Pseudo turbulence in PIV breaking-wave measurements

 The particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique was employed to measure the instantaneous velocity distribution under nonbreaking and breaking water waves. The corresponding turbulence intensity was calculated by the ensemble average of repeated measurements. The pseudo turbulence found was large enough to affect the accuracy of the turbulence measurements. We follow Prasad et al.'s (1992) approach to demonstrate that the pseudo turbulence is related to the bias error, which is the discrepancy between the true position of the particle image and the position calculated from the pixel array data with inadequate pixel resolution. To reduce the bias error (or the pseudo turbulence), we first calculate it from a turbulence-free flow with the same experimental set-up as that used for the targeted experiments (i.e., we use the same size of field of view, seeding particles, seeding density, lens aperture, and laser wavelength in both experiments). Then we minimize the bias error from the turbulence measurements in the actual experiments. To demonstrate the procedure, the evolution of a breaking wave is investigated. Received: 30 January 1998/Accepted: 28 October 1999     

A scanning PIV method for fine-scale turbulence measurements

A hybrid technique is presented that combines scanning PIV with tomographic reconstruction to make spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the fine-scale motions in turbulent flows. The technique uses one or two high-speed cameras to record particle images as a laser sheet is rapidly traversed across a measurement volume. This is combined with a fast method for tomographic reconstruction of the particle field for use in conjunction with PIV cross-correlation. The method was tested numerically using DNS data and with experiments in a large mixing tank that produces axisymmetric homogeneous turbulence at \(R_\lambda \simeq 219\) . A parametric investigation identifies the important parameters for a scanning PIV set-up and provides guidance to the interested experimentalist in achieving the best accuracy. Optimal sheet spacings and thicknesses are reported, and it was found that accurate results could be obtained at quite low scanning speeds. The two-camera method is the most robust to noise, permitting accurate measurements of the velocity gradients and direct determination of the dissipation rate.     

2D PIV measurements in the near field of grid turbulence using stitched fields from multiple cameras

We present measurements of grid turbulence using 2D particle image velocimetry taken immediately downstream from the grid at a Reynolds number of Re _M ?=?16500 where M is the rod spacing. A long field of view of 14M?×?4M in the down- and cross-stream directions was achieved by stitching multiple cameras together. Two uniform biplanar grids were selected to have the same M and pressure drop but different rod diameter D and cross-section. A large data set (10⁴ vector fields) was obtained to ensure good convergence of second-order statistics. Estimations of the dissipation rate $\varepsilon$ of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) were found to be sensitive to the number of mean-squared velocity gradient terms included and not whether the turbulence was assumed to adhere to isotropy or axisymmetry. The resolution dependency of different turbulence statistics was assessed with a procedure that does not rely on the dissipation scale η. The streamwise evolution of the TKE components and $\varepsilon$ was found to collapse across grids when the rod diameter was included in the normalisation. We argue that this should be the case between all regular grids when the other relevant dimensionless quantities are matched and the flow has become homogeneous across the stream. Two-point space correlation functions at x/M?=?1 show evidence of complex wake interactions which exhibit a strong Reynolds number dependence. However, these changes in initial conditions disappear indicating rapid cross-stream homogenisation. On the other hand, isotropy was, as expected, not found to be established by x/M?=?12 for any case studied.     

Full field flow visualization and computer-aided velocity measurements in a bank of cylinders in a wind tunnel

The full field flow tracking (FFFT) method that is presented in this paper uses a laser-generated, mechanically strobed planar sheet of light, a low luminosity TV camera coupled with a long distance microscope, and a computer-controlled videorecorder to study non-intrusively and qualitatively the flow structures in a bank of cylinders that are placed in a wind tunnel. This setup simulates an upscale version of the geometry of internal cooling passageways characteristic of small air-cooled radial turbines. The qualitative images supplied by the FFFT system are processed by means of a computer-integrated image quantification (CIIQ) method into quantitative information, trajectories and velocities, that describes the flow upstream of and within the bank of cylinders. The tracking method is lagrangian in concept, and permits identification and tracking of the same particle, thus facilitating construction of time dependent trajectories and the calculation of true velocities and accelerations. The error analysis evaluates the accuracy with which the seed particles follow the flow and the errors incurred during the quantitative processing of the raw data derived from the FFFT/ CIIQ method.     

Simultaneous PIV and concentration measurements in a gas-turbine combustor model

Simultaneous velocity and concentration measurements have been performed in a gas-turbine combustor model. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to acquire planar velocity information and to identify coherent flow structures. The Mie scattering technique, based on a slightly modified experimental setup, was used for concentration measurements in this mixing flow. The degree of mixing was assessed by examining local concentration measurements while inhomogeneously seeding the primary and secondary stream of the mixing layer. Connections between flow field and concentration distribution were highlighted using the proper orthogonal decomposition algorithm (POD). Uncertainties and systematic errors for the PIV measurements due to the suboptimal seeding are discussed using a comparison with a second test series at optimal seeding conditions. Results are presented for several flow parameters and at various lateral planes.     

Experimental study on correlation between turbulence and sound in a subsonic wind tunnel

In this paper, the effects of turbulence on sound generation and velocity fluctuations due to pressure waves in a large subsonic wind tunnel are studied. A trip strip located at different positions in the contraction part or at one position in the diffuser of a large wind tunnel is used to investigate the aforementioned phenomenon, and the results indicate that the trip strip has significant effects on sound reduction. The lowest turbulence intensity and sound are obtained from a trip strip with a diameter of 0.91 mm located either at X/L = 0.79 or at X/L = 0.115 in the wide portion of the contraction. Furthermore, the effect of monopole, dipole and quadrupole sources of aerodynamic noise at different velocities is investigated, and it is demonstrated that the contribution of the monopole is dominant, while the shares due to the dipole and quadrupole remain less important. In addition, it is found that the sound waves have a modest impact on the measured longitudinal turbulence and are generated essentially by eddies.     

Simultaneous PIV and PTV measurements of wind and sand particle velocities

Wind-blown sand is a typical example of two-phase particle-laden flows. Owing to lack of simultaneous measured data of the wind and wind-blown sand, interactions between them have not yet been fully understood. In this study, natural sand of 100–125 μm taken from Taklimakan Desert was tested at the freestream wind speed of 8.3 m/s in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. The captured flow images containing both saltating sand and small wind tracer particles, were separated by using a digital phase mask technique. The 2-D PIV (particle imaging velocimetry) and PTV (particle tracking velocimetry) techniques were employed to extract simultaneously the wind velocity field and the velocity field of dispersed sand particles, respectively. Comparison of the mean streamwise wind velocity profile and the turbulence statistics with and without sand transportation reveal a significant influence of sand movement on the wind field, especially in the dense saltating sand layer (y/δ < 0.1). The ensemble-averaged streamwise velocity profile of sand particles was also evaluated to investigate the velocity lag between the sand and the wind. This study would be helpful in improving the understanding of interactions between the wind and the wind-blown sand.     

Assessment of dual plane PIV measurements in wall turbulence using DNS data

Experimental dual plane particle image velocimetry (PIV) data are assessed using direct numerical simulation (DNS) data of a similar flow with the aim of studying the effect of averaging within the interrogation window. The primary reason for the use of dual plane PIV is that the entire velocity gradient tensor and hence the full vorticity vector can be obtained. One limitation of PIV is the limit on dynamic range, while DNS is typically limited by the Reynolds number of the flow. In this study, the DNS data are resolved more finely than the PIV data, and an averaging scheme is implemented on the DNS data of similar Reynolds number to compare the effects of averaging inherent to the present PIV technique. The effects of averaging on the RMS values of the velocity and vorticity are analyzed in order to estimate the percentage of turbulence intensity and enstrophy captured for a given PIV resolution in turbulent boundary layers. The focus is also to identify vortex core angle distributions, for which the two-dimensional and three-dimensional swirl strengths are used. The studies are performed in the logarithmic region of a turbulent boundary layer at z ⁺ = 110 from the wall. The dual plane PIV data are measured in a zero pressure gradient flow over a flat plate at Re _τ = 1,160, while the DNS data are extracted from a channel flow at Re _τ = 934. Representative plots at various wall-normal locations for the RMS values of velocity and vorticity indicate the attenuation of the variance with increasing filter size. Further, the effect of averaging on the vortex core angle statistics is negligible when compared with the raw DNS data. These results indicate that the present PIV technique is an accurate and reliable method for the purposes of statistical analysis and identification of vortex structures.     

Vorticity field in a cascade model of turbulence

We propose a model which interprets the behavior of the spontaneous singularity and the intermittent structure in fully developed turbulence simultaneously. The model is justified in the framework of a cascade model of turbulence.     

Phase-resolved PIV measurements in a transitional plane wall jet: a numerical comparison

The transitional process of a forced plane wall jet is studied both experimentally and numerically. Experimentally, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and laser-sheet/smoke flow-visualization techniques are implemented to provide an overall understanding of the flow features. Numerically, time-accurate computational results are obtained by solving the two-dimensional, unsteady Navier–Stokes equations. Comparison of PIV data and two-dimensional computed results shows excellent agreement in the early stages of transition, demonstrating that the numerical study can be used to complement the experimental one. The results show that, under the influence of external excitation, linear-instability growth is bypassed and a discrete shear-layer vortex is formed in the immediate vicinity of the nozzle exit. This vortex interacts with the boundary-layer vorticity, leading to the formation of another vortex in the inner layer. These two vortices form a vortex couple that for high forcing convects downstream in a stable manner. By adoption of either a no-slip or a slip boundary condition in the numerical computation, it is determined that the flow development is relatively insensitive to the imposed wall-boundary condition. This seems to suggest that the physical mechanism leading to the formation of the boundary-layer vortex is an inviscid rotational one. Received: 14 February 1998/Accepted: 11 August 1998     

Experimental investigation of a hybrid wind tunnel model

New developments in power electronics (such as the linear motor) may be of great advantage for future economic aerodynamic testing. After a comprehensive review of economical aspects of present wind tunnel technologies, the experimental verification of the hybrid wind tunnel concept will be presented. A scale law is derived to extrapolate the experimental results of the model-HWT to a facility size for simulating full scale Re-numbers. Finally, methods will be discussed by which the flow constancy during the running time may be improved.List of symbols A area - a velocity of sound - d diameter - i influence region - l length - Ma Mach number - m facility mass - n exponent in power law of boundary layer profile u/u ₂ = (y/)^1/n - P power - p pressure - q kinetic pressure (=(/2)u ²) - Re Reynolds number - r radius - t time - u, w velocity - V volume - x, y coordinates - boundary layer thickness - ^* boundary layer displacement thickness - velocity deficit at boundary layer edge (usually defined as = 0.01) - windtunnel efficiency factor - efficiency - ratio of specific heats - test facility mass ratio - kinematic viscosity - normalized coordinate - mass density - stress - ( )_1,2,3 flow region (Fig. 1) presuffix 0 signifies - ( )_2,2,2 flow state (Figs. 7; 11) stagnation condition - ( ) test section values - ( ) _c cryo-windtunnel - ( ) _d diffusor - ( ) _D model drag - ( ) _el electric - ( ) _ew1 head of expansion wave - ( ) _ew2 tail of expansion wave - ( ) _f fan - ( ) _fs fan shaft - ( ) _mt model tunnel - ( ) _N normal temperature windtunnel - ( ) _or original tunnel - ( ) _r,l right, leftrunning waves - ( ) _rp wind tunnel return pipe - ( ) _s suction tube - ( ) _sl test sled - ( ) _sw shock wave - ~ relative system - - values normalized with a ₁ or p ₁ - ETW European Transonic Windtunnel (early, noncryogenic concepts. A = 21 m₂) - HWT Hybrid-Wind-Tunnel - LIM Linear Induction Motor - LN₂ Liquid Nitrogen - LT Ludwieg-tube     

Three-component velocity field measurements of propeller wake using a stereoscopic PIV technique

A stereoscopic PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique was used to measure the three-dimensional flow structure of the turbulent wake behind a marine propeller with five blades. The out-of-plane velocity component was determined using two CCD cameras with an angular displacement configuration. Four hundred instantaneous velocity fields were measured for each of four different blade phases, and ensemble averaged in order to find the spatial evolution of the propeller wake in the region from the trailing edge up to one propeller diameter (D) downstream. The influence of propeller loading conditions on the wake structure was also investigated by measuring the velocity fields at three advance ratios (J=0.59, 0.72 and 0.88). The phase-averaged velocity fields revealed that a viscous wake formed by the boundary layers developed along the blade surfaces. Tip vortices were generated periodically and the slipstream contracted in the near-wake region. The out-of-plane velocity component and strain rate had large values at the locations of the tip and trailing vortices. As the flow moved downstream, the turbulence intensity, the strength of the tip vortices, and the magnitude of the out-of-plane velocity component at trailing vortices all decreased due to effects such as viscous dissipation, turbulence diffusion, and blade-to-blade interaction.     

Error quantification of 3D homogeneous and isotropic turbulence measurements using 2D PIV

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) has become a popular non-intrusive tool for measuring various types of flows. However, when measuring three dimensional flows with 2D PIV, there is inherent measurement error due to out-of-plane motion. Errors in the measured velocity field propagate to turbulence statistics. Since this can distort the overall flow characteristics, it is important to understand the effect of this out-of-plane error. In this study, the effect of out-of-plane motion on turbulence statistics is quantified. Using forced isotropic turbulence direct numerical simulation (DNS) flow field data provided by the Johns Hopkins turbulence database (JHTDB), synthetic image tests are performed. Turbulence statistics such as turbulence kinetic energy, dissipation rate, Taylor microscale, Kolmogorov scale, and velocity correlations are calculated. Various test cases were simulated while controlling three main parameters which affect the out-of-plane motion: PIV interrogation window size, camera inter-frame time, and laser sheet thickness. The amount of out-of-plane motion was first quantified, and then the error variation according to these parameters was examined. This information can be useful when examining fully three dimensional flows such as homogeneous and isotropic turbulence via 2D PIV.     

Velocity field investigation inside a bulb turbine runner using endoscopic PIV measurements

The flow in the inter-blade channels of a bulb turbine was measured using endoscopic cameras integrated to a stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (S-PIV) system. This paper presents results from the measurement campaign and also provides some key conclusions based on the dataset. The technical aspect of the measurement configuration is addressed. The main focus is on the novelties and challenges brought by the use of endoscopic cameras to achieve S-PIV measurements between the runner blades. For the first time in hydraulic rotating machinery, velocity measurements covered 62 % of a rotor inter-blade flow. After outlining the techniques used, comparison with laser Doppler velocimetry measurements allows assessing the intrusiveness of the endoscopes. Then, some velocity field analyses are shown. First, the rotor–stator interaction is outlined as the influence of the guide vane wakes on the runner flow. The size, localization, strength and dissipation of those structures are inferred from the information coming from measurements. Finally, the PIV data allow the identification of a vortex located near the suction side of the blades and originating from the corner between the leading edge and the hub when operating the bulb turbine at part-load.     

Experimental determination of the free-stream disturbance field in a short-duration supersonic wind tunnel

The free-stream disturbance field in a short-duration supersonic wind tunnel is investigated at a nominal Mach number of Ma=2.54. A specially designed constant-temperature anemometer is used to be able to draw a complete fluctuation diagram within one wind tunnel run (testing time: 120 ms). It is shown that the disturbance field is dominated by acoustic waves radiated from the turbulent boundary layer on the nozzle and the sidewalls, like in conventional supersonic wind tunnels. The acoustic field appears to be composed of highly localized shivering Mach waves superimposed on a background of eddy Mach waves.Abbreviations  a constant in the thermal conductivity/temperature power law of air: k/k_r=(T/T_r)^a (dimensionless) - b constant in the viscosity/temperature power law of air: /_r=(T/T_r)^b (dimensionless) - Be bandwidth (Hz) - A, B constants in the wire heat transfer relation (Eq. (7), dimensionless) -   (dimensionless) - c_p specific heat at constant temperature (kJ/kg K) - c_v specific heat at constant volume (kJ/kg K) -  boundary layer thickness (m) - D function of the overheat ratio (dimensionless) - e anemometer output voltage (V) - _F end-loss attenuation factor for mass flow sensitivity (dimensionless) - _G end-loss attenuation factor for total temperature sensitivity (dimensionless) -  recovery factor (dimensionless) - f frequency (Hz) - f₁ normalized frequency (dimensionless) - F anemometer nondimensional sensitivity to mass flow fluctuations (dimensionless) - G anemometer nondimensional sensitivity to total temperature fluctuations (dimensionless) - F_AC F×F (dimensionless) - G_AC G×G (dimensionless) - f,g functions in the wire heat transfer relation (Eq. (7), dimensionless) -  c_p/c_v (dimensionless) - k thermal conductivity of air (W/m K) - k_r thermal conductivity of air at temperature T_r (W/m K) - k anemometer sensitivity to total temperature fluctuations (V/K) - l Mach rhombus half-length (Fig. 1, m) - Ma Mach number (dimensionless) -  viscosity of air (kg/m·s) - _r viscosity of air at temperature T_r (kg/m·s) - n constant in the wire heat transfer relation (Eq. (7), dimensionless) - Nu Nusselt number (dimensionless) - p pressure (Pa) - p₀ stagnation pressure (Pa) - r –F/G (dimensionless) - R unit Reynolds number (1/m) - Re Reynolds number (dimensionless) -  correlation coefficient between mass flow and total temperature fluctuations (dimensionless) -  density (kg/m³) - T time span (s) - T₀ total temperature (K) - T_r reference temperature (K) - T_w hot wire temperature (K) -  overheat ratio: =(T_w–T₀)/T₀ (dimensionless) -  –<e>/G (%) - u x-component of the flow velocity (m/s) - u_s source velocity at acoustic origin (m/s) - u inviscid velocity at acoustic origin (m/s) - x wind tunnel axis (Fig. 1, m)Symbols  x̄ temporal mean value of a fluctuating quantity x - x fluctuating part of x: x=x–x̄ - x_RMS^' root mean square of x - <x> x_RMS^'/x̄ - (X) relative uncertainty of a random variable X

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