Lester Su

Bio: Lester Su is an academic researcher from Johns Hopkins University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Jet (fluid) & Turbulence. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 19 publications receiving 519 citations.

Simultaneous measurements of scalar and velocity field evolution in turbulent crossflowing jets

Abstract: Simultaneous planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) yield measurements of two-dimensional jet fluid concentration and velocity fields in turbulent crossflowing jets. The jet-to-crossflow velocity ratio is r = 5.7 and the jet exit Reynolds number is approximately 5000. The measurements are focused on the developing region of the flow. Two flow configurations are studied, one in which the jet nozzle is flush with the tunnel wall and the other where the nozzle protrudes into the uniform region of the tunnel flow. The jet nozzle in both cases is a simple pipe. The averaged scalar and velocity fields show a strong similarity in growth rates and centreline decay rates between the two nozzle configurations when using the centreline downstream coordinate s

The structure of fine-scale scalar mixing in gas-phase planar turbulent jets

Abstract: Fine-scale scalar mixing in gas-phase planar turbulent jets is studied using measurements of three-component scalar gradient and scalar energy dissipation rate fields. Simultaneous planar Rayleigh scattering and planar laser-induced fluorescence, applied in parallel planes, yield the three-dimensional scalar field measurements. The spatial resolution is sufficient to permit differentiation in all three spatial directions. The data span a range of outer-scale Reynolds numbers from 3290 to 8330. Direct measurement of the thicknesses of scalar dissipation structures (layers) shows that the thicknesses scale with outer-scale Reynolds number as ) plays a significant role in the scalar dissipation process. The present data resolve a range of length scales from the dissipation scales up to nearly the jet full width, and thus can be used in a priori testing of subgrid models for scalar mixing in large-eddy simulations (LES). Comparison of two models for subgrid scalar variance, a scale-similarity model and a gradient-based model, indicates that the scale-similarity model is more accurate at larger LES filter sizes.

Quantitative planar imaging of turbulent buoyant jet mixing

Abstract: Planar Rayleigh scattering provides quantitative mixing measurements in the developing region of axisymmetric turbulent helium jets issuing into air. The measurements focus on the relatively near field, in which the jets are primarily momentum driven. The imaging parameters are specified to ensure high spatial resolution. The mean jet fluid concentration fields attain self-similarity within the measurement region, though the forms of the mole fraction profiles indicate a reduction in turbulent transport at the jet outer boundary, arising from the reduced jet fluid density. Nevertheless, jet-like scaling pertains for the concentration fields. Mass fraction fluctuations on the jet centreline attain the expected asymptotic value of ≈23 % of the centreline mass fraction values. The scalar dissipation rates, however, show an axial decay rate that is slower than theoretical predictions. The two-dimensional extent of the measurements also allows spatial filtering similar to that inherent in large-eddy simulations (LESs). The results confirm that fluctuation levels and scalar dissipation rates determined for the filtered fields are reduced as the effective resolution is reduced, but while the fluctuation profiles for the filtered fields are similar for the different filter sizes, the forms of the scalar dissipation profiles are highly dependent on filter size. These latter results in particular are of a form that will be useful for grid-dependent assessments of LES results.

Measurements of the three-dimensional scalar dissipation rate field in gas-phase planar turbulent jets

Abstract: Simultaneous, planar Rayleigh scattering and laser induced fluorescence yields 3D scalar and scalar dissipation rate field information in a planar turbulent jet. The conserved scalar used here is the jet fluid concentration, where the jet consists of propane, which serves as the Rayleigh scattering medium, seeded with acetone for fluorescence. The use of different imaging techniques for the two distinct spatial planes leads to higher signal levels than would, e.g., a two-plane Rayleigh scattering technique. Particular care must be taken to ensure pixel-to-pixel correspondence of the imaged planes. An important issue addressed is the degree to which the Rayleigh scattering and the acetone fluorescence individually and simultaneously mark the jet fluid concentration. Calculated values of the propane-air and acetone-air mass diffusivity suggest a negligible differential diffusion effect, borne out by measurements of the Rayleigh scattering and acetone fluorescence signals in a single spatial plane. This indicates that both techniques accurately measure the concentration of jet fluid. (Author)

The Structure of Turbulent Shear Flow

Abstract: The Structure of Turbulent Shear Flow By Dr. A. A. Townsend. Pp. xii + 315. 8¾ in. × 5½ in. (Cambridge: At the University Press.) 40s.

The Interaction of Jets with Crossflow

Abstract: It is common for jets of fluid to interact with crossflow. This article reviews our understanding of the physical behavior of this important class of flow in the incompressible and compressible regimes. Experiments have significantly increased in sophistication over the past few decades, and recent experiments provide data on turbulence quantities and scalar mixing. Quantitative data at high speeds are less common, and visualization still forms an important component in estimating penetration and mixing. Simulations have progressed from the Reynolds-averaged methodology to large-eddy and hybrid methodologies. There is a general consensus on the qualitative structure of the flow at low speeds; however, the flow structure at low-velocity ratios (jet speed/crossflow speed) might be fundamentally different from the common notion of shear-layer vortices, counter-rotating vortex pairs, wakes, and horseshoe vortices. Fluid in the near field is strongly accelerated, which affects the jet trajectory, entrainment, ...

A turbulent jet in crossflow analysed with proper orthogonal decomposition

Abstract: Detailed instantaneous velocity fields of a jet in crossflow have been measured with stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV). The jet originated from a fully developed turbulent pipe flow and entered a crossflow with a turbulent boundary layer. The Reynolds number based on crossflow velocity and pipe diameter was 2400 and the jet to crossflow velocity ratios were R=3.3 and R=1.3. The experimental data have been analysed by proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). For R=3.3, the results in several different planes indicate that the wake vortices are the dominant dynamic flow structures and that they interact strongly with the jet core. The analysis identifies jet shear-layer vortices and finds that these vortical structures are more local and thus less dominant. For R=1.3, on the other hand, jet shear-layer vortices are the most dominant, while the wake vortices are much less important. For both cases, the analysis finds that the shear-layer vortices are not coupled to the dynamics of the wake vortices. Finally, the hanging vortices are identified and their contribution to the counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP) and interaction with the newly created wake vortices are described.

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulation of a turbulent lifted hydrogen jet flame in heated coflow: a chemical explosive mode analysis

Abstract: A chemical explosive mode analysis (CEMA) was developed as a new diagnostic to identify flame and ignition structure in complex flows. CEMA was then used to analyse the near-field structure of the stabilization region of a turbulent lifted hydrogen–air slot jet flame in a heated air coflow computed with three-dimensional direct numerical simulation. The simulation was performed with a detailed hydrogen–air mechanism and mixture-averaged transport properties at a jet Reynolds number of 11000 with over 900 million grid points. Explosive chemical modes and their characteristic time scales, as well as the species involved, were identified from the Jacobian matrix of the chemical source terms for species and temperature. An explosion index was defined for explosive modes, indicating the contribution of species and temperature in the explosion process. Radical and thermal runaway can consequently be distinguished. CEMA of the lifted flame shows the existence of two premixed flame fronts, which are difficult to detect with conventional methods. The upstream fork preceding the two flame fronts thereby identifies the stabilization point. A Damkohler number was defined based on the time scale of the chemical explosive mode and the local instantaneous scalar dissipation rate to highlight the role of auto-ignition in affecting the stabilization points in the lifted jet flame.