Showing papers in "Experiments in Fluids in 2012"
TL;DR: In this paper, a detailed theoretical analysis was performed using window correlation, singe-pixel ensemble-correlation and particle tracking evaluation methods, and different findings were validated experimentally for microscopic, long-range microscopic and large field imaging conditions.
Abstract: The reliable measurement of mean flow properties near walls and interfaces between different fluids or fluid and gas phases is a very important task, as well as a challenging problem, in many fields of science and technology. Due to the decreasing concentration of tracer particles and the strong flow gradients, these velocity measurements are usually biased. To investigate the reason and the effect of the bias errors systematically, a detailed theoretical analysis was performed using window-correlation, singe-pixel ensemble-correlation and particle tracking evaluation methods. The different findings were validated experimentally for microscopic, long-range microscopic and large field imaging conditions. It is shown that for constant flow gradients and homogeneous particle image density, the bias errors are usually averaged out. This legitimates the use of these techniques far away from walls or interfaces. However, for inhomogeneous seeding and/or nonconstant flow gradients, only PTV image analysis techniques give reliable results. This implies that for wall distances below half an interrogation window dimension, the singe-pixel ensemble-correlation or PTV evaluation should always be applied. For distances smaller than the particle image diameter, only PTV yields reliable results.
239 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors deal with the determination of instantaneous planar pressure fields from velocity data obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV) in turbulent flow and propose guidelines regarding the temporal and spatial resolution required.
Abstract: This paper deals with the determination of instantaneous planar pressure fields from velocity data obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV) in turbulent flow. The operating principles of pressure determination using a Eulerian or a Lagrangian approach are described together with theoretical considerations on its expected performance. These considerations are verified by a performance assessment on a synthetic flow field. Based on these results, guidelines regarding the temporal and spatial resolution required are proposed. The interrogation window size needs to be 5 times smaller than the flow structures and the acquisition frequency needs to be 10 times higher than the corresponding flow frequency (e.g. Eulerian time scales for the Eulerian approach). To further assess the experimental viability of the pressure evaluation methods, stereoscopic PIV and tomographic PIV experiments on a square cylinder flow (ReD = 9,500) were performed, employing surface pressure data for validation. The experimental results were found to support the proposed guidelines.
204 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the dynamics and interaction of vortical structures were analyzed within a single dynamic stall life cycle leading to a classification of the unsteady flow development into five successive stages: the attached flow stage, the stall development stage, stall onset, stalled stage, and flow reattachment.
Abstract: Dynamic stall on a helicopter rotor blade comprises a series of complex aerodynamic phenomena in response to the unsteady change of the blade’s angle of attack. It is accompanied by a lift overshoot and delayed massive flow separation with respect to static stall. The classical hallmark of the dynamic stall phenomenon is the dynamic stall vortex. The flow over an oscillating OA209 airfoil under dynamic stall conditions was investigated by means of unsteady surface pressure measurements and time-resolved particle image velocimetry. The characteristic features of the unsteady flow field were identified and analysed utilising different coherent structure identification methods. An Eulerian and a Lagrangian procedure were adopted to locate the axes of vortices and the edges of Lagrangian coherent structures, respectively; a proper orthogonal decomposition of the velocity field revealed the energetically dominant coherent flow patterns and their temporal evolution. Based on the complementary information obtained by these methods the dynamics and interaction of vortical structures were analysed within a single dynamic stall life cycle leading to a classification of the unsteady flow development into five successive stages: the attached flow stage; the stall development stage; stall onset; the stalled stage; and flow reattachment. The onset of dynamic stall was specified here based on a characteristic mode of the proper orthogonal decomposition of the velocity field. Variations in the flow field topology that accompany the stall onset were verified by the Lagrangian coherent structure analysis. The instantaneous effective unsteadiness was defined as a single representative parameter to describe the influence of the motion parameters. Dynamic stall onset was found to be promoted by increasing unsteadiness. The mechanism that results in the detachment of the dynamic stall vortex from the airfoil was identified as vortex-induced separation caused by strong viscous interactions. Finally, a revised criterion to discern between light and deep dynamic stall was formulated.
203 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the spatial resolution of digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) is analyzed as a function of the tracer particles and the imaging and recording system.
Abstract: This work analyzes the spatial resolution that can be achieved by digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) as a function of the tracer particles and the imaging and recording system. As the in-plane resolution for window-correlation evaluation is related by the interrogation window size, it was assumed in the past that single-pixel ensemble-correlation increases the spatial resolution up to the pixel limit. However, it is shown that the determining factor limiting the resolution of single-pixel ensemble-correlation are the size of the particle images, which is dependent on the size of the particles, the magnification, the f-number of the imaging system, and the optical aberrations. Furthermore, since the minimum detectable particle image size is determined by the pixel size of the camera sensor in DPIV, this quantity is also considered in this analysis. It is shown that the optimal magnification that results in the best possible spatial resolution can be estimated from the particle size, the lens properties, and the pixel size of the camera. Thus, the information provided in this paper allows for the optimization of the camera and objective lens choices as well as the working distance for a given setup. Furthermore, the possibility of increasing the spatial resolution by means of particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) is discussed in detail. It is shown that this technique allows to increase the spatial resolution to the subpixel limit for averaged flow fields. In addition, PTV evaluation methods do not show bias errors that are typical for correlation-based approaches. Therefore, this technique is best suited for the estimation of velocity profiles.
202 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure velocities in multiple vertical stream-wise planes (x-z) and vertical span-wise plane (y-z).
Abstract: Wind turbines operate in the surface layer of the atmospheric boundary layer, where they are subjected to strong wind shear and relatively high turbulence levels. These incoming boundary layer flow characteristics are expected to affect the structure of wind turbine wakes. The near-wake region is characterized by a complex coupled vortex system (including helicoidal tip vortices), unsteadiness and strong turbulence heterogeneity. Limited information about the spatial distribution of turbulence in the near wake, the vortex behavior and their influence on the downwind development of the far wake hinders our capability to predict wind turbine power production and fatigue loads in wind farms. This calls for a better understanding of the spatial distribution of the 3D flow and coherent turbulence structures in the near wake. Systematic wind-tunnel experiments were designed and carried out to characterize the structure of the near-wake flow downwind of a model wind turbine placed in a neutral boundary layer flow. A horizontal-axis, three-blade wind turbine model, with a rotor diameter of 13 cm and the hub height at 10.5 cm, occupied the lowest one-third of the boundary layer. High-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure velocities in multiple vertical stream-wise planes (x–z) and vertical span-wise planes (y–z). In particular, we identified localized regions of strong vorticity and swirling strength, which are the signature of helicoidal tip vortices. These vortices are most pronounced at the top-tip level and persist up to a distance of two to three rotor diameters downwind. The measurements also reveal strong flow rotation and a highly non-axisymmetric distribution of the mean flow and turbulence structure in the near wake. The results provide new insight into the physical mechanisms that govern the development of the near wake of a wind turbine immersed in a neutral boundary layer. They also serve as important data for the development and validation of numerical models.
184 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a method to estimate the uncertainty from sources detectable in the raw images and due to the PIV calculation of each individual velocity measurement is presented, where the relationship between four error sources and their contribution to PIV error is first determined.
Abstract: The uncertainty of any measurement is the interval in which one believes the actual error lies. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement error depends on the PIV algorithm used, a wide range of user inputs, flow characteristics, and the experimental setup. Since these factors vary in time and space, they lead to nonuniform error throughout the flow field. As such, a universal PIV uncertainty estimate is not adequate and can be misleading. This is of particular interest when PIV data are used for comparison with computational or experimental data. A method to estimate the uncertainty from sources detectable in the raw images and due to the PIV calculation of each individual velocity measurement is presented. The relationship between four error sources and their contribution to PIV error is first determined. The sources, or parameters, considered are particle image diameter, particle density, particle displacement, and velocity gradient, although this choice in parameters is arbitrary and may not be complete. This information provides a four-dimensional “uncertainty surface” specific to the PIV algorithm used. After PIV processing, our code “measures" the value of each of these parameters and estimates the velocity uncertainty due to the PIV algorithm for each vector in the flow field. The reliability of our methodology is validated using known flow fields so the actual error can be determined. Our analysis shows that, for most flows, the uncertainty distribution obtained using this method fits the confidence interval. An experiment is used to show that systematic uncertainties are accurately computed for a jet flow. The method is general and can be adapted to any PIV analysis, provided that the relevant error sources can be identified for a given experiment and the appropriate parameters can be quantified from the images obtained.
171 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an experimental study has been conducted on a transitional water jet at a Reynolds number of Re = 5,000, where the jet exhibits a primary axisymmetric instability followed by a pairing of the vortex rings.
Abstract: An experimental study has been conducted on a transitional water jet at a Reynolds number of Re = 5,000. Flow fields have been obtained by means of time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry capturing all relevant spatial and temporal scales. The measured threedimensional flow fields have then been postprocessed by the dynamic mode decomposition which identifies coherent structures that contribute significantly to the dynamics of the jet. Both temporal and spatial analyses have been performed. Where the jet exhibits a primary axisymmetric instability followed by a pairing of the vortex rings, dominant dynamic modes have been extracted together with their amplitude distribution. These modes represent a basis for the low-dimensional description of the dominant flow features.
141 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a massively parallel error analysis of the DMD algorithm using synthetic waveforms that are shown to be representative of the canonical instabilities observed in shear flows is presented.
Abstract: Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is a new diagnostic technique in fluid mechanics which is growing in popularity. A powerful analysis tool, it has great potential for measuring the spatial and temporal dynamics of coherent structures in experimental fluid flows. To aid interpretation of experimental data, error-bars on the measured growth rates are needed. In this article, we undertake a massively parallel error analysis of the DMD algorithm using synthetic waveforms that are shown to be representative of the canonical instabilities observed in shear flows. We show that the waveform of the instability has a marked impact on the error of the measured growth rate. Sawtooth and square waves may have an order of magnitude larger error than sine waves under the same conditions. We also show that the effects of data quantity and quality are of critical importance in determining the error in the growth or decay rate, and that the effect of the key parametric variables are modulated by the growth rate itself. We further demonstrate methods by which ensemble and orthogonal data may be introduced to improve the noise response. With regard for the important variables, precise measurement of the growth rates of instabilities may be supplemented with an accurately estimated uncertainty. This opens many new possibilities for the measurement of coherent structure in shear flows.
137 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a high-resolution digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was used to quantify the characteristics of turbulent vortex flow in the near wake of a wind turbine model placed in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel.
Abstract: 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.
133 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a comparative analysis of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition was performed on high-speed 2D particle image velocimetry data of a turbulent, quasi 2D, confined jet with co-flow.
Abstract: We present a comparative analysis of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) computed from experimental data of a turbulent, quasi 2-D, confined jet with co-flow (Re = 11,500, co-flow ratio inner-to-outer flow ≈2:1). The experimental data come from high-speed 2-D particle image velocimetry. The flow is fully turbulent, and it contains geometry-dependent large-scale coherent structures; thus, it provides an interesting benchmark case for the comparison between POD and DMD. In this work, we address issues related to snapshot selections (1), convergence (2) and the physical interpretation (3) of both POD and DMD modes. We found that the convergence of POD modes follows the criteria of statistical convergence of the autocovariance matrix. For the computation of DMD modes, we suggest a methodology based on two criteria: the analysis of the residuals to optimize the sampling parameters of the snapshots, and a time-shifting procedure that allows us to identify the spurious modes and retain the modes that consistently appear in the spectrum. These modes are found to be the ones with nearly null growth rate. We then present the selected modes, and we discuss the way POD and DMD rank them. POD analysis reveals that the most energetic spatial structures are related to the large-scale oscillation of the inner jet (flapping); from the temporal analysis emerges that these modes are associated with a low-frequency peak at St = 0.02. At this frequency, DMD identifies a similar mode, where oblique structures from the walls appear together with the flapping mode. The second most energetic group of modes identified is associated with shear-layer oscillations, and to a recirculation zone near the inner jet. Temporal analysis of these modes shows that the flapping of the inner jet might be sustained by the recirculation. In the DMD, the shear-layer modes are separated from the recirculation modes. These have large amplitudes in the DMD. In conclusion, the DMD modes with eigenvalues on the unit circle are found to be similar to the most energetic POD modes, although differences appear due to the fact that DMD isolates structures associated with one frequency only.
130 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a pyramid correlation algorithm was proposed to increase the precision and robustness of time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) measurements.
Abstract: A novel technique is introduced to increase the precision and robustness of time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) measurements. The innovative element of the technique is the linear combination of the correlation signal computed at different separation time intervals. The domain of the correlation signal resulting from different temporal separations is matched via homothetic transformation prior to the averaging of the correlation maps. The resulting ensemble-averaged correlation function features a significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio and a more precise velocity estimation due to the evaluation of a larger particle image displacement. The method relies on a local optimization of the observation time between snapshots taking into account the local out-ofplane motion, continuum deformation due to in-plane velocity gradient and acceleration errors. The performance of the pyramid correlation algorithm is assessed on a synthetically generated image sequence reproducing a three-dimensional Batchelor vortex; experiments conducted in air and water flows are used to assess the performance on time-resolved PIV image sequences. The numerical assessment demonstrates the effectiveness of the pyramid correlation technique in reducing both random and bias errors by a factor 3 and one order of magnitude, respectively. The experimental assessment yields a significant increase of signal strength indicating enhanced measurement robustness. Moreover, the amplitude of noisy fluctuations is considerably attenuated and higher precision is obtained for the evaluation of time-resolved velocity and acceleration.
TL;DR: In this paper, the feasibility of using high-power light-emitting diodes (LED) as a light source for high frame rate schlieren imaging is investigated.
Abstract: The feasibility of using high-power light-emitting diodes (LED) as a light source for high frame rate schlieren imaging is investigated. Continuous sequences of high-intensity light pulses are achieved by overdriving the LED with current pulses up to a factor of ten beyond its specifications. In comparison to commonly used pulsed light sources such as gas discharge lamps and pulsed lasers, the pulsed LED has several attractive advantages: the pulse-to-pulse intensity variation is on the same order of magnitude as the detector (camera) noise permitting quantitative intensity measurements. The LED’s narrow emission bandwidth reduces chromatic abberations, yet it is spectrally wide enough to prevent the appearance of speckle and diffraction effects in the images. Most importantly, the essentially lag-free light emission within tens of nanoseconds of the applied current pulse allows the LED to be operated at varying frequencies (i.e., asynchronously), which generally is not possible with neither lasers nor discharge lamps. The pulsed LED source, driven by a simple driver circuit, is demonstrated on two schlieren imaging setups. The first configuration visualizes the temporal evolution of shock structures and sound waves of an under-expanded jet that is impinging on a rigid surface at frame rates of 500 kHz to 1 MHz. In a second application, long sequences of several thousand high-resolution images are acquired on a free jet at a frame rate of 1 kHz. The low-intensity fluctuation and large sample number allow a reliable computation of two-point correlation data from the image sequences.
TL;DR: In this article, the background flow field of a scramjet isolator that accommodates a shock train contains complex compression and expansion waves, referred as background waves, causing large streamwise and transverse parameter gradients upstream of the shock train.
Abstract: The background flow field of a scramjet isolator that accommodates a shock train contains complex compression and expansion waves, referred as “background waves,” causing large streamwise and transverse parameter gradients upstream of the shock train. Therefore, the available results of shock train research obtained by direct-connect methods might be not applicable for real scramjet isolators. Special tests are therefore performed for an inlet/isolator model. Close coupling is found between the shock train and the background shocks. The pointing direction of the leading shock switches upwards and downwards repeatedly during the upstream propagation of the shock train. Three unstable stages with substantial oscillations are also observed, interlaced with four stable stages. In addition, the interference of the background shock waves increases the sustainable back-pressure ratio and decreases the length of the shock train. However, this does not mean that the background waves in the isolator should be intensified intentionally.
TL;DR: In this article, steady and unsteady measurements and flow control results obtained on an Ahmed model with slant angle of 25° in wind tunnel were presented, and the influence of rear-end periodic forcing on the drag coefficient was investigated using electrically operated magnetic valves in an open-loop control scheme.
Abstract: This paper highlights steady and unsteady measurements and flow control results obtained on an Ahmed model with slant angle of 25° in wind tunnel. On this high-drag configuration characterized by a large separation bubble along with energetic streamwise vortices, time-averaged and time-dependent results without control are first presented. The influence of rear-end periodic forcing on the drag coefficient is then investigated using electrically operated magnetic valves in an open-loop control scheme. Four distinct configurations of flow control have been tested: rectangular pulsed jets aligned with the spanwise direction or in winglets configuration on the roof end and rectangular jets or a large open slot at the top of the rear slant. For each configuration, the influence of the forcing parameters (non-dimensional frequency, injected momentum) on the drag coefficient has been studied, along with their impact on the static pressure on both the rear slant and vertical base of the model. Depending on the type and location of pulsed jets actuation, the maximum drag reduction is obtained for increasing injected momentum or well-defined optimal pulsation frequencies.
TL;DR: In this paper, a multiphase shock tube has been constructed to drive a planar shock wave into a dense gas-solid field of particles, which results in a spanwise curtain of spherical 100-micron particles having a volume fraction of about 20%.
Abstract: Currently there is a substantial lack of data for interactions of shock waves with particle fields having volume fractions residing between the dilute and granular regimes. To close this gap, a novel multiphase shock tube has been constructed to drive a planar shock wave into a dense gas–solid field of particles. A nearly spatially isotropic field of particles is generated in the test section by a gravity-fed method that results in a spanwise curtain of spherical 100-micron particles having a volume fraction of about 20%. Interactions with incident shock Mach numbers of 1.66, 1.92, and 2.02 are reported. High-speed schlieren imaging simultaneous with high-frequency wall pressure measurements are used to reveal the complex wave structure associated with the interaction. Following incident shock impingement, transmitted and reflected shocks are observed, which lead to differences in particle drag across the streamwise dimension of the curtain. Shortly thereafter, the particle field begins to propagate downstream and spread. For all three Mach numbers tested, the energy and momentum fluxes in the induced flow far downstream are reduced about 30–40% by the presence of the particle field.
TL;DR: In this article, an unsteady pressure field is obtained from time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) measurement within a fully developed turbulent boundary layer at free stream velocity of U ∼ 9.3 m/s and Re ∼ 2,400 m/m/s.
Abstract: The unsteady pressure field is obtained from time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) measurement within a fully developed turbulent boundary layer at free stream velocity of U
∞ = 9.3 m/s and Reθ = 2,400. The pressure field is evaluated from the velocity fields measured by Tomo-PIV at 10 kHz invoking the momentum equation for unsteady incompressible flows. The spatial integration of the pressure gradient is conducted by solving the Poisson pressure equation with fixed boundary conditions at the outer edge of the boundary layer. The PIV-based evaluation of the pressure field is validated against simultaneous surface pressure measurement using calibrated condenser microphones mounted behind a pinhole orifice. The comparison shows agreement between the two pressure signals obtained from the Tomo-PIV and the microphones with a cross-correlation coefficient of 0.6 while their power spectral densities (PSD) overlap up to 3 kHz. The impact of several parameters governing the pressure evaluation from the PIV data is evaluated. The use of the Tomo-PIV system with the application of three-dimensional momentum equation shows higher accuracy compared to the planar version of the technique. The results show that the evaluation of the wall pressure can be conducted using a domain as small as half the boundary layer thickness (0.5δ99) in both the streamwise and the wall normal directions. The combination of a correlation sliding-average technique, the Lagrangian approach to the evaluation of the material derivative and the planar integration of the Poisson pressure equation results in the best agreement with the pressure measurement of the surface microphones.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used time-resolved surface pressure measurements to investigate characteristics of separation and transition over a NACA 0018 airfoil for the relatively wide range of chord Reynolds numbers from 50,000 to 250,000 and angles of attack from 0° to 21°.
Abstract: Time-resolved surface pressure measurements are used to experimentally investigate characteristics of separation and transition over a NACA 0018 airfoil for the relatively wide range of chord Reynolds numbers from 50,000 to 250,000 and angles of attack from 0° to 21°. The results provide a comprehensive data set of characteristic parameters for separated shear layer development and reveal important dependencies of these quantities on flow conditions. Mean surface pressure measurements are used to explore the variation in separation bubble position, edge velocity in the separated shear layer, and lift coefficients with angle of attack and Reynolds number. Consistent with previous studies, the separation bubble is found to move upstream and decrease in length as the Reynolds number and angle of attack increase. Above a certain angle of attack, the proximity of the separation bubble to the location of the suction peak results in a reduced lift slope compared to that observed at lower angles. Simultaneous measurements of the time-varying component of surface pressure at various spatial locations on the model are used to estimate the frequency of shear layer instability, maximum root-mean-square (RMS) surface pressure, spatial amplification rates of RMS surface pressure, and convection speeds of the pressure fluctuations in the separation bubble. A power-law correlation between the shear layer instability frequency and Reynolds number is shown to provide an order of magnitude estimate of the central frequency of disturbance amplification for various airfoil geometries at low Reynolds numbers. Maximum RMS surface pressures are found to agree with values measured in separation bubbles over geometries other than airfoils, when normalized by the dynamic pressure based on edge velocity. Spatial amplification rates in the separation bubble increase with both Reynolds number and angle of attack, causing the accompanying decrease in separation bubble length. Values of the convection speed of pressure fluctuations in the separated shear layer are measured to be between 35 and 50% of the edge velocity, consistent with predictions of linear stability theory for separated shear layers.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors derived a theory for estimating Reynolds normal and shear stresses from PIV images with single-pixel resolution, based on the analysis of the correlation function to identify the probability density function from which the Reynolds stresses can be derived in a 2-dimensional regime.
Abstract: This article derives a theory for estimating Reynolds normal and shear stresses from PIV images with single-pixel resolution. The main idea is the analysis of the correlation function to identify the probability density function from which the Reynolds stresses can be derived in a 2-D regime. The work establishes a theoretical framework including the influence of the particle image diameter and the velocity gradients on the shape of the correlation function. Synthetic data sets are used for the validation of the proposed method. The application of the evaluation method on two experimental data sets shows that high resolution and accuracy are also obtained with experimental data. The approach is very general and can also be applied to correlation peaks that are obtained from sum-of-correlation PIV evaluations.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the use of dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma actuators as vortex generators for flow separation control applications, and they found that the vortex generators were successful in reducing the separation region, even at plasma-to-free-stream velocity ratios of less than 10%.
Abstract: We investigated the use of dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma actuators as vortex generators for flow separation control applications. Plasma actuators were placed at a yaw angle to the oncoming flow, so that they produced a spanwise wall jet. Through interaction with the oncoming boundary layer, this created a streamwise longitudinal vortex. In this experimental investigation, the effect of yaw angle, actuator length and plasma-induced velocity ratio was studied. Particular attention was given to the vortex formation mechanism and its development downstream. The DBD plasma actuators were then applied in the form of co-rotating and counter-rotating vortex arrays to control flow separation over a trailing-edge ramp. It was found that the vortex generators were successful in reducing the separation region, even at plasma-to-free-stream velocity ratios of less than 10%.
TL;DR: A series of measurements was taken on two premixed, swirl-stabilized methane-air flames (at overall equivalence ratios of ϕ = 0.73 and 0.83) in an optically accessible gas turbine model combustor as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A series of measurements was taken on two technically premixed, swirl-stabilized methane-air flames (at overall equivalence ratios of ϕ = 0.73 and 0.83) in an optically accessible gas turbine model combustor. The primary diagnostics used were combined planar laser-induced fluorescence of the OH radical and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) with simultaneous repetition rates of 10 kHz and a measurement duration of 0.8 s. Also measured were acoustic pulsations and OH chemiluminescence. Analysis revealed strong local periodicity in the thermoacoustically self-excited (or ‘noisy’) flame (ϕ = 0.73) in the regions of the flow corresponding to the inner shear layer and the jet-inflow. This periodicity appears to be the result of a helical precessing vortex core (PVC) present in that region of the combustor. The PVC has a precession frequency double (at 570 Hz) that of the thermo-acoustic pulsation (at 288 Hz). A comparison of the various data sets and analysis techniques applied to each flame suggests a strong coupling between the PVC and the thermo-acoustic pulsation in the noisy flame. Measurements of the stable (‘quiet’) flame (ϕ = 0.83) revealed a global fluctuation in both velocity and heat-release around 364 Hz, but no clear evidence of a PVC.
TL;DR: In this article, a force balance is used to make a direct measurement of the thrust produced, which is then compared with a control volume analysis on data obtained through particle image velocimetry.
Abstract: Despite its popularity in the recent literature, plasma actuators lack a consistent study to identify limitations, and remedy thereof, of various thrust measurement techniques. This paper focuses on comparing two different experimental techniques commonly used to measure the global, plasma-induced thrust. A force balance is used to make a direct measurement of the thrust produced, which is then compared with a control volume analysis on data obtained through particle image velocimetry. The local velocity measured by particle image velocimetry is also validated with a fine-tip pressure probe. For the direct thrust measurements, the effect of varying the actuator plate length upon which the induced flow acts is investigated. The results from these tests show that the length of the actuator plate is most influential at higher voltages with the measured thrust increasing as much as 20 % for a six times reduction in the length of the plate. For the indirect thrust measurement, the influence of the control volume size is analyzed. When the two methods are compared against each other, good agreement is found when the control volume size has a sufficient downstream extent. Also, the discharge length is optically measured using visible light emission. A linear correlation is found between the discharge length and the thrust measurements for the actuator configurations studied. Finally, the energy conversion efficiency curve for a representative actuator is also presented.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the scale effects on the dynamics of developed cavitating flow with periodical cloud shedding and found that small scale has a significant influence on cavitation.
Abstract: No experiment was conducted, yet, to investigate the scale effects on the dynamics of developed cavitating flow with periodical cloud shedding. The present study was motivated by the unclear results obtained from the experiments in a Venturi-type section that was scaled down 10 times for the purpose of measurements by ultra-fast X-ray imaging (Coutier-Delgosha et al. 2009). Cavitation in the original size scale section (Stutz and Reboud in Exp Fluids 23:191–198, 1997, Exp Fluids 29:545–552 2000) always displays unsteady cloud separation. However, when the geometry was scaled down, the cavitation became quasi steady although some oscillations still existed. To investigate this phenomenon more in detail, experiments were conducted in six geometrically similar Venturi test sections where either width or height or both were scaled. Various types of instabilities are obtained, from simple oscillations of the sheet cavity length to large vapor cloud shedding when the size of the test section is increased. It confirms that small scale has a significant influence on cavitation. Especially the height of the test section plays a major role in the dynamics of the re-entrant jet that drives the periodical shedding observed at large scale. Results suggest that the sheet cavity becomes stabile when the section is scaled down to a certain point because re-entrant jet cannot fully develop.
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of steady blowing applied at a variety of angles on the roof trailing edge of a simplified ¼ scale squareback style vehicle has been investigated, and the effects of the steady blowing on the vehicle wake structures and the resulting body forces were investigated.
Abstract: A large contribution to the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle arises from the failure to fully recover pressure in the wake region, especially on squareback configurations. A degree of base pressure recovery can be achieved through careful shape optimisation, but the freedom of an automotive aerodynamicist to implement significant shape changes is limited by a variety of additional factors such styling, ergonomics and loading capacity. Active flow control technologies present the potential to create flow field modifications without the need for external shape changes and have received much attention in previous years within the aeronautical industry and, more recently, within the automotive industry. In this work the influence of steady blowing applied at a variety of angles on the roof trailing edge of a simplified ¼ scale squareback style vehicle has been investigated. Hot-wire anemometry, force balance measurements, surface pressure measurements and PIV have been used to investigate the effects of the steady blowing on the vehicle wake structures and the resulting body forces. The energy consumption of the steady jet is calculated and is used to deduce an aerodynamic drag power change. Results show that overall gains can be achieved; however, the large mass flow rate required restricts the applicability of the technique to road vehicles. Means by which the mass flow rate requirements of the jet may be reduced are discussed and suggestions for further work put forward.
TL;DR: A method for the construction of both rigid and compliant (flexible) transparent flow phantoms of biological flow structures, suitable for PIV and other optical flow methods with refractive-index-matched working fluid is described in detail.
Abstract: A method for the construction of both rigid and compliant (flexible) transparent flow phantoms of biological flow structures, suitable for PIV and other optical flow methods with refractive-index-matched working fluid is described in detail. Methods for matching the in vivo compliance and elastic wave propagation wavelength are presented. The manipulation of MRI and CT scan data through an investment casting mould is described. A method for the casting of bubble-free phantoms in silicone elastomer is given. The method is applied to fabricate flexible phantoms of the carotid artery (with and without stenosis), the carotid artery bifurcation (idealised and patient-specific) and the human upper airway (nasal cavity). The fidelity of the phantoms to the original scan data is measured, and it is shown that the cross-sectional error is less than 5% for phantoms of simple shape but up to 16% for complex cross-sectional shapes such as the nasal cavity. This error is mainly due to the application of a PVA coating to the inner mould and can be reduced by shrinking the digital model. Sixteen per cent variation in area is less than the natural patient to patient variation of the physiological geometries. The compliance of the phantom walls is controlled within physiologically realistic ranges, by choice of the wall thickness, transmural pressure and Young’s modulus of the elastomer. Data for the dependence of Young’s modulus on curing temperature are given for Sylgard 184. Data for the temperature dependence of density, viscosity and refractive index of the refractive-index-matched working liquid (i.e. water–glycerol mixtures) are also presented.
TL;DR: In this paper, the root-to-tip vortex formation of a trapezoidal flat-plate fin undergoing rotation from rest at a 90° angle of attack and Reynolds numbers of O(103) is investigated.
Abstract: We investigate experimentally the unsteady, three-dimensional vortex formation of low-aspect-ratio, trapezoidal flat-plate fins undergoing rotation from rest at a 90° angle of attack and Reynolds numbers of O(103). The objectives are to characterize the unsteady three-dimensional vortex structure, examine vortex saturation, and understand the effects of the root-to-tip flow for different velocity programs. The experiments are conducted in a water tank facility, and the diagnostic tools are dye flow visualization and digital particle image velocimetry. The dye visualizations show that the low-aspect-ratio plate produces symmetric ring-like vortices comprised mainly of tip-edge vorticity. They also indicate the presence of the root-to-tip velocity. For large rotational amplitudes, the primary ring-like vortex sheds and a secondary ring-like vortex is generated while the plate is still in motion, indicating saturation of the leading vortex. The time-varying vortex circulation in the flow symmetry plane provides quantitative evidence of vortex saturation. The phenomenon of saturation is observed for several plate velocity programs. The temporal development of the vortex circulation is often complex, which prevents an objective determination of an exact saturation time. This is the result of an interaction between the developing vortex and the root-to-tip flow, which breaks apart the vortex. However, it is possible to define a range of time during which the vortex reaches saturation. A formation-parameter definition is investigated and is found to reasonably predict the state corresponding to the pinch-off of the initial tip vortex across the velocity programs tested. This event is the lower bound on the saturation time range.
TL;DR: In this paper, a 3D-PTV-based, non-intrusive measuring method is used to analyze the aortic flow velocities and the turbulent fluctuations.
Abstract: A three-dimensional, pulsatile flow in a realistic phantom of a human ascending aorta with compliant walls is investigated in vitro. Three-Dimensional Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3D-PTV), an image-based, non-intrusive measuring method is used to analyze the aortic flow. The flow velocities and the turbulent fluctuations are determined. The velocity profile at the inlet of the ascending aorta is relatively flat with a skewed profile toward the inner aortic wall in the early systole. In the diastolic phase, a bidirectional flow is observed with a pronounced retrograde flow developing along the inner aortic wall, whereas the antegrade flow migrates toward the outer wall of the aorta. The spatial and temporal evolution of the vorticity field shows that the vortices begin developing along the inner wall during the deceleration phase and attenuate in the diastolic phase. The change in the cross-sectional area is more distinct distal to the inlet cross section. The mean kinetic energy is maximal in the peak systole, whereas the turbulent kinetic energy increases in the deceleration phase and reaches a maximum in the beginning of the diastolic phase. Finally, in a Lagrangian analysis, the temporal evolution of particle dispersion was studied. It shows that the dispersion is higher in the deceleration phase and in the beginning of the diastole, whereas in systole, it is smaller but non-negligible.
TL;DR: In this article, the wavy structure of liquid film in annular gas-liquid flow was studied using a high-speed modification of the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique adapted for three-dimensional measurements.
Abstract: The wavy structure of liquid film in annular gas–liquid flow was studied using a high-speed modification of the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique, which was adapted for three-dimensional measurements. The three-dimensional structure of different types of waves in regimes with and without liquid entrainment was investigated. A comparison of the circumferential size of different types of waves was performed. Disturbance waves at high liquid Reynolds numbers were shown to be circumferentially non-uniform, and it was shown that this non-uniformity affects the generation of ripples.
TL;DR: In this article, a study of the damping of capillary-gravity waves in water containing pigments is presented, showing that particles of the anatase (TiO2) pigment make the water surface light diffusive while avoiding any surface film effects.
Abstract: We present a study of the damping of capillary-gravity waves in water containing pigments. The practical interest comes from a recent profilometry technique (FTP for Fourier Transform Profilometry) using fringe projection onto the liquid-free surface. This experimental technique requires diffusive reflection of light on the liquid surface, which is usually achieved by adding white pigments. It is shown that the use of most paint pigments causes a large enhancement of the damping of the waves. Indeed, these paints contain surfactants which are easily adsorbed at the air–water interface. The resulting surface film changes the attenuation properties because of the resonance-type damping between capillary-gravity waves and Marangoni waves. We study the physicochemical properties of coloring pigments, showing that particles of the anatase (TiO2) pigment make the water surface light diffusive while avoiding any surface film effects. The use of the chosen particles allows to perform space-time resolved FTP measurements on capillary-gravity waves, in a liquid with the damping properties of pure water.
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of real particle image intensity distribution and image preprocessing on the thickness of the measurement volume is investigated, and the accuracy of this approach is discussed and validated on the experimental data.
Abstract: The depth of correlation (DOC) is an experimental parameter, introduced to quantify the thickness of the measurement volume and thus the depth resolution in microscopic particle image velocimetry (μPIV). The theory developed to estimate the value of the DOC relies on some approximations that are not always verified in actual experiments, such as a single thin-lens optical system. In many practical μPIV experiments, a deviation of the actual DOC from its nominal value can be expected, due for instance to additional components present in the optical path of the microscope or to the use of image preprocessing before the PIV evaluation. In the presented paper, the effect of real particle image intensity distribution and image preprocessing on the thickness of the measurement volume is investigated. This is performed studying the defocusing of tracer particles and the DOC-related bias error present in μPIV measurements in a Poiseuille flow. The analysis shows that the DOC predicted using the conventional formulas can be significantly smaller than its actual value. To overcome this problem, the use of an effective NA determined experimentally from the curvature of the image autocorrelations is proposed. The accuracy of this approach to properly predict the actual size of DOC is discussed and validated on the experimental data. The effectiveness of image preprocessing to reduce the DOC-related bias error is tested and discussed as well.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors measured the flow structure in a steady hydraulic jump in both the non-aerated and aerated regions using the image-based particle image velocimetry and bubble image velocityimetry techniques, respectively.
Abstract: The flow structure in a steady hydraulic jump in both the non-aerated and aerated regions was measured using the image-based particle image velocimetry and bubble image velocimetry techniques, respectively. Three highly aerated steady jumps with Froude numbers varying from 4.51 to 5.35 were tested, and a weak jump with a Froude number of 2.43 was generated for comparison. Mean velocities and turbulence statistics were obtained by ensemble averaging the repeated velocity measurements. Based on the mean velocities, the flow structure in the steady jumps was classified into four regions to distinguish their distinct flow behaviors; they are the potential core region, the boundary layer region, the mixing layer region, and the recirculation region. The flow structure in the weak jump features only three regions without the recirculation region. In addition, spatial variations of mean velocities, turbulence intensity, and Reynolds stresses were also presented. It was observed that the maximum horizontal bubble velocity and maximum horizontal water velocity occur at the same location in the overlapping regions of potential core and mixing layer. The ratio between the maximum horizontal bubble velocity and maximum horizontal water velocity is between 0.6 and 0.8, depending on the Froude number. Examining the mean horizontal bubble velocities in the mixing layer, a similarity profile was revealed with representative mixing layer thickness as the characteristic length scale and the difference between the maximum positive and maximum negative velocities as the characteristic velocity scale. It was also found that the mean horizontal water velocities in the near-wall region are self-similar and behave like a wall jet. Further analyzing autocorrelation functions and energy spectra of the water and bubble velocity fluctuations found that the energy spectra in the water region follow the −5/3 slope, whereas the spectra in the bubble region follow a −2/5 slope. In addition, the integral length scale of bubbles is one order of magnitude shorter than that of water.