NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF LEAKAGE FLOW THROUGH TWO LABYRINTH SEALS

The leakage flow through two labyrinth seals, e.g the interlocking seal and the stepped seal, was numerically investigated. Preliminary calculation of the seal-cavity averaged pressure by using the one-dimensional control volume method showed favorable agreement with the experimental measurements. Subsequently, in-depth understanding of the fluid flow through the labyrinth seals was obtained by employing Computational Fluid Dynamics （CFD） and k -ε turbulence model, which resulted in a potential wealth of information like the streamline pattern, velocity vector field, and distribution of turbulent kinetic energy and static pressure. At the clearance of the seal the turbulent kinetic energy reached the peak value, while in the bulk region of the cavities it decayed fast. The static pressure rapidly dropped as the fluid flow went through the clearance; no distinct difference of the static pressure was inspected in the cavities. Also noted from the numerical results was that the stepped seal showed better sealing performance than the interlocking seal.

SIMULATION OF BLOOD FLOW IN INTRACRANIAL ICA-PCOMA ANEURYSM VIA COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYMAMICS MODELING

In the present study, hemodynamics of the internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery （ICA-PComA） was numerically modeled with CFD approach. The steady and pulsating blood flow in the ICA-PComA was simulated. The main concern was placed on the influence of aneurysm geometry on the local hemodynamics by changing the sac diameter and Aspect Ratio （AR） of the aneurysm. The numerical results show the significantly weakened Wall Shear Stress （WSS） and the intensified wall pressure in the aneurysm as AR is increased. Two factors, i.e., low WSS and high pressure of the aneurysm, may play important roles in the fragile change of the aneurysm and the final rupture. The distributions of Time-Averaged WSS （TAWSS）, Oscillatory Shear Index （OSI） and spatial WSS Gradients （WSSG）） were determined and discussed in view of their influences on the evolution of ICA-PComA aneurysm.

SIMULTANEOUS FLOW VISUALIZATION AND WALL-PRESSURE MEASUR EMENT OF THE TURBULENT SEPARATED AND REATTACHING FLOW OVER A BACKWARD-FACING STEP

Unsteady behaviors of the large-scale vortical structure superimposed in the turbulent separated and reattaching flow over a backward-facing step were convincingly delineated by performing simultaneous measurements of the wall pressure fluctuations and visualizations of the flow. Toward this end, a synchronized instrumentation system integrated with the microphone array and the high-speed camera was established. The smoke-wire technique was employed to visualize the unsteady events. A thorough analysis based on the wall pressure fluctuations disclosed that the large-scale vortical structure shedding at the frequency of fH/Uo = 0.064 gave a primary contribution to the wall pressure fluctuations, and consequently dominated unsteady behaviors of the turbulent shear layer. The convection velocity of the large-scale vortical structure was determined as Uc =0.55 U0. The instantaneous flow visualizations and wall pressure were compared in a straightforward manner. Below the separation bubble and the reattachment zone, the negative peak of the time-varying wall pressure was in phase with passage of the local large-scale vortical structure. In the redeveloping turbulent boundary layer, the decaying large-scale vortical structure was clearly revealed.

NUMERICAL EVALUATION OF TWO-FLUID MIXING IN A SWIRL MICRO-MIXER

A collaborative investigation of two-fluid mixing in a swirl micro-mixer was carried out by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Tokyo Denki University. Pure water and a mixture of glycerol and water were separately injected into branch channels and they were subsequently mixed in the central chamber. The two-fluid flow pattern was numerically modeled, in which the dependence of the mixture viscosity and density on the mass fraction of glycerol in the mixing fluid was carefully taken into consideration. The mixing performance of the two fluids was evaluated by varying the Reynolds numbers and the mass fractions of glycerol in water. The mixing process was extensively analyzed using streamline maps and contour plotting distributions of pressure and glycerol concentration. The numerical results show that the acceptable uniformity of mixing at Re = 0.1 is primarily attributed to the time-consuming molecular diffusion, whereas the cost-effective mixing at Re 〉 500 was obtained because of the generation of the swirling flow. The increasing mass fraction of glycerol in water was found to attenuate the mixing performance. The preliminary microscopic visualization of the two-fluid mixing at Re=1300 demonstrated the consistence with the numerical results.

JOINT INVESTIGATION OF ROTATING FLOW WITH VORTEX BREAKDOWN USING CFD, VISUALIZATION AND LDV

Vortex breakdown of the steady axisymmetic rotating flow in a confined cylindrical container with a rotating endwall was numerically and experimentally studied. High-quality precision-controlled turntable facilities were established at Shanghai Jiaotong University and Tokyo Denki University independently. Collaborative investigations of vortex breakdown were carried out using CFD, Laser Doppler Velocimetry （LDV） and streakline visualization, respectively. The characteristics of vortex breakdown were delineated in terms of comparative investigation using numerical and experimental results. SIMPLEC scheme and FMG multigrid was applied to numerical simulation. Numerical simulation was extensively compared with streakline visualization and LDV measurements, showing qualitative and quantitative agreements.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF UNSTEADY CHARACTERISTICS OF TURBULENT MIXING LAYER FLOW OVER AN OPEN STEP AND A SQUARE-EDGED RIB

Spatio-temporal characteristics of the wall-bounded turbulent mixing layer flow over an open step and a square-edged rib were extensively studied in a low-speed wind tunnel. Simultaneous measurements of wall-pressure fluctuations and velocity measurements were performed by using microphone array and X-wire/split fim, respectively.