EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF FREE SURFACE VORTEX

An experimental model was set up to investigate the formation and evolution of the free surface vortex. A Particle Image Velocimetry （PIV） was used to measure the free surface vortex flow field at different development stages. Flow visualization was used to locate the vortex position and find its structure. Empirical formulas about the critical submergence and the whole field structure were obtained. It is found that the tangential velocity distribution is similar to that of the Rankine vortex and the radial velocity changes little in the vortex functional scope. Vortex starts from the free surface and gradually intensifies to air entrainment vortex. The vortex core moves during the formation and evolution of the free surface vortex. Based on the experimental model, the vortex position and structure were predicted by numerical simulation combined with a vortex model and compared with that of the experiments, which shows satisfactory agreement.     

PIV EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF INSTANTANEOUS FLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF CIRCULAR ORIFICE SYNTHETIC JET

The instantaneous flow characteristics of circular orifice synthetic jet was experimentally studied by a phase-locked Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system. The instantaneous flowfields, including the forming, developing and breaking down of the vortex for the jet were clearly shown by the PIV experimental results. As the basis of the study of the instantaneous flow, 36 images were taken and phase-averaged for each condition. The PIV experiment was mainly focused on the time evolution of the vortex pairs formed in the push cycle, the saddle point existing in the suck cycle, the variation of the centerline velocity in the whole cycle and the cross-stream velocity profiles and their self-similarity. Finally, the orifice depth was changed from 1.5 mm to 2 mm and 3.5 mm in order to study the effect of different orifice depths on the flow structure, which shows that at all stream wise sections, the peak of the mass flux and momentum flux increases as the orifice depth increases. Furthermore, the nondimensional distance of the mass flux from the exit is the maximum, while the nondimensional distance of the centerline velocity peak from the exit is the minimum, and nondimensional distance of the momentum flux from the exit section is between them.     

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON GAS-LIQUID TWO-PHASE FLOWS IN AN AREATION TANK BY USING IMAGE TREATMENT METHOD

Particle Image Velocimetry （PIV） technique was employed to study experimentally gas-liquid two-phase flow in an aeration tank. In terms of the PIV principles, an algorithm of PIV based on the Fast Fourier Transformation （FFT） was worked out. The PIV program was developed and verified, and then was used to measure three kinds of states in the testing device. The program was also used to calculate and analyze the related parameters. The experimental data indicate that the bubbles in testing device have the longest resident time and stronger turbulent intensity for the gas-liquid two-phase flow in a special case （Case 3）, resulting in great increase of the oxygen transferring speed and efficiency, whereby providing the basis for the selection design of aeration tank.     

EXPERIMENT ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF 3-D VORTEX RING BEHIND A FLEXIBLE OSCILLATING CAUDAL FIN

A test for the wake vortex of a flexible oscillating caudal fin is carried out with Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV), and the variation of vortex distance and the vorticity in the range of oscillating frequency from 0.704 Hz to 1.17 Hz are analyzed. It is found that with the increase of the oscillating frequency, the vortex distance decreases and the peak of the vorticity increases, When the Strouhal number is smaller than 0.49, a larger thrust component is obtained. The distribution of the velocity circulation and the vortex distance in the different spanwise section of the caudal fin are given, and then the dimension of the vortex ring is determined. The radius of the vortex ring is 79.3 mm and the average velocity circulation is 28152.9 mm²/s at the oscillating frequency of 0.835 Hz. The model of 3-D vortex ring chain of flexible oscillating caudal fin is constructed based on the information of wake vortex field. Finally, an effective analysis method is provided for establishing the relationship of oscillating parameters for the caudal fin and the wake structure and the intrinsic mechanism of efficient fish swimming is investigated.     

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF VELOCITY DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE TRANSITION REGION OF PIPES

The accuracy of an ultrasonic flowmeter meaurement depends on the profile-linear average velocity.But this velocity in the transition region is not available at the present.In this article,the velocity in the transition region in pipes is studied by experimental methods.The Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to measure the flow field in the transition region in pipes,and the measured results from PIV are in good agreement with the Westerwell’s experimental data.Based on the experimental data of PIV,the curves of the profile-linear average velocity in the transition region against the Reynolds number in the range from 2 000 to 20 000 are obtained,and it is shown that the coefficient k is constant when the Reynolds number is in the range of 2 000-2 400 and 6 000-20 000,and the coefficient k is increasing when the Reynolds number is in the range of 2 400-6 000.The results of this article can be used to improve the measurement accuracy of the ultrasonic flowmeters and as a theoretical basis for the research on the transition flow.     

EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT AND NUMERICAL SIMULATION FOR FLOW FIELD AND FILM COOLING EFFECTIVENESS IN FILM-COOLED TURBINE

Numerical simulation of three-dimensional flow field and film cooling effectiveness in film-cooled turbine rotor and stationary turbine cascade were carried out by using the k - ε turbulence model, and the predictions of the three-dimensional velocities were compared with the measured results by Laser-Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). Results reveal the secondary flow near the blade surface in the wake region behind the jet hole. Compared with the stationary cascade, there are the centrifugal force and Coriolis force existing in the flow field of the turbine rotor, and these forces make the three-dimensional flow field change in the turbine rotor, especially for the radial velocity. The effect of rotation on the flow field and the film cooling effectiveness on the pressure side is more apparent than that on the suction side as is shown in the computational and measured results, and the low film cooling effectiveness appears on the pressure surface of the turbine rotor blade compared with that of the stationary cascade.     

FLOW CHARACTERISTICS IN ENERGY DISSIPATION UNITS OF LABYRINTH PATH IN THE DRIP IRRIGATION EMITTERS WITH DPIV TECHNOLOGY

The energy dissipation mechanism and anti-clogging properties of drip irrigation emitters are closely related to flow characteristics of the fluid in its flow paths,and flow field tests using modern flow visual technologies were carried out by a large number of designers.The Digital Particle ImageVelocimetry(DPIV) system was built for un-disturbed flow tests in the labyrinth path.In this article,the flow field was measured in the flow path section,the structural unit and the local region near sawtooth.Under...     

NUMERICAL STUDY OF FLOW AROUND AN OSCILLATING DIAMOND PRISM AND CIRCULAR CYLINDER AT LOW KEULEGAN-CARPENTER NUMBER

In order to identify the influence of shape corners on the instantaneous forces in the case of oscillating bodies, the simulated flow field is compared for two kinds of cross sections: diamond prism and circular cylinder. For these two flow configurations, the same Reynolds number and a Keulegan-Carpenter are considered. To compute the dynamic flow field surrounding the body, the Navier-Stokes transport equations in a non-inertial reference frame attached to the body are considered. Hence, a source term is added locally to the momentum equation to take into account the body acceleration. The proposed model is solved using the PHOENICS code. For the oscillating circular cylinder, the simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental data available in the litterature. After validation of this proposed model, flow field for diamond prism is determined. For both bodies, the process of the vortex formation is similar, with the formation of a recirculation zone in the near-wake containing a symmetric pair of vortices of equal strength and opposite rotation. The length of recirculation zone varies approximately linearly with time. However, the in-line force coefficient of the oscillating diamond prism is found to be greatest, since the recirculation zone is longer compared with that of the oscillating circular cylinder.     

EVALUATION OF THE SHADING METHOD FOR REDUCING IMAGE BLOOMING IN THE PIV MEASUREMENT OF OPEN CHANNEL FLOWS

The shading method is a simple but effective way of reducing image blooming in the measurement of open channel flows with the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).The current paper proposes a simplified analytical model for light attenuation using this method.The model is verified against experimental data,and the influence of several parameters is illustrated numerically.The possible adverse effect due to the light attenuation is shown to be limited when the parameters in the shading method are in an adequate range,as shown by processing standard images of Case B in PIV Challenge 03.A simple criterion for setting the shade in experiment is given for controlling the errors caused by the shading technique within an acceptable range.     

MOTION OF TRACER PARTICLES IN A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP AND ITS TRACKING CHARACTERISTICS

The Basset-Boussinesq-Oseen (BBO) equation can be used for most flows to trace the motion of a particle, but in a centrifugal pump, among the forces that act on the particles, one should also include those due to the impeller rotation, as additional effects. This paper firstly reviews various approximations of the BBO equation for the motion of dispersion particles in a viscous fluid. Then based on the motion equation for particles in low Reynolds number centrifugal pumps, a formula for calculating the tracking characteristics of tracer particles is deduced through the Fourier integral transformation. After that the deviations of the particle motion from the fluid motion, as predicted by the various approximations, are discussed and compared. At last, with an emphasis on the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) results, the tracking characteristics of particles are estimated. Also, advantages and disadvantages of different tracer particles are discussed and suitable tracer particles for application in PIV studies for flow fields in centrifugal pumps are suggested.     

AN IMPROVED ALGORITHM FOR DPIV CORRELATION ANALYSIS

In a Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) system, the correlation of digital images is normally used to acquire the displacement information of particles and give estimates of the flow field. The accuracy and robustness of the correlation algorithm directly affect the validity of the analysis result. In this article, an improved algorithm for the correlation analysis was proposed which could be used to optimize the selection/determination of the correlation window, analysis area and search path. This algorithm not only reduces largely the amount of calculation, but also improves effectively the accuracy and reliability of the correlation analysis. The algorithm was demonstrated to be accurate and efficient in the measurement of the velocity field in a flocculation pool.     

PIV EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF FLOW STRUCTURE IN RECTANGULAR CHANNEL WITH TRANSVERSELY PLACED SPIRAL COIL INSERT

The flow field in a rectangular channel with a transversely placed spiral coil insert is investigated by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements in both transverse and longitudinal sections. The experimental results show that multi-longitudinal vortices are induced downstream of the spiral coil and are distributed as a symmetrical vortex array along the horizontal central line of the transverse section. Along the mainstream, due to the spiral motion of the longitudinal vortices, the velocity fluctuates in a manner of the damped sinusoidal curve and the velocity component in the wall normal direction is improved in the channel. Compared with the flow field in a smooth channel it is found that the movement of the longitudinal vortices can cause a continuous disturbance near the channel walls and thus enhances the fluid velocity in the near wall region, which consequently leads to the reduction of the velocity gradient and a more uniform velocity distribution. With the increase of the Reynolds number, the induced longitudinal vortices gain strength and become straighter and closer to the channel walls, thus the turbulence intensity is further enhanced in this area.     

PIV MEASUREMENTS OF THE NEAR-WAKE FLOW OF AN AIRFOIL ABOVE A FREE SURFACE

The near-wake flow of a NACA0012 airfoils mounted above a water surface were experimentally studied in a wind/wave tunnel. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the free surface on the structure of the airfoil trailing wake. The flow structure was measured with different ride heights between the airfoil and free surface using a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system. The Reynolds number based on the chord length of the airfoil was about 3.5×103. For each experimental condition, large amount of instantaneous velocity fields were captured and ensemble-averaged to get the spatial distributions of mean velocity and mean vorticity, as well as turbulence statistics. The results show that the flow structures of the airfoil wake varies remarkably with the change in the ride height.     

RESEARCH OF INNER FLOW IN A DOUBLE BLADES PUMP BASED ON OPENFOAM

The inner flow analysis of centrifugal pumps has gradually become an important issue for the hydraulic design and performance improvement.Nowadays,CFD simulation toolbox of pump inner flow mainly contains commercial tools and open source tools.There are some defects for commercial CFD software for the numerical simulation of 3-D turbulent internal flow in pump,especially in capturing the flow characteristics under the off-design operating conditions.Additionally,it is difficult for researchers to do further investigation because of the undeclared source.Therefore,an open source software like Open Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM) is increasingly popular with researchers from all over the world.In this paper,a new computational study was implemented based on the original solver and was used to directly simulate the steady-state inner flow in a double blades pump,with the specific speed is 111.In order to disclose the characteristics deeply,three research schemes were conducted.The ratios () of the flow rate are 0.8,1.0 and 1.2,respectively.The simulation results were verified with the Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) experimental results,and the numerical calculation results agree well with the experimental data.Meanwhile,the phenomena of flow separation under the off-design operating conditions are well captured by OpenFOAM.The results indicate that OpenFOAM possesses obvious strong predominance in computing the internal flow field of pump.The analysis results can also be used as the basis for the further research and the improvement of centrifugal pump.     

A NUMERICAL METHOD FOR CALCULATING THE EFFECTS OF INLET FLOW ON HYDRODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A HYDROFOIL-STRUT-POD CONFIGURATION

A numerical method based on the doublet distribution for calculating theeffects of inlet flow on hydrodynamic characteristics of a hydrofoil-strut-pod configurationunder the linearized free water surface condition is presented in this paper.Inlet flow con-dition is represented by a control section S,in the inlet tube on which the axial velocity is u-niform and determined by a given flowrate.The numerical results for some typical casesare compared with corresponding experimental data.It is found that good agreement be-tween computational and experimental results can be achieved.This numerical methodmay be applied to the prediction of foilborne performance characteristics of a waterjet pro-pelled hydrofoil craft and to optimization of integrated hydrofoil waterjet propulsion sys-tem.     

The flow patterns of bubble plume in an MBBR

The flow patterns of the gas-liquid two-phase flow in a Moving-Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) have a critical effect upon the mass transfer by the convection.Bubble plumes promote unsteadily fluctuating two-phase flows during the aeration.This article studies the unsteady structure of bubble plumes through experiments.The time-serial bubble plume images in various cases of the tank are analyzed.The Recursive Cross Correlation-Particle Image Velocimetry (RCC-PIV) is used to calculate the velocities in those cases, and then the time-serial vortex, the total turbulence intensity, the time-serial streamline are obtained.It is shown that the aspect ratio and the void fraction are the dominant factors influencing the unsteady structure of bubble plumes.When the aspect ratio is unity and the void fraction is high, the bubble plumes see a symmetrical vortex structure with a long residence time, which is beneficial for optimizing the aeration system and enhancing the applied range of bubble plumes.     

AN EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE STARTING FLOW OF A UNIFORMLY ACCELERATING CIRCULAR CYLIINDER

The starting flow around a uniformly accelerated circular cylinder is investigatedby flow visualization techncque and solving N-S equations numerically in detail.The results ofthe starting flow are similar with those of the impulsively started one.At lower Re_α,numbers the“phenomenon a”is revealed;the“phenomenon β”appears at higher Re_α numbers,but withonly one secondary vortex.At the early stage of the starting vortex formation,the flow islaminar;at the later stage,the flow transforms into turbulent flow.The velocity distribution inthe flow field is measured with the multiwires installment.The calculational results are comparedwith the results of experiment,and both are in agreement with each other.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF HYDRODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS ON AN ARC CROWN WALL USING VOLUME OF FLUID METHOD BASED ON BFC

In the present study, a new algorithm based on the Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method is developed to simulate the hydrodynamic characteristics on an arc crown wall. Structured grids are generated by the coordinate transform method in an arbitrary complex region. The Navier-Stokes equations for two-dimensional incompressible viscous flows are discretized in the Body Fitted Coordinate (BFC) system. The transformed SIMPLE algorithm is proposed to modify the pressure-velocity field and a transformed VOF method is used to trace the free surface. Hydrodynamic characteristics on an arc crown wall are obtained by the improved numerical model based on the BFC system (BFC model). The velocity field, the pressure field and the time profiles of the water surface near the arc crown wall obtained by using the BFC model and the Cartesian model are compared. The BFC model is verified by experimental results.