Showing papers in "Physics of Fluids in 1997"

On pressure and velocity boundary conditions for the lattice Boltzmann BGK model

Abstract: Pressure ~density! and velocity boundary conditions are studied for 2-D and 3-D lattice Boltzmann BGK models ~LBGK! and a new method to specify these conditions is proposed. These conditions are constructed in consistency with the wall boundary condition, based on the idea of bounceback of the non-equilibrium distribution. When these conditions are used together with the incompressible LBGK model @J. Stat. Phys. 81 ,3 5 ~1995!# the simulation results recover the analytical solution of the plane Poiseuille flow driven by a pressure ~density! difference. The half-way wall bounceback boundary condition is also used with the pressure ~density! inlet/outlet conditions proposed in this paper and in Phys. Fluids 8, 2527 ~1996! to study 2-D Poiseuille flow and 3-D square duct flow. The numerical results are approximately second-order accurate. The magnitude of the error of the half-way wall bounceback boundary condition is comparable with that of other published boundary conditions and it has better stability behavior. © 1997 American Institute of Physics. @S1070-6631~97!03406-5#

On a self-sustaining process in shear flows

Abstract: A self-sustaining process conjectured to be generic for wall-bounded shear flows is investigated. The self-sustaining process consists of streamwise rolls that redistribute the mean shear to create streaks that wiggle to maintain the rolls. The process is analyzed and shown to be remarkably insensitive to whether there is no-slip or free-slip at the walls. A low-order model of the process is derived from the Navier–Stokes equations for a sinusoidal shear flow. The model has two unstable steady solutions above a critical Reynolds number, in addition to the stable laminar flow. For some parameter values, there is a second critical Reynolds number at which a homoclinic bifurcation gives rise to a stable periodic solution. This suggests a direct link between unstable steady solutions and almost periodic solutions that have been computed in plane Couette flow. It is argued that this self-sustaining process is responsible for the bifurcation of shear flows at low Reynolds numbers and perhaps also for controlling the near-wall region of turbulent shear flows at higher Reynolds numbers.

Direct numerical simulation of the turbulent channel flow of a polymer solution

Abstract: In this work, we present from first principles a direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a fully turbulent channel flow of a dilute polymer solution. The polymer chains are modeled as finitely extensible and elastic dumbbells. The simulation algorithm is based on a semi-implicit, time-splitting technique which uses spectral approximations in the spatial coordinates. The computations are carried out on a CRAY T3D parallel computer. The simulations are carried out under fully turbulent conditions albeit, due to computational constraints, not at as high Reynolds number as that usually encountered in polymer-induced drag reduction experiments. In order to compensate for the lower Reynolds number, we simulate more elastic fluids than the ones encountered in drag reduction experiments resulting in Weissenberg numbers (a dimensionless number characterizing the flow elasticity) of similar magnitude. The simulations show that the polymer induces several changes in the turbulent flow characteristics, all of them consi...

Molten droplet deposition and solidification at low Weber numbers

Abstract: Low Weber number deposition of small molten droplets on cold targets is of importance in certain dropwise buildup processes, but at this time, critical elements are absent from our theoretical understanding of the deposition process, and prediction from basic principles is not possible. This paper lays down a framework for understanding low Weber number deposition in terms of similarity laws and experimentation. Based on experiments from the highly viscous limit to the inertia-dominated limit, correlations are given for the spreading velocity, spreading time scales, post-spreading oscillation amplitudes, and oscillation damping time scales. Molten droplets are arrested, and their final solid shape determined, by contact line freezing. In homologous deposition, where the drop and the target are of the same material, the spreading factor is determined principally by the Stefan number, the dimensionless parameter which measures the temperature difference between the fusion point and the target temperature. Some concluding remarks are offered on what needs to be done to accurately compute such deposition processes.

Application of neural networks to turbulence control for drag reduction

Abstract: A new adaptive controller based on a neural network was constructed and applied to turbulent channel flow for drag reduction. A simple control network, which employs blowing and suction at the wall based only on the wall-shear stresses in the spanwise direction, was shown to reduce the skin friction by as much as 20% in direct numerical simulations of a low-Reynolds number turbulent channel flow. Also, a stable pattern was observed in the distribution of weights associated with the neural network. This allowed us to derive a simple control scheme that produced the same amount of drag reduction. This simple control scheme generates optimum wall blowing and suction proportional to a local sum of the wall-shear stress in the spanwise direction. The distribution of corresponding weights is simple and localized, thus making real implementation relatively easy. Turbulence characteristics and relevant practical issues are also discussed.

A comparative study of subgrid scale models in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

Abstract: Recently, a number of studies have indicated that Large Eddy Simulation (LES) models are fairly insensitive to the adopted Subgrid Scale (SGS) models. In order to study this and to gain further insight into LES, simulations of forced and decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence have been performed for Taylor Re numbers between 35 and 248 using various SGS models, representative of the contemporary state of the art. The predictive capability of the LES concept is analyzed by comparison with DNS data and with results obtained from a theoretical model of the energy spectrum. The resolved flow is examined by visualizing the morphology and by analyzing the distribution of resolved enstrophy, rate of strain, stretching, SGS kinetic energy, and viscosity. Furthermore, the correlation between eigenvalues of the resolved rate of strain tensor and the vorticity is investigated. Although the gross features of the flow appear independent of the SGS model, pronounced differences between the models become apparent whe...

A vortex-based subgrid stress model for large-eddy simulation

Abstract: A class of subgrid stress (SGS) models for large-eddy simulation (LES) is presented based on the idea of structure-based Reynolds-stress closure. The subgrid structure of the turbulence is assumed to consist of stretched vortices whose orientations are determined by the resolved velocity field. An equation which relates the subgrid stress to the structure orientation and the subgrid kinetic energy, together with an assumed Kolmogorov energy spectrum for the subgrid vortices, gives a closed coupling of the SGS model dynamics to the filtered Navier-Stokes equations for the resolved flow quantities. The subgrid energy is calculated directly by use of a local balance between the total dissipation and the sum of the resolved-scale dissipation and production by the resolved scales. Simple one- and two-vortex models are proposed and tested in which the subgrid vortex orientations are either fixed by the local resolved velocity gradients, or rotate in response to the evolution of the gradient field. These models are not of the eddy viscosity type. LES calculations with the present models are described for 32^(3) decaying turbulence and also for forced 32^(3) box turbulence at Taylor Reynolds numbers R-lambda in the range R(lambda)similar or equal to 30 (fully resolved) to R-lambda=infinity. The models give good agreement with experiment for decaying turbulence and produce negligible SGS dissipation for forced turbulence in the limit of fully resolved flow.

Linear stability and transient growth in driven contact lines

Abstract: Fluid flowing down an inclined plane commonly exhibits a fingering instability in which the contact line corrugates. We show that below a critical inclination angle the base state before the instability is linearly stable. Several recent experiments explore inclination angles below this critical angle, yet all clearly show the fingering instability. We explain this paradox by showing that regardless of the long time linear stability of the front, microscopic scale perturbations at the contact line grow on a transient time scale to a size comparable with the macroscopic structure of the front. This amplification is sufficient to excite nonlinearities and thus initiate finger formation. The amplification is a result of the well-known singular dependence of the macroscopic profiles on the microscopic length scale near the contact line. Implications for other types of forced contact lines are discussed.

Lattice Boltzmann methods for modeling microscale flow in fibrous porous media

Abstract: A lattice Boltzmann description of fluid flow in heterogeneous porous media is presented which is intended for modeling flow processes which occur in liquid composite molding applications. The lattice Boltzmann method is equivalent to solving a hybrid method of the Stokes and Brinkman equations, with the Brinkman equation being implemented to model flow through porous structures, while the Stokes equation is applied to the open regions outside the porous structures. The Brinkman equation is recovered through a modification of the particle equilibrium distribution function, which reduces the magnitude of momentum at specified lattice sites, while leaving the direction of momentum unchanged. As a test of the new lattice Boltzmann model, steady transverse flow (saturated) through a square array of porous cylinders of elliptical cross section is investigated. Cell permeabilities obtained from the lattice Boltzmann simulations are in excellent agreement with a lubrication model, validating the lattice Boltzman...

Dispersion of passive tracers in closed basins: Beyond the diffusion coefficient

Abstract: We investigate the spreading of passive tracers in closed basins. If the characteristic length scale of the Eulerian velocities is not very small compared with the size of the basin the usual diffusion coefficient does not give any relevant information about the mechanism of spreading. We introduce a finite size characteristic time τ(δ) which describes the diffusive process at scale δ. When δ is small compared with the typical length of the velocity field one has τ(δ)∼λ−1, where λ is the maximum Lyapunov exponent of the Lagrangian motion. At large δ the behavior of τ(δ) depends on the details of the system, in particular the presence of boundaries, and in this limit we have found a universal behavior for a large class of system under rather general hypothesis. The method of working at fixed scale δ makes more physical sense than the traditional way of looking at the relative diffusion at fixed delay times. This technique is displayed in a series of numerical experiments in simple flows.

A subgrid-scale model based on the estimation of unresolved scales of turbulence

Abstract: A new method for large eddy simulations is described and evaluated. In the proposed method the primary modeled quantity is the unfiltered velocity field appearing in the definition of the subgrid-scale stress tensor. An estimate of the unfiltered velocity is obtained by expanding the resolved large-scale velocity field to subgrid-scales two times smaller than the grid scale. The estimation procedure consists of two steps. The first step utilizes properties of a filtering operation and the representation of quantities in terms of basis functions such as Fourier polynomials. In the second step, the phases associated with the newly computed smaller scales are adjusted in order to correspond to the small-scale phases generated by nonlinear interactions of the large-scale field. The estimated velocity field is expressed entirely in terms of the known, resolved velocity field without any adjustable constants. The modeling procedure is evaluated in a priori analyses using direct numerical simulation results of c...

Bifurcation phenomena in incompressible sudden expansion flows

Abstract: A numerical study of laminar incompressible flows in symmetric plane sudden expansions was carried out. Computations were performed for various Reynolds number and expansion ratios. The results revealed that the flow remains symmetric up to a certain Reynolds number depending on the expansion ratio, while asymmetries appear at higher Reynolds numbers. The computations indicated that the critical Reynolds number of the symmetry‐breaking bifurcation reduces when increasing the expansion ratio while the flow regains symmetry downstream of an initial channel length. The flow asymmetries were verified by comparing several discretization schemes up to fourth order of accuracy as well as various iterative solvers.

Reynolds number effects in a turbulent pipe flow for low to moderate Re

Abstract: We present in this paper high resolution, two-dimensional LDV measurements in a turbulent pipe flow of water over the Reynolds number range 5000–25000. Results for the turbulence statistics up to the fourth moment are presented, as well as power spectra in the near-wall region. These results clearly show that the turbulence statistics scaled on inner variables are Reynolds-number dependent in the aforementioned range of Reynolds numbers. For example, the constants in the dimensionless logarithmic mean-velocity profile are shown to vary with Reynolds number. Our conclusion that turbulence statistics depend on the Reynolds number is consistent with results found in other flow configurations, e.g., a channel flow. Our results for the pipe flow, however, lead nevertheless to quite different tendencies.

Sedimentation of homogeneous suspensions of non-Brownian spheres

Abstract: Dynamical simulations of bulk sedimentation have been carried out, using up to 32 000 solid particles. There is no evidence that the long-range hydrodynamic interactions are screened by changes in the pair correlation function at large distances. Instead the velocity fluctuations and diffusion coefficients diverge linearly with the width of the container, consistent with the random long-range microstructures observed in the simulations. Our data suggest that other mechanisms must be uncovered to account for experimental observations.

Decaying Kolmogorov turbulence in a model of superflow

Abstract: Superfluid turbulence is studied using numerical simulations of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE), which is the correct equation of motion for superflows at low temperatures. This equation depends on two parameters: the sound velocity and the coherence length. It naturally contains nonsingular quantized vortex lines. The NLSE mass, momentum, and energy conservation relations are derived in hydrodynamic form. The total energy is decomposed into an incompressible kinetic part, and other parts that correspond to acoustic excitations. The corresponding energy spectra are defined and computed numerically in the case of the two-dimensional vortex solution. A preparation method, generating initial data reproducing the vorticity dynamics of any three-dimensional flow with Clebsch representation is given and is applied to the Taylor–Green (TG) vortex. The NLSE TG vortex is studied with resolutions up to 5123. The energetics of the flow is found to be remarkably similar to that of the viscous TG vortex. The...

A novel boundary-integral algorithm for viscous interaction of deformable drops

Abstract: A new three-dimensional boundary-integral algorithm for deformable drops moving in a viscous medium at low Reynolds numbers is developed, which overcomes some familiar difficulties with boundary-integral calculations. The algorithm is used to simulate different modes of interaction between drops or bubbles, primarily for buoyancy-driven motion. The present iterative method for mean curvature calculation is found to be more robust and accurate than contour integration schemes. A novel iterative strategy based on combining biconjugate gradient and simple iterations overcomes the poor convergence of “successive substitutions” for drops in very close approach with extreme viscosity ratio. A substantially new variational method of global mesh stabilization solves the problem of mesh degradation with advantageous, soft stability constraints. A curvatureless boundary-integral formulation is also derived and shown to provide, in principle, a more accurate description of the drop breakup than the conventional formulation. The efficiency of these techniques is demonstrated by numerical examples for two drops in gravity-induced motion with high surface resolutions. The present code successfully simulates mutual approach of slightly deformable drops to extremely small separations, as well as their rotation when in “apparent contact,” thus bridging the gap between finite deformation calculations and a recent asymptotic theory for small capillary numbers. Also provided is a 3D simulation of the experimental phenomenon of enhanced bubble coalescence, discovered by Manga and Stone [J. Fluid Mech. 256, 647 (1993); 300, 231 (1995)]. For drops of viscosity comparable to that of the surrounding fluid, it is shown in contrast that breakup is a typical result of hydrodynamic interaction in gravity-induced motion for large and even moderate capillary numbers. The code is readily applicable to any type of an ambient flow and may be adapted to more than two drops.

Transverse flow and mixing of granular materials in a rotating cylinder

Abstract: The focus of this work is analysis of mixing in a rotating cylinder—a prototype system for mixing of granular materials—with the objective of understanding and highlighting the role of flow on the dynamics of the process. The analysis is restricted to low speeds of rotation, when the free surface of the granular solids is nearly flat, and when particles are identical so that segregation is unimportant. The flow is divided into two regions: a rapid flow region of the cascading layer at the free surface, and a fixed bed of particles rotating at the angular speed of the cylinder. A continuum model, in which averages are taken across the layer, is used to analyze the flow in the layer. Good agreement is obtained between the predictions of the flow model for the layer thickness profile and experimental results obtained by digital image analysis. The dynamics of the mixing process are studied by advecting tracer particles by the flow and allowing for particle diffusion in the cascading layer. The mixing model predictions for distribution of tracer particles and mixing rates are compared qualitatively and quantitatively to experimental data. Optimal operating conditions, at which mixing rates are maximum, are determined.

Radial segregation of granular mixtures in rotating cylinders

Abstract: Simultaneous mixing and segregation of granular materials is of considerable practical importance; the interplay among both processes is, however, poorly understood from a fundamental viewpoint. The focus of this work is radial segregation—core formation—due to density in a rotating cylinder. The flow regime considered is the cascading or continuous flow regime where a thin layer of solids flows along a nearly flat free surface, while the remaining particles rotate as a fixed bed along with the cylinder. The essence of the formation of a central segregated core of the more dense particles lies in the flow, mixing, and segregation in the cascading layer. The work involves experiments and analysis. A constitutive model for the segregation flux in cascading layers is proposed and validated by particle dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations for steady flow down an inclined plane. The model contains a single parameter, the dimensionless segregation velocity (β), which is treated as a fitting parameter here. Expe...

The axisymmetric and plane cases of a gas phase steadily displacing a Newtonian liquid—A simultaneous solution of the governing equations

Abstract: The flow induced by a long bubble steadily displacing a liquid confined by two closely located parallel plates or by a cylindrical tube of small diameter is numerically analyzed. The technique employed solves the complete set of governing equations simultaneously. The present analysis encompasses, and also extends, the whole range of Capillary values previously studied with various numerical techniques. The results shown uncover a type of recirculating flow pattern that appears to have been overlooked before. The effects of the inertial forces on the liquid flow rate are also assessed.

Cavity dynamics in high-speed water entry

Abstract: A method is presented for modeling the cavity formation and collapse induced by high-speed impact and penetration of a rigid projectile into water. The approach proposes that high-speed water-entry is characterized by a cavity that experiences a deep closure prior to closure at the surface. This sequence in the physical events of the induced cavity dynamics is suggested by the most recent high-speed water-entry experimental data, by results from numerical experiments using a hydrocode, and by an understanding of the fundamental physics of the processes that govern surface closure. The analytical model, which specifies the energy transfer for cavity production as equivalent to the energy dissipated by velocity-dependent drag on the projectile, provides accurate estimates for variables that are important in characterizing the cavity dynamics, and reveals useful knowledge regarding magnitudes and trends. In particular, it is found that the time of deep closure is essentially constant and independent of the i...

Inverse modeling for large-eddy simulation

Abstract: Approximate higher order polynomial inversion of the top-hat filter is developed with which the turbulent stress tensor in large-eddy simulation can be consistently represented using the filtered field. Generalized (mixed) similarity models are proposed which improved the agreement with the kinetic energy transfer to small scales. These similarity models are analyzed for random periodic signals and the ensemble averaged spectra of the turbulent stress tensor and the corresponding models are compared.

The long-time motion of vortex sheets with surface tension

Abstract: We study numerically the simplest model of two incompressible, immiscible fluids shearing past one another. The fluids are two-dimensional, inviscid, irrotational, density matched, and separated by a sharp interface under a surface tension. The nonlinear growth and evolution of this interface is governed by only the competing effects of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability and the dispersion due to surface tension. We have developed new and highly accurate numerical methods designed to treat the difficulties associated with the presence of surface tension. This allows us to accurately simulate the evolution of the interface over much longer times than has been done previously. A surprisingly rich variety of behavior is found. For small Weber numbers, where there are no unstable length-scales, the flow is dispersively dominated and oscillatory behavior is observed. For intermediate Weber numbers, where there are only a few unstable length-scales, the interface forms elongating and interpenetrating fingers of fluid. At larger Weber numbers, where there are many unstable scales, the interface rolls-up into a “Kelvin-Helmholtz” spiral with its late evolution terminated by the collision of the interface with itself, forming at that instant bubbles of fluid at the core of the spiral. Using locally refined grids, this singular event (a “topological” or “pinching” singularity) is studied carefully. Our computations suggest at least a partial conformance to a local self-similar scaling. For fixed initial data, the pinching singularity times decrease as the surface tension is reduced, apparently towards the singularity time associated with the zero surface tension problem, as studied by Moore and others. Simulations from more complicated, multi-modal initial data show the evolution as a combination of these fingers, spirals, and pinches.

A numerical calculation of the hydraulic permeability of three-dimensional disordered fibrous media

Abstract: Hydraulic permeabilities of polymeric membranes and gels are of interest both for calculating fluid flow rates and hindered diffusion coefficients. We have calculated hydraulic permeabilities for monomodal and bimodal, periodic and random fibrous media. Hydrodynamic interactions between fibers are calculated by applying a numerical version of slender body theory to a collection of fibers in a cubic cell many Brinkman screening lengths in dimension. Results for random media are obtained by averaging over many ensembles of fibers. To account for the surrounding medium, the line distribution of point forces along the fiber axes are replicated throughout space by using the Ewald summation technique. Results for periodic media agree with previous theoretical results up to a fiber volume fraction of 50% for parallel flow and 40% for transverse flow. Hydraulic permeabilities calculated for three-dimensional, disordered media with monomodal and bimodal distributions of fiber radius are compared with existing theories and with experimentally determined hydraulic permeabilities for a range of fiber volume fractions. Specific calculations are performed for agarose and collagen/proteoglycan gel systems, which are well described as bimodal fibrous media and are relevant to bioseparations and physiological systems, respectively.

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent flow over a wavy wall

Abstract: The Navier–Stokes equations have been solved, by a pseudospectral method, for pressure-driven flows between a no-slip wavy wall and a slip flat wall. Periodic boundary conditions were used in the streamwise and spanwise directions. The physical domain is mapped into a computational domain that is a rectangular parallelepiped using a nonorthogonal transformation. The pseudospectral solution procedure employed in previous studies, for example, Lam and Banerjee [Phys. Fluids A 4, 306 (1992)], eliminated the pressure and solved for the wall–normal velocity and vorticity. The other velocity components were calculated using the definition of vorticity, and the continuity equation. This procedure leads to oscillations in the pressure field when solutions were attempted in the mapped computational domain. To overcome the problem, the procedure had to be modified and the pressure solved for directly using a fractional time step technique. For the cases examined here, these modifications resulted in spectral accuracy being maintained. Flow over sinusoidal wave trains has been simulated and the results compare well with available experiments. The simulations show significant effects of the wavy boundary on the mean flow and the turbulence statistics. The mean velocity profile differs substantially from the profile for the flat-wall case, particularly in the buffer region where the fluid is under the influence of both the wavy wall and the slip boundary. The velocity fluctuations in the streamwise direction decrease in the buffer region. This effect becomes more pronounced when the wave amplitude increases. Most of the redistribution of energy, from the streamwise direction to the spanwise and wall–normal directions, occurs in a thin layer close to the boundary, downstream of the wave troughs. The energy primarily redistributes into spanwise fluctuations. High shear stress regions form downstream of the wave troughs, and streaky structures and quasi-streamwise vortices are also seen to initiate in these regions. The length of the streaks, and the extent of the quasi-streamwise vortices, scale with wave length for the two cases investigated.

Large-eddy simulation of high-Schmidt number mass transfer in a turbulent channel flow

Abstract: Mass transfer through the solid boundary of a turbulent channel flow is analyzed by means of large-eddy simulation (LES) for Schmidt numbers Sc=1, 100, and 200. For that purpose the subgrid stresses and fluxes are closed using the Dynamic Mixed Model proposed by Zang et al. [Phys. Fluids A 5, 3186 (1993)]. At each Schmidt number the mass transfer coefficient given by the LES is found to be in very good quantitative agreement with that measured in the experiments. At high Schmidt number this coefficient behaves like Sc−2/3, as predicted by standard theory and observed in most experiments. The main statistical characteristics of the fluctuating concentration field are analyzed in connection with the well-documented statistics of the turbulent motions. It is observed that concentration fluctuations have a significant intensity throughout the channel at Sc=1 while they are negligible out of the wall region at Sc=200. The maximum intensity of these fluctuations depends on both the Schmidt and Reynolds numbers ...

Low-dimensional models of subcritical transition to turbulence

Abstract: In the past five years, working largely independently, five groups of researchers have proposed low-dimensional models of the behavior of parallel shear flows at high Reynolds numbers. These models are compared, and it is found that they are more similar than their authors have recognized. Among other similarities, most of them exhibit a threshold amplitude e=O(Rα) as R→∞ for some α<−1, where R is the Reynolds number, for perturbations of the laminar state that may excite transition to turbulence. The reason for this behavior in each case is an interaction of non-normal linear effects with quadratic nonlinearities.

A new dynamic two-parameter mixed model for large-eddy simulation

Abstract: A new dynamic subgrid-scale (SGS) mixed model is proposed for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows. This model is based on the decomposition of the SGS stress terms into the modified Leonard, modified cross and modified SGS Reynolds stress terms. In this model, the modified Leonard term is computed explicitly. The modified cross term and modified SGS Reynolds stress are assumed to be proportional to a new term, the form of which is comparable to the generalized central moment, derived as an extension of the filtered Bardina model proposed by Horiuti [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 66, 91 (1997)]. Using a linear combination of this new term with the Smagorinsky model for the modified SGS Reynolds stress, the proposed model contains two model parameters, which are computed dynamically. Two formulations for the test-filtered SGS stress reported by Zang et al. [Phys. Fluids A 5, 3186 (1993)] and Vreman et al. [Phys. Fluids 6, 4057 (1994)] are compared, and the compatibility of the SGS models with the standard dynamic SGS model procedure is discussed. The proposed model is assessed for incompressible channel and mixing layer flows, in comparison with the dynamic Smagorinsky model of Germano et al. [Phys. Fluids A 3, 1760 (1991)], the dynamic mixed model of Zang et al. and the dynamic two-parameter mixed model of Salvetti and Banerjee [Phys. Fluids 7, 2831 (1995)]. In the “a priori” test, the proposed model gave the closest agreement with the modified cross term as well as the modified SGS Reynolds stress term. It is shown that the proposed term represents a more general model of the SGS stress than the modified Leonard term and yields a more accurate approximation. These SGS models are tested further in actual LES of channel and mixing layer flows (“a posteriori” test). The results were consistent with those of the “a priori” tests; the proposed model yielded the most accurate results. In the proposed model, the SGS quantities were predominantly represented using the new term, and the contribution of the Smagorinsky model was minimal. The two parameters contained in the model were determined locally in space on a point-by-point basis.

Drop formation in viscous flows at a vertical capillary tube

Abstract: Drop formation at the tip of a vertical, circular capillary tube immersed in a second immiscible fluid is studied numerically for low-Reynolds-number flows using the boundary integral method. The evolution and breakup of the drop fluid is considered to assess the influences of the viscosity ratio λ, the Bond number B, and the capillary number C for 10−2⩽λ⩽10, 10−2⩽C⩽1, and 0.1⩽B⩽5. For very small λ, breakup occurs at shorter times, there is no detectable thread between the detaching drop and the remaining pendant fluid column, and thus no large satellite drops are formed. The distance to detachment increases monotonically with λ and changes substantially for λ>1, but the volume of the primary drop varies only slightly with λ. An additional application of the numerical investigation is to consider the effect of imposing a uniform flow in the ambient fluid [e.g., Oguz and Prosperetti, J. Fluid Mech. 257, 111 (1993)], which is shown to lead to a smaller primary drop volume and a longer detachment length, as ...

Compressibility effects in supersonic transverse injection flowfields

Abstract: The flowfields created by transverse injection of sonic gaseous jets through a circular nozzle into a supersonic crossflow have been experimentally investigated using planar Rayleigh/Mie scattering from silicon dioxide particles seeded into the crossflow stream. Helium and air were used as injectant gases allowing an examination of the effects of compressibility on the large-scale structural development and near-field mixing characteristics present within the flowfield. Instantaneous images from end and side view image planes show a highly three-dimensional interaction dominated by both large- and small-scale vortices. Analyses of these image ensembles provide jet spreading and penetration characteristics, standard deviation statistics, large-scale mixing information, and two-dimensional spatial correlation fields. Results indicate that injectant molecular weight variations do not strongly affect the jet’s transverse penetration into the crossflow, although they lead to substantially different compressibi...

Nonlinear theory of unstable fluid mixing driven by shock wave

Abstract: A shock driven material interface between two fluids of different density is unstable. This instability is known as Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instability. In this paper, we present a quantitative nonlinear theory of compressible Richtmyer–Meshkov instability in two dimensions. Our nonlinear theory contains no free parameter and provides analytical predictions for the overall growth rate, as well as the growth rates of the bubble and spike, from early to later times for fluids of all density ratios. The theory also includes a general formulation of perturbative nonlinear solutions for incompressible fluids (evaluated explicitly through the fourth order). Our theory shows that the RM unstable system goes through a transition from a compressible and linear one at early times to a nonlinear and incompressible one at later times. Our theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement with the results of full numerical simulations from linear to nonlinear regimes.