Linear stability of miscible two-fluid flow down an incline

We show that miscible two-layer free-surface flows of varying viscosity down an inclined substrate are different in their stability characteristics from both immiscible two-layer flows, and flows with viscosity gradients spanning the entire flow. New instability modes arise when the critical layer of the viscosity transport equation overlaps the viscosity gradient. A lubricating configuration with a less viscous wall layer is identified to be the most stabilizing at moderate miscibility (moderate Peclet numbers). This also is in contrast with the immiscible case, where the lubrication configuration is always destabilizing. The co-existence that we find under certain circumstances, of several growing overlap modes, the usual surface mode, and a Tollmien-Schlichting mode, presents interesting new possibilities for nonlinear breakdown. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

The influence of stacks on flow patterns and stratification associated with natural ventilation

We investigate the steady state natural ventilation of an enclosed space in which vent A, located at height hA above the floor, is connected to a vertical stack with a termination at height H, while the second vent, B, at height hB above the floor, connects directly to the exterior. We first examine the flow regimes which develop with a distributed source of heating at the base of the space. If hBhB>hA, then two different flow regimes may develop. Either (i) there is inflow through vent B and outflow through vent A, or (ii) the flow reverses, with inflow down the stack into vent A and outflow through vent B. With inflow through vent A, the internal temperature and ventilation rate depend on the relative height of the two vents, A and B, while with inflow through vent B, they depend on the height of vent B relative to the height of the termination of the stack H. With a point source of heating, a similar transition occurs, with a unique flow regime when vent B is lower than vent A, and two possible regimes with vent B higher than vent A. In general, with a point source of buoyancy, each steady state is characterised by a two-layer density stratification. Depending on the relative heights of the two vents, in the case of outflow through vent A connected to the stack, the interface between these layers may lie above, at the same level as or below vent A, leading to discharge of either pure upper layer, a mixture of upper and lower layer, or pure lower layer fluid. In the case of inflow through vent A connected to the stack, the interface always lies below the outflow vent B. Also, in this case, if the inflow vent A lies above the interface, then the lower layer becomes of intermediate density between the upper layer and the external fluid, whereas if the interface lies above the inflow vent A, then the lower layer is composed purely of external fluid. We develop expressions to predict the transitions between these flow regimes, in terms of the heights and areas of the two vents and the stack, and we successfully test these with new laboratory experiments. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our results for real buildings.

Magnetic shielding properties of a superconducting hollow cylinder containing slits: Modelling and experiment

This paper deals with the magnetic properties of bulk high temperature superconducting cylinders used as magnetic shields. We investigate, both numerically and experimentally, the magnetic properties of a hollow cylinder with two axial slits which cut the cylinder in equal halves. Finite element method modelling has been used with a three-dimensional geometry to help us in understanding how the superconducting currents flow in such a cut cylinder and therefore how the magnetic shielding properties are affected, depending on the magnetic field orientation. Modelling results show that the slits block the shielding current flow and act as an entrance channel for the magnetic flux lines. The contribution of the slits to the total flux density that enters the cylinder is studied through the angle formed between the applied field and the internal field. The modelled data agree nicely with magnetic shielding properties measured on a bulk Bi-2212 hollow cylinder at 77K. The results demonstrate that the magnetic flux penetration in such a geometry can be modelled successfully using only two parameters of the superconductor (constant J c and n value), which were determined from magnetic measurements on the plain cylinder. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

On the time delay in continuous in-cylinder sampling from IC engines

When gas sample is continuously drawn from the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, the sample that appears at the end of the sampling system corresponds to the in-cylinder content sometime ago because of the finite transit time which is a function of the cylinder pressure history. This variable delay causes a dispersion of the sample signal and makes the interpretation of the signal difficult An unsteady flow analysis of a typical sampling system was carried out for selected engine loads and speeds. For typical engine operation, a window in which the delay is approximately constant may be found. This window gets smaller with increase in engine speed, with decrease in load, and with the increase in exit pressure of the sampling system.

Scaling of transitionally-rough flow structures in DNSes of channels with riblets up to Reτ=550

The linear, drag-reducing effect of vanishingly small riblets breaks down once their size is in the transitionally-rough regime. We have previously reported that this breakdown is caused by the additional Reynolds stresses produced by the appearance of elongated spanwise rollers just above the riblet surface. These rollers are related with the Kelvin--Helmholtz instability of free shear layers, and to similar structures appearing over other rough and porous surfaces. However, because of the limited Reτ=180 in our previous DNSes, it could not be determined whether those structures scaled in inner or outer units. Furthermore, it is questionable if results in the transitionally-rough regime at Reτ=180 can be extrapolated to configurations of practical interest. At such small Reynolds numbers, roughness of transitional size can perturb a large portion of the boundary layer, which is not the case in most industrial and atmospheric applications. To clarify these issues we have conducted a set of DNSes at Reτ=550. Our results indicate that the spanwise rollers scale in wall units, and support the validity of the extrapolation to configurations of practical interest.

Wave propagation in a slowly-varying duct with mean vortical swirling flow

The propagation of unsteady disturbances in a slowlyvarying cylindrical duct carrying mean swirling flow is investigated using a multiple-scales technique. This is applicable to turbomachinery flow behind a rotor stage when the swirl and axial velocities are of the same order. The presence of mean vorticity couples acoustic and vorticity equations which produces an eigenvalue problem that is not self-adjoint unlike that for irrotational mean flow. In order to determine the amplitude variation along the duct, an adjoint solution for the coupled system of equations is derived. The solution breaks down where a mode changes from cut on to cut off. In this region the amplitude is governed by a form of Airy's equation, and the effect of swirl is to introduce a small shift in the origin of the Airy function away from the turning-point location. The variation of axial wavenumber and amplitude along the duct is calculated. In hard-walled ducts mean swirl is shown to produce much larger amplitude variation along the duct compared with a nonswirling flow. Mean swirl also has a large effect in ducts with finite-impedance walls which differs depending on whether modes are co-rotating with the swirl or counter rotating. © 2001 by A.J. Cooper, Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.