Turbulent Taylor-Couette Flow based on LDV Measurement — Investigation on the Flow Field

• Author / Creator

  Wang, Yicong

• The flow structure in turbulent Taylor vortex flow (TTV) was investigated in Newtonian and shear-thinning fluids. The radius ratio of the investigated case is η=0.76, and the aspect ratio of the experimental setup is 10.32.

  First, detailed velocity measurements of the time-averaged azimuthal and axial components were performed with a Newtonian fluid (glycerin-water mixture). Radial profiles were obtained at the midheight of the cylinder, and axial profiles were obtained at three different radial positions. In Re=1100~3200, all the results of the two velocity components showed the same periodicity in the axial profiles, indicating the ubiquitous existence of the Taylor vortex structure in TTV (Turbulent Taylor vortex flow). Radial jet flows resulted in the transport of angular momentum, and some differences in the vortex structure were also found by comparing TTV with TVF. The local Reynolds number was analyzed with the help of the radial profiles, and the rationality of an alternative definition of the Reynolds number was evaluated by considering the real local Reynolds number.
  
  Similar measurements were performed for the aqueous solution of Xanthan gum, which is strongly shear thinning and weakly elastic, with two different concentrations. The results also revealed the Taylor vortex in the flow field in the investigated range. Unlike the Newtonian case, TTV with shear-thinning fluids exhibited different modes with ununified Taylor vortex wavelengths. For the case of low-concentration shear thinning, two distinctly different distributions were discovered in the radial profiles, which were directly resulted by the two opposite directions of the jet flow in different modes.
  

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Taylor-Couette flow
  • velocity profile
  • LDV

• Graduation date

  Fall 2022

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-6a5j-w537

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.