13 results
Effect of wind turbine nacelle on turbine wake dynamics in large wind farms
- Daniel Foti, Xiaolei Yang, Lian Shen, Fotis Sotiropoulos
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 869 / 25 June 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 April 2019, pp. 1-26
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Wake meandering, a phenomenon of large-scale lateral oscillation of the wake, has significant effects on the velocity deficit and turbulence intensities in wind turbine wakes. Previous studies of a single turbine (Kang et al., J. Fluid. Mech., vol. 774, 2014, pp. 374–403; Foti et al., Phys. Rev. Fluids, vol. 1 (4), 2016, 044407) have shown that the turbine nacelle induces large-scale coherent structures in the near field that can have a significant effect on wake meandering. However, whether nacelle-induced coherent structures at the turbine scale impact the emergent turbine wake dynamics at the wind farm scale is still an open question of both fundamental and practical significance. We take on this question by carrying out large-eddy simulation of atmospheric turbulent flow over the Horns Rev wind farm using actuator surface parameterisations of the turbines without and with the turbine nacelle taken into account. While the computed mean turbine power output and the mean velocity field away from the nacelle wake are similar for both cases, considerable differences are found in the turbine power fluctuations and turbulence intensities. Furthermore, wake meandering amplitude and area defined by wake meanders, which indicates the turbine wake unsteadiness, are larger for the simulations with the turbine nacelle. The wake influenced area computed from the velocity deficit profiles, which describes the spanwise extent of the turbine wakes, and the spanwise growth rate, on the other hand, are smaller for some rows in the simulation with the nacelle model. Our work shows that incorporating the nacelle model in wind farm scale simulations is critical for accurate predictions of quantities that affect the wind farm levelised cost of energy, such as the dynamics of wake meandering and the dynamic loads on downwind turbines.
Similarity of wake meandering for different wind turbine designs for different scales
- Daniel Foti, Xiaolei Yang, Fotis Sotiropoulos
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 842 / 10 May 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 06 March 2018, pp. 5-25
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The wake meandering characteristics of four different wind turbine designs with diameters ranging from a few centimetres (wind tunnel scale) to a hundred metres (utility scale) are investigated using large-eddy simulation with the turbine blades and nacelle parametrised using a new actuator surface model. Different velocity fields and meandering behaviours are observed at near-wake locations. At far-wake locations, on the other hand, the mean velocity deficit profiles begin to collapse when scaled by the centreline velocity deficit based on the incoming wind speed at turbine hub height, suggesting far-wake similarity across scales. The turbine-added turbulence kinetic energy profiles are shown to also nearly collapse with each other in the far wake when normalised using a velocity scale defined by the thrust on the turbine rotor. Moreover, we show that at far-wake locations, the simulated flow fields for all four turbine designs exhibit similar wake meandering characteristics in terms of (1) a Strouhal number independent of rotor designs of different sizes and (2) the distributions of wake meandering wavelengths and amplitudes when normalised by the rotor diameter and a length scale defined by the turbine thrust respectively.
Coherent dynamics in the rotor tip shear layer of utility-scale wind turbines
- Xiaolei Yang, Jiarong Hong, Matthew Barone, Fotis Sotiropoulos
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 804 / 10 October 2016
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 08 September 2016, pp. 90-115
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Recent field experiments conducted in the near wake (up to 0.5 rotor diameters downwind of the rotor) of a Clipper Liberty C96 2.5 MW wind turbine using snow-based super-large-scale particle image velocimetry (SLPIV) (Hong et al., Nat. Commun., vol. 5, 2014, 4216) were successful in visualizing tip vortex cores as areas devoid of snowflakes. The so-visualized snow voids, however, suggested tip vortex cores of complex shape consisting of circular cores with distinct elongated comet-like tails. We employ large-eddy simulation (LES) to elucidate the structure and dynamics of the complex tip vortices identified experimentally. We show that the LES, with inflow conditions representing as closely as possible the state of the flow approaching the turbine when the SLPIV experiments were carried out, reproduce vortex cores in good qualitative agreement with the SLPIV results, essentially capturing all vortex core patterns observed in the field in the tip shear layer. The computed results show that the visualized vortex patterns are formed by the tip vortices and a second set of counter-rotating spiral vortices intertwined with the tip vortices. To probe the dependence of these newly uncovered coherent flow structures on turbine design, size and approach flow conditions, we carry out LES for three additional turbines: (i) the Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWiFT) turbine developed by Sandia National Laboratories in Lubbock, TX, USA; (ii) the wind turbine developed for the European collaborative MEXICO (Model Experiments in Controlled Conditions) project; and (iii) the model turbine presented in the paper by Lignarolo et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 781, 2015, pp. 467–493), and the Clipper turbine under varying inflow turbulence conditions. We show that similar counter-rotating vortex structures as those observed for the Clipper turbine are also observed for the SWiFT, MEXICO and model wind turbines. However, the strength of the counter-rotating vortices relative to that of the tip vortices from the model turbine is significantly weaker. We also show that incoming flows with low level turbulence attenuate the elongation of the tip and counter-rotating vortices. Sufficiently high turbulence levels in the incoming flow, on the other hand, tend to break up the coherence of spiral vortices in the near wake. To elucidate the physical mechanism that gives rise to such rich coherent dynamics we examine the stability of the turbine tip shear layer using the theory proposed by Leibovich & Stewartson (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 126, 1983, pp. 335–356). We show that for all simulated cases the theory consistently indicates the flow to be unstable exactly in the region where counter-rotating spirals emerge. We thus postulate that centrifugal instability of the rotating turbine tip shear layer is a possible mechanism for explaining the phenomena we have uncovered herein.
Numerical simulation of sand waves in a turbulent open channel flow
- Ali Khosronejad, Fotis Sotiropoulos
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 753 / 25 August 2014
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- 18 July 2014, pp. 150-216
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We develop a coupled hydro-morphodynamic numerical model for carrying out large-eddy simulation of stratified, turbulent flow over a mobile sand bed. The method is based on the curvilinear immersed boundary approach of Khosronejad et al. (Adv. Water Resour., vol. 34, 2011, pp. 829–843). We apply this method to simulate sand wave initiation, growth and evolution in a mobile bed laboratory open channel, which was studied experimentally by Venditti & Church (J. Geophys. Res., vol. 110, 2005, F01009). We show that all the major characteristics of the computed sand waves, from the early cross-hatch and chevron patterns to fully grown three-dimensional bedforms, are in good agreement with the experimental data both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our simulations capture the measured temporal evolution of sand wave amplitude, wavelength and celerity with good accuracy and also yield three-dimensional topologies that are strikingly similar to what was observed in the laboratory. We show that near-bed sweeps are responsible for initiating the instability of the initially flat sand bed. Stratification effects, which arise due to increased concentration of suspended sediment in the flow, also become important at later stages of the bed evolution and need to be taken into account for accurate simulations. As bedforms grow in amplitude and wavelength, they give rise to energetic coherent structures in the form of horseshoe vortices, which transport low-momentum near-bed fluid and suspended sediment away from the bed, giving rise to characteristic ‘boil’ events at the water surface. Flow separation off the bedform crestlines is shown to trap sediment in the lee side of the crestlines, which, coupled with sediment erosion from the accelerating flow over the stoss side, provides the mechanism for continuous bedform migration and crestline rearrangement. The statistical and spectral properties of the computed sand waves are calculated and shown to be similar to what has been observed in nature and previous numerical simulations. Furthermore, and in agreement with recent experimental findings (Singh et al., Water Resour. Res., vol. 46, 2010, pp. 1–10), the spectra of the resolved velocity fluctuations above the bed exhibit a distinct spectral gap whose width increases with distance from the bed. The spectral gap delineates the spectrum of turbulence from the low-frequency range associated with very slowly evolving, albeit energetic, coherent structures induced by the migrating sand waves. Overall the numerical simulations reproduce the laboratory observations with good accuracy and elucidate the physical phenomena governing the interaction between the turbulent flow and the developing mobile bed.
On the onset of wake meandering for an axial flow turbine in a turbulent open channel flow
- Seokkoo Kang, Xiaolei Yang, Fotis Sotiropoulos
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 744 / 10 April 2014
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 March 2014, pp. 376-403
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Laboratory experiments have yielded evidence suggestive of large-scale meandering motions in the wake of an axial flow hydrokinetic turbine in a turbulent open channel flow (Chamorro et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 716, 2013, pp. 658–670). We carry out a large-eddy simulation (LES) of the experimental flow to investigate the structure of turbulence in the wake of the turbine and elucidate the mechanism that gives rise to wake meandering. All geometrical details of the turbine structure are taken into account in the simulation using the curvilinear immersed boundary LES method with wall modelling (Kang et al., Adv. Water Resour., vol. 34(1), 2011, pp. 98–113). The simulated flow fields are in good agreement with the experimental measurements and confirm the theoretical model of turbine wakes (Joukowski, Tr. Otdel. Fizich. Nauk Obshch. Lyub. Estestv., vol. 16, 1912, no. 1), yielding a near-turbine wake that consists of two layers: the tip vortex (or outer) shear layer that rotates in the same direction as the rotor; and the inner layer counter-rotating hub vortex. Analysis of the calculated instantaneous flow fields reveals that the hub vortex undergoes spiral vortex breakdown and precesses slowly in the direction opposite to the turbine rotation. The precessing vortex core remains coherent for three to four rotor diameters, expands radially outwards, and intercepts the outer shear layer at approximately the location where wake meandering is initiated. The wake meandering manifests itself in terms of an elongated region of increased turbulence kinetic energy and Reynolds shear stress across the top tip wake boundary. The interaction of the outer region of the flow with the precessing hub vortex also causes the rotational component of the wake to decay completely at approximately the location where the wake begins to meander (four rotor diameters downstream of the turbine). To further investigate the importance of turbine geometry on far-wake dynamics, we carry out LES under the same flow conditions but using actuator disk and actuator line parametrizations of the turbine. While both actuator approaches yield a meandering wake, the actuator line model yields results that are in better overall agreement with the measurements. However, comparisons between the actuator line and the turbine-resolving LES reveal significant differences. Namely, in the actuator line LES model: (i) the hub vortex does not develop spiral instability and remains stable and columnar without ever intercepting the outer shear layer; (ii) wake rotation persists for much longer distance downstream than in the turbine-resolving LES; and (iii) the level of turbulence kinetic energy within and the overall size of the far-wake meandering region are considerably smaller (this discrepancy is even more pronounced for the actuator disk LES case) compared with the turbine-resolving LES. Our results identify for the first time the instability mechanism that amplified wake meandering in the experiment of Chamorro et al., show that computational models that do not take into account the geometrical details of the turbine cannot capture such phenomena, and point to the potential significance of the near-hub rotor design as a means for suppressing the instability of the hub vortex and diminishing the extent and intensity of the far-wake meandering region.
Vortex-induced vibrations of an elastically mounted sphere with three degrees of freedom at Re = 300: hysteresis and vortex shedding modes
- Suresh Behara, Iman Borazjani, Fotis Sotiropoulos
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 686 / 10 November 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 03 October 2011, pp. 426-450
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Fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations are carried out to investigate vortex-induced vibrations of a sphere, mounted on elastic supports in all three spatial directions. The reduced velocity () is systematically varied in the range , while the Reynolds number and reduced mass are held fixed at and , respectively. In the lock-in regime, two distinct branches are observed in the response curve, each corresponding to a distinct type of vortex shedding, namely, hairpin and spiral vortices. While shedding of hairpin vortices has been observed in several previous investigations of stationary and vibrating spheres, the shedding of intertwined, longitudinal spiral vortices in the wake of a vibrating sphere is reported herein for the first time. When the wake is in the hairpin shedding mode, the sphere moves along a linear path in the transverse plane, while when spiral vortices are shed, the sphere vibrates along a circular orbit. In the spiral mode branch, the simulations reveal hysteresis in the response amplitude at the beginning of the lock-in regime. Lower-amplitude vibrations are found as the sphere sheds hairpin vortices for increasing up until the beginning of the synchronization regime. On the other hand, higher-amplitude oscillations persist for the spiral mode as is decreased from the point of the start of the synchronization. The hairpin mode is found to be unstable for the value of reduced velocity where the spiral and hairpin solution branches merge together. When this point is approached along the hairpin solution branch, the sphere naturally transitions from shedding hairpin vortices and moving along a linear path to shedding spiral vortices and moving along a circular path in the transverse plane. The spiral mode was not observed in the work of Horowitz & Williamson (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 651, 2010, pp. 251–294), who studied experimentally the vibration modes of a freely rising or falling sphere and only reported zigzag vibrations. Our results suggest that this apparent discrepancy between experiments and simulations should be attributed to the fact that, for the range of governing parameters considered in the simulations, the elastic supports act to suppress streamwise vibrations, thus subjecting the sphere to a nearly axisymmetric elasticity constraint and enabling it to vibrate transversely along a circular path.
On the structure of vortex rings from inclined nozzles
- Trung Bao Le, Iman Borazjani, Seokkoo Kang, Fotis Sotiropoulos
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 686 / 10 November 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 September 2011, pp. 451-483
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We carry out numerical simulations to investigate the vortex dynamics of laminar, impulsively driven flows through inclined nozzles in a piston–cylinder apparatus. Our simulations are motivated by the need to provide a complete description of the intricate vortical structures and governing mechanisms emerging in such flows as documented in the experiments of Webster & Longmire (Phys. Fluids, vol. 10, 1998, pp. 400–416) and Troolin & Longmire (Exp. Fluids, vol. 48, 2010, pp. 409–420). We show that the flow is dominated by the interaction of two main vortical structures: the primary inclined vortex ring at the nozzle exit and the secondary stopping ring that arises due to the entrainment of the flow into the cylinder when the piston stops moving. These two structures are connected together with pairs of vortex tubes, which evolve from the continuous vortex sheet initially connecting the primary vortex ring with the interior cylinder wall. In the exterior of the nozzle the key mechanism responsible for the breakup of the vortical structure is the interaction of the stronger inclined primary ring with the weaker stopping ring near the longest lip of the nozzle. In the interior of the nozzle the dynamics is governed by the axial stretching of the secondary ring and the ultimate impingement of this ring on the cylinder wall. Our simulations also clarify the kinematics of the azimuthal flow along the core of the primary vortex ring documented in the experiments by Lim (Phys. Fluids, vol. 10, 1998, pp. 1666–1671). We show that the azimuthal flow is characterized by a pair of two spiral saddle foci at the long and short lips of the nozzle through which ambient flow enters and exits the primary vortex core.
Lagrangian model of bed-load transport in turbulent junction flows
- CRISTIAN ESCAURIAZA, FOTIS SOTIROPOULOS
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 666 / 10 January 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 06 January 2011, pp. 36-76
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Motivated by the need to gain fundamental insights into the mechanisms of bed-load sediment transport in turbulent junction flows, we carry out a computational study of Lagrangian dynamics of inertial particles initially placed on the bed upstream of a surface-mounted circular cylinder in a rectangular open channel (Dargahi, J. Hydraul. Engng, vol. 116, 1990, pp. 1197–1214). The flow field at Re = 39000 is simulated using the detached eddy simulation (DES) approach (Spalart et al., In Advances in DNS/LES, ed. C. Liu & Z. Liu, 1997, Greyden), which has already been shown to accurately resolve most of the turbulent stresses produced by the low-frequency, bimodal fluctuations of the turbulent horseshoe vortex (Paik et al., J. Hydraul. Engng, vol. 131, 1990, pp. 441–456; Escauriaza & Sotiropoulos, Flow Turbul. Combust., 2010, in press). The trajectory and momentum equations for the sediment particles are integrated numerically simultaneously with the flow governing equations assuming one-way coupling and neglecting particle-to-particle interactions (dilute flow) but taking into account bed–particle interactions and the effects of the instantaneous hydrodynamic forces induced by the resolved fluctuations of the coherent vortical structures. The computed results show that, in accordance with the simulated clear-water scour condition (i.e. the magnitude of the particle stresses is near the threshold of motion), the transport of sediment grains is highly intermittent and exhibits essentially all the characteristics of bed-load sediment transport observed in laboratory and field experiments. Groups of sediment grains are dislodged from the bed simultaneously in seemingly random bursting events and begin to move, saltating or sliding along the bed. Furthermore, particles that are not entrained into the bed-load layer are found to form streaks aligned with near-wall vortices around the cylinder. The global transport of particles is studied by performing a statistical analysis of the bed-load flux to reveal scale-invariance of the process and multifractality of particle transport as the overall effect of the coherent structures of the flow. A major finding of this work is that a relatively simple Lagrangian model coupled with a coherent-structure resolving simulation of the turbulent flow is able to reproduce the sediment dynamics observed in multiple experiments performed under similar conditions, and provide fundamental information on the initiation of motion and the multifractal nature of bed-load transport processes. The results also motivate the development of new Eulerian bed-load transport models that consider unsteady conditions and incorporate the intermittency of the unresolved scales of sediment motion.
Trapping and sedimentation of inertial particles in three-dimensional flows in a cylindrical container with exactly counter-rotating lids
- CRISTIAN ESCAURIAZA, FOTIS SOTIROPOULOS
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 641 / 25 December 2009
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- 19 November 2009, pp. 169-193
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Stirring and sedimentation of solid inertial particles in low-Reynolds-number flows has acquired great relevance in multiple environmental, industrial and microfluidic systems, but few detailed numerical studies have focused on chaotically advected experimentally realizable flows. We carry out one-way coupling simulations to study the dynamics of inertial particles in the steady three-dimensional flow in a cylindrical container with exactly counter-rotating lids, which was recently studied by Lackey & Sotiropoulos (Phys. Fluids, vol. 18, 2006, paper no. 053601). We elucidate the rich Lagrangian dynamics of the flow in the vicinity of toroidal invariant regions and show that depending on the Stokes number inertial particles could get trapped for long times in different equilibrium positions inside integrable islands. In the chaotically advected region of the flow the balance between inertia and gravity forces (represented by the settling velocity) can produce a striking fractal sedimentation regime, characterized by a sequence of discrete deposition events of seemingly random number of particles separated by hiatuses of random duration. The resulting staircase-like distribution of the time series of the number of particles in suspension is shown to be a devil's staircase whose fractal dimension is equal to the 0.87 value found in multiple dissipative dynamical systems in nature. Our work sheds new light on the complex mechanisms governing the stirring and deposition of inertial particles and provides new information about the parameters that are relevant in the characterization of particle dynamics in different regions of chaotically advected flows.
Vortex-induced vibrations of two cylinders in tandem arrangement in the proximity–wake interference region
- IMAN BORAZJANI, FOTIS SOTIROPOULOS
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 621 / 25 February 2009
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 February 2009, pp. 321-364
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We investigate numerically vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of two identical two-dimensional elastically mounted cylinders in tandem in the proximity–wake interference regime at Reynolds number Re = 200 for systems having both one (transverse vibrations) and two (transverse and in-line) degrees of freedom (1-DOF and 2-DOF, respectively). For the 1-DOF system the computed results are in good qualitative agreement with available experiments at higher Reynolds numbers. Similar to these experiments our simulations reveal: (1) larger amplitudes of motion and a wider lock-in region for the tandem arrangement when compared with an isolated cylinder; (2) that at low reduced velocities the vibration amplitude of the front cylinder exceeds that of the rear cylinder; and (3) that above a threshold reduced velocity, large-amplitude VIV are excited for the rear cylinder with amplitudes significantly larger than those of the front cylinder. By analysing the simulated flow patterns we identify the VIV excitation mechanisms that lead to such complex responses and elucidate the near-wake vorticity dynamics and vortex-shedding modes excited in each case. We show that at low reduced velocities vortex shedding provides the initial excitation mechanism, which gives rise to a vertical separation between the two cylinders. When this vertical separation exceeds one cylinder diameter, however, a significant portion of the incoming flow is able to pass through the gap between the two cylinders and the gap-flow mechanism starts to dominate the VIV dynamics. The gap flow is able to periodically force either the top or the bottom shear layer of the front cylinder into the gap region, setting off a series of very complex vortex-to-vortex and vortex-to-cylinder interactions, which induces pressure gradients that result in a large oscillatory force in phase with the vortex shedding and lead to the experimentally observed larger vibration amplitudes. When the vortex shedding is the dominant mechanism the front cylinder vibration amplitude is larger than that of the rear cylinder. The reversing of this trend above a threshold reduced velocity is associated with the onset of the gap flow. The important role of the gap flow is further illustrated via a series of simulations for the 2-DOF system. We show that when the gap-flow mechanism is triggered, the 2-DOF system can develop and sustain large VIV amplitudes comparable to those observed in the corresponding (same reduced velocity) 1-DOF system. For sufficiently high reduced velocities, however, the two cylinders in the 2-DOF system approach each other, thus significantly reducing the size of the gap region. In such cases the gap flow is entirely eliminated, and the two cylinders vibrate together as a single body with vibration amplitudes up to 50% lower than the amplitudes of the corresponding 1-DOF in which the gap flow is active. Three-dimensional simulations are also carried out to examine the adequacy of two-dimensional simulations for describing the dynamic response of the tandem system at Re = 200. It is shown that even though the wake transitions to a weakly three-dimensional state when the gap flow is active, the three-dimensional modes are too weak to affect the dynamic response of the system, which is found to be identical to that obtained from the two-dimensional computations.
Experiments on Lagrangian transport in steady vortex-breakdown bubbles in a confined swirling flow
- FOTIS SOTIROPOULOS, DONALD R. WEBSTER, TAHIRIH C. LACKEY
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 466 / 10 September 2002
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 12 September 2002, pp. 215-248
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In a recent study, Sotiropoulos et al. (2001) studied numerically the chaotic particle paths in the interior of stationary vortex-breakdown bubbles that form in a closed cylindrical container with a rotating lid. Here we report the first experimental verification of these numerical findings along with new insights into the dynamics of vortex-breakdown bubbles. We visualize the Lagrangian transport within the bubbles using planar laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and show that even though the flow fields are steady – from the Eulerian standpoint – the spatial distribution of the dye tracer varies continuously, and in a seemingly random manner, over very long observation intervals. This finding is consistent with the arbitrarily long šil'nikov transients of upstream-originating orbits documented numerically by Sotiropoulos et al. (2001). Sequences of instantaneous LIF images also show that the steady bubbles exchange fluid with the outer flow via random bursting events during which blobs of dye exit the bubble through the spiral-in saddle. We construct experimental Poincaré maps by time-averaging a sufficiently long sequence of instantaneous LIF images. Ergodic theory concepts (Mezić & Sotiropoulos 2002) can be used to formally show that the level sets of the resulting time-averaged light intensity field reveal the invariant sets (unmixed islands) of the flow. The experimental Poincaré maps are in good agreement with the numerical computations. We apply this method to visualize the dynamics in the interior of the vortex-breakdown bubble that forms in the wake of the first bubble for governing parameters in the steady, two-bubble regime. In striking contrast with the asymmetric image obtained for the first bubble, the time-averaged light intensity field for the second bubble is remarkably axisymmetric. Numerical computations confirm this finding and further reveal that the apparent axisymmetry of this bubble is due to the fact that orbits in its interior exhibit quasi-periodic dynamics. We argue that this stark contrast in dynamics should be attributed to differences in the swirl-to-axial velocity ratio in the vicinity of each bubble. By studying the bifurcations of a simple dynamical system, with manifold topology resembling that of a vortex-breakdown bubble, we show that sufficiently high swirl intensities can stabilize the chaotic orbits, leading to quasi-periodic dynamics.
Chaotic advection in three-dimensional stationary vortex-breakdown bubbles: šil'nikov's chaos and the devil's staircase
- FOTIS SOTIROPOULOS, YIANNIS VENTIKOS, TAHIRIH C. LACKEY
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 444 / 10 October 2001
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 25 September 2001, pp. 257-297
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We study the motion of non-diffusive, passive particles within steady, three-dimensional vortex breakdown bubbles in a closed cylindrical container with a rotating bottom. The velocity fields are obtained by solving numerically the three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations. We clarify the relationship between the manifold structure of axisymmetric (ideal) vortex breakdown bubbles and those of the three-dimensional real-life (laboratory) flow fields, which exhibit chaotic particle paths. We show that the upstream and downstream fixed hyperbolic points in the former are transformed into spiral-out and spiral-in saddles, respectively, in the latter. Material elements passing repeatedly through the two saddle foci undergo intense stretching and folding, leading to the growth of infinitely many Smale horseshoes and sensitive dependence on initial conditions via the mechanism discovered by šil'nikov (1965). Chaotic šil'nikov orbits spiral upward (from the spiral-in to the spiral-out saddle) around the axis and then downward near the surface, wrapping around the toroidal region in the interior of the bubble. Poincaré maps reveal that the dynamics of this region is rich and consistent with what we would generically anticipate for a mildly perturbed, volume-preserving, three-dimensional dynamical system (MacKay 1994; Mezić & Wiggins 1994a). Nested KAM-tori, cantori, and periodic islands are found embedded within stochastic regions. We calculate residence times of upstream-originating non-diffusive particles and show that when mapped to initial release locations the resulting maps exhibit fractal properties. We argue that there exists a Cantor set of initial conditions that leads to arbitrarily long residence times within the breakdown region. We also show that the emptying of the bubble does not take place in a continuous manner but rather in a sequence of discrete bursting events during which clusters of particles exit the bubble at once. A remarkable finding in this regard is that the rate at which an initial population of particles exits the breakdown region is described by the devil's staircase distribution, a fractal curve that has been already shown to describe a number of other chaotic physical systems.
The three-dimensional structure of confined swirling flows with vortex breakdown
- FOTIS SOTIROPOULOS, YIANNIS VENTIKOS
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- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 426 / 10 January 2001
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- 12 January 2001, pp. 155-175
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In a recent experimental study, Spohn, Mory & Hopfinger (1998) investigated in detail the flow in a closed cylindrical container with a rotating bottom for Reynolds numbers in the steady and unsteady regimes. Their visualization photographs revealed that the stationary vortex breakdown bubbles, which form along the container axis within a range of governing parameters, are open, with inflow and outflow, and asymmetric at their downstream end. For Reynolds numbers within the unsteady regime, visualizations of the limiting streamlines on the cylindrical wall showed that the Stewartson layer separates asymmetrically along stationary spiral convergence lines that form below the top cover. We study numerically the container flow, by solving the unsteady, three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations, in order to clarify the origin and elucidate the underlying physics of these complex, three-dimensional flow features. The stationary vortex breakdown bubbles we simulate exhibit all the asymmetries observed in the laboratory. By analysing the Lagrangian characteristics of the calculated flow fields, we explain the origin of these asymmetries, clarify the experimentally documented filling and emptying mechanisms, and show that the flow in the interior of stationary vortex breakdown bubbles exhibits chaotic particle paths. We also show that the spiral separation lines observed by Spohn et al. (1998) inside the Stewartson layer at high Reynolds numbers are due to the growth of pairs of counter-rotating, spiral vortices and the interaction of these vortices with the stationary-cover boundary layer.