Computational fluid dynamics analysis of diffuser performance in gas-powered jet pumps

Jet pump diffuser performance is analyzed, both in terms of past experimental work dealing with the high inlet flow distortions involved and in the sense that this problem is amenable to predictive investigation by computational fluid dynamics techniques. In these highly nonuniform flow conditions, diffusers are seen to justify their inclusion in a jet pump design, for regaining static pressure downstream of the vacuum chamber, even though their performance in effectiveness terms is lowered by about two thirds at high inlet glow distortion levels. A satisfactory correlation has been found between outlet and inlet conditions and diffuser area ratio, extending well beyond past experimental published results for diffuser geometry and distorted inlet flows.     

Diffuser stall and rotating zones of separated boundary layer

Unsteady flows and rotating stall in vaneless diffusers were investigated by measuring both the wall fluctuating pressures and the unsteady velocity field using hot-wires and laser Doppler anemometers. Experiments were carried out with a fixed impeller and fixed diffuser inlet and outlet radii. However, the diffuser width was varied so that its effect on rotating stall could be examined. Results show that the variation of _r with b/r _i is in qualitative agreement with the prediction of Senoo et al. (1977). Therefore, the onset of stall is delayed as diffuser width is decreased. For diffusers with small width, stall emerges first with one stall cell and then develops into 2 and 4 stall cells as the mass flow rate is decreased. On the other hand, for the diffuser with the largest width tested, stall emerges with one stall cell and quickly develops into 3 stall cells. The ratio of the speed of rotation of the stall cell to impeller speed is independent of diffuser width, but decreases slightly as the number of stall cells increases. Finally, rotating stall is associated with reversed flow originating from the hub side rather than from the shroud side.     

The use of perforated plates to control the flow emerging from a wide-angle diffuser,with application to electrostatic precipitator design

The flow through a wide-angle, pyramidal diffuser of area ratio 6.8, in which two perforated plates are used to control the emergent velocity distribution was investigated. (Wide-angle diffusers combined with perforated plates find application in electrostatic precipitator flow systems. The efficacy of these systems depends critically on the uniformity of the gas flow within the collection chamber downstream of the diffuser outlet plane.) The main results of the study are (i) the establishment of the main factor influencing the flow at the diffuser exit plane, (ii) the determination of plate characteristics which produce a uniform velocity profile in the collection chamber, and (iii) the establishment of the corresponding pressure drop characteristics of the plate—diffuser combinations. The results also extend the range of diffuser geometries for which two perforated plates provide uniform velocity profiles at exit.     

A novel peristaltic micropump with low compression ratios

It is common for peristaltic micropumps to have large compression ratios. In the limit, the chamber of the pump is completely blocked by the membrane to prevent back flow. Different from this kind of pump, a micropump with small compression ratios is proposed in this study. With small oscillation amplitudes the membrane of the pump can reciprocate at high frequencies to improve its pumping flow. Both the multidimensional method and the lumped‐element method are employed for analysis. For this kind of peristaltic micropump the working fluid is allowed to flow freely in the forward and backward directions. Therefore, the operating sequences for the high‐compression ratio type of pumps are not appropriate. It is shown that the theoretical net flow rate is zero for the four‐phase and six‐phase modes of sequence and becomes negative for the three‐phase mode unless regulators, such as the nozzle/diffusers, are incorporated to rectify the flow. However, this pump becomes very attractive by reversing the operating sequence of the three‐phase mode because positive net flow is yielded. It is seen that with the reversed three‐phase mode and the nozzle/diffuser as connecting channels, the pumping effectiveness is greatly enhanced. The pumps with both two chambers and three chambers are under consideration in the study. Copyright ©2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High-speed stereoscopic PIV study of rotating instabilities in a radial vaneless diffuser

This paper presents an experimental analysis of the unsteady phenomena developing in a vaneless diffuser of a radial flow pump. Partial flow operating conditions were investigated using 2D/3C high repetition rate PIV, coupled with unsteady pressure transducers. Pressure measurements were acquired on the shroud wall of the vaneless diffuser and on the suction pipe of the pump, whereas PIV flow fields were determined on three different heights in the hub to shroud direction, inside the diffuser. The classical Fourier analysis was applied to both pressure signals to identify the spectral characteristics of the developing instabilities, and the high-order spectral analysis was exploited to investigate possible non-linear interaction mechanisms between different unsteady structures. A dedicated PIV averaging procedure was developed and applied to the PIV flow fields so as to capture and visualize the topology of the spectrally identified phenomena. The influence of these phenomena on the diffuser efficiency was also investigated.     

The structure of instantaneous reversals in highly turbulent flows

Structure of instantaneous flow reversals has been measured in a highly turbulent axisymmetric diffuser flow using pulsed-wire anemometry. In this 8° nominal included angle conical diffuser, the adverse pressure gradient (APG) is strong enough to cause appreciable instantaneous flow reversals (instantaneous backflow up to 30% of the time), but the time-averaged flow is non-separated. The results are compared with the other severe APG separating flows reported in literature. An increase in entry Reynolds number indicated a decrease in the size of near-wall instantaneous reversals region as well as a decrease in the magnitude of instantaneous backflow. Also, the region of instantaneous reversals moves slightly downstream at appreciably higher Reynolds numbers. The initiation and growth of instantaneous reversals in a conical diffuser was found to strongly influence the wall-layer and the central region. Present results also suggest that the instantaneous backflow should be considered for modelling of instantaneously-separating diffuser flows. In the final stages of a conical diffuser, the magnitudes of cross-stream pressure gradient were found to be appreciably larger than that of the longitudinal pressure gradient, indicating that accurate representation of a conical diffuser flow can not be achieved without considering V-momentum equation. A comparison of various separating flows revealed remarkable similarity of instantaneous reversals regions and distributions even in different flow configurations.     

Simulation of a valveless pump with an elastic tube

A valveless pump consisting of a pumping chamber with an elastic tube was simulated using an immersed boundary (IB) method. The interaction between the motion of the elastic tube and the pumping chamber generated a net flow toward the outlet throughout a full cycle of the pump. The net flow rate of the valveless pump was examined by varying the stretching coefficient (ϕ), bending coefficient (γ), the aspect ratio (l/d) of the elastic tube, and the frequency (f) of the pumping chamber. As the stretching and bending coefficients of the elastic tube increased, the net flow through the valveless pump decreased. Elastic tubes with aspect ratios in the range of 2 ⩽ l/d ⩽ 3 generated a higher flow rate than that generated for tubes with aspect rations of l/d = 1 or 4. As the frequency of the pumping chamber increased, the net flow rate of the pump for l/d = 2 increased. However, the net flow rate for l/d = 3 was nonlinearly related to the pumping frequency due to the complexity of the wave motions. Snapshots of the fluid velocity vectors and the wave motions of the elastic tube were examined over one cycle of the pump to gain a better understanding of the mechanism underlying the valveless pump. The relationship between the average gap in the elastic tube and the average flow rate of the pump was analyzed. A smaller gap in the elastic tube during the expansion mode and a wider gap in the elastic tube during the contraction mode played a dominant role in generating a high average flow rate in the pump, regardless of the stretching coefficient (ϕ), the aspect ratio (l/d) of the elastic tube, or the pumping frequency of the pumping chamber (f).     

LES study on the influence of the diffuser inlet angle of a centrifugal pump on pressure fluctuations

Large-Eddy Simulations are conducted on a centrifugal pump at design and reduced flow-rates for three diffuser geometries, to investigate the effect of changing the diffuser inlet angle on the overall performance and the pressure fields. In particular, pressure fluctuations are investigated, which affect the unsteady loads acting on the pump, as well as vibrations, noise and cavitation phenomena. The considered modification of the diffuser geometry is targeted at decreasing the incidence angle at the off-design flow-rate by rotating the stationary blades of the pump around their leading edge. Results are compared against those of an earlier study, where the same modification of the diffuser inlet angle was achieved by increasing also the radial gap between impeller and diffuser, whose blades were rotated relative to their mid camber location. The comparisons across cases demonstrate that the radial gap between the trailing edge of the impeller blades and the leading edge of the diffuser blades has a more profound influence on pressure fluctuations, compared to the angle of incidence on the diffuser blades of the flow coming from the impeller.     

Formation of a 2D vortex pair and its 3D breakup: an experimental study

 Vortex pairs are studied using a dye tracing visualisation technique and a particle tracking velocimetry system. The vortex pairs are produced by gravity induced inlets of water issued through a uniform gap. The inlet Reynolds number is Re=Ud/ν≈875 in all tests (d being the gap width and U the cross sectional mean velocity), i.e. the flow is in the laminar regime. Initially, the dipolar vortex structure is two-dimensional, but after travelling a distance of a few times its own width, the flow structure becomes unstable, breaks up and changes into a three-dimensional flow structure. The breakup appears to be caused by an axial flow in the core centres of each vortex of the dipolar structure. These axial flows are induced by boundary effects related to the von Karman viscous pump. After the breakup, it is believed that a vortex ring is formed through reconnection of rudiments from the dipolar structure mediated by the wall induced vorticity. Received: 20 November 1995/Accepted: 14 November 1996     

Thickness-averaged model for numerical simulation of electroosmotic flow in three-dimensional microfluidic chips

The microfluidic system is a multi-physics interaction field that has attracted great attention. The electric double layers and electroosmosis are important flow-electricity interaction phenomena. This paper presents a thickness-averaged model to solve three-dimensional complex electroosmotic flows in a wide-shallow microchannel/chamber combined (MCC) chip based on the Navier-Stokes equations for the flow field and the Poisson equation to the electric field. Behaviors of the electroosmotic flow, the electric field, and the pressure are analyzed. The quantitative effects of the wall charge density (or the zeta potential) and the applied electric field on the electroosmotic flow rate are investigated. The two-dimensional thickness-averaged flow model greatly simplifies the three-dimensional computation of the complex electroosmotic flows, and correctly reflects the electrookinetic effects of the wall charge on the flow. The numerical results indicate that the electroosmotic flow rate of the thickness-averaged model agrees well with that of the three-dimensional slip-boundary flow model. The flow streamlines and pressure distribution of these two models are in qualitative agreement.     

One class of self-similar flows of a radiating gas

This article discusses self-similar statements of the problem of the motion of a completely radiating and absorbing gas. The field of radiation is assumed to be quasi-steady-state, and the contribution of the radiation to the internal energy, as well as the pressure and the viscosity of the medium, are not taken into account. The presence of local thermodynamic equilibrium is assumed. The absorption coefficient is approximated by a power function of the pressure and the density. Scattering of the radiation is not taken into account. Under these assumptions, there exist self-similar statements of the problem for one-dimensional unsteady-state flows (a strong detonation, the problem of plug-flow, motion under the effect of a radiation source, and others) and two-dimensional steady-state flows (flow in a diffuser, supersonic flow around a wedge or a cone). It is shown that there exists a non steady-state spherically symmetrical flow depending on four parameters; this flow is adiabatic in spite of the presence of radiation. This article is made up of seven sections. It is shown in the first section that the presence of radiation leads to the appearance of new dimensional constants, entering into the equations of the problem. The second section is devoted to self-similar nonsteady-state one-dimensional flows. The third section contains a detailed study of one class of such flows. In a partial case, adiabatic flows of a radiating gas are obtained. In the fourth and fifth sections, a detailed analysis is made of the initial and boundary conditions from the point of view of dimensionality. The sixth section describes self-similar two-dimensional steady-state flows of a radiating-absorbing gas. The seventh section consists of remarks with respect to approximations of the transfer equation.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 8–22, July–August, 1970.     

Pulsating flow in a planar diffuser upstream of automotive catalyst monoliths

The flow distribution across automotive exhaust catalysts has a significant effect on their conversion efficiency. The exhaust gas is pulsating and flow distribution is a function of engine operating condition, namely speed (frequency) and load (flow rate). This study reports on flow measurements made across catalyst monoliths placed downstream of a wide-angled planar diffuser presented with pulsating flow. Cycle-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were made in the diffuser and hot wire anemometry (HWA) downstream of the monoliths. The ratio of pulse period to residence time within the diffuser (defined as the J factor) characterises the flow distribution. During acceleration the flow remained attached to the diffuser walls for some distance before separating near the diffuser inlet later in the cycle. Two cases with J ∼ 3.5 resulted in very similar flow fields with the flow able to reattach downstream of the separation bubbles. With J = 6.8 separation occurred earlier with the flow field resembling, at the time of deceleration, the steady flow field. Increasing J from 3.5 to 6.8 resulted in greater flow maldistribution within the monoliths; steady flow producing the highest maldistribution in all cases for the same Re.     

Quasihomogeneous model of cavitation flows in diffuser channels

Starting with the experiments carried out by Reynolds in 1894, the flow in Venturi tubes has traditionally been used to study and demonstrate various forms of cavitation. Numerous authors have carried out experimental research on the various flow regimes in diffuser channels [1–7] or have investigated theoretical models of such flows [6, 8]. The occurrence and development of cavitation is closely associated with the phenomenon of turbulent separation complicated by the presence of two-phase flow in the dissipation zone. For a long time these effects were considered separately, until Gogish and Stepanov [9] proposed a single model of cavitation and separation based on the theory of intense interaction of an incompressible potential flow and a turbulent cavitation layer of variable density and embracing the various stages of cavitation. The object of this study is to demonstrate the possibilities of this model with reference to the simple example of flows accompanied by cavitation and separation in plane and axisymmetric diffuser channels of the Venturi tube type with straight and curved walls. The dissipative flow near the walls is described by a quasihomogeneous model of turbulent two-phase flow, in which the presence of two phases is taken into account only by varying the mean density. The potential core of the flow is considered in the one-dimensional formulation. The displacement thickness serves as the flow interaction parameter. The conditions of ocurrence and development of circulatory flows are determined. Examples of symmetrical and nonsymmetrical flows are presented.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 47–54, September–October, 1986.     

Sensitivity of an asymmetric 3D diffuser to plasma-actuator induced inlet condition perturbations

Experiments were conducted for the flow in a straight-walled 3D diffuser fed by a fully developed turbulent duct flow. Previous work found that this diffuser has a stable 3D separation bubble whose configuration is affected by the secondary flows in the upstream duct. Dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators were used to produce low-momentum wall jets to determine if the separation behavior could be modified by weak forcing. Actuators producing a streamwise force along the wall where separation occurred in the baseline flow had a relatively small effect. However, spanwise acting plasma actuators that produced a pair of streamwise vortices in the inlet section of the diffuser had a strong effect on the diffuser pressure recovery. The diffuser performance could be either improved or degraded depending on the actuation parameters, including the actuator modulation frequency, duty cycle, and drive voltage. Velocity profile measurements in the diffuser inlet showed that the streamwise vortices affect the uniformity of the streamwise mean velocity accounting for some of the performance changes. However, phase-locked hotwire measurements at the diffuser exit indicate that the periodic nature of the forcing also plays an important role for cases with enhanced pressure recovery.     

Turbulent flow in a conical diffuser: A review

This is a review of experimental studies of turbulent flow in a conical diffuser by eight Ph.D. students, eleven M.Sc. students, one M.Eng. student, and myself in the past 29 years. During this time, two conical diffusers were constructed: the first was of cast aluminum construction, and the second was of plastic fabrication. These two diffusers were basically the same in geometry except that the pipe section was constructed as an integral part of the plastic diffuser to avoid the lip at the junction of the inlet pipe and the diffuser. The conical diffuser had a total divergence angle of 8°, an area ratio of 4:1, and an inlet diameter of 0.1016 m (4 in.).

The flow at the inlet of the diffuser was usually fully developed pipe flow, but sometimes it was boundary layer grown on the pipe wall. Hot-wire and pulse-wire anemometry together with computer facilities were used to obtain the results of complex flow present in the conical diffuser. Mean velocity profiles were obtained throughout the diffuser, which in turn were used to obtain strain rates and their principal direction. Turbulence moments up to fourth order were measured. The results were used to assess momentum, turbulent kinetic energy, and shear stress equations. Other features such as instantaneous flow reversals in the wall region, relative strength of large eddies, extra strain rate, and the production of kinetic energy also were investigated to find the dynamical picture in the diffuser flow.     

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

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

采用不同黏性处理方法的宽无叶扩压器不稳定流动研究

径向无叶扩压器的全局稳定性可能受到核心主流失稳,出口回流与壁面边界层分离等因素影响,对于宽无叶扩压器,无黏核心主流与壁面边界层流动对不稳定扰动诱发的作用机理是当前研究的重点.本文首先通过数值计算获得了大宽度比孤立无叶扩压器平均流动,然后基于小扰动理论和周向均质假设,分别对欧拉方程与 Navier-Stokes 方程进行线性化,建立了基于无黏核心流动的稳定性分析方法,以及基于涡黏性与分子黏性的混合稳定性分析方法;通过与实验结果的对比,验证了混合稳定性分析方法预测所得流动失稳频率和全局直接模态的准确性;最后基于伴随方法获得了特征值的结构敏感性,揭示了不同黏性处理条件下宽无叶扩压器内全局不失稳扰动的源发区域.在只考虑核心主流的无黏条件下,宽无叶扩压器内流动不稳定扰动来源于流场中部,为二维的离心失稳;在同时考虑核心主流与边界层的作用时,宽无叶扩压器不稳定扰动不仅来源于扩压器流场中部的核心主流,壁面回流对于不稳定扰动的产生了重要影响.      

An experimental investigation of gas-particle flows through diffusers in the freeboard region of fluidized beds

The phenomenon of particulate loss (elutriation) from fluidized beds is important in many industrial processes. Results reported in Kale & Eaton (1984a) showed that very-wide-angle diffusers located in the freeboard above a fluidized bed substantially reduce elutriation—a result that was contrary to intuition. The present experiment was designed to explain these results. The same fluidized bed apparatus (Kale & Eaton 1984a) was used—150 mm square in cross section with a variable-angle diffuser in the freeboard region. Glass beads (nominally 50–100 μm in diameter) were fluidized by air at atmospheric pressure in the bubbling regime. Gas-phase velocity measurements were made using a single-component laser-Doppler anemometer. Four diffuser configurations (0, 20, 40 and 60° full opening angle) were studied. One set of measurements was made with the bed in place and a second set with the bed material removed. The flow structure was drastically altered by the presence of the fluidized bed below the diffuser. The single-phase flow was separated in the diffuser for the 20, 40 and 60° cases. However, the flow did not separate in the presence of the bed, and the peak fluid velocities were lower than those in the separated flow. This behavior is responsible for the decrease in the elutriation rate with increasing diffuser opening angle. A simple analysis suggests that suspended particles in the diffuser flow are responsible for the change in the flow structure. Momentum loss from the gas to the suspended particles reduces the pressure gradient, thereby eliminating the tendency to separate.     

Algorithm for transient growth of perturbations in channel Poiseuille flow

This study develops a direct optimal growth algorithm for three-dimensional transient growth analysis of perturbations in channel flows which are globally stable but locally unstable. Different from traditional non-modal methods based on the OrrSommerfeld and Squire(OSS) equations that assume simple base flows, this algorithm can be applied to arbitrarily complex base flows. In the proposed algorithm, a reorthogonalization Arnoldi method is used to improve orthogonality of the orthogonal basis of the Krylov subspace generated by solving the linearized forward and adjoint Navier-Stokes(N-S) equations. The linearized adjoint N-S equations with the specific boundary conditions for the channel are derived, and a new convergence criterion is proposed. The algorithm is then applied to a one-dimensional base flow(the plane Poiseuille flow) and a two-dimensional base flow(the plane Poiseuille flow with a low-speed streak)in a channel. For one-dimensional cases, the effects of the spanwise width of the channel and the Reynolds number on the transient growth of perturbations are studied. For two-dimensional cases, the effect of strength of initial low-speed streak is discussed. The presence of the streak in the plane Poiseuille flow leads to a larger and quicker growth of the perturbations than that in the one-dimensional case. For both cases, the results show that an optimal flow field leading to the largest growth of perturbations is characterized by high-and low-speed streaks and the corresponding streamwise vortical structures.The lift-up mechanism that induces the transient growth of perturbations is discussed.The performance of the re-orthogonalization Arnoldi technique in the algorithm for both one-and two-dimensional base flows is demonstrated, and the algorithm is validated by comparing the results with those obtained from the OSS equations method and the crosscheck method.     

跨超声速风洞扩散段流动分离控制设计参数研究

为抑制跨超声速风洞扩散段的分离,提出了一种较为完备的设计方法。由于影响扩散段性能的参数较多,完全通过试验方法进行设计的成本过高,该方法通过数值模拟,结合适当的边界条件,详细描述了扩散段角度、分流锥角度与长度、孔板开孔率对扩散段性能的影响;从数值模拟的结果可以看出,孔板开孔率和扩开角对扩散段性能有显著影响,通过比较得出较为合理的参数匹配,提高了扩散段的防分离性能,并改善了出口气流质量。数值结果与试验结果结论一致,表明本文所用的方法用于扩散段气动设计是可行的,为数值模拟方法应用于风洞部段气动设计创造了一定的条件。