Mikhail P. Tokarev

3D velocity measurements in a premixed flame by tomographic PIV

Tomographic particle image velocimetry (PIV) has become a standard tool for 3D velocity measurements in non-reacting flows. However, the majority of the measurements in flows with combustion are limited to small resolved depth compared to the size of the field of view (typically 1 : 10). The limitations are associated with inhomogeneity of the volume illumination and the non-uniform flow seeding, the optical distortions and errors in the 3D calibration, and the unwanted flame luminosity. In the present work, the above constraints were overcome for the tomographic PIV experiment in a laminar axisymmetric premixed flame. The measurements were conducted for a 1 : 1 depth-to-size ratio using a system of eight CCD cameras and a 200 mJ pulsed laser. The results show that camera calibration based on the triangulation of the tracer particles in the non-reacting conditions provided reliable accuracy for the 3D image reconstruction in the flame. The modification of the tomographic reconstruction allowed a posteriori removal of unwanted bright objects, which were located outside of the region of interest but affected the reconstruction quality. This study reports on a novel experience for the instantaneous 3D velocimetry in laboratory-scale flames by using tomographic PIV.

A maximum entropy reconstruction technique for tomographic particle image velocimetry

This paper studies a novel approach for reducing tomographic PIV computational complexity. The proposed approach is an algebraic reconstruction technique, termed MENT (maximum entropy). This technique computes the three-dimensional light intensity distribution several times faster than SMART, using at least ten times less memory. Additionally, the reconstruction quality remains nearly the same as with SMART. This paper presents the theoretical computation performance comparison for MENT, SMART and MART, followed by validation using synthetic particle images. Both the theoretical assessment and validation of synthetic images demonstrate significant computational time reduction. The data processing accuracy of MENT was compared to that of SMART in a slot jet experiment. A comparison of the average velocity profiles shows a high level of agreement between the results obtained with MENT and those obtained with SMART.

Helical modes in low- and high-swirl jets measured by tomographic PIV

ABSTRACT We report on a parallel study on properties of large-scale vortical structures in low- and high-swirl turbulent jets by means of the time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry technique. The high-swirl jet flow is featured by a well-established bubble-type vortex breakdown with a central recirculation zone. In the low-swirl flow, the mean axial velocity, while intermittently acquiring negative values, remains positive in the mean but with a local velocity defect immediately downstream from the nozzle exit, followed by a spiralling vortex core system and its eventual breakdown. Measurements of the 3D velocity fields allowed direct analysis of the azimuthal/helical modes via Fourier transform over the azimuthal angle and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis in the Fourier space. A precessing vortex core is detected for both swirl cases, whereas the POD analysis showed that the one originating in the bubble-type vortex breakdown is much more energetic and easier to detect.

A swirling jet with vortex breakdown: three-dimensional coherent structures

The paper reports on shape of a three-dimensional coherent structure in a velocity field of a high-swirl turbulent jet with the bubble-type vortex breakdown. A set of the 3D instantenous velocity fields was measured by using the tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomographic PIV) technique and processed by the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method. The detected intensive coherent velocity component corresponded to a helical vortex core of the swirling jet and two secondary spiral vortices. The entire coherent structure was rotating around the jet axis in compliance with the direction of the flow swirl. From the 3D data it is concluded that the dynamics of the strsucture can be described by a traveling wave equation: Re[A(y, r)·ei(mθ + ky - ωt)] with the number of the spiral mode m = +1 for positively defined k and ω.

Optimization and testing of the tomographic method of velocity measurement in the flow volume

The optic noncontact method of velocity field measurement in the flow volume is considered in this paper for the purposes of hydroaerodynamic experiment. The essence of this method is measurement of particles motion in the flow during short periods between laser pulses. This study offers and implements several algorithmic optimizations, allowing data processing time reduction. It is shown that application of threshold background filtering on the recorded projections (particle images) and fast estimation of initial intensity distribution in the volume allows increasing the speed of tomographic reconstruction algorithm two or three times. Reconstruction accuracy and errors in determination of particle shift were studied in this work using artificial images. The described tomographic method for the velocity field estimation in the flow volume was used for diagnostics of a turbulent submerged jet flowing into a narrow channel. The application of developed approaches in experiment allowed us to obtain spatial distribution of the average velocity field and instantaneous velocity fields in the measurement area.

Coherent Structures in a Turbulent Swirling Jet Under Vortex Breakdown. 3D PIV Measurements

The current study reports on spatial structure of a global mode of self-sustaining oscillations in a turbulent swirling jet under vortex breakdown conditions. Ensembles of 2D and 3D velocity fields were measured by stereoscopic and tomographic PIV systems, respectively, and were analysed via proper orthogonal decomposition. For the 2D PIV, the spatial resolution was sufficient to resolve most of the turbulent kinetic energy of the turbulent flow. The resolution in the case of tomographic PIV was lower, but the 3D instantaneous velocity fields unambiguously revealing that the global mode corresponds to a spiralling structure, counter-winded to the direction of the jet swirl.

Experimental Validation of the Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Aero-engine Intercooler

Porous media model computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a valuable approach allowing an entire heat exchanger system, including the interactions with its associated installation ducts, to be studied at an affordable computational effort. Previous work of this kind has concentrated on developing the heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of the porous medium model. Experimental validation has mainly been based on the measurements at the far field from the porous media exit. Detailed near field data are rare. In this paper, the fluid dynamics characteristics of a tubular heat exchanger concept developed for aero-engine intercooling by the authors are presented. Based on a rapid prototype manufactured design, the detailed flow field in the intercooler system is recorded by particle image velocimetry (PIV) and pressure measurements. First, the computational capability of the porous media to predict the flow distribution within the tubular heat transfer units was confirmed. Second, the measurements confirm that the flow topology within the associated ducts can be described well by porous media CFD modeling. More importantly, the aerodynamic characteristics of a number of critical intercooler design choices have been confirmed, namely, an attached flow in the high velocity regions of the in-flow, particularly in the critical region close to the intersection and the in-flow guide vane, a well-distributed flow in the two tube stacks, and an attached flow in the cross-over duct.