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Role of settling inertial particles in modulating flow structures and drag in Taylor–Couette turbulence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2025

Hao Jiang ,
Zhi-Ming Lu ,
Yuan Ma  and
Kai Leong Chong Open the ORCID record for Kai Leong Chong [Opens in a new window]
Hao Jiang
Affiliation:
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, School of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Shanghai University , Shanghai 200072, PR China
Zhi-Ming Lu
Affiliation:
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, School of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Shanghai University , Shanghai 200072, PR China Shanghai Institute of Aircraft Mechanics and Control , Zhangwu Road, Shanghai 200092, PR China
Yuan Ma
Affiliation:
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
Kai Leong Chong*
Affiliation:
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, School of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Shanghai University , Shanghai 200072, PR China Shanghai Institute of Aircraft Mechanics and Control , Zhangwu Road, Shanghai 200092, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Kai Leong Chong, klchong@shu.edu.cn
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Abstract

The modulation of drag through dispersed phases in wall turbulence has been a longstanding focus. This study examines the effects of particle Stokes number ($\textit{St}$) and Froude number ($\textit{Fr}$) on drag modulation in turbulent Taylor–Couette (TC) flow, using a two-way coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian approach with Reynolds number ${\textit{Re}}_i = r_i \omega _i d/\nu$ fixed at 3500. Here, $\textit{St}$ characterises particle inertia relative to the flow time scale, while $\textit{Fr}$ describes the balance between gravitational settling and inertial forces in the flow. For light particles (small $\textit{St}$), drag reduction is observed in the TC system, exhibiting a non-monotonic dependence on $\textit{Fr}$. Specifically, drag reduction initially increases and then decreases with stronger influence of gravitational settling (characterised by inverse of $\textit{Fr}$), indicating the presence of an optimal $\textit{Fr}$ for maximum drag reduction. For heavy particles, a similar non-monotonic trend can also be observed, but significant drag enhancement results at large $\textit{Fr}^{-1}$. We further elucidate the role of settling particles in modulating the flow structure in TC flow by decomposing the advective flux into contributions from coherent Taylor vortices and background turbulent fluctuations. At moderate effects of particle inertia and gravitational settling, particles suppress the coherence of Taylor vortices which markedly reduces angular velocity transport and thus leads to drag reduction. However, with increasing influence of particle inertia and gravitational settling, the flow undergoes abrupt change. Rapidly settling particles disrupt the Taylor vortices, shifting the bulk flow from a vortex-dominated regime to one characterised by particle-induced turbulence. With the dominance of particle-induced turbulence, velocity plumes – initially transported by small-scale Görtler vortices near the cylinder wall and large-scale Taylor vortices in the bulk region – are instead carried into the bulk by turbulent fluctuations driven by the settling particles. As a result, angular velocity transport is enhanced, leading to enhanced drag. These findings offer new insights for tailoring drag in industrial applications involving dispersed phases in wall-bounded turbulent flows.

JFM classification

Flow Control: Drag reduction Instability: Taylor-Couette flow Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows: Particle/fluid flow

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JFM Papers
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Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1023 , 25 November 2025 , A37
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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