ALBERT

Description: Flow structures of an elliptic jet in cross-flow were studied experimentally in a water tunnel using the laser-induced fluorescence technique (LIF), for a range of jet aspect ratio (AR) from 0.3 to 3.0, jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio (VR) from 1 to 5, and jet Reynolds number from 900 to 5100. The results show that the effects of aspect ratio (or jet exit orientation) are significant only in the near field, and diminish in the far field which depends only on gross jet geometry. For low-aspect-ratio jets, two adjacent counter-rotating vortex pairs (CVP) are initially formed at the sides of the jet column, with the weaker pair subsequently entrained by the stronger pair further downstream. For high-aspect-ratio jets, only one CVP is formed throughout the jet column, but the shear layer develops additional folds along the windward side of the jet. These folds subsequently evolve into smaller scale counter-rotating vortex pairs, which we refer to as windward vortex pairs (WVP). Depending on its sense of rotation, the WVP can evolve into what Haven & Kurosaka (1997) referred to as unsteady kidney vortices or anti-kidney vortices, or, under some circumstances, interconnecting kidney vortices, which have not been reported previously. While Haven & Kurosaka (1997)'s interpretation of the formation of kidney and anti-kidney vortices is topologically feasible, our observation reveals a slightly different formation process. Despite the differences in the near-field flow structures for different jet aspect ratios, the process leading to the formation of the large-scale jet structures (i.e. leading-edge vortices and lee-side vortices) for all cases is similar to that reported by Lim, New & Luo (2001) for a circular jet in cross-flow.

Description: Accelerated flow past a NACA 0015 aerofoil is investigated experimentally and computationally for Reynolds number Re = 7968 at an angle of attack α = 30°. Experiments are conducted in a specially designed piston-driven water tunnel capable of producing free-stream velocity with different ramp-type accelerations, and the DPIV technique is used to measure the resulting flow field past the aerofoil. Computations are also performed for other published data on flow past an NACA 0015 aerofoil in the range 5200 ≤ Re ≤ 35000, at different angles of attack. One of the motivations is to see if the salient features of the flow captured experimentally can be reproduced numerically. These computations to solve the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation are performed using high-accuracy compact schemes. Load and moment coefficient variations with time are obtained by solving the Poisson equation for the total pressure in the flow field. Results have also been analysed using the proper orthogonal decomposition technique to understand better the evolving vorticity field and its dependence on Reynolds number and angle of attack. An energy-based stability analysis is performed to understand unsteady flow separation. © 2007 Cambridge University Press.

Description: The structure of round jets in cross-flow was studied using flow visualization techniques and flying-hot-wire measurements. The study was restricted to jet to freestream velocity ratios ranging from 2.0 to 6.0 and Reynolds numbers based on the jet diameter and free-stream velocity in the range of 440 to 6200. Flow visualization studies, together with time-averaged flying-hot-wire measurements in both vertical and horizontal sectional planes, have allowed the mean topological features of the jet in cross-flow to be identified using critical point theory. These features include the horseshoe (or necklace) vortex system originating just upstream of the jet, a separation region inside the pipe upstream of the pipe exit, the roll-up of the jet shear layer which initiates the counter-rotating vortex pair and the separation of the flat-wall boundary layer leading to the formation of the wake vortex system beneath the downstream side of the jet. The topology of the vortex ring roll-up of the jet shear layer was studied in detail using phase-averaged flying-hot-wire measurements of the velocity field when the roll-up was forced. From these data it is possible to examine the evolution of the shear layer topology. These results are supported by the flow visualization studies which also aid in their interpretation. The study also shows that, for velocity ratios ranging from 4.0 to 6.0, the unsteady upright vortices in the wake may form by different mechanisms, depending on the Reynolds number. It is found that at high Reynolds numbers, the upright vortex orientation in the wake may change intermittently from one configuration of vortex street to another. Three mechanisms are proposed to explain these observations.

Description: This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the effects of a piston vortex on the vorticity evolution of a vortex ring. The rings are produced by the roll-up of a shear layer at a circular orifice in a plane wall and have a Reynolds number of 2000 based on the ejection velocity and orifice diameter. The generation mechanism is a piston moving inside a cylinder with a stroke length of two piston diameters. The experimental apparatus is similar to that used by Glezer and Coles (1990) where the piston finishes flush with the orifice, with the result that a piston vortex produced by the apparatus interacts with the vortex ring. Instantaneous velocity field measurements using cross-correlation digital particle image velocimetry reveal that the piston vortex not only increases the circulation of the ring but also creates an asymmetric vorticity distribution of the vortex core. It is found that 'imperfect' merging of the piston vortex with the primary vortex ring promotes the growth of an instability which leads to early transition to turbulence of initially laminar vortex rings.

Description: Vortex breakdown is a phenomenon inherent to many practical problems, such as leading-edge vortices on aircraft, atmospheric tornadoes, and flame-holders in combustion devices. The breakdown of these vortices is associated with the stagnation of the axial velocity on the vortex axis and the development of a near-axis recirculation zone. For large enough Reynolds number, the breakdown can be time-dependent. The unsteadiness can have serious consequences in some applications, such as tail-buffeting in aircraft flying at high angles of attack. There has been much interest in controlling the vortex breakdown phenomenon, but most efforts have focused on either shifting the threshold for the onset of steady breakdown or altering the spatial location of the recirculation zone. There has been much less attention paid to the problem of controlling unsteady vortex breakdown. Here we present results from a combined experimental and numerical investigation of vortex breakdown in an enclosed cylinder in which low-amplitude modulations of the rotating endwall that sets up the vortex are used as an open-loop control. As expected, for very low amplitudes of the modulation, variation of the modulation frequency reveals typical resonance tongues and frequency locking, so that the open-loop control allows us to drive the unsteady vortex breakdown to a prescribed periodicity within the resonance regions. For modulation amplitudes above a critical level that depends on the modulation frequency (but still very low), the result is a periodic state synchronous with the forcing frequency over an extensive range of forcing frequencies. Of particular interest is the spatial form of this forced periodic state: for modulation frequencies less than about twice the natural frequency of the unsteady breakdown, the oscillations of the near-axis recirculation zone are amplified, whereas for modulation frequencies larger than about twice the natural frequency the oscillations of the recirculation zone are quenched, and the near-axis flow is driven to the steady axisymmetric state. Movies are available with the online version of the paper. © 2008 Cambridge University Press.

Description: Using a variety of flow-visualization techniques, the flow behind a circular cylinder has been studied. The results obtained have provided a new insight into the vortex-shedding process. Using time-exposure photography of the motion of aluminium particles, a sequence of instantaneous streamline patterns of the flow behind a cylinder has been obtained. These streamline patterns show that during the starting flow the cavity behind the cylinder is closed. However, once the vortex-shedding process begins, this so-called ‘closed’ cavity becomes open, and instantaneous ‘alleyways’ of fluid are formed which penetrate the cavity. In addition, dye experiments also show how layers of dye and hence vorticity are convected into the cavity behind the cylinder, and how they are eventually squeezed out. © 1982, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.

Description: By applying small lateral oscillations to a glass tube from which smoke was issuing, perfectly periodic coflowing jets and wake structures were produced at Reynolds numbers of order 300-1000. These structures remained coherent over long streamwise distances and appeared to be perfectly frozen when viewed under stroboscopic light which was synchronized with the disturbing oscillation. By the use of strobing laser beams, longitudinal sections of the structures were photographed and an account of the geometry of these structures is reported. When the tube was unforced, similar structures occurred but they modulated in scale and frequency, and their orientation was random. A classification of structures is presented and examples are demonstrated in naturally occurring situations such as smoke from a cigarette, the wake behind a three-dimensional blunt body, and the high Reynolds number flow in a plume from a chimney. It is suggested that an examination of these structures may give some insight into the large-scale motion in fully turbulent flow. © 1978, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.

Description: From the results of a flow visualization experiment, certain physical characteristics of a turbulent spot are suggested by the authors. The spot was artificially initiated at a point by a small intermittent wall jet. The authors also carried out experiments behind vibrating trip wires and observed the ‘signatures’ or ‘footprints’ of the A-shaped vortices seen by other workers. The fact that these ‘signatures’ are also observed in a turbulent spot leads one to suspect that these spots consist essentially of an array of A-shaped vortices. The formation of the spot is subsequently described in terms of three-dimensional disturbances of the cross-stream vortex filaments. The basic structure of the turbulent spot proposed here is similar to the suggested structure of fully developed turbulent boundary layers first put forward by Theodorsen (1955) and more recently by Bandyopadhyay & HEAD (1979). © 1981, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.

Description: The instantaneous velocity vector fields which surround the coherent structures of Perry & Lim (1978) in coflowing jets and wakes have been successfully measured and related to the smoke patterns for Reynolds numbers of order 1000. By the use of critical point theory, a qualitative description of the three-dimensional flow field can be made and is applied to the simplest structures which were classified by Perry & Lim. From these results, the convection of smoke and vorticity from the source and the entrainment properties of the structures are discussed. © 1980, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.

Description: Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a common toxic air pollutant and is emitted from decomposing manure at animal facilities. However, there have been only a few studies of H2S emissions from animal buildings, especially those involving long-term, high-frequency measurements. In the current study, H2S emissions from two, 1000-head pig-finishing buildings in Illinois, USA, were monitored with a high-frequency measurement system for 6 months in 1997 during two, partial, pig-growth cycles. Air sample streams were continuously taken from the pit headspace, and the pit and wall fan exhaust air. Hydrogen sulphide concentration was measured at each location with H2S converters and sulphur dioxide (SO2) analysers during 16 or 24 sampling cycles per day, resulting in 4544 sampling cycles and 219 days of reliable data. Building ventilation rate was the summation of pit fan and wall fan airflow rates. Airflow rates of the underfloor manure pit fans were measured directly with full-size impeller anemometers or calculated from airflow/voltage relationships of the fans. Airflow rates of the wall fans were calculated from fan operation and differential static pressure data and fan performance curves. Mean H2S emission was 0·59 kg/day per building, 0·74 g/day per m2 of pit surface area, or 6·3 g/day per animal unit (AU = 500 kg animal weight). The determination of H2S emission per AU was restricted to 193 days when building occupancy was at least 700 pigs per building. Higher temperatures and building ventilation rates resulted in significantly higher H2S emissions per AU.