Search

Examines the phase dynamics of Karman vortices in cylinder wakes. Formulation of the spanwise Ginzburg-Landau model; Determination of the model constants from wave number shock experiments; Wave number expansion fans.

This study numerically investigates the influence of the taper on the flow-induced vibrations of an elastically mounted circular cylinder under vortex-induced vibrations (VIV). The dynamic response of three different taper ratios [ T R defined as T R = l / (d 2 − d 1) = 12 (highly tapered cylinder), 20 (medium tapered cylinder), and 40 (low tapered cylinder)], where d1 and d2 are the largest and smallest diameter of the tapered cylinder, respectively, with length l is studied at a fixed Reynolds number [ Re D , defined based on the averaged cylinder diameter, D = (d 1 + d 2) / 2 ] of 150. The amplitude and frequency response of the tapered cylinder is characterized by a low mass ratio (defined as the ratio of the total oscillating mass to the displaced fluid mass) of m* = 2 over the wide range of reduced velocity (3 ≤ U r ≤ 16) covering the full amplitude-response spectrum (based on the oscillation amplitude) of the VIV. The results show the existence of difference in the spanwise shedding of vortices owing to the poor spanwise pressure correlation. The flow field analysis in the wake of the oscillating cylinder reveals the dominance of the three-dimensional structures in the wake (near the top end with the larger diameter) behind the cylinder with the increase in the taper ratio (even at such low Re D where the uniform cylinder exhibits the two-dimensional wake). Also, the tapered cylinder exhibits a wide range of frequency synchronization (i.e., wide lock-in area) compared to the uniform cylinder. Tapering the cylinder results in the shift of the peak of the max oscillation amplitude or, in turn, the shift in the transitioning of the response branches. Further, force decomposition, energy transfer, and phase dynamics are also discussed for the taper cylinders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wave-induced hydrodynamics of coupled nonlinear piston-mode fluid resonances within two narrow gaps between three barges are numerically investigated using a two-dimensional viscous wave flume. This study aims to explore the time-dependent nonlinear interactions between fluid oscillations in the two gaps. The coupled synchronous dynamic behaviors of fluid oscillations during the transient evolution stage are first examined in terms of amplitude and frequency modulation. It is shown that phase dynamics, including phase slipping, trapping, and locking, play significant roles in establishing the coupled synchronous dynamic evolutions of fluid oscillations in the two gaps. The quasi-steady state of the amplitude- and phase-frequency responses of fluid oscillations within the gaps, along with the reflection and transmission waves in front of and behind the three-barge system, are further analyzed. This analysis clarifies the significance of viscous damping energy dissipation and radiation damping energy transfer involved in gap resonance problems. This clarification also explains the performance of fully nonlinear potential flow solvers in predicting fluid resonances in the two narrow gaps. Finally, the nonlinear dynamic features of fluid oscillations are examined. The effects of incident wave nonlinearity, i.e., wave steepness, on resonant frequencies, response amplitudes, energy dissipation, and reflection and transmission coefficients are investigated. Harmonic analysis via Fourier transformation reveals the contributions of first-, second-, and third-order harmonics to the overall response amplitudes. The physical insights gained from this study provide a deeper understanding of the coupled nonlinear dynamics of piston-mode fluid resonances in multiple narrow gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfluidic technology applied for the controlled production of double emulsions has gained significant interest in biomedicine and material synthesis. The precise regulation of emulsion size depends on the in-depth study of the formation mechanism. A ternary multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann model with robust stability and multiphase accuracy is established and applied to investigate the formation mechanism of double emulsions within a flow-focusing microchannel. Integrated with the regularized and convective boundary conditions, the present model proves adept at simulating the complex multiphase flow behavior in microchannels under various properties and operation parameters. Extensive validations involving static and dynamic cases demonstrate the model accuracy in capturing three-phase interactions and multiphase flow fields while also significantly enhancing stability and accommodating a broader range of viscosity ratios. Our systematic investigation involves the influence of flow rate, viscosity ratio, interfacial tension ratio, and orifice section size on the formation of double emulsions. The results show the impact of flow rate on flow patterns and inner phase volume, revealing an expanded operation range of the dripping pattern brought by the increased outer phase flow rate. Notably, two distinct droplet formation mechanisms, i.e., shear mode and squeeze mode, are identified across a wide range of viscosity ratios. Additionally, the investigation of interfacial tension ratios focuses on assessing the effect of various interfacial tension combinations, while alterations in orifice width reveal its significant impact on shear strength and dispersed phase dynamics. This work deepens the understanding of double emulsion mechanics and offers a versatile platform for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inertial micro-particles, dispersed in turbulent flows, are affected by the local dynamics of the carrier flow field. The presence of a relative dilute loading of particles entails some relevant changes in the mean velocity field. Moreover, the roughness of the solid boundary affects both the carrier and the carried phase dynamics and their mutual interaction. The underlying physics has been exhaustively tackled in the so-called one-way coupling regime, i.e., negligible action of particles onto the fluid, whereas many aspects of the particle back-reaction have been much less investigated and are still poorly understood. Thus the research in this area remains very active. In order to understand the mutual interaction between carrier and carried phases, direct numerical simulations are particularly suitable, even at low Reynolds number. Here, particle laden flow over a complex domain is investigated at friction Reynolds number Reτ = 180. The numerical analysis is based on the Euler-Lagrange approach, taking into account the fluid-particle interaction (two-way coupling). Point forces are used to represent the back-effect of particles on the turbulence and the effect of the wall's roughness is taken into account modeling the elastic rebound of particles onto it, instead of using a virtual rebound model. The interest is focused on the effect of micro-particles of different inertia on fluid and particle statistics in the near-wall region. In particular, turbulent and solid phase statistics are compared with those obtained for a one-way coupled flow, for the same Reynolds number in smooth and rough channel flow configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distortion and break-up of a thin planar liquid film impacted by two gas jets while discharging from a twin-fluid atomizer is studied numerically. The gas momentum vector has components normal and parallel to the liquid stream. Viscosity and compressibility are neglected in both the liquid phase and the gas phase. The reduced-dimension (lubrication) approximation is employed to describe the nonlinear distortion and breakup of the thin film. The gas-phase dynamics are modelled by using a boundary-element-method formulation. For the considered parameter range and for a given energy expenditure, direct modulation of liquid-phase velocities at the nozzle exit is found to be more effective in causing film rupture than indirect modulation via adjacent impacting gas jets. In the former case, dilational film modulation results in shorter breakup lengths than sinuous modulation. On the other hand, for gas-jet modulated films, sinuous mode forcing is more effective than dilational forcing for the same energy input. Co-flowing gas streams significantly alter wavelengths and amplitudes of film disturbances generated by direct film modulation. Large ratios of gas-jet momentum to liquid-film momentum result in "immediate" film rupture in response to the dynamics of the impacting gas jets, whereas for lower ratios films disintegration occurs further downstream after continuous growth of the initial disturbances. Film distortion is characterized by the formation of fluid blobs or long band-like films depending on Weber number values and density ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass straw fuel has the advantage of low-carbon sustainability, and therefore, it has been widely used in recent years in coupled blending combustion with coal-fired utility boilers for power generation. At present, the drag force FD, the lift force FL, and the torque T evaluation model are very limited. In this study, within a wide range of Reynolds numbers (10 ≤ Re ≤ 2000) and incident angles (0° ≤ θ ≤ 90°), the computational fluid dynamics open source code OpenFOAM-body-fitted mesh method is used to carry out the direct numerical simulation of the flow characteristics of large cylindrical biomass particles with a high aspect ratio of L/D = 9:1. The results show that (1) the projected area of the cylinder begins to decrease after reaching the maximum at θ = 15°, while the change in the incident angle causes the formation of a smaller recirculation zone on the leeward side of the structure, and the effect of the pressure difference on the drag coefficient (CD) is reduced. (2) The lift coefficient (CL) displays a parabolic symmetric distribution when θ = 45°, and then the distribution becomes asymmetrical when Re > 100. The torque coefficient (CT) exhibits a similar trend. (3) Based on the simulation data and the literature data, new models for CD, CL, and CT for cylinders with L/D = 9:1, 10 ≤ Re ≤ 2000 and 0° ≤ θ ≤ 90° are obtained, and the mean square errors are 2.4 × 10−2, 1.4 × 10−2, and 6.4 × 10−2, respectively. This new model can improve the accuracy and adaptability of the universal model of gas–solid dynamics for biomass particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single droplet impacts onto thin wall-films are a common phenomenon in many applications. For sufficiently high impact velocities, the droplet impact process consists of three phases, i.e., initial contact stage, droplet deformation with radial momentum transfer inducing an upward rising lamella, and crown propagation. Here, we present the results of a combined numerical and experimental study focusing on the early dynamics of the impact process. Specifically, the effects of the initial droplet shape, wall-film thickness, and contact line motion are analyzed. Prior to impact, an oblate spheroidal droplet shape was observed. Using direct numerical simulation, we show that the droplet shape affects the impact dynamics only during the first two phases, as it is one of the key parameter influencing the correct prediction of the impact zone. The contact line propagation is described by a square-root-time dependence R ¯ CL = α τ for both, dry and wetted surfaces. On dry surfaces, the advancement of the contact line is determined by the rolling motion of the truncated droplet. On wetted surfaces, the value of the α-parameter is controlled by two concurrent effects, namely, rolling motion and wall-film inertia. For impact onto thin films, the rolling motion prevails. With increasing wall-film height, the droplet penetrates into the soft substrates and wall-film inertia becomes the controlling factor. These insights into the early impact dynamics on wetted surface are important for the formulation of a unified modeling approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essence of wind-blown sand movement is a particle movement system driven by high Reynolds number wall turbulence in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL). Understanding this phenomenon is crucial as the law and mechanism of sand movement have not been effectively revealed at present. In this study, we utilize the high-frequency time series data from the Oceano site, a renowned location for such studies, which includes streamwise wind velocity (u), wall-normal wind velocity (w), temperature (T), and total saltation mass flux (q) to delve deeper into wind-blown sand movement. The results indicate a positive correlation between T and w. Interestingly, this correlation not only escalates with height but also intensifies with the increase of the stratification stability parameters (z/L). Sand influences the intensity ratio of each quadrant to Reynolds stress without altering the time ratio. Both the ejection and sweep processes correlate well with z/L. Similarly, q also exhibits a good correlation with z/L. The buoyancy's impact on the low-frequency fluctuations of q might be through its effect on the low-frequency fluctuations of w, enhancing the sand transport capacity of w. This discovery holds profound implications for the study of two-phase flow in ASL and the precise prediction of surface sediment transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spheres are the most studied water entry projectile due to their symmetry and simplicity, but in practical applications, it is rare that an impacting body is perfectly spherical. Perturbations to the classical impactor are thus critical for aligning fundamental investigation with more advanced engineering applications. This study investigates the water entry of hydrophilic and hydrophobic spheres with through-channels along the water entry axis and producing deep seal cavities. The channels allow water to pass through the sphere to create a jet tailing the sphere and hastening cavity pinch-off. Channeled spheres produce smaller cavities than their intact counterparts and suppress the onset of cavity formation. Spheres with channels show similar drag coefficients as solid, intact spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a peculiar nodal-shaped oscillation in vortex-induced vibration (VIV). This response is distinct from the commonly observed limit cycle oscillation in VIV and other aeroelastic problems. To gain insight into the dynamics in nodal-shaped oscillation, we conduct wind tunnel tests to investigate the VIV response of a freely oscillating rectangular cylinder with various transverse structural natural frequencies fs and wind speeds. The evolution of the flow field during nodal-shaped oscillation was examined using time-frequency analysis and modal analysis. During the divergent stage of the nodal-shaped oscillation, two modes, namely, the wake mode with a frequency of f = 1.28fs and the structure mode with a frequency of f = fs, were found to dominate the response of the flow. The two modes in VIV are coupled and compete with each other, diverging the oscillation of the structure. As the oscillation diverges and the amplitude increases to the maximum, the wake mode vanishes, which disengages the coupling of the fluid and structure modes. This stops the VIV and the oscillation decays until the wake mode reappears at f = 1.28fs. The above processes cycle over and over again, resulting in nodal-shaped (divergent-decay-divergent-decay) oscillation cycles. This finding explains the underlying dynamical mechanism of nodal-shaped oscillation and demonstrates the strong relationship between the wake mode and VIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Reynolds number (R e τ = 180 and 300), particle Stokes number (S t + = 0.5 , 50 , and 92), and fluid–solid phase coupling level (one-way, two-way, and four-way) on particle behavior in turbulent channel flows has been investigated using direct numerical simulation and Lagrangian particle tracking. Previous studies have used all these levels of coupling, but in terms of those employing four-way coupling, no consideration is given as to how emergent phenomena due to collision dynamics within a flow affect the way in which particles impart feedback to the continuous phase. In the present work, we relate the particle–particle interaction to particle–fluid coupling, as well as in assessing its relation to the Stokes number. As the Reynolds number increases and the turbulent region narrows, fewer particles retain their velocity as they migrate to the wall-region leading to reduced streamwise velocity fluctuations and preferential concentration. It is also evident that low Stokes number particles are capable of minor wall-accumulation at R e τ = 300. At this increased Reynolds number, four-way coupled simulations performed with moderate Stokes number particles (S t + = 50) are shown to diminish the effects of particle–fluid feedback, leading to similar fluid and particle statistics as the one-way coupled simulations. It is concluded that turbophoretic and preferential concentration effects are responsible for this phenomenon, since the increased collision rates due to larger concentrations of particles and velocity fluctuations in the wall-region correlate directly with the impact on the two-way coupling flow modifications. Analysis of the collision dynamics also indicates particles colliding with increased relative velocities and angles, which cause larger momentum transfer and directional redistribution, increasing and redirecting slip velocities. It is concluded that for midrange Stokes numbers, four-way coupling is imperative to increase simulation accuracy beyond that obtained assuming one-way coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents droplet dynamics in a rough capillary channel. Prior studies investigating the effect of roughness on fluid flow have mainly considered a continuous phase whose behavior is different from a discontinuous phase, i.e., an oil slug. To explore the dynamic behavior of droplet motion across a rough channel, a direct numerical simulation of in a three-dimensional channel is performed. Three models have been considered: model A had a rough surface only on the bottom walls, model B on both the bottom and top walls, and model C on all walls. The results show that in contrast with common observations, roughness promotes droplet mobility in comparison with smooth walls. The presence of roughness results to an additional energy required to move the droplet, and the degree of confinement increases with the roughness; thus, the difficult of mobilization increases with the increase in roughness. Different roughness parameter effects have been investigated. The results have shown that the critical pressure increases with the increase in the pillar's height and decreases with the pillars spacing. The offset leads to a decrease in flow resistance for larger contact angles. We noted also that it is more difficult to mobilize a discontinuous phase in a neutral-wet surface condition. Furthermore, discontinuous pillars in the lateral direction led to much higher resistance. Through our comprehensive numerical study, we provide valuable insights into the impact of roughness in capillary channels. These findings can be used as guidelines for designing droplet flow on complex and rough surfaces, such as microfluidic devices, and hold significant relevance in the optimization of droplet control strategies in enhanced oil recovery methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been a long-standing problem how schooling fish optimize their motion by exploiting the vortices shed by the others. A recent experimental study showed that a pair of fish reduce energy consumption by matching the phases of their tailbeat according to their distance. In order to elucidate the dynamical mechanism by which fish control the motion of caudal fins via vortex-mediated hydrodynamic interactions, we introduce a new model of a self-propelled swimmer with an active flapping plate. The model incorporates the role of the central pattern generator network that generates rhythmic but noisy activity of the caudal muscle, in addition to hydrodynamic and elastic torques on the fin. For a solitary fish, the model reproduces a linear relation between the swimming speed and tailbeat frequency, as well as the distributions of the speed, tailbeat amplitude, and frequency. For a pair of fish, both the distribution function and energy dissipation rate exhibit periodic patterns as functions of the front-back distance and phase difference of the flapping motion. We show that a pair of fish spontaneously adjust their distance and phase difference via hydrodynamic interaction to reduce energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear and weakly nonlinear stability of flow in the Taylor-Dean system is investigated. The base flow far from the boundaries, is a superposition of circular Couette and curved channel Poiseuille flows. The computations provide for a finite gap system, critical values of Taylor numbers, wave numbers and wave speeds for the primary transitions. Moreover, comparisons are made with results obtained in the small gap approximation. It is shown that the occurrence of oscillatory nonaxisymmetric modes depends on the "anisotropy" coefficient in the dispersion relation, and that the critical Taylor number changes slightly with the azimuthal wave number for large absolute values of rotation ratio. The weakly nonlinear analysis is made in the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau equations for anisotropic systems. The primary bifurcation towards stationary or traveling rolls is supercritical when Poiseuille component of the base flow is produced by a partial filling. An external pumping can induce a subcritical bifurcation for a finite range of rotation ratio. Special attention is also given to the influence of anisotropy properties on the phase dynamics of bifurcated solution (Eckhaus and Benjamin-Feir conditions). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional solutions and stability analysis are presented for an evaporating thin viscous liquid film flowing inside a uniformly heated rotating horizontal cylinder. A non-linear, fourth-order, partial differential evolution equation is obtained by simplifying mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations within the lubrication approximation. The effect of evaporation, gravity, viscous drag, surface tension, thermocapillary stress, and intermolecular forces has been taken into account. The numerical solutions of the model are validated against the existing experimental as well as the numerical results, along with the analytical result for the limiting cases of the present model. The film thickness model is solved to elucidate two-dimensional spatiotemporal solutions and their stability for a wide range of thermal and other parameters. The evaporative mass flux at the liquid–air interface results in unsteady solutions which are oscillatory in nature, and the amplitude of the oscillations increases with an increase in the evaporative flux. The film ruptures after some time and the rupture time is found to be inversely proportional to the evaporation number, a non-dimensional number quantifying the rate of evaporation. The linear stability analysis shows that the thermocapillary stresses as well as the long-range molecular forces destabilize the film. A negative disjoining pressure is shown to reduce the rupture time and vice versa. Evaporation (condensation) plays a destabilizing (stabilizing) role in the thin film flow. Non-linear computations are carried out for the steady profiles, validating the growth rates obtained from the linear stability analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main contribution of this study is the effects of the operating conditions on the internal vapor pressure and temperature in an annular screen wick heat pipe, using distilled water as the working fluid. High-resolution pressure transducers, optical fiber distributed temperature sensors, and K-type thermocouples were employed to measure the internal and external temperatures as well as the local static pressures at different axial positions of the heat pipe. Temporal and frequency analysis using a one-dimensional continuous wavelet transform was performed on the differential pressure data to characterize flow behavior and infer the flow regime occurring within the heat pipe. The heat pipe was tested in multiple orientations with respect to the horizon (θ = 0 ° , 45 ° , and 90 °), heat loads (25, 50, and 75 W), and condenser coolant temperatures ( T w , i n = 10 ° C , 20 ° C , and 30 ° C). To estimate the vapor-phase flow friction factor for multiple Reynolds numbers, the Lockhart–Martinelli correlation was employed. This study provides critical experimental data and analyses for complex two-phase flow behavior in an annular wick heat pipe geometry. The thermal resistance and effective thermal conductivity were estimated as a function of the heat pipe orientation and power input. The experimental investigation revealed that power input and orientation influence both the internal vapor core and external surface temperatures, as well as the local pressure response. The outcomes from this study provide a valuable database that supports the advancement of heat pipe design, modeling, and validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the modulational instability (MI) of a linearly polarized electromagnetic (EM) wave envelope in an intermediate regime of relativistic degenerate plasmas at a finite temperature (T ≠ 0) where the thermal energy (K B T) and the rest-mass energy (m e c 2) of electrons do not differ significantly, i.e., β e ≡ K B T / m e c 2 ≲ (or ≳) 1 , but the Fermi energy (K B T F) and the chemical potential energy (μ e) of electrons are still a bit higher than the thermal energy, i.e., T F > T and ξ e = μ e / K B T ≳ 1. Starting from a set of relativistic fluid equations for degenerate electrons at finite temperature, coupled to the EM wave equation and using the multiple scale perturbation expansion scheme, a one-dimensional nonlinear Schödinger (NLS) equation is derived, which describes the evolution of slowly varying amplitudes of EM wave envelopes. Then, we study the MI of the latter in two different regimes, namely, β e < 1 and β e > 1. Like unmagnetized classical cold plasmas, the modulated EM envelope is always unstable in the region β e > 4. However, for β e ≲ 1 and 1 < β e < 4 , the wave can be stable or unstable depending on the values of the EM wave frequency, ω, and the parameter ξe. We also obtain the instability growth rate for the modulated wave and find a significant reduction by increasing the values of either βe or ξe. Finally, we present the profiles of the traveling EM waves in the form of bright (envelope pulses) and dark (voids) solitons, as well as the profiles (other than traveling waves) of the Kuznetsov–Ma breather, the Akhmediev breather, and the Peregrine solitons as EM rogue (freak) waves, and discuss their characteristics in the regimes of β e ≲ 1 and β e > 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiple-relaxation-time color gradient lattice Boltzmann model is established for simulating the flow mechanism of viscous fluids or fluids with high viscosity ratios in the microchannel. The regularized method is incorporated in this MRT framework to deal with the high viscosity ratio problems involving practical inlet–outlet boundaries. By taking several static and dynamic cases, we prove that this model could accurately describe interfacial tension, wettability, and flow problems in two-phase flows with a low spurious velocity at the range of viscosity ratio up to O(103). Using this model, we successfully simulate the droplet formation process of fluids with a high viscosity ratio in the common T-junction channel. The results are in good agreement with the experiments in the literature. We further investigate the effect of high viscosity ratios on the dispersion process, revealing that the substantial increase in terms of the viscosity ratio of fluids leads to the enhancement of continuous phase viscous shear and dispersed phase inertia effect, which would bring the deviation of the operating range from mostly reported flow systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs) of a flexible cylinder subjected to multi-directional flows have been studied based on a wake oscillator model. The multi-directional flow comprises two slabs of flows in different directions, with each slab having a uniform uni-directional profile. The dynamics of the flexible cylinder is described based on the linear Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, and a wake oscillator model is uniformly distributed along the cylinder to model the hydrodynamic force acting on it. The dynamics of the coupled system has been solved numerically using the finite element method, and simulations have been conducted with the cylinder subjected to multi-directional flows with different angles between the two slabs. A large number of different initial conditions have been applied, and more than one steady-state response has been captured. The steady-state responses exhibit two different patterns: one is characterized by two waves traveling in opposite directions, while the other is dominated by a single traveling wave. The cross-flow VIV primarily occurs in the local cross-flow direction, and a transition of its vibrating direction happens at the interface of the two flows. Such transition is not observed in the inline VIV, and significant vibrations at the double frequency appear in both local cross-flow and inline directions. Energy analysis shows that this transition is boosted by a specific energy transfer pattern between the structure and the flow, which excites the vibration of the cylinder in some directions while damps it in others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eolian sand transport in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL) is a typical kind of gas–solid two-phase flow at a very high Reynolds number that fluctuates over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Based on the high-frequency time series of streamwise wind speed (u) and total saltation mass flux (q) measure at three different observation sites, the fluctuating characteristics of u and q in the near-neutral ASL have been analyzed. Our study suggests that the probability density function (PDF) of the normalized streamwise wind speed fluctuations at the height of approximately 0.5 m follows a standard normal distribution, and the PDF of the q presents a lognormal distribution in the near-neutral ASL during strong and steady wind-blown sand. The investigations on the premultiplied spectral of q and u show that, as the energy of very large-scale motions (VLSMs) increases, the influence of the VLSMs on q becomes more significant. In addition, the stochastic couplings between u and q have been analyzed by using space–time correlations and linear coherence spectrum. Our results suggest that the VLSMs have a significant effect on the low-frequency fluctuations of q in the near-neutral ASL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The education sector has suffered a catastrophic setback due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, with classrooms being closed indefinitely. The current study aims to solve the existing dilemma by examining COVID transmission inside a classroom and providing long-term sustainable solutions. In this work, a standard 5 × 3 × 5 m3 classroom is considered where 24 students are seated, accompanied by a teacher. A computational fluid dynamics simulation based on OpenFOAM is performed using a Eulerian–Lagrangian framework. Based on the stochastic dose–response framework, we have evaluated the infection risk in the classroom for two distinct cases: (i) certain students are infected and (ii) the teacher is infected. If the teacher is infected, the probability of infection could reach 100% for certain students. When certain students are infected, the maximum infection risk for a susceptible person reaches 30%. The commonly used cloth mask proves to be ineffective in providing protection against infection transmission, reducing the maximum infection probability by approximately 26% only. Another commonly used solution in the form of shields installed on desks has also failed to provide adequate protection against infection, reducing the infection risk only by 50%. Furthermore, the shields serve as a source of fomite mode of infection. Screens suspended from the ceiling, which entrap droplets, have been proposed as a novel solution that reduces the infection risk by 90% and 95% compared to the no screen scenario besides being completely devoid of fomite infection mode. The manifestation of infection risk in the domain was investigated, and it was found out that in the case of screens the maximum infection risk reached the value of only 0.2 (20% infection probability) in 1325 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed a data-driven model for the prediction of fluid–particle dynamics by coupling a flow surrogate model based on the deep convolutional neural network (CNN) and a Lagrangian particle tracking model based on the discrete phase model. The applicability of the model for the prediction of the single-fiber filtration efficiency (SFFE) for elliptical- and trilobal-shaped fibers was investigated. The ground-truth training data for the CNN flow surrogate model were obtained from a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for laminar incompressible flow. Details of fluid–particle dynamics parameters, including fluid and particle velocity vectors and contribution of Brownian and hydrodynamic forces, were examined to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the developed data-driven model. The CNN model with the U-net architecture provided highly accurate per-pixel predictions of velocity vectors and static pressure around the fibers with a speedup of more than three orders of magnitude compared with CFD simulations. Although SFFE was accurately predicted by the data-driven model, the uncertainties in the velocity predictions by the CNN flow surrogate model in low-velocity regions near the fibers resulted in deviations in the particle dynamics predictions. These flow uncertainties contributed to the random motion of particles due to Brownian diffusion and increased the probability of particles being captured by the fiber. The findings provide guidelines for the development of data science-based models for multiphysics fluid mechanics problems encountered in fibrous systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In dilute turbulent particle-laden flows, such as atmospheric dispersion of pollutants or virus particles, the dynamics of tracer-like to low inertial particles are significantly altered by the fluctuating motion of the carrier fluid phase. Neglecting the effects of fluid velocity fluctuations on particle dynamics causes poor prediction of particle transport and dispersion. To account for the effects of fluid phase fluctuating velocity on the particle transport, stochastic differential equations coupled with large-eddy simulation are proposed to model the fluid velocity seen by the particle. The drift and diffusion terms in the stochastic differential equation are modeled using neural networks ("neural stochastic differential equations"). The neural networks are trained with direct numerical simulations (DNS) of decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence at low and moderate Reynolds numbers. The predictability of the proposed models is assessed against DNS results through a priori analyses and a posteriori simulations of decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence at low-to-high Reynolds numbers. Total particle fluctuating kinetic energy is under-predicted by 40% with no model, compared to the DNS data. In contrast, the proposed model predictions match total particle fluctuating kinetic energy to within 5% of the DNS data for low- to high-inertia particles. For inertial particles, the model matches the variance of uncorrelated particle velocity to within 10% of DNS results, compared to 60%–70% under-prediction with no model. It is concluded that the proposed model is applicable for flow configurations involving tracer and inertial particles, such as transport and dispersion of pollutants or virus particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study numerically investigates the three-dimensionality in the flow and two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) vortex-induced-vibrations (VIV) characteristics of an elastically mounted circular cylinder. The cylinder is allowed to vibrate in both streamwise and transverse directions. A low value of mass-ratio (m * = 2.546) with the zero-damping coefficient (ζ = 0) is taken for the simulations. The primary aim is to understand the vortex shedding behind the cylinder and the transition characteristics of the wake-flow from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D). The Reynolds number (Re) is varied from 150 (fully 2D flow) to 1000 (fully 3D flow), which lies inside the laminar range. The reduced velocity (U r) is varied 2 ≤ U r ≤ 17 , which covers all three major VIV branches [initial branch (IB), upper branch (UB), and the lower branch (LB)]. The oscillating cylinder sweeps the figure-eight trajectory. Two branches (IB, LB) and three branches (IB, UB, LB) amplitude responses are obtained for the low and high Re values, respectively. The wake behind the cylinder with 2DOF VIV undergoes the mode-C transition of 2D to 3D flow as opposed to the direct mode-B transition observed for transverse only VIV in the literature. The critical Re range of the 2D to 3D transition for the 2DOF VIV cylinder at a reduced velocity of 6 is around 250, less than the 1DOF VIV. Also, this range varies with the variation in m * and the streamwise to transverse oscillation frequency ratio ( f * ). A λ z − Re map (where λ z represents the spanwise wavelength of the streamwise vortices) is proposed for the 2DOF VIV, highlighting different modes of transition obtained for combinations of f * and Re. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between a reacting particle and the surrounding fluid are complex due to the interplay between flow dynamics, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reactions. In the present work, particle–fluid transport processes in supercritical water gasification of coal are studied using high-fidelity interface-resolved direct numerical simulations. The impact of different factors on the particle–fluid interactions are evaluated by performing simulations of the flow around two-dimensional particles considering different numerical configurations. The outgoing Stefan flow from the particle surface is found to cause expanded boundary layers for velocity, heat, and species. The temperature-induced changes in transport properties around a heated particle lead to a higher drag force and decreased heat/mass transport; those differences are further enlarged when taking into account the volumetric expansion of the fluid. Transport limitation for coal gasification in a realistic configuration is finally investigated. Temperature-induced fluid dilatation is then the major factor affecting drag force and heat transfer around the reacting particle, and mass transport is significantly impacted by species production or consumption in the boundary layer. Reaction heat release and variations in fluid composition within the thermal boundary layer lead to a slight enhancement of heat transfer. This work reveals and quantifies the main mechanisms affecting the exchanges between a reacting coal particle and surrounding supercritical water regarding both thermal and chemical aspects. It also provides high-fidelity data to later fit the reduced models needed for simulations of large-scale supercritical water gasification installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with computational modeling of fluid mixing by arrays of villi-like actuators. There are numerous applications of such actuators motivated by the motility and mixing induced by natural villi in the small intestine, such as microbial fuel cells and swimming robots—understanding how mixing occurs from viscous-dominated to inertia-dominated flows is paramount. Here, we analyze mixing in two-dimensional arrays of actuators, where neighboring actuators perform in-phase or anti-phase oscillations. We show that in both these cases, the temporal behavior becomes progressively more complex as inertia, or the Reynolds number, is increased. This behavior is classified into three regimes or stages with distinct behaviors and flow structures. We show that mixing can be substantially enhanced in the direction parallel to the wall the actuators are mounted on. We show this mixing is effectively constrained to a peripheral region or layer above the actuator tips. This layer is thicker in the anti-phase case than the in-phase case; however, in both cases this layer thickness saturates at high Reynolds number. Particle tracking results are used to define a mixing number, which shows the anti-phase pattern to be the most effective at mixing both along and across this peripheral layer, and this is linked to the flow structures generated in each stage. Our results provide a map for a range of behaviors that can be achieved through coordinated active motions of villi-like structures that we hope will be useful for the design of future robotics and fluidic-control systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional wake transition for supercritical CO2 (SCO2) with Reynolds number (Re) ranging from 100 to 300 is systematically investigated by large eddy simulation. Numerical results of the constant-property fluid are validated with the classical conclusions. The secondary instabilities, i.e., mode A (spanwise scale of ∼4.5 times cylinder diameter) and mode B (approximately equal to cylinder diameter), are well captured in the wake. The results at Re = 120 show that the evolution of vortex dislocations is mainly manifested in the alternating occurrence of three stages, i.e., the two-dimensional vortex shedding stage, pure mode A stage, and dislocation stage. The stable state of pure mode A is found at Re = 140. As Re continues to increase, the wake shows a gradual transition from mode A to mode B, rather than the transition from mode A* (mode A + dislocation) to mode B. The frequency spectrum in this process is the gradual shift of a single peak from the low frequency to the high frequency. The wake cycle sequence changes from the alternation of four structures at Re = 155 to the alternation of pure and "contaminated" mode B structures at Re = 170. The critical condition of wake "resonance" is determined at Re = 175, where the final state of the wake is relatively ordered mode B structure, representing the weakest three-dimensionality in the transition regime. After that, the three-dimensionality of the wake enhances with Re, and the probability of the occurrence of disordered structures increases accordingly. The vortex shedding frequency of the pure mode follows the order: 2D > B > A > A*. The width of the frequency spectrum is mainly related to whether the wake flow state is a continuous single mode or the alternation of multiple modes. Based on the Strouhal–Reynolds number relationship, flow pattern in the wake transition process is finally discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In particle-laden turbulent flows, it is established that the turbulence in the carrier fluid phase gets affected by the dispersed particle phase for volume fractions above 10 − 4 . Hence, reverse coupling or two-way coupling becomes relevant in that volume fraction regime. Due to their greater inertia, larger particles change either the mean flow or the intensity of fluid-phase fluctuations. In a recent study [Muramulla et al., "Disruption of turbulence due to particle loading in a dilute gas–particle suspension," J. Fluid Mech. 889, A28 (2020)], a discontinuous decrease of turbulence intensity is observed in a vertical particle-laden turbulent channel flow for a critical volume fraction O( 10 − 3 ) for particles with varying Stokes numbers (St) in the range of 1 − 420 based on the fluid-integral time scales. The collapse of turbulent intensity is found out to be the result of a "catastrophic reduction of turbulent energy production rate." Mechanistically, a turbulent Couette flow differs from a pressure-driven channel flow in many ways, such as fluid-phase mean-velocity profile and turbulent coherent structures. In the particle-laden Couette flow, particles are treated as neutrally buoyant. Therefore, it is worth investigating the mechanism of turbulence modulation by inertial particles in the particle-laden turbulent Couette flow. In this article, the turbulence modulation in the fluid phase in the presence of inertial particles is investigated using two-way coupled direct numerical simulations of a particle-laden sheared turbulent suspension. The particle volume fraction (ϕ) is varied from 1.75 × 10 − 4 to 1.05 × 10 − 3 and the Reynolds number based on the half-channel width (δ) and the wall velocity (U) (R e δ ) is 750. The particles are of high inertia with S t ∼ 367 based on a fluid integral timescale represented by δ / U. A discontinuous decrease in turbulence intensity and Reynolds stress is observed beyond a critical volume fraction ϕ c r ∼ 7.875 × 10 − 4 . The drastic reduction of shear production of turbulence leads to the collapse of fluid-phase turbulence. The stepwise particle injection and stepwise removal study confirm the role of critical volume loading in the discontinuous transition. Additionally, the effect of the nature of particle–particle and particle–wall collisions has been investigated. It is observed that the inelastic collisions increase the ϕ c r marginally although the nature of turbulence modulation remains similar. The explicit role of the inter-particle collisions has also been investigated by switching off the particle–particle collisions. In this case, ϕ c r increases more than in the case of an inelastic collision. The turbulence modulation carries the signatures of transition from sheared turbulence to particle-driven fluid fluctuation at higher volume loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosols, generated and expelled during common human physiological activities or medical procedures, become a vital carrier for the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). During non-contact intraocular pressure measurements, aerosols can be produced from the tear film on eyes and potentially convey the SARS-CoV-2 in tears, creating a high risk for eye care practitioners and patients. Herein, we numerically investigate deformation and fragmentation of the tear films with various thicknesses and surface tensions that are impinged by an air jet. Evolution of the tear films manifests several types of breakup mechanisms, including both the bag breakup and ligament breakup of tear film on the eyeball, the ligament breakup of tear film on the eyelid margin, and the sheet breakup near the eyelid margin. The sheet near the eyelid margin is critical for generating large droplets and can be formed only if the jet velocity is high enough and the film is sufficiently thick. A criterion based on Weber number and capillary number is proposed for the breakup of tear film into droplets in which three regions are used to classify the film evolution. Our results indicate that eyes with excessive tears have a greater probability of generating aerosols than eyes under normal conditions. We recommend that enhanced protections should be adopted upon measurement for the patients with watery eyes, and the time interval between two adjacent measurements for the same individual should be also prolonged during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere is characterized by a wide spectrum of oscillations, ranging from hourly to interdecadal and beyond. The low-frequency component of the atmospheric variability cannot be understood solely in terms of linear atmospheric waves that have shorter timescales. A newly proposed mechanism, the precession resonance mechanism, is a regime of highly efficient energy transfer in the spectral space in turbulent systems. Here, we investigate the role of the precession resonance, and the alignment of dynamical phases, in the generation of low-frequency oscillations and the redistribution of energy/enstrophy in the spectral space using the barotropic vorticity equation. First, the mechanism and its ability to generate low-frequency oscillations are demonstrated in low-order models consisting of four and five nonlinearly interacting Rossby–Haurwitz waves. The precession resonance onset is also investigated in the full barotropic vorticity equation, and the results are in agreement with the reduced models. Efficiency peaks in the energy/enstrophy transfer also correspond to regimes of strong excitation of low-frequency oscillations. The results suggest that the organization of the dynamical phases plays a key role in the redistribution of energy in the spectral space, as well as the generation of low frequencies in the barotropic vorticity equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Method of Moments (MOM) has largely been applied to investigate sooting laminar and turbulent flames. However, the classical MOM is not able to characterize a continuous particle size distribution (PSD). Without access to information on the PSD, it is difficult to accurately take into account particle oxidation, which is crucial for shrinking and eliminating soot particles. Recently, the Split-based Extended Quadrature Method of Moments (S-EQMOM) has been proposed as a numerically robust alternative to overcome this issue [Salenbauch et al., "A numerically robust method of moments with number density function reconstruction and its application to soot formation, growth, and oxidation," J. Aerosol Sci. 128, 34–49 (2019)]. The main advantage is that a continuous particle number density function can be reconstructed by superimposing kernel density functions (KDFs). Moreover, the S-EQMOM primary nodes are determined individually for each KDF, improving the moment realizability. In this work, the S-EQMOM is combined with a large eddy simulation/presumed-probability density function flamelet/progress variable approach for predicting soot formation in the Delft Adelaide Flame III. The target flame features low/high sooting propensity/intermittency and comprehensive flow/scalar/soot data are available for model validation. Simulation results are compared with the experimental data for both the gas phase and the particulate phase. Good quantitative agreement has been obtained especially in terms of the soot volume fraction. The reconstructed PSD reveals predominantly unimodal/bimodal distributions in the first/downstream portion of this flame with particle diameters smaller than 100 nm. By investigating the instantaneous and statistical sooting behavior at the flame tip, it has been found that the experimentally observed soot intermittency is linked to mixture fraction fluctuations around its stoichiometric value that exhibits a bimodal probability density function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrodynamic and viscoelastic interactions between the turbulent fluid within a channel at R e τ = 180 and a polymeric phase are investigated numerically using a multiscale hybrid approach. Direct numerical simulations are performed to predict the continuous phase and Brownian dynamics simulations using the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell approach are carried out to model the trajectories of polymer extension vectors within the flow, using parallel computations to achieve reasonable computation timeframes on large-scale flows. Upon validating the polymeric configuration solver against theoretical predictions in equilibrium conditions, with excellent agreement observed, the distributions of velocity gradient tensor components are analyzed throughout the channel flow wall-normal regions. Impact on polymer stretching is discussed, with streamwise extension dominant close to the wall, and wall-normal extension driven by high streamwise gradients of wall-normal velocity. In this case, it is shown that chains already possessing high wall-normal extensions may attempt to orientate more in the streamwise direction, causing a curling effect. These effects are observed in instantaneous snapshots of polymer extension, and the effects of the bulk Weissenberg number show that increased W e B leads to more stretched configurations and more streamwise orientated conformities close to the wall, whereas, in the bulk flow and log-law regions, the polymers tend to trace fluid turbulence structures. Chain orientation angles are also considered, with W e B demonstrating little influence on the isotropic distributions in the log-law and bulk flow regions. Polymer–fluid coupling is implemented through a polymer contribution to the viscoelastic stress tensor. The effect of the polymer relaxation time on the turbulent drag reduction is discussed, with greater Weissenberg numbers leading to more impactful reduction. Finally, the velocity gradient tensor invariants are calculated for the drag-reduced flows, with polymers having a significant impact on the Q–R phase diagrams, with the presence of polymers narrowing the range of R values in the wall regions and causing flow structures to become more two-dimensional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent results have shown that there is an acceleration in the spread of the size distribution of droplet populations in the region bordering the cloud and undersaturated ambient. We have analyzed the supersaturation balance in this region, which is typically a highly intermittent shearless turbulent mixing layer, under a condition where there is no mean updraft. We have investigated the evolution of the cloud–clear air interface and of the droplets therein via direct numerical simulations. We have compared horizontal averages of the phase relaxation, evaporation, reaction, and condensation times within the cloud–clear air interface for the size distributions of the initial monodispersed and polydisperse droplets. For the monodisperse population, a clustering of the values of the reaction, phase, and evaporation times, that is around 20–30 s, is observed in the central area of the mixing layer, just before the location where the maximum value of the supersaturation turbulent flux occurs. This clustering of values is similar for the polydisperse population but also includes the condensation time. The mismatch between the time derivative of the supersaturation and the condensation term in the interfacial mixing layer is correlated with the planar covariance of the horizontal longitudinal velocity derivatives of the carrier air flow and the supersaturation field, thus suggesting that a quasi-linear relationship may exist between these quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-dimensional stabilized space-time finite-element-based in-house solver is used to explore flow around an elastically mounted rigid diamond oscillator undergoing undamped vortex-induced vibrations in transverse and stream-wise directions simultaneously. The computations are carried over a reduced velocity ( U * ) range of 1–12 keeping the Reynolds number (Re) and the mass ratio ( m * ) fixed at 100 and 10, respectively. In the current investigation, a five-branch response behavior with the presence of an "upper branch" is identified, which is absent for transverse-only oscillations. A shift in normalized time-averaged phase difference (ϕ / π) from 0 to 1 is related to the transition from the upper to the lower branch. The non-dimensional oscillation frequencies in both streamwise and cross-stream directions (Fx and Fy, respectively) collapse on the upper branch, matching the oscillator's non-dimensional natural frequency (FN). This leads to periodic single-looped "raindrop-shaped" cylinder trajectories. On this branch, the vortex-shedding mode is asymmetric, and the mean lift is non-zero ( C l avg ≠ 0). For all other response branches, C l avg ≈ 0 and the vortex-shedding modes are symmetric. The presence of multiple frequencies in the in-line oscillations makes the initial branch quasi-periodic, whereas all other response branches are periodic. The addition of in-line motion modifies the fluid loading on the oscillator significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the Kármán–Pohlhausen (KP) momentum-integral approach based on optimized fourth-order (MX4) polynomial approximations of the velocity and temperature profiles is applied to a classical benchmark problem, namely, that of a cylinder in crossflow with a variable pressure gradient. This enables us to extract closed-form expressions for both hydrodynamic and thermal boundary-layer parameters and then compare the newly found solutions to their counterparts obtained using Pohlhausen's cubic (KP3) and quartic (KP4) polynomials. As usual, the farfield around the cylinder is modeled using potential flow theory and the momentum-integral analysis is paired with Walz's empirical expression for the momentum thickness, which is based on a wide collection of experiments. This procedure permits retrieving explicit relations for the pressure-sensitive KP3, KP4, and MX4 velocity profiles across the boundary layer; one also obtains accurate approximations for the pressure distribution around the cylinder as well as an improved prediction of the separation point, namely, to within 0.87% of the actual location. In this process, refined estimates are produced for several characteristic parameters whose distributions are found to be in favorable agreement with experimental measurements and numerical simulations. These include the disturbance, momentum, and displacement thicknesses as well as the skin friction, pressure, and total drag coefficients. Finally, the thermal analysis is undertaken using both isothermal and isoflux boundary conditions. For each of these cases, closed-form analytical solutions are obtained for the local Nusselt number distribution around the cylinder, and these distributions are found to exhibit noticeably reduced errors relative to their classical values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-Newtonian shear-thinning droplet formation mechanism in a T-junction microchannel is experimentally investigated using the aqueous solutions of xanthan gum as the dispersed phase and mineral oil as the continuous phase. Influences of both phase flow rates and polymer concentration on flow regime transition are explored. It is observed that the initial vertical expansion stage is present only for the Newtonian and lower shear-thinning systems. The droplet evolution rate shows the influence of continuous phase flow rate and shear-thinning properties on the dynamics of necking stages, viz., squeezing, transition, pinch-off, and filament thinning. Analysis of Ohnesorge number (Oh) reveals that inertial force dominates in the squeezing stage, whereas viscous and interfacial force control in the filament thinning stage. Longer and stable filament generation is detected as a discerning feature for non-Newtonian systems that appears more prominent with increasing dispersed phase shear-thinning properties. The results also indicate an inverse relation of droplet length with the continuous phase flow rate and xanthan gum concentration, while the droplet formation frequency and its polydispersity vary directly with those parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-phase, low-Mach-number flow solver is created and verified for variable-density liquid and gas with phase change. The interface is sharply captured using a split volume-of-fluid method generalized for a non-divergence-free liquid velocity and with mass exchange across the interface. Mass conservation to machine-error precision is achieved in the limit of incompressible liquid. This model is implemented for two-phase mixtures at supercritical pressure but subcritical temperature conditions for the liquid, as it is common in the early times of liquid hydrocarbon injection under real-engine conditions. The dissolution of the gas species into the liquid phase is enhanced, and vaporization or condensation can occur simultaneously at different interface locations. Greater numerical challenges appear compared to incompressible two-phase solvers that are successfully addressed for the first time: (a) local thermodynamic phase equilibrium and jump conditions determine the interface solution (e.g., temperature, composition, surface-tension coefficient); (b) a real-fluid thermodynamic model is considered; and (c) phase-wise values for certain variables (e.g., velocity) are obtained via extrapolation techniques. The increased numerical cost is alleviated with a split pressure-gradient technique to solve the pressure Poisson equation for the low-Mach-number flow. Thus, a fast Fourier transform method is implemented, directly solving the continuity constraint without an iterative process. Various verification tests show the accuracy and viability of the current approach. Then, the growth of surface instabilities in a binary system composed of liquid n-decane and gaseous oxygen at supercritical pressures for n-decane is analyzed. Other features of supercritical liquid injection are also shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large eddy simulations (LES) are carried out to investigate the flow around a vibrating cylinder in the subcritical Reynolds number regime at Re = 3900. Three reduced velocities, Ur = 3, 5, and 7, are chosen to investigate the wake structures in different branches of a vortex-induced vibration (VIV) lock-in. The instantaneous vortical structures are identified to show different coherent flow structures in the wake behind the vibrating cylinder for various branches of VIV lock-in. The combined effects of the frequency and amplitude of the oscillation on the flow pattern in the wake region, the hydrodynamic quantities of the cylinder, and the spanwise length scale of the energetic wake flow structures are discussed in detail. It is found that the typical spanwise lengths of the flow structures are 0.22 D at Ur = 5 and 0.3 D at U r = [ 3 , 7 ] in the near-wake region and level out at 0.5 D further downstream. Furthermore, multiscale proper orthogonal decomposition (mPOD) is used to analyze the dominant flow features in the wake region. With the increasing Ur, the total kinetic energy contribution of superharmonic modes increases and the contribution of subharmonic modes decreases. The dominant flow characteristics associated with the vortex shedding and their super harmonics, and the low-frequency modulation of the wake flow can be captured by the mPOD modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the gas–water transient imbibition and drainage processes in two-dimensional nanoporous media using our recently developed lattice Boltzmann model. To describe the microscopic molecular interactions, the model employs a pseudopotential that correlates the local density and interaction strength to perform simulation at a mesoscopic scale. The primary interest is ganglia dynamics in the nanoporous media affected by fluid and geometrical properties of the porous structure. We performed sensitivity analyses on the fluid and rock characteristics such as the Euler number, gas–water interfacial area, water film area, capillary pressure, pore size distribution, specific surface area, and wettability. The simulation results revealed the fingering nature of the nonwetting phase. In the imbibition process, the flow pathway of water results in isolated and trapped gas bubble clusters because of the strong attraction between water and solid surfaces. In the drainage process, the pressure difference between the gas phase and the water phase depends on both the capillary pressure and the disjoining pressure due to the presence of water film. Pore topography and specific surface area control the continuity of the fluid phases in the imbibition process. In nonwet systems, the water phase starts fingering in the nanoporous system. The present work elucidates the microscopic ganglia dynamics of gas–water two-phase flow in nanoporous media. The microscopic scale details will help establish the macroscopic flow equation to accurately predict two-phase flow in shale gas, tight oil, and caprock seals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vortex dynamics in the steady regime and laminar vortex shedding regime with Reynolds number (Re) ranging from 15 to 150 are systematically investigated for supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) through a high-resolution numerical method in this paper. Numerical results of constant-property air are validated with the available experimental and numerical data from various angles. Excellent agreements are found between the present work and the previous studies. By comparing one vortex shedding process between SCO2 and conventional air, it is found that for SCO2 the period from the initial growth state of one vortex to its dominant state of inducing a new counter-rotating vortex on the other side of the body wake is accelerated, which contributes to the higher Strouhal frequency of SCO2 to a certain extent. By analyzing the development of lift coefficient history and the instantaneous vorticity near the onset of vortex shedding, transition from the steady separated flow to the primary wake instability for SCO2 is found between Re of 28 and 29, exactly 28.2 predicted by the intersection of the fitting curves of the base suction, much lower than the classical value (∼ 47). The wake bubble in the steady regime enlarges in size as Re increases, while in the laminar shedding regime the mean recirculation region decreases with Re. The distributions of local quantities, such as pressure coefficient, friction coefficient, and Nusselt number along the circumference, are presented to understand the development of the flow. The two dimensionality of the wake is confirmed at Re of 150 by comparing with the three-dimensional calculation. A new three-term correlation is proposed to represent the Strouhal–Reynolds number relation for SCO2 in parallel shedding mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamics of the particle phase in a particle-laden turbulent flow is strongly influenced by the fluctuating velocity and vorticity field of the fluid phase. The present work mainly focuses on exploring the statistics of velocity and acceleration of the particle phase in a particle-laden turbulent Couette flow. Direct numerical simulations have been performed for particle-laden turbulent Couette flow with two different Reynolds numbers, R e δ = 750 and 1300, in the presence of sub-Kolmogorov sized inertial particles for multiple Stokes numbers (Stokes number ≫ 1). The inter-particle and wall-particle interactions have also been considered to be elastic. We report the distribution functions for the linear and rotational velocities and accelerations in the presence of particle roughness. From the particle equation of rotational motion, we arrive at the expression where the fluctuating angular acceleration α i ′ of the particle is expressed as the ratio of a linear combination of fluctuating rotational velocities of particle ( ω i ′ ) and fluid angular velocity ( Ω i ′ ) to the particle rotational relaxation time τr. The analysis is done using probability density function plots and Jensen–Shannon divergence-based method to assess the similarity between the particle net rotational acceleration distributions f (α i ′) , with (i) the distributions of particle acceleration component arises from fluctuating fluid angular velocity computed in the particle-Lagrangian frame f ((Ω ′ i / τ r) p l) , (ii) fluctuating particle angular velocity f (ω ′ i / τ r) , and (iii) the fluid angular velocity f ((Ω ′ i / τ r) e) computed in the fluid Eulerian grids. The analysis leads to the conclusion that for a wide range of Reynolds and Stokes numbers, f (α i ′) can be represented with a Gaussian white noise with a pre-estimated strength that can be calculated from the temporal decorrelation correlation of fluid-phase angular velocity fluctuations at Eulerian grid (Ω ′ i / τ r) e . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superfluid helium-4 is characterized by extremely small values of kinematic viscosity, and its thermal conductivity can be huge, orders of magnitude larger than that of water or air. Additionally, quantum vortices may exist within the fluid. Therefore, its behavior cannot be explained by using the classical tools of Newtonian fluid mechanics, and, over the years, a few alternative models have been proposed. In order to highlight similarities and differences between these models, we recast them within a unifying framework, the general equation for non-equilibrium reversible-irreversible coupling (GENERIC). We begin by comparing the original two-fluid model, developed by Tisza and Landau, with the Hall–Vinen–Bekarevich–Khalatnikov model, both prescribing two types of fluid motion and two fluid densities, at flow scales appreciably larger than the typical distance between quantum vortices. We find from the geometrical structure of the models that only one fluid density plays the role of state variable, which should be taken into account when choosing an adequate expression for the free energy. We also recast within the GENERIC framework the one-fluid model of superfluid helium-4, where the inviscid component of two-fluid models is replaced by a caloric quantity, such as entropy. We find that the corresponding geometrical structures are analogous, with the roles of density and entropy swapped. In short, our work demonstrates that the studied models are compatible with each other, at least when focusing on the reversible parts of the models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of compressibility on supersonic corner flow is numerically investigated by the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with a full Reynolds stress model. A grid sensitivity analysis is conducted in this paper to ensure the reliability of our conclusions. Then, a parametric study by changing the Mach number in the range of M ∞ = 0.6 − 3.0 is carried out to investigate the effect of compressibility. The corner angle is also changed in the range of θ = 45 ° − 135 ° for each M ∞ to see the effect of the corner angle. As a result, the Mach number was found to have a negligible effect on the propagation of vortex cores in this study. However, it has a positive effect on both the friction coefficient and the total pressure loss. The geometrical transformation for the position of the vortex center proposed in our recent paper has been proved to be valid in over wide range. Moreover, we further find that a unified formula can describe the distribution of the total pressure loss under different Mach numbers and corner angles. In engineering terms, these laws will play an important role in the initial design and evaluation of the project with streamwise corners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an experimental and theoretical study of Rayleigh–Bénard convection in shear-thinning fluids with temperature-dependent properties. Experiments were performed using a cylindrical cell with a radius R ̂ = 60 mm and height adjustable at d ̂ = 15 and 20 mm giving a radius-to-height ratio L = 4 and 3, respectively. The fluids used are glycerol (Newtonian fluid) and aqueous xanthan gum solutions (shear-thinning fluids) at 1000 and 1200 ppm. Convection patterns are visualized by the shadowgraph method. In the theoretical part of this study, the weakly nonlinear analysis performed by Varé et al. [J. Fluid Mech. 905, A33 (2020)] is extended to take into account the variation of the thermal expansion coefficient with temperature. For the xanthan gum solutions used, the temperature dependence of the fluid parameters is sufficiently strong to obtain hexagonal cells at the onset of convection. It has been observed that their size decreases with the increase in the temperature difference across the fluid layer above the critical value. This result provides an experimental support to our theoretical study where it is shown that for hexagons, the band of stable wavenumbers is bent toward higher wavenumbers. For the glycerol, Newtonian fluid with a large Prandtl number, a slight increase in the wavelength of rolls is observed in agreement with the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-phase flow through porous media is important to the development of secondary and tertiary oil recovery. In the present work, we have simulated oil recovery through a pore-resolved three-dimensional medium using volume-of-fluid method. The effects of wettability and interfacial tension (IFT) on two-phase flow mechanisms are investigated using pore-scale events, oil-phase morphology, forces acting on oil ganglia surfaces, and oil recovery curves, for Capillary numbers (Ca) in the range of 1.2 × 10−3 to 6 × 10−1. We found that the two-phase flow through oil-wet medium is governed by pore-by-pore filling mechanism dominated by the Haines-jumps. At low Ca values, a change in the wettability from oil- to neutrally wet resulted into the change of pore-by-pore filling mechanism to co-operative pore filling and as the medium wettability changes from the neutrally to the weakly water-wet, the corner flow events begin to emerge. At low Ca values, the invasion through weakly water-wet porous medium is dominated by co-operative filling and results into an increased oil recovery, whereas the two-phase flow through strongly water-wet medium is governed by corner flow events resulting in a low oil recovery. The corner flow events are found to be a function of not only the medium wettability, but also of Ca and are a characteristic of controlled imbibition. Further, we show that a substantial decrease in the IFT results in a fingerlike invasion at pore-scale, irrespective of the medium wettability. Finally, a two-phase flow regime map is proposed in terms of Ca and contact angle based on the two-phase interface morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments are conducted on the control of massively separated flow over a symmetric airfoil by imposing pitching oscillation at smaller amplitudes. Two symmetric airfoils of different thickness to chord ratios are considered to account for the effect of thickness and the stall-type on flow control. Instantaneous aerodynamic forces and moments are calculated by integrating surface and wake pressure distributions. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry and unsteady pressure measurements are carried out simultaneously to characterize the flow field over the pitching airfoil. The results presented here provide an insight into flow dynamics and the dynamic response of a stalled airfoil to pitching oscillation at different reduced frequencies. The present research adopts a dynamical system approach and attempts to estimate an optimum pitching oscillation frequency for better flow control on a stalled airfoil. The adopted methodology can be used to determine the optimal value of input parameters pertaining to flow control on a flat plate/wing by any unsteady excitation. Besides, a novel data-driven aerodynamic model has been developed on a Fourier basis for a symmetrical airfoil undergoing pitching oscillation at the post-stall regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The injection of liquid fuel at supercritical pressures is a relevant topic in combustion but is usually overlooked. In the past, the wrong assumption whereby the liquid phase undergoes a fast transition to a supercritical state was made, thus neglecting any role of two-phase interface dynamics in the early stages of the atomization process. However, recent studies have shown that local thermodynamic phase equilibrium and mixing between the involved species allow the coexistence of both phases in this pressure range. In this work, a volume-of-fluid method adapted to variable-density real fluids is used to solve the low-Mach-number governing equations coupled with a thermodynamic model based on the Soave–Redlich–Kwong equation of state. The mixing process, interface thermodynamics, and early deformation of a cool liquid jet composed of n-decane surrounded by a hotter gas composed of oxygen at 150 bar are analyzed. Although heat conducts from the hotter gas into the liquid, net condensation can provide the proper local energy balance at high pressures. Then, vaporization and condensation may happen simultaneously at different interface locations. As pressure increases, liquid and gas mixtures become more alike in the vicinity of the interface. Thus, a combination of low surface tension force and gas-like liquid viscosities causes an early growth of surface instabilities. Early results indicate some similarity with high-Weber-number incompressible flows. The role of vortex dynamics on the interface deformation is analyzed by using the λ ρ dynamical vortex identification method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The connection between the large-scale flows observed in thermal convection and the drift of the roll structures in large aspect ratios is examined. The analysis is based on a perturbative expansion of slightly deformed, finite-amplitude straight rolls. The derivation assumes that the aspect ratio of the container is large, so that the flow is translation invariant. A scale separation technique is used to smooth out the small-scale dynamics. If the unperturbed rolls cannot support a mean velocity field, the dynamics of the perturbations is diffusive and the mean flow is driven by roll bending, stretching, or pinching. If the unperturbed state supports a mean velocity field, the perturbations in the roll structure can be advected or even can propagate as a dispersive wave. In the present formulation, pattern defects arise from resonance and multivaluedness, with the implication that they can be advected or even travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]