Chapter 9 Flow Separation and Secondary Flow

Secondary ows imply a primary ow. There are many variants of this idea. In this chapter, we leave aside secondary ows that can be attributed to instabilities of the primary ow, which rely on linearization (see Ch. 11) of the equations for disturbance to the baseline solution and may be irrotational. Here, vorticity always plays an essential role, for example when its direction is modied by the ow (ow in a bend) or when vorticity is added at the boundaries. In some instances, the secondary ow is a region separated from the primary ow by a streamline that attaches to smooth surfaces or sharp edges. Examples (Fig. 9.2) are encountered in pipe entrance ows, aerodynamics, and wake formation: in all instances the performance is aected, and it is imperative to include the correct physics in any model of such ows. The entire range of Reynolds numbers is aected. In this chapter, we only peel the outermost layers of these dicult topics. See Fig. 9.1)

9.1

Curved channel

First we examine the secondary ow in a curved channel (possibly a model for a bend in a river) (Fig. 9.3). The primary ow would be irrotational and governed by Eulers normal equation: pressure must be larger on the outside in order to redirect the ow inward; therefore the speed must increase inward. 189

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E.S. Taylors movie: Secondary ows

All dependent on vorticity (potential ow have unique solutions). Flow separation vorticity from boundary, requires pressure gradients (see lectures) No ow separation Flow in a bend: material lines and vortex lines Is the bathtub vortex really 2-dimensional? Necklace vortex Ekman layers

Figure 9.1: Secondary ows: the role of vorticity, movie by E.S. Taylor

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191

Figure 9.2: Secondary ow: creeping ow in a wedge, forward- and backwardfacing steps, diuser, wake of a sphere, necklace vortex around an obstacle in a boundary layer.

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Figure 9.3: Irrotational ow in a curved channel The simple version, sometimes found in undergraduate texts, is possible if we ignore friction at the walls. The presence of a secondary ow, invalidating the simple irrotational model, can be explained by the presence of a mean shear in the prole (faster ow at the surface, no-slip at the bottom). The upstream conditions should include vorticity in the spanwise direction and this is key to the next level of analysis. It is assumed that viscous eects are not dominant over the short travel time through the curved portion of channel. One can rationalize that viscous diusion, though present, does not qualitatively aect the reasoning. Under this assumption, Helmholtz theorem on vortex lines being material lines does apply as an approximation, and we track the progression of a material line through the bend. Since the inside of the curve moves faster than the outside, the material line will rotate relaive to the mean streamline at the center of the channel. Since the material line is also a vortex line, there will be a vorticity component in the streamwise direction! (Fig. 9.4) This streamwise vorticity introduced by the bend is responsible for the circulation of water outward at the free surface and inward along the bottom of the channel. This meachanism may be responsible for the meandering of rivers, and for the erosion patterns (steep banks outside, sediment deposit inside the curve).

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193

Figure 9.4: Creation of axial vorticity in a curved channel A similar situation arises for laminar ow in a circular helical pipe (or in a bend) (Fig. 9.5). Two counter-rotating axial vortices arise, recirculating the uid across the mid-plane of the pipe. This is a simple mechanism of mixing enhancement, used in some heat exchangers. Unlike the case of the open channel, here we see streamlines actually losing contact with a solid surface: that is ow separation.

9.2

Vorticity reversal in 2D separation

Flow separation is possible in potential ow (e.g. ow toward a stagnation point, with separation streamline, Fig. 9.6) But, with the presence of vorticity, the range of possible phenomena expands enormously. We limit ourselves to 2D ows, and start from the vorticity balance (without vortex stretching, of course) t + U = 2 (9.1)

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Figure 9.5: Secondary ow in a helical pipe

Potential flow at a stagnation point 3

2.5

1.5

0.5

0 3

0 x

Figure 9.6: Potential ow separation at a stagnation point

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195

Figure 9.7: Separation in a 2D boundary layer In a 2D BL-type conguration (Fig. 9.7), the only component of vorticity is normal to the plane of the sketch: = x v y u implying
2 2 y = xy v yy u.

(9.2)

(9.3)

Then, we look at continuity: x u + y v = 0 (9.4)

Right along the wall, the u component is zero (no-slip), as is the v component (impermeable wall) regardless of x, which implies that y v |y=0 = x v |y=0 = 0 It follows that
2 xy v |y=0 = 0

(9.5)

(9.6)

So, without any dynamics yet, we conclude that

2 y = yy u

(9.7)

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Figure 9.8: Vorticity reversal in front of a step at the wall. This implies that changes in vorticity, including changes in sign, away from the wall is necessarily related to changes in stress (viscosity not part of the kinematics, of course). So the question is: how is reversed vorticity introduced? This needs to be thought of in the broader context of the introduction of vorticity of any sign into a ow: from Kelvins theorem, we know this to be a viscous phenomenon. But the ZPGBL was not all that enlightening in this regard, with all the vorticity introduced at the leading edge. The following analysis represents a more detailed look at the eect of pressure (surprise!) on vorticity1 In fact, taking the BL equation (with pressure gradient leading to the step), and looking a the immediate vicinity of the wall (y 0), we have 1 2 0 = x p + yy u At the wall 1 x p = y (9.8)

(9.9)

So, when someone makes a statement to the eect that there is no pressure in the vorticity equation, youll know the pressure eects are hidden but possibly present!

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so that the conduction ux of vorticity from the wall is proportional to the streamwise pressure gradient. When pressure increases, (positive) vorticity diuses from the wall into the ow.

9.3

Introduction of vorticity

Kelvins theorem (Ch. 5) gives us conditions under which an irrotational ow remains irrotational (although the theorem is not just about irrotational ow, of course!). It is complemented by an understanding of how vorticity may be introduced. (A parallel with Bernoullis equation (Ch. 5), complemented by losses (Ch. 3) and Croccos theorem (Ch. 5) for mechanisms of change for B , is in order.) We are nally in position to do this. Of the ve mechanisms listed below, three involve the eects of walls (boundaries), while two operate in the bulk of the uid. 1. In the Shapiro movies, we saw how, in the resence of density variations, the vorticity equation has a source term proportional to p, so that a misalignment of the pressure and density gradients does introduce vorticity. This mechanism is inviscid, and can work at uid interfaces (remember the sloshing uid in a container). 2. More generally, rotational forces (Coriolis force in rotating systems see Ch. 10 ; Lorentz force in conducting uids subject to magnetic elds; etc.) can introduce vorticity in the ow. 3. Then, in Ch. 8, we saw the singularity at the plates leading edge introduces vorticity at one point. For ZPG, no other vorticity is introduced. Because the ow is not dierentiable at sharp corners and such, one may think of these singular points as a crude representation of regions of intense pressure gradients, under the following item. 4. But, in the presence of pressure gradients, vorticity diuses in from the wall. This is an important mechanism of ow separation in adverse pressure gradients, with many complicating factors in 3D ows. 5. Finally, unsteady ow near a wall can also lead to diusion of vorticity from the wall: at the wall the momentum equation 1 t u + x p = y (9.10)

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Figure 9.9: Vorticity introduction: singular points (Ch 8), pressure gradients near walls, density gradient, rotational forces (Ch 10), unsteady motion near walls (Ch 6.

9.4. ADVANCED TOPICS AND IDEAS FOR FURTHER READING 199 applies to Stokes second problem (no pressure gradient) (see Ch. 7). Once present somewhere in the ow, trace amounts of vorticity spread everywhere by diusion: think about the eect Greens function. The decision to be made by the analyst is about the importance of trace vorticity in each given situation.

9.4

Advanced topics and ideas for further reading

Because ow separation aects dramatically the performance of aerodynamic surfaces and wake formation, it is a very active eld of current research. The control of separation is particularly important.

Problems
1. Describe changes in vorticity proles in pictures of ow separation. 2. Construct a mind map about the role of vorticity in ow separation. 3. Discuss the dierences between secondary ow separation, and the separation occuring in potential ows (e.g. ow around a cylinder).

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