Preferential concentration of inertial sub-kolmogorov particles. The roles of mass loading of particles, Stokes and Reynolds numbers

Turbulent flows laden with inertial particles present multiple open questions and are a subject of great interest in current research. Due to their higher density compared to the carrier fluid, inertial particles tend to form high concentration regions, i.e. clusters, and low concentration regions, i.e. voids, due to the interaction with the turbulence. In this work, we present an experimental investigation of the clustering phenomenon of heavy sub-Kolmogorov particles in homogeneous isotropic turbulent flows. Three control parameters have been varied over significant ranges: $Re_{\lambda} \in [170 - 450]$, $St\in [0.1 - 5]$ and volume fraction $\phi_v\in [2\times 10^{-6} - 2\times 10^{-5}]$. The scaling of clustering characteristics, such as the distribution of Vorono\"i areas and the dimensions of cluster and void regions, with the three parameters are discussed. In particular, for the polydispersed size distributions considered here, clustering is found to be enhanced strongly (quasi-linearly) by $Re_{\lambda}$ and noticeably (with a square-root dependency) with $\phi_v$, while the cluster and void sizes, scaled with the Kolmogorov lengthscale $\eta$, are driven primarily by $Re_{\lambda}$. Cluster length $\sqrt{\langle A_c \rangle}$ scales up to $\approx 100 {\eta}$, measured at the highest $Re_{\lambda}$, while void length $\sqrt{\langle A_v \rangle}$ scaled also with $\eta$ is typically two times larger ($\approx 200 {\eta}$). The lack of sensitivity of the above characteristics to the Stokes number lends support to the "sweep-stick" particle accumulation scenario. The non-negligible influence of the volume fraction, however, is not considered by that model and can be connected with collective effects

An experimental study on the settling velocity of inertial particles in different homogeneous isotropic turbulent flows

We propose an experimental study on the gravitational settling velocity of dense, sub-Kolmogorov inertial particles under different background turbulent flows. We report Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer measurements in a low-speed wind tunnel uniformly seeded with micrometer scale water droplets. Turbulence is generated with three different grids (two consisting on different active-grid protocols while the third is a regular static grid), allowing us to cover a very wide range of turbulence conditions in terms of Taylor-scale based Reynolds numbers ($Re_\lambda \in [30-520]$), Rouse numbers ($Ro \in [0-5]$) and volume fractions ($\phi_v \in[0.5\times10^{-5} - 2.0\times10^{-5}]$). We find, in agreement with previous works, that enhancement of the settling velocity occurs at low Rouse number, while hindering of the settling occurs at higher Rouse number for decreasing turbulence energy levels. The wide range of flow parameters explored allowed us to observe that enhancement decreases significantly with the Taylor Reynolds number and is significantly affected by the volume fraction $\phi_v$. We also studied the effect of large-scale forcing on settling velocity modification. The possibility of changing the inflow conditions by using different grids allowed us to test cases with fixed $Re_\lambda$ and turbulent intensity but different integral length scale. Finally, we assess the existence of secondary flows in the wind tunnel and their role on particle settling. This is achieved by characterising the settling velocity at two different positions, the centreline and close to the wall, with the same streamwise coordinate.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, submitted to the Journal of Fluid Mechanic

Momentum Injection via Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuators in Low-Speed External Flow

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators can generate a wall jet without moving parts through interaction between ionized and neutral molecules in an electric field. The coupling between electro-hydrodynamic, turbulence, and viscous effects in the flow boundary layer remains unclear and deserves careful investigation. We present an experimental investigation of momentum injection by DBD actuators in a U_external = 5 m/s and U_external = 11 m/s co-flow and counter-flow configuration over a range of VAC = 12 kV - 19.5 kV peak-to-peak at a frequency of 2 kHz. In the co-flow configuration, the DBD actuator adds momentum to the boundary layer, similar to an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet in quiescent conditions. In the counter-flow configuration, flow separation is observed at free stream velocity U_external = 5 m/s. The momentum displacement in the counter-flow configuration is ~ 6x greater than EHD jet momentum in a quiescent environment. Both co-flow and counter-flow momentum injections show diminishing effects with increased external flow speed. This work highlights that the resulting flow pattern is not a simple superposition of the EHD jet and the free stream but is determined by a balance between the inertial, viscous and Coulombic forces of the EHD and the external flow. The velocity profiles and momentum characteristics can be used to validate numerical models and inform the design of DBD actuators for active flow control.Comment: 14 Pages, 13 figure

Dynamics of large turbulent structures in a steady breaker

The flow near the leading edge of a steady breaker has been studied experimentally using Bubble Image Velocimetry (BIV) with the aim of characterizing the dynamics of the large eddies responsible for air entrainment. It is well reported in the literature, and confirmed by our measurements of the instantaneous velocity field, that this flow shares some important features with the turbulent shear-layer formed between two parallel semi-infinite streams with different velocities. Namely, the formation of a periodic array of coherent vortices, the constant convective velocity of those vortices, the linear relation between their size and their downstream position and the self-similar structure of both mean velocity profiles and Reynolds shear stresses. Nonetheless, important differences exists between the dynamics of the large eddies in a steady breaker and those in a free shear-layer. Particularly, the convective velocity of these large structures is slower in a steady breaker and, consistent with this, their growth rates are larger. A physical interpretation of these differences is provided together with a discussion of their implications. To support our measurements and conclusions, we present a careful analysis of the accuracy of the BIV technique in turbulent flows with large bubblesThe authors wish to thank Professor Emil J. Hopfinger for his valuable suggestions on the interpretation of the experimental data. This work was supported by the ONR through Grant N00014-05-1-0121 and by the Spanish Ministry of Science (MICINN) through Grant DPI2008-06369Publicad

Measurement of Liquid Core Length of a Coaxial Two-fluid Spray

Shadowgraphs, tube-source X-ray radiographs, and synchrotron X-ray radiographs from a coaxial two-fluid spray are analyzed to measure the liquid core length of the spray. Two flow conditions: Rel = 1,100, Reg = 21,300, We = 40, and Rel = 1,100, Reg = 46,700, We = 196 are investigated. The standard deviation of the fluctuating intensity values are calculated and analyzed to estimate the liquid core length. Additionally, the largest connected domain is used to find an instantaneous breakup position of the spray. The results show that the high standard deviation region is related to the ligament development region, and the instantaneous position identifies ligament formation in the spray