of sample slug length and carrier phase fluidic properties on the film are examined over a range of Capillary numbers. A non-intrusive optical technique was used to capture images of the flow from which the magnitude of the film was determined.The experimental results show that the film is not constant along the length of the slug; however above a threshold value for slug length, a region of constant film thickness exists. When compared with existing correlations in the literature, the experimental data showed reasonable agreement with the Bretherton model when the Capillary number was calculated based on the mean two phase flow velocity. However, significant differences were observed when the Capillary number was redefined to account for the mean velocity at the liquid interface, i.e., the mean slug velocity.Analysis of the experimental data revealed that it fell into two distinct flow regimes; a visco-capillary regime and a visco-inertial regime. A modified Taylor expression is presented to estimate the magnitude of the film for flows in the visco-capillary regime while a new model is put forward, based on Capillary and Weber numbers, for flows in the visco-inertial regime. Overall, this study provides some novel insights into parameters, such as aqueous slug length and carrier phase fluidic properties, that affect the thickness of the film in liquid–liquid slug flow regimes.     

Hydrodynamic and mass transfer characteristics of slug flow in a vertical pipe with and without dispersed small bubbles

In this work, we present a numerical study to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics of slug flow and the mechanism of slug flow induced CO₂ corrosion with and without dispersed small bubbles. The simulations are performed using the coupled model put forward by the authors in previous paper, which can deal with the multiphase flow with the gas–liquid interfaces of different length scales. A quasi slug flow, where two hypotheses are imposed, is built to approximate real slug flow. In the region ahead of the Taylor bubble and the liquid film region, the presence of dispersed small bubbles has less impacts on velocity field, because there are no non-regular intensive disturbance forces or centrifugal forces breaking the balance of the liquid and the dispersed small bubbles. In the liquid slug region, the strong centrifugal forces generated by the recirculation below the Taylor bubble lead to the effect of heterogeneity, which makes the profile of the radial liquid velocity component sharper with higher volume fraction of dispersed small bubbles. The volume fraction has a maximum value in the range of r/R = 0.5–0.6. Meanwhile, it is usually higher than 0.35, which means that larger dispersed bubbles can be formed by coalescences in this region. These calculated results are in good agreement with experimental results. The wall shear stress and the mass transfer coefficient with dispersed small bubbles are higher than those without dispersed small bubbles due to enhanced fluctuations. For short Taylor bubble length, the average mass transfer coefficient is increased when the gas or liquid superficial velocity is increased. However, there may be an inflection point at low mixture superficial velocities. For the slug with dispersed small bubbles, the product scales still cannot be damaged directly despite higher wall shear stress. In fact, the alternate wall shear stress and the pressure fluctuations perpendicular to the pipe wall with high frequency are the main cause for breaking the product scales.     

A revised slug model boundary layer correction for starting jet vorticity flux

The flux of vorticity from a piston-cylinder vortex generator is commonly approximated using a model in which the fluid efflux is treated as a uniform slug of fluid with negligible boundary layer thickness. Shusser et al. (2002) introduced a correction to the slug model that accounts for boundary layer growth within the cylinder. We show that their implemented boundary layer solution contains an error, leading to an underestimate of the calculated boundary layer growth. We present a corrected model that agrees more closely with experimental measurements of starting jet vorticity flux and vortex ring core thickness.     

A theoretical model for gas–liquid slug flow in down inclined ducts

Analytical solutions are obtained for flows in downwardly inclined ducts, partly filled by a liquid and containing finite amplitude moving jumps. A unified theory for both roll waves and periodic slug flows in rounded ducts of arbitrary cross-section is worked out by means of some simplifications. The article is focused on slugs: a set of equations is obtained, which predicts the transition between roll waves and slug regimes and gives access to all flow characteristics without any need of closure laws concerning either the speed of propagation or the slug length. As a result, we gain a new insight on the physical structure of slug flow. The proposed model is valid for sufficient inclination, small pressure gradient along the duct and negligible superficial tension. Owing to assumptions, only main trends and orders of magnitude observed in experiments are to be checked. In this connection the model fits most of the previously published experimental results obtained in ducts of circular cross-section: the domain of occurrence of downwardly propagating slugs is satisfactorily predicted, the limitations in drift velocity and in liquid layer thickness are demonstrated and upwardly propagating slugs are possible.     

Computations for a jet impinging obliquely on a flat surface

A SIMPLE-C algorithm and Jones-Launder k-ε two-equation turbulence model are used to simulate a two-dimensional jet impinging obliquely on a flat surface. Both the continuity and momentum equations for the unsteady state are cast into suitable finite difference equations. The pressure, velocity, turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent energy dissipation rate distributions are solved and show good agreement with various experimental data. The calculations show that the flow field structure of the jet impinging obliquely on a flat surface is strongly affected by the oblique impingement angle. The maximum pressure zone of the obliquely impinging jet flow field moves towards the left as the oblique impingement angle is decreased.     

Motion of a vertical wall fixed on springs under the action of surface waves

A two-dimensional unsteady hydroelastic problem of interaction between surface waves and a moving vertical wall fixed on springs is studied. An analytical solution of the problem is constructed using a linear approximation, and a numerical solution within the framework of a nonlinear model of a potential fluid flow is found by a complex boundary element method. By means of analysis of the linear and nonlinear solutions, it is found that the linear solution can be used to predict some important characteristics of the wall motion and the fluid flow in the case of moderate wave amplitudes.