Effects of Periodic Excitation on the Flow Around a D-Shaped Cylinder at Low Reynolds Numbers

The baseline and forced flow around a bluff body with semi-elliptical D-shape was investigated by solving the 2D Navier–Stokes equations at low Reynolds numbers. A D-shape rather than the canonic circular-cylinder was selected due to the fixed separation points in the latter, enabling to study a pure wake rather than boundary-layer control. The correlation between Strouhal and Reynolds numbers, the mean drag, the lift and drag oscillations vs. the Reynolds number and wake structure were investigated and compared to experimental and numerical data. Effects of open-loop forcing, resulting from the influence of zero-mass-flux actuators located at the fixed separation points, were studied at a Reynolds number of 150. Fluidic rather than body motion or volume forcing was selected due to applicability considerations. The motivation for the study was to quantify the changes in the flow field features, as captured by Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) analysis, due to open-loop forcing, inside and outside the “lock-in” regime. This is done in order to evaluate the suitability of low-order-models based on POD modes of this changing flow field, for future feed-back flow control studies. The evolution of the natural and the excited vortices in the Kármán wake were also investigated. The formation and convection regions of the vortex evolution were documented. It was found that the forcing causes an earlier detachment of the vortices from the boundary-layers, but does not affect their circulation or convection speeds. The results of the POD analysis of the near-wake flow show that the influence of the bluff body shape (“D”-shaped versus circular cylinder) on the baseline POD wake modes is small. It was found that the eigenfunctions (mode-shapes) of the POD velocity modes are less sensitive to slot excitation than the vorticity modes. As a result of the open-loop excitation, two types of mode-shape-change were observed: a mode can be exchanged with a lower-energy mode or shifted to a low energy level. In the latter case, the most energetic mode becomes the “actuator” mode. The evolution of one-slot excitation on still fluid (“Synthetic jet”) was studied and compared to published data and to “actuator” modes with external flow present. Based on the current findings, it is hypothesized that the cross-flow velocity POD modes are suitable for feedback control of wake flow using periodic excitation, due to their low sensitivity to the excitation as compared to the streamwise velocity or vorticity modes.     

Flow above the free end of a surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinder: A review

The wake of a surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinder and the associated vortex patterns are strongly dependent on the cylinder aspect ratio and the thickness of the boundary layer on the ground plane relative to the dimensions of the cylinder. Above a critical aspect ratio, the mean wake is characterized by streamwise tip vortex structures and Kármán vortex shedding from the sides of the cylinder. Below a critical aspect ratio, a unique mean wake structure is observed. Recent experimental studies in the literature that used phase-averaged techniques, as well as recent numerical simulations, have led to an improved physical understanding of the near-wake vortex flow patterns. However, the flow above the free end of the finite circular cylinder, and its relationship to the near wake, has not been systematically studied. The effects of aspect ratio and boundary layer thickness on the free-end flow field are also not completely understood, nor has the influence of Reynolds number on the free-end flow field been fully explored. Common features associated with the free end include separation from the leading edge, a mean recirculation zone containing a prominent cross-stream arch (or mushroom) vortex, and reattachment onto the free-surface. Other flow features that remain to be clarified include a separation bubble near the leading edge, one or two cross-stream vortices within this separation bubble, the origins of the streamwise tip or trailing vortices, and various critical points in the near-surface flow topology. This paper reviews the current understanding of the flow above the free end of a surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinder, with a focus on models of the flow field, surface oil flow visualization studies, pressure and heat flux distributions on the free-end surface, measurements of the local velocity field, and numerical simulations, found in the literature.     

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

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

On vortex shedding behind a circular disk

Abtract  Experiments were performed for individual realizations of the vortex shedding process behind a circular disk at Reynolds numbers of 10³–10⁵, at which periodic vortex shedding prevails in the wake. The phase differences regarding the individual vortex shedding structures detected at multiple circumferential locations in the wake were obtained by analyzing the hot-wire signals with a conditional-sampling scheme. The phase differences of vortex shedding detected at circumferential positions 90° apart show a wide scatter, but the anti-phase character is largely preserved in the individual vortex shedding process as detected at circumferential locations 180° apart. The randomness of phase differences involved in the vortex shedding process is noted to be essential in order to satisfy the axisymmetric property of the global flow. Received: 4 April 19969/Accepted: 29 January 1997     

Phase-resolved characterization of vortex shedding in the near wake of a square-section cylinder at incidence

The vortex formation and shedding process in the near wake region of a 2D square-section cylinder at incidence has been investigated by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV). Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is used to characterize the coherent large-scale flow unsteadiness that is associated with the wake vortex shedding process. A particular application of the POD analysis is to extract the vortex-shedding phase of individual velocity fields, which were acquired at asynchronous low rate with respect to the vortex shedding cycle. The phase of an individual flow field is determined from its projection on the first pair of POD modes, allowing phase averaging of the measurement data to be performed. In addition, a low-order representation of the flow, constructed from the mean and the first pair of POD modes, is found to be practically equivalent to the phase-averaged results. It is shown that this low-order representation corresponds to the basic Fourier component of the flow field ensemble with respect to the reconstructed phase. The phase-averaged flow representations reveal the dominant flow features of the vortex-shedding process and the effect of the angle of incidence upon it.     

Fluid–structure interaction of a splitter plate in a convergent channel

The fluid–structure interaction (FSI) of a splitter plate in a convergent channel flow is studied by measuring both the flow field and the plate vibration. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements show that the wake generated by the plate is characterized by cellular vortex shedding. Mean and RMS velocities presented in the plane normal to the main flow direction visualize clearly the cellular structure and related secondary flows. To evaluate the energy and spatial organization of the vortex shedding, spectral and correlation estimation methods are adapted to the PIV data. By presenting the spanwise variation of the streamwise spectra along the trailing edge, the nature of the cellular vortex shedding becomes evident. 2D space-correlation function reveals that the shedding in two neighboring cells occurs in a 180-degree phase shift. The vibration of the plate is studied with Digital Imaging (DI) and Laser Vibrometer (LV). The DI is based on images measured by the PIV system. An image-processing algorithm is used to detect the plate tip location and velocity simultaneously with the estimation of the fluid velocity field. The LV is used for the time-resolved measurement of the plate vibration. The results show that the plate vibrates in a very distinct mode characterized by a spanwise standing wave along the plate-trailing edge. This mode, in turn, causes the cellular vortex shedding.     

Multi-time-delay LSE-POD complementary approach applied to unsteady high-Reynolds-number near wake flow

This investigation compared the application and accuracy of single- and multi-time-delay linear stochastic estimation-proper orthogonal decomposition (LSE-POD) methods in the temporal domain. These methods were considered for low-dimensional estimations of the dynamics of the energy-containing structures in a high Reynolds number flow. The near wake dynamics of a bluff body were used to demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of the investigated LSE-POD methods. Statistically independent two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were used to determine spatial POD modes, and time-resolved surface pressure measurements were used to determine LSE coefficients required for estimating the time-varying POD coefficients. A low-order, time-resolved reconstruction of the wake dynamics was accomplished using these estimated time-varying POD coefficients. The paper also provides details concerning the accuracy of the estimation using multi-time-delay LSE-POD. The results demonstrate that the multi-time LSE-POD technique is successful in capturing and reconstructing the important near wake dynamics. It is also shown that optimizing the time delays used for the estimations increases the accuracy of the reconstruction. As a result of its capabilities, the multi-time-delay implementation of the LSE-POD approach offers an alternate method for low-dimensional modeling that is attractive for real-time flow estimation.     

Effect of vortex shedding in unsteady aerodynamic forces for a low Reynolds number stationary wing at low angle of attack

This study elucidates the relation between wake vortex shedding and aerodynamic force fluctuations for a low Reynolds number wing from time resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) experimental measurements. The results reveal a periodic lift and drag variation within the shedding cycle and resolve the frequencies of those fluctuations from a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and power spectral density (PSD) analysis. To show the effect of vortex shedding on the body force fluctuations, the evolution of instantaneous aerodynamic forces is compared to the pressure field of the fluid flow and to the vortical structures in the wake of the airfoil. A six step model describing the vortex-force relation is proposed. It shows that changes in lift such as maximum lift and minimum lift are associated with the detachment of a vortex. It also shows that the minimum or local minimum drag value is obtained at the onset formation of a vortex on the airfoil wake. Similarly, the maximum or local maximum drag is obtained at the onset formation of the saddle on the airfoil wake. The model further explains the asymmetry observed in the unsteady drag force evolution. The model can be used to optimize flow control and fluid-structure interaction applications.     

On the need of nonlinear control for efficient model-based wake stabilization

The mitigation of oscillatory vortex shedding behind a cylinder is chosen as a well-investigated benchmark problem to compare model-based feedback flow control approaches. The flow is sensed by a single velocity signal in the wake and is manipulated via a single volume force actuator. A low-dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition Galerkin model is adopted as a control-oriented fluid flow representation. An extended Kalman filter is used as an effective means for online dynamic state estimation. Investigated strategies of linear and nonlinear controller design include pole placement, linear parameter-varying, input–output linearization, Lyapunov-based backstepping, and nonlinear model predictive control. These strategies are applicable to a large class of flows with oscillatory dynamics and to experimental conditions, where variants have already been used. Controllers are evaluated and compared based on their application to the full plant, that is, to the direct numerical simulation of the wake, emulating an experiment with a single hot-wire sensor. Overall, nonlinear closed-loop control is shown to be distinctly superior to linear approaches. As is often the case, physics dictates a similarity of successful control commands, irrespective of the design approach, and differentiates these controllers, as a group, from less successful approaches.     

On the stability and extension of reduced-order Galerkin models in incompressible flows

Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) has been used to develop a reduced-order model of the hydrodynamic forces acting on a circular cylinder. Direct numerical simulations of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations have been performed using a parallel computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code to simulate the flow past a circular cylinder. Snapshots of the velocity and pressure fields are used to calculate the divergence-free velocity and pressure modes, respectively. We use the dominant of these velocity POD modes (a small number of eigenfunctions or modes) in a Galerkin procedure to project the Navier–Stokes equations onto a low-dimensional space, thereby reducing the distributed-parameter problem into a finite-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system in time. The solution of the reduced dynamical system is a limit cycle corresponding to vortex shedding. We investigate the stability of the limit cycle by using long-time integration and propose to use a shooting technique to home on the system limit cycle. We obtain the pressure-Poisson equation by taking the divergence of the Navier–Stokes equation and then projecting it onto the pressure POD modes. The pressure is then decomposed into lift and drag components and compared with the CFD results.     

Effect of perforation on flow past a conic cylinder at <Emphasis Type="Italic">Re</Emphasis> = 100: vortex-shedding pattern and force history

The flow past a circular-section cylinder with a conic shroud perforated with four holes at the peak was simulated numerically at \(Re=100\), considering two factors, viz. the angle of attack and the diameter of the holes. The effects of the perforated conic shroud on the vortex shedding pattern in the near wake was mainly investigated, as well as the time history of the drag and lift forces. In the investigated parameter space, three flow regimes were generally identified, corresponding to weak, moderate, and strong disturbance effects. In regime I, the wake can mainly be described by alternately shedding Kármán or Kármán-like vortices. In regime II, the spanwise vortices are obviously disturbed along the span due to the appearance of additional vorticity components and their interactions with the spanwise vortices, but still shed in synchronization along the spanwise direction. In regime III, the typical Kármán vortices partially or totally disappear, and some new vortex shedding patterns appear, such as \(\Omega \)-type, obliquely shedding, and crossed spanwise vortices with opposite sign. Corresponding to these complex vortex shedding patterns in the near wake, the fluid forces no longer oscillate regularly at a single vortex shedding frequency, but rather with a lower modulation frequency and multiple amplitudes. An overview of these flow regimes is presented.     

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

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

An experimental investigation of flow past a dual step cylinder

Flow development in the wake of a dual step cylinder has been investigated experimentally using Laser Doppler Velocimetry and flow visualization. The dual step cylinder model is comprised of a large diameter cylinder (D) mounted at the mid-span of a small diameter cylinder (d). The experiments have been performed for a Reynolds number (Re _D ) of 1,050, a diameter ratio (D/d) of 2, and a range of large cylinder aspect ratios (L/D). The results show that the flow development is highly dependent on L/D. The following four distinct flow regimes can be identified based on vortex dynamics in the wake of the large cylinder: (1) for L/D ≥ 15, three vortex shedding cells form in the wake of the large cylinder, one central cell bounded by two cells of lower frequency, (2) for 8 < L/D ≤ 14, a single vortex shedding cell forms in the wake of the large cylinder, (3) for 2 < L/D ≤ 6, vortex shedding from the large cylinder is highly three-dimensional. When spanwise vortices are shed, they deform substantially and attain a hairpin shape in the near wake, (4) for 0.2 ≤ L/D ≤ 1, the large cylinder induces vortex dislocations between small cylinder vortices. The results show that for Regimes I to III, on the average, the frequency of vortex shedding in the large cylinder wake decreases with L/D, which is accompanied by a decrease in coherence of the shed vortices. In Regime IV, small cylinder vortices connect across the large cylinder wake, but these connections are interrupted by vortex dislocations. With decreasing L/D, the frequency of dislocations decreases and the dominant frequency in the large cylinder wake increases toward the small cylinder shedding frequency.     

POD analysis of a finite-length cylinder near wake

The near wake of a wall-mounted finite-length square cylinder with an aspect ratio of 7 is investigated based on the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the PIV data measured in three spanwise planes, i.e., z/d = 6, 3.5 and 1.0, near the cylinder free end, mid-span and fixed end (wall), respectively. The Reynolds number based on free-stream velocity (U _∞) and cylinder width (d) is 9,300. A two-dimensional (2D) square cylinder wake is also measured and analyzed at the same Reynolds number for the purpose of comparison. The structures of various POD modes show marked differences between the two flows. While the coefficients, a ₁ and a ₂, of the POD modes 1 and 2 occur within an annular area centered at a ₁ = a ₂ = 0 in the 2D wake, their counterparts are scattered all over the entire circular plane at z/d = 1.0 and 3.5 of the finite-length cylinder wake. Flow at z/d = 6 is dominated by POD mode 1, which corresponds to symmetrical vortex shedding and accounts for 54.0 % of the total turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). On the other hand, the POD modes 1 and 2, corresponding to anti-symmetrical vortex shedding, are predominant, accounting for about 45.0 % of the total TKE, at z/d = 3.5 and 1. It has been found that the flow structure may be qualitatively and quantitatively characterized by the POD coefficients. For example, at z/d = 6, a larger a ₁ corresponds to a smaller length of flow reversal zone and a stronger downwash flow. At z/d = 3.5 and 1, two typical flow modes can be identified from a ₁ and a ₂. While large a ₁ and/or a ₂ correspond to anti-symmetrical vortex shedding, as in a 2D cylinder wake, small a ₁ and a ₂ lead to symmetrical vortex shedding. Any values between the large and small a ₁ and/or a ₂ correspond to the flow structure between these two typical flow modes. As such, the probability of occurrence of a flow structure may be determined from the distribution of the POD coefficients.     

Multisensor Hot Wire Vorticity Probe Measurements of the Formation Field of Two Corotating Vortices

Experimental evidence is reported, regarding the formation of a pair of co-rotating tip vortices by a split wing configuration, consisting of two half wings at equal and opposite angles of attack. Simultaneous measurements of the three-dimensional vector fields of velocity and vorticity were conducted on a cross plane at a downstream distance corresponding to 0.3 cord lengths (near wake), using an in-house constructed 12-sensor hot wire anemometry vorticity probe. The probe consists of three closely separated orthogonal 4-wire velocity sensor arrays, measuring simultaneously the three-dimensional velocity vector at three closely spaced locations on a cross plane of the flow filed. This configuration makes possible the estimation of spatial velocity derivatives by means of a forward difference scheme of first order accuracy. Velocity measurements obtained with an X-wire are also presented for comparison. In this near wake location, the flow field is dictated by the pressure distribution established by the flow around the wings, mobilizing large masses of air and leading to the roll up of fluid sheets. Fluid streams penetrating between the wings collide, creating on the cross plane flow a stagnation point and an “impermeable” line joining the two vortex centres. Along this line fluid is directed towards the two vortices, expanding their cores and increasing their separation distance. This feeding process generates a dipole of opposite sign streamwise mean vorticity within each vortex. The rotational flow within the vortices obligates an adverse streamwise pressure gradient leading to a significant streamwise velocity deficit characterizing the vortices. The turbulent flow field is the result of temporal changes in the intensity of the vortex formation and changes in the position of the cores (wandering).     

Time resolved PIV analysis of flow over a NACA 0015 airfoil with Gurney flap

A NACA 0015 airfoil with and without a Gurney flap was studied in a wind tunnel with Re _c = 2.0 × 10⁵ in order to examine the evolving flow structure of the wake through time-resolved PIV and to correlate this structure with time-averaged measurements of the lift coefficient. The Gurney flap, a tab of small length (1–4% of the airfoil chord) that protrudes perpendicular to the chord at the trailing edge, yields a significant and relatively constant lift increment through the linear range of the C _L versus α curve. Two distinct vortex shedding modes were found to exist and interact in the wake downstream of flapped airfoils. The dominant mode resembles a Kàrmàn vortex street shedding behind an asymmetric bluff body. The second mode, which was caused by the intermittent shedding of fluid recirculating in the cavity upstream of the flap, becomes more coherent with increasing angle of attack. For a 4% Gurney flap at α = 8°, the first and second modes corresponded with Strouhal numbers based on flap height of 0.18 and 0.13. Comparison of flow around ‘filled’ and ‘open’ flap configurations suggested that the second shedding mode was responsible for a significant portion of the overall lift increment.     

Swimming performance of a biomimetic compliant fish-like robot

Digital particle image velocimetry and fluorescent dye visualization are used to characterize the performance of fish-like swimming robots. During nominal swimming, these robots produce a ‘V’-shaped double wake, with two reverse-Kármán streets in the far wake. The Reynolds number based on swimming speed and body length is approximately 7500, and the Strouhal number based on flapping frequency, flapping amplitude, and swimming speed is 0.86. It is found that swimming speed scales with the strength and geometry of a composite wake, which is constructed by freezing each vortex at the location of its centroid at the time of shedding. Specifically, we find that swimming speed scales linearly with vortex circulation. Also, swimming speed scales linearly with flapping frequency and the width of the composite wake. The thrust produced by the swimming robot is estimated using a simple vortex dynamics model, and we find satisfactory agreement between this estimate and measurements made during static load tests.     

Proper orthogonal decomposition of wall-pressure fluctuations under the constrained wake of a square cylinder

The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis of the wall-pressure fluctuations below the constrained wake of a two-dimensional square cylinder in proximity to a plane wall was made on two systems, i.e., G/D = 0.25 and 0.5, which corresponds to the wakes with and without suppression of the vortex shedding, respectively. Here, G is the gap distance and D is the width of the square cylinder. Synchronized measurements of wall-pressure fluctuations were made using a microphone array. For the system G/D = 0.5, the first two energetic modes contribute 34.7% and 23.4% to the total fluctuation energy, respectively; however, the fluctuation energy corresponding to the third mode are relatively small and less than 10%. This sharp variation in eigenvalue is due to the presence and dominance of the Karman-like vortex shedding. However, for the system G/D = 0.25, the considerable reduction in the eigenvalues of the first several modes is due to the suppression of the Karman-like vortex shedding. The spatial wavy pattern of the first several energetic eigenmodes was shown to be a good reflection of convective vortices superimposed in the wakes. The spectra of the POD coefficients determined the frequency of the dominant structures. Based on the coherence of the POD coefficients, an effective method of determining the number of POD modes for reconstruction of the low-order wall-pressure field was proposed. Accordingly, the low-order wall-pressure fluctuations in the systems G/D = 0.5 and 0.25 were reconstructed by using the first four and five POD modes, respectively. The coherence and cross-correlation analysis of the reconstructed wall-pressure fluctuations, which excluded the influence of the small-scale structures and background ‘noise’, gave an insight view of the footprints of the dominant flow structures, which otherwise could not be effectively captured by using the original wall-pressure fluctuations.     

Three-dimensional wake dynamics of a blunt and divergent trailing edge airfoil

The wake dynamics of an airfoil with a blunt and divergent trailing edge is investigated experimentally at relatively high Reynolds. The near wake topology is examined versus different levels of free stream turbulence FST and angles of attack, while the downstream wake evolution is characterized at various levels of FST. The FST is found to have a significant effect on the shapes of turbulence profiles and on the downstream location where the flow reaches its quasi-asymptotic behavior. Streamwise vortices (ribs) corresponding to spanwise variations of turbulence quantities are identified in the near wake region. Simultaneous multi-point hot-wire measurements indicate that their spatial arrangement is similar to Williamson’s (Ann Rev Fluid Mech 29:477–539, 1996) mode B laminar wake flow topology. The results suggest that the statistical spanwise distribution of ribs is independent of FST effects and angle of attack as long as the vortex shedding Strouhal number remains approximately similar.