Boundary Layer Transition Under High Free-Stream Turbulence and Strong Acceleration Conditions: Part 2—Turbulent Transport Results

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Volino ◽  
T. W. Simon

Measurements from heated boundary layers along a concave-curved test wall subject to high (initially 8 percent) free-stream turbulence intensity and strong (K = (ν/U∞2 dU∞/dx, as high as 9 × 10−6) acceleration are presented and discussed. Conditions for the experiments were chosen to simulate those present on the downstream half of the pressure side of a gas turbine airfoil. Turbulence statistics, including the turbulent shear stress, the turbulent heat flux, and the turbulent Prandtl number are presented. The transition zone is of extended length in spite of the high free-stream turbulence level. Turbulence quantities are strongly suppressed below values in unaccelerated turbulent boundary layers. Turbulent transport quantities rise with the intermittency, as the boundary layer proceeds through transition. Octant analysis shows a similar eddy structure in the present flow as was observed in transitional flows under low free-stream turbulence conditions. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first detailed documentation of a high-free-stream-turbulence boundary layer flow in such a strong acceleration field.

Author(s):  
Michael P. Schultz ◽  
Ralph J. Volino

An experimental investigation has been carried out on a transitional boundary layer subject to high (initially 9%) free-stream turbulence, strong acceleration K=ν/Uw2dUw/dxas high as9×10-6, and strong concave curvature (boundary layer thickness between 2% and 5% of the wall radius of curvature). Mean and fluctuating velocity as well as turbulent shear stress are documented and compared to results from equivalent cases on a flat wall and a wall with milder concave curvature. The data show that curvature does have a significant effect, moving the transition location upstream, increasing turbulent transport, and causing skin friction to rise by as much as 40%. Conditional sampling results are presented which show that the curvature effect is present in both the turbulent and non-turbulent zones of the transitional flow.


Author(s):  
Masaharu Matsubara ◽  
P. Henrik Alfredsson ◽  
K. Johan A. Westin

Transition to turbulence in laminar boundary layers subjected to high levels of free stream turbulence (FST) can still not be reliably predicted, despite its technical importance, e.g. in the case of boundary layers developing on gas turbine blades. In a series of experiments in the MTL-wind tunnel at KTH the influence of grid-generated FST on boundary layer transition has been studied, with FST-levels up to 6%. It was shown from both flow visualisation and hot-wire measurements that the boundary layer develops unsteady streaky structures with high and low streamwise velocity. This leads to large amplitude low frequency fluctuations inside the boundary layer although the mean flow is still close to the laminar profile. Breakdown to turbulence occurs through an instability of the streaks which leads to the formation of turbulent spots. Accurate physical modelling of these processes seems to be needed in order to obtain a reliable prediction method.


Author(s):  
Ken-ichi Funazaki ◽  
Takashi Kitazawa ◽  
Kazuyuki Koizumi ◽  
Tadashi Tanuma

The objective of this study is to investigate effects of favorable pressure gradient as well as free-stream turbulence upon wake-induced boundary layer transition on a flat plate. Likewise in the previous study by Funazaki (1996), a spoked-wheel type wake generator is employed in this study. Two identical flat plates with sharp edge are used as test model. One of them is for measurement of boundary layers over the test plate by use of a single hot-wire probe, and the other is provided with thin stainless-steel foils on the surface to measure wake-affected heat transfer along the surface. Free-stream turbulence intensities are controlled with several types of turbulence grids. Pressure gradients over the test surface are adjusted by changing an inclination angle of the plate located opposite to the test model. In Part I, transition models proposed by Mayle and Dullenkopf (1990b) and Funazaki (1996a, 1996b) are compared with the experimental data obtained in this study to examine how such a model succeeds or fails in predicting the wake-induced boundary layer transition under the influences of favorable pressure gradient with a low free-stream turbulence.


Author(s):  
Heinz-Adolf Schreiber ◽  
Wolfgang Steinert ◽  
Bernhard Küsters

An experimental and analytical study has been performed on the effect of Reynolds number and free-stream turbulence on boundary layer transition location on the suction surface of a controlled diffusion airfoil (CDA). The experiments were conducted in a rectilinear cascade facility at Reynolds numbers between 0.7 and 3.0×106 and turbulence intensities from about 0.7 to 4%. An oil streak technique and liquid crystal coatings were used to visualize the boundary layer state. For small turbulence levels and all Reynolds numbers tested the accelerated front portion of the blade is laminar and transition occurs within a laminar separation bubble shortly after the maximum velocity near 35–40% of chord. For high turbulence levels (Tu > 3%) and high Reynolds numbers transition propagates upstream into the accelerated front portion of the CDA blade. For those conditions, the sensitivity to surface roughness increases considerably and at Tu = 4% bypass transition is observed near 7–10% of chord. Experimental results are compared to theoretical predictions using the transition model which is implemented in the MISES code of Youngren and Drela. Overall the results indicate that early bypass transition at high turbulence levels must alter the profile velocity distribution for compressor blades that are designed and optimized for high Reynolds numbers.


Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino ◽  
Terrence W. Simon

A technique called “octant analysis” was used to examine the eddy structure of turbulent and transitional heated boundary layers on flat and curved surfaces. The intent was to identify important physical processes that play a role in boundary layer transition on flat and concave surfaces. Octant processing involves the partitioning of flow signals into octants based on the instantaneous signs of the fluctuating temperature, t′; streamwise velocity, u′; and cross-stream velocity, v′. Each octant is associated with a particular eddy motion. For example, u′<0, v′>0, t′>0 is associated with an ejection or “burst” of warm fluid away from a heated wall. Within each octant, the contribution to various quantities of interest (such as the turbulent shear stress, −u′v′, or the turbulent heat flux, v′t′) can be computed. By comparing and contrasting the relative contributions from each octant, the importance of particular types of motion can be determined. If the data within each octant is further segregated based on the magnitudes of the fluctuating components so that minor events are eliminated, the relative importance of particular types of motion to the events that are important can also be discussed. In fully-developed, turbulent boundary layers along flat plates, trends previously reported in the literature were confirmed. A fundamental difference was observed in the octant distribution between the transitional and fully-turbulent boundary layers, however, showing incomplete mixing and a lesser importance of small scales in the transitional boundary layer. Such observations were true on both flat and concave walls. The differences are attributed to incomplete development of the turbulent kinetic energy cascade in transitional flows. The findings have potential application to modelling, suggesting the utility of incorporating multiple length scales in transition models.


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Volino ◽  
T. W. Simon

Measurements from heated boundary layers along a concave-curved test wall subject to high (initially 8 percent) free-stream turbulence intensity and strong (K = (ν/U∞2) dU∞/dx) as high as 9 × 10−6) acceleration are presented and discussed. Conditions for the experiments were chosen to roughly simulate those present on the downstream half of the pressure side of a gas turbine airfoil. Mean velocity and temperature profiles as well as skin friction and heat transfer coefficients are presented. The transition zone is of extended length in spite of the high free-stream turbulence level. Transitional values of skin friction coefficients and Stanton numbers drop below flat-plate, low-free-stream-turbulence, turbulent flow correlations, but remain well above laminar flow values. The mean velocity and temperature profiles exhibit clear changes in shape as the flow passes through transition. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first detailed documentation of a high-free-stream-turbulence boundary layer flow in such a strong acceleration field.


Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Watmuff

Experiments are described in which well-defined FSN (Free Stream Nonuniformity) distributions are introduced by placing fine wires upstream of the leading edge of a flat plate. Large amplitude spanwise thickness variations are present in the downstream boundary layer resulting from the interaction of the laminar wakes with the leading edge. Regions of elevated background unsteadiness appear on either side of the peak layer thickness, which share many of the characteristics of Klebanoff modes, observed at elevated Free Stream Turbulence (FST) levels. However, for the low background disturbance level of the free stream, the layer remains laminar to the end of the test section (Rx ≈ l.4×106) and there is no evidence of bursting or other phenomena associated with breakdown to turbulence. A vibrating ribbon apparatus is used to demonstrate that the deformation of the mean flow is responsible for substantial phase and amplitude distortion of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) waves. Pseudo-flow visualization of hot-wire data shows that the breakdown of the distorted waves is more complex and occurs at a lower Reynolds number than the breakdown of the K-type secondary instability observed when the FSN is not present.


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