Vortex Generation in a Liquid Metal Duct Flow near a Magnetic Dipole

The generation of vortical structures by a strong magnetic dipole field in a liquid metal duct flow is studied by means of three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. The dipole is considered as the paradigm for a magnetic obstacle which will deviate the streamlines due to Lorentz forces which act on the fluid elements. Our model uses the quasi-static approximation applicable in the limit of small magnetic Reynolds numbers. The analysis covers the stationary flow regime at smaller flow Reynolds numbers Re as well as the fully time-dependent regimes at higher values with a turbulent flow in the wake of the magnetic obstacle. We present a systematic study of these two basic flow regimes on Re and the Hartmann number Ha, a measure of the strength of the magnetic dipole field. Furthermore, three orientations of the dipole are compared, the streamwise, spanwise and wall-normal ones. The most efficient generation of turbulence at a fixed distance above the duct occurs for the spanwise orientation in which we can observe the formation of Hartmann layers at the top plate. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

DNS and Experiment of a Turbulent Channel Flow with StreamwiseRotation - Study of the Cross Flow Phenomena

Modelling of rotating turbulent flows is a major issue in engineering applications. Intensive research has been dedicated to rotating channel flows in spanwise direction such as by [1], [2] to name only two. In this work a turbulent channel flow rotating about the streamwise direction is presented. The theory is based on the investigations of [4] employing the symmetry theory. It was found that a cross flow in the spanwise direction is induced. A series of direct numerical simulations (DNS) at different rotation numbers is carried out to examine these effects. Further, the results of the DNS are compared to the measuremets of a corresponding experiment. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Direct numerical simulation of transition in MHD duct flow

Transition in the flow of electrically conducting fluid in a square duct with insulating walls is studied by direct numerical simulations. A uniform magnetic field is applied in the transverse direction. Moderate values of the Reynolds (Re = 5000 ) and Hartmann (Ha = 0 … 30 ) numbers are considered that correspond to the classical Hartmann & Lazarus [1] experiments. It is shown that the laminarization begins in the Hartmann layers, whereas the sidewall layers remain turbulent. Complete re-laminarization occurs in the range of R = Re/Ha ≈︁ 220 , which is in agreement with the H. & L. experiments. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Investigations of shear free turbulent diffusion in a rotating frame

We reconsider the problem of shear free turbulent diffusion in a rotating frame, rotating about x₁. Shear free turbulence is generated at a vibrating grid in the x₂–x₃ plane and diffuses away from the grid in x₁ direction. An important property of this flow case is that there is no mean flow‐velocity. With the help of Lie‐group methods Reynolds‐stress transport models can be analyzed for this kind of flow in a rotating frame. From the analysis it can be found, that the turbulent diffusion only influences a finite domain. Implicating this solution in the model equations shows that even fully nonlinear Reynolds‐stress transport models (non‐linear in the Reynolds‐stresses for the pressure‐strain model) are insensitive to rotation for this type of flow. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Trailing Edge Problem For Mixed Convection Flow Past a Horizontal Plate

The influence of buoyancy onto the boundary‐layer flow past a horizontal plate aligned parallel to a uniform free stream is characterized by the buoyancy parameter K = Gr/Re^5/2 where Gr and Re are the Grashof and Reynolds number, respectively. An asymptotiy analysis of the complete flow field including potential flow, boundary layer, wake and interaction region is given for small buoyancy parameters and large Reynolds numbers in the distinguished limit KRe^1/4 = O(1). (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Longitudinal and transversal two-point correlations in a turbulent flow

Based on measurements with hot-wire anemometers in a fully developed turbulent flow in the wake of a cylinder we investigate different aspects of longitudinal and transversal two-point correlations. In particular we use Taylor's hypothesis as well as simultaneous measurements with two X-hot-wire probes, and investigate how these correlations change with the relative orientation of their separation vector with respect to the mean flow direction. For the wake at a distance of eighty cylinder diameters at a Reynolds number Re = 28 000 (Taylor-based Reynolds number Re_λ = 290), we find evidence of strong anisotropy. We analyze the data using increment statistics, in particular increment distributions and structure functions. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical analysis of 3D vortical cavity flow

The vortical flows of an incompressible fluid in a rectangular three-dimensional container with a large spanwise aspect ratio driven by a moving solid lid are studied using a combined compact finite difference (CCD) scheme with high accuracy and high resolution. The study focuses on the change of the steady flow structures in the cavity with Reynolds numbers ranging from 100 to 850. The results of the flow in the cavity with a spanwise aspect ratio 6.55 show that several stable closed streamlines localized near the symmetric plane are found at Re ≥500, while a closed stable streamline is found near the side wall at Re ≤300. The change of the flow pattern present in this system affects the diffusion properties in the flow but seems to have no qualitative effect on the global flow properties which include energy dissipation in the cavity. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A spotlike edge state in plane Poiseuille flow

We study the laminar turbulent boundary in plane Poiseuille flow at Re = 1400 and 2180 using the technique of edge tracking. For large computational domains the attracting state in the laminar-turbulent boundary is localized in spanwise and streamwise direction and chaotic. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Rotation-Symmetric Referencebodys For Energy Efficient Flow Around Bodies

Topology optimization is used to optimize problems of flow around bodies and problems of guided flow. Within the context of research, optimization criteria are developed to increase the energy efficiency of these problems [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. In order to evaluate the new criteria in respect to the increasing of energy efficiency, reference bodies for different Reynolds numbers in combination with given design space limitations are needed. Therefore, an optimal body at Reynolds number against 0 was analytically determined by Bourot [6]. At higher Reynolds numbers, in the range of laminar and turbulent flows, no analytical solution is known. Accordingly, reference bodies are calculated by CFD calculations at three technical relevant Reynolds numbers (1.000, 32.000, 100.000) in combination with parameter optimization. The cross section of the bodies is described by a parameterized model. To get the optimal body, a parameter optimization based on a “brute force”; algorithm is used to optimize with regard to the friction loss and pressure loss in order to minimize the total loss (c_d-value). The result is an optimal parameter constellation, depending on the Reynolds number. Within the results, it is possible to develop the optimal geometries. The identified characteristics of the flow field around these bodies are used as base for new optimization criteria. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

MHD turbulence in a channel with spanwise field

We study turbulent channel flow of an electrically conducting liquid with a homogeneous magnetic field imposed in the spanwise direction. The Lorentz force is modelled using the quasistatic approximation. Direct and large–eddy simulations are performed for hydrodynamic Reynolds numbers Re=10000 and Re=20000 and the Hartmann number varying in a wide range. The main effect of the magnetic field is the suppression of turbulent velocity fluctuations and momentum transfer in the wall–normal direction. Comparing the results from direct and large–edddy simulations we show that the dynamic Smagorinsky model accurately reproduces the flow transformation. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Turbulent drag reduction at moderate Reynolds numbers via spanwise velocity waves

The question whether large turbulent drag reduction can be achieved at the high values of Re typical of applications is addressed. Answering such question, either by experiments or DNS, is obviously challenging. For DNS, the problem lies in the tremendous increase of the computational cost with Re, that has to be appreciated in view of the need of carrying out an entire parametric study at every Re, owing to the unknown location of the optimal forcing parameters. In this paper we limit ourselves to considering an open-loop technique based on spanwise forcing, the streamwise-traveling waves introduced by [1], and explore via Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) how the drag reduction varies when the friction Reynolds number is increased from Re_τ = 200 to Re_τ = 2000. To achieve high Re while keeping the computational cost affordable, computational domains of reduced size are employed. We adopted special care to interpret results that are indeed still box-size dependent, as well as strategies to compute the random errors and give the results an error bar. Our results indicate that still R = 0.29 can be obtained at Re_τ = 2000 in the partial region of the parameter space studied. The maximum R is found to decrease as R ˜ Re_τ^−0.22 in the Reynolds range investigated. As most important outcome, we find that the sensitivity of R to Re becomes smaller when far from the low-Re optimum parameters: in this region, we suggest R ˜ Re_τ^−0.08. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Determining the limits of geometrical tortuosity from seepage flow calculations in porous media.

Recent investigations have found a distinct correlation of effective properties of porous media to sigmoidal functions, where one axis is the Reynolds number Re and the other is the effective property dependent of Re, Θ_i = S_i(Re). One of these properties is tortuosity. At very low Re (seepage flow), there is a characteristic value of tortuosity, and it is the upper horizontal asymptote of the sigmoidal function. With higher values of Re (transient flow) the tortuosity value decreases, until a lower asymptote is reached (turbulent flow). Estimations of this parameter have been limited to the low Reynolds regime in the study of porous media. The current state of the art presents different numerical measurements of tortuosity, such as skeletization, centroid binding, and arc length of streamlines. These are solutions for the low Re regime. So far, for high Re, only the arc length of stream lines has been used to calculate tortuosity. The present approach involves the simulation of fluid flow in large domains and high Re, which requires numerous resources, and often presents convergence problems. In response to this, we propose a geometrical method to estimate the limit of tortuosity of porous media at Re → ∞, from the streamlines calculated at low Re limit. We test our method by calculating the tortuosity limits in a fibrous porous media, and comparing the estimated values with numerical benchmark results. Ongoing work includes the geometric estimation of different intrinsic properties of porous media. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical exploration of new features on three-dimensional transition of a cylinder wake

The three-dimensional transition of the wake flow behind a circular cylinder is studied in detail by direct numerical simulations using 3D incompressible N-S equations for Reynolds number ranging from 200 to 300. New features and vortex dynamics of the 3D transition of the wake are found and investigated. At Re = 200, the flow pattern is characterized by mode A instability. However, the spanwise characteristic length of the cylinder determines the transition features. Particularly for the specific spanwise characteristic length linear stable mode may dominate the wake in place of mode A and determine the spanwise phase difference of the primary vortices shedding. At Re = 250 and 300 it is found that the streamwise vortices evolve into a new type of mode’“dual vortex pair mode” downstream. The streamwise vortex structures switch among mode A, mode B and dual vortex pair mode from near wake to downstream wake. At Re = 250, an independent low frequency f _m in addition to the vortex shedding frequency f _s is identified. Frequency coupling between f _m and f _s occurs. These result in the irregularity of the temporal signals and become a key feature in the transition of the wake. Based on the formation analysis of the streamwise vorticity in the vicinity of cylinder, it is suggested that mode A is caused by the emergence of the spanwise velocity due to three dimensionality of the incoming flow past the cylinder. Energy distribution on various wave numbers and the frequency variation in the wake are also described.     

DNS and Lie group analysis of turbulent boundarly layer flow

Lie group approach is used to derive new scaling laws for zero-pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer flow. A direct numerical simulation of the flow at Reynolds number Re_θ = 2240 was performed for the verify theoretical results. Navier-Stokes equations were numerically solved using spectral method with up to 160 million grid points. The numerical simulation shows validity of the theoretical results. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optimal Disturbance Growth in Watertable Flow

The linear stability of a liquid flow down an inclined plane is investigated. The equations governing the evolution of the disturbance are written in vector form where the dependent variables are the normal velocity and the normal vorticity. Similar to other shear flows, it is shown that there can be transient growth in the energy of a disturbance followed by an exponential decay although all eigenvalues predict decay only. Parameter studies reveal that the maximum amplification occur for waves with no streamwise dependence and with a spanwise wavenumber of (1). The mechanism involved in this growth is analyzed. A free surface parameter (S) can be identified that is related to the extent gravity and surface tension influence the free surface. A scaling of the equations is studied which revealed that the maximum transient growth scales with the Reynolds number as Re² if k2 S Re² is kept constant, where k is the absolute value of the wavenumber vector. For small values of S exponential growth of free-surface modes also exists. In general, however, we have found that for moderate times the transient growth dominates over the exponential growth and that its characteristics are similar to the transient growth found in other shear flows, e.g., plane Poiseuille flow.     

A mixing-length model for magnetohydrodynamic flows in channels and ducts with wall-parallel magnetic field

A spanwise magnetic field leads to turbulent drag reduction in channel flow of a conducting liquid due to the selective Joule damping of certain flow structures. This effect can be captured by a simple modification of Prandtl's classical mixing-length idea. The mixing length over which a turbulent fluctuation loses its momentum is not only constrained geometrically but also by magnetic damping. We therefore introduce a magnetic damping length that is proportional to friction velocity and the Joule damping time. The limitation of mixing length is implemented by using the harmonic mean between wall distance and this damping length. By combining this ansatz with the van-Driest model for turbulent stresses in channel flow we obtain a satisfactory prediction for the mean velocity distribution in magnetohydrodynamic channel flow with spanwise field for different Reynolds and Hartmann numbers. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Separation of streamlines for spatially periodic flow at non-zero Reynolds numbers

The flow generated by a small rotating circular cylinder at the center of a corrugated outer cylinder is considered. By using a Stokes expansion, the first order correction in the Reynolds numberR is found for the creeping flow solution. An approximate critical Reynolds numberR _c is found at which separation appears, and it is expressed in terms of the boundary parameters. Separation is found to occur in the concave regions of the boundary skewed opposite to the direction of rotation of the inner cylinder. By partially solving for the second order correction in the Stokes expansion, it is found that an increase inR causes an increase in the torque exerted on the outer boundary.This work was supported in part by a grant from NSERC.     

A numerical simulation of flow between two rotating coaxial frustum cones

The behavior of flow between two coaxial frustum cones, with the inner one rotating and the outer stationary, is studied in this paper. It is found that the fluid at the outlet does not flow out directly, but flows up till a certain height. This reflux generates a vortex area with a quite large velocity and pressure magnitude. This reflux area, between Z/H = 0.05 and 0.30, has the trend to move up with increasing Reynolds number Re. The velocity magnitude is linear in the radial direction if the Re is small. This linear relation converts to quasi-quadratic function as the Re increasing. If the frustum cone inclination is small, the flow will tend to be unstable with a quite large velocity and pressure magnitude. Finally, a comparison is made with Taylor–Couette flow.