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Experimental study on dynamic mechanism of vortex evolution in a turbulent boundary layer of low Reynolds number

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Abstract

The dynamic mechanism of the vortex generation and evolution process in a fully developed turbulent boundary layer with Reθ =97–194 is experimentally investigated. In this study, a moving single-frame and long-exposure (MSFLE) imaging method and a moving particle image velocimetry/particle tracing velocimetry (M-PIV/PTV) are designed and implemented for measuring the temporal and spatial evolution of vortex cores in both qualitative and quantitative ways, respectively. On the other hand, the Liutex vector, which is a new mathematical definition and identification of the vortex core proposed by Liu’s group, is first applied in the experiment for the structural visualization and quantitative analysis of the local fluid rotation. The results show that an intuitional process of vortex evolution can be clearly observed by tracking the vortex using MSFLE and verify that the roll-up of the shear layer induced by shear instability is the origin of vortex formation in turbulence. Furthermore, a quantitative investigation in terms of the critical vortex core boundary (size) and its accurate rotation strength is carried out based on the Liutex vector field analysis by M-PIV/PTV. According to statistics of the relation between vortex core size and the rotation strength during the whole process, the phy sical mechanism of vortex generation and evolution in a turbulent boundary layer of low Reynolds number can be summarized as a four-dominant-state course consisting of the “synchronous linear segment (SL)-absolute enhancement segment (AE)-absolute diffusion segment (AD)-skewing dissipation segment (SD)”.

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Acknowledgment

This work is partly accomplished by using Liutex, developed by Dr. Chaoqun Liu at the University of Texas at Arlington.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China

    Yan-ang Guo, Xiang-rui Dong, Xiao-shu Cai & Wu Zhou

  2. Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Shanghai Power Engineering, Shanghai, 200093, China

    Yan-ang Guo, Xiang-rui Dong, Xiao-shu Cai & Wu Zhou

Authors
  1. Yan-ang Guo
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  2. Xiang-rui Dong
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  3. Xiao-shu Cai
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  4. Wu Zhou
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiao-shu Cai.

Additional information

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 51906154, 51576130), the National Science and Technology Major Project (Grant No. 2017-V-0016-0069).

Biography

Yan-ang Guo (1993-), Male, Master, E-mail: yanangguo00@163.com

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Guo, Ya., Dong, Xr., Cai, Xs. et al. Experimental study on dynamic mechanism of vortex evolution in a turbulent boundary layer of low Reynolds number. J Hydrodyn 32, 807–819 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42241-020-0056-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42241-020-0056-7

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