Laser Doppler velocimeter measurements in a turbulent junction vortex

Abstract

An experimental investigation of an incompressible, turbulent junction vortex formed at the base of a streamlined cylinder with a circular leading edge placed normal to a flat surface is documented. The flow environment is characterized by a body Reynolds number of 183,000, based on the diameter of the model. The investigation centered around measurements of mean velocity vectors at over 1,700 locations on the plane of symmetry. In addition, extensive turbulence measurements in regions of interest on the plane of symmetry were also made. All of the measurements are performed with a two-color, two-component, frequency shifted laser Doppler velocimeter.

The mean flow field shows the presence of a single vortex on the plane of symmetry and a singular separation point upstream of the vortex. From the measured data, the locations of the vortex center and the singular separation point were determined. The mean velocity field correlates well with previously published surface pressure data and surface flow visualization results.

Extensive comparisons were made with earlier Conrad and five-hole pressure probe measurements and hot film measurements. Comparisons with the Conrad probe results were made in a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer, and with the five-hole probe results for the plane of symmetry junction vortex flow at six stations in the upstream region and four stations inside the separated region. Hot film results were compared at two stations in the upstream region. Excellent agreement was found in the two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer. On the plane of symmetry junction vortex flow, agreement among the three instruments was good, especially for data taken in the upstream region and away from the floor.

Turbulence data were also obtained with the laser Doppler velocimeter in conjunction with a minicomputer. Results indicate the turbulence level inside the separated region is significantly higher than in the upstream region. Highest levels of turbulence were found near the singular separation point and near the center of the vortex. Doppler spectra variations in these regions were also shown. In addition, Doppler histograms obtained by a PDP-11 minicomputer were compared to Doppler spectra obtained using an FFT. Excellent agreement was found between the Doppler spectra and the histograms obtained from the two different instruments.