Nonlinear interactions isolated through scale synthesis in experimental wall turbulence

An experimental investigation of nonlinear scale interactions in a forced turbulent boundary layer is presented here. A dynamic wall perturbation mechanism was used to externally force two distinct large-scale synthetic modes with well-defined spatial and temporal wave numbers in a fully turbulent flow. The focus is on characterizing the nonlinear flow response at triadically consistent wave numbers that arises from the direct interactions of the two synthetic modes. These experimental results isolate triadic scale interactions in wall turbulence in a unique fashion, and provide the ability to explore the dynamics of scale coupling in a systematic and detailed manner. The ideas advanced here are intended to contribute towards modeling efforts of high-Reynolds-number wall turbulence

Small-scale phase organization through large-scale inputs in a turbulent boundary layer

A synthetic large-scale motion is excited in a flat plate turbulent boundary layer experiment and its influence on small-scale turbulence is studied. The synthetic scale is seen to alter the average natural phase relationships in a quasi-deterministic manner, and exhibit a phase-organizing influence on the directly coupled small-scales. The results and analysis presented here are of interest from a scientific perspective, and also suggest the possibility of engineering schemes for favorable manipulation of energetic small-scale turbulence through practical large-scale inputs

Strouhal number universality in high-speed cylinder wake flows

Flow oscillations in the near-wake region of a 2D circular cylinder are experimentally investigated at Mach 6 over the Reynolds number range $2.3\times10^5$ to $5\times10^5$. The oscillation frequency is obtained by spectral proper orthogonal decomposition of high-speed schlieren data. The Strouhal number based on the length of the near-wake shear layers is found to exhibit universal behavior. This corroborates experimental findings at Mach 4 from recent literature, and further, the universal behavior is also seen to hold with respect to Mach number. Time-resolved pressure measurements at the flow separation points on the cylinder aft surface show that coherent oscillatory activity occurs with a phase difference of $\pi$ radians between the two statistically-symmetric halves of the flow. This aspect of the flow dynamics at high speeds is in common with its low-speed counterpart, i.e. the canonical problem of cylinder wake in an incompressible flow.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Hydraulic Fracturing in Porous and Fractured Rocks

There are various methods to determine in situ stress parameters, each having its own advantages and limitations. Among the methods available, the hydraulic fracturing method is the most adopted method for in situ stress measurements because of its simplicity and reliability. But the legitimacy of this method becomes questionable in fractured and porous rocks as the amount of experimental work has thus far been limited, especially in the case of its validity in fractured and porous rocks. The relatively slow rates of pressurisation have ensured that when fracture initiation occurs, the sudden increase in volume may lead to a marked drop in pressure in the fractured section, which is easily recognised from the pressure record. This is because pressure cannot be developed if the rate of leakage in the formation is equal to or higher than the flow rate applied for fracture initiation

Phase relationships in presence of a synthetic large-scale in a turbulent boundary layer

A synthetic spanwise-constant spatio-temporal mode is excited in a flat plate turbulent boundary layer through a spatially impulsive patch of dynamic wall-roughness. The streamwise wavelength of the synthetic mode approximately corresponds to the very large-scale motions present in high Reynolds number wall turbulence. Hot wire anemometer measurements made downstream of the roughness forcing reveal the nature of the two dimensional synthetic large-scale and its influence on the small-scale turbulence. A clear phase organizing effect on the small-scales is noticed in presence of the synthetic large-scale. A thorough understanding of these phase relations lays the foundation for a framework that allows for practical manipulation of energetic small-scale turbulence through large-scale inputs by utilizing the inherent non-linear coupling present in the governing Navier-Stokes equations

Support System Design for Deep Coal Mining by Numerical Modeling and a Case Study

Importance of numerical modeling in mine design gained pace after modern way of approach took birth through many variants. Methods such as Continuum and Discontinuum emerge as most effective in resolving certain issues. Cases such as heterogeneity, prevailing boundary conditions in continuum case and presence of discontinuities in other have provided solutions for many causes. A suitable support system is designed for deep virgin coal mining blocks of Godavari Valley Coalfield in India. This analysis is carried out using numerical modeling technique. The results show that the stresses at an angle to the level galleries are adverse. The level gallery/dip-raise may be oriented at 200 to 400 to reduce roof problems

Laboratory simulations show diabatic heating drives cumulus-cloud evolution and entrainment

Clouds are the largest source of uncertainty in climate science, and remain a weak link in modeling tropical circulation. A major challenge is to establish connections between particulate microphysics and macroscale turbulent dynamics in cumulus clouds. Here we address the issue from the latter standpoint. First we show how to create bench-scale flows that reproduce a variety of cumulus-cloud forms (including two genera and three species), and track complete cloud life cycles—e.g., from a “cauliflower” congestus to a dissipating fractus. The flow model used is a transient plume with volumetric diabatic heating scaled dynamically to simulate latent-heat release from phase changes in clouds. Laser-based diagnostics of steady plumes reveal Riehl–Malkus type protected cores. They also show that, unlike the constancy implied by early self-similar plume models, the diabatic heating raises the Taylor entrainment coefficient just above cloud base, depressing it at higher levels. This behavior is consistent with cloud-dilution rates found in recent numerical simulations of steady deep convection, and with aircraft-based observations of homogeneous mixing in clouds. In-cloud diabatic heating thus emerges as the key driver in cloud development, and could well provide a major link between microphysics and cloud-scale dynamics

Emerging Copper-Based Semiconducting Materials for Photocathodic Applications in Solar Driven Water Splitting

Hydrogen production through solar-driven water splitting is a promising approach and an alternative to the conventional steam reforming of natural gas and coal gasification. The growing energy demand and environmental degradation through carbon-emitting fossil fuels urge a transition in the usage of non-renewable to renewable sources of energy. The photocathodes in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting cell are essential for the direct evolution of hydrogen. Among the known photocathodes, Cu-based p-type semiconducting materials are the most promising photo-absorber materials owing to their low-cost, low toxicity, natural abundance, suitable bandgaps, and favorable band edges for reduction. Moreover, the chemical stability and the rate of recombination significantly limit the longevity, the PEC performance, and practical applicability of Cu-based photocathodes. To overcome these problems, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of the constraints, improvement strategies, and an assessment of current developments in order to construct and design highly stable and efficient photocathodes. Here, in this review we have summarized the development of Cu-based metal oxide and sulfide photocathodes with the significant operational challenges and strategies that have successfully been employed to enhance the PEC performance. Furthermore, the emphasis is placed on recent reports and future perspectives regarding emerging challenges

Phase relationships between velocity, wall pressure, and wall shear stress in a forced turbulent boundary layer

A large scale spatio-temporally periodic disturbance was excited in a turbulent boundary layer via a wall-actuated dynamic roughness. Streamwise velocity, wall pressure, and direct wall shear stress measurements were made with a hot wire, pressure microphone, and a micro-scale differential capacitive sensor, respectively. Phase-averaged fields for the three quantities were calculated and analyzed. A phase calibration between the various sensors was performed with an acoustic plane wave tube over a range of operating conditions to validate a direct phase comparison between the respective quantities. Results suggest encouraging agreement between the phase of the wall shear stress and velocity near the wall; however, more refined velocity measurements are needed to make quantitative comparisons to the wall pressure. Overall, this work highlights the potential for wall-based control with applications towards reducing turbulent drag

Recent trends in photoelectrochemical water splitting: the role of cocatalysts

Environmental degradation due to the carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels has triggered the need for sustainable and renewable energy. Hydrogen has the potential to meet the global energy requirement due to its high energy density; moreover, it is also clean burning. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a method that generates hydrogen from water by using solar radiation. Despite the advantages of PEC water splitting, its applications are limited by poor efficiency due to the recombination of charge carriers, high overpotential, and sluggish reaction kinetics. The synergistic effect of using different strategies with cocatalyst decoration is promising to enhance efficiency and stability. Transition metal-based cocatalysts are known to improve PEC efficiency by reducing the barrier to charge transfer. Recent developments in novel cocatalyst design have led to significant advances in the fundamental understanding of improved reaction kinetics and the mechanism of hydrogen evolution. To highlight key important advances in the understanding of surface reactions, this review provides a detailed outline of very recent reports on novel PEC system design engineering with cocatalysts. More importantly, the role of cocatalysts in surface passivation and photovoltage, and photocurrent enhancement are highlighted. Finally, some challenges and potential opportunities for designing efficient cocatalysts are discussed