Particle-laden swirling flow

Application Challenge AC3-12 © copyright ERCOFTAC 2024

Key Fluid Physics

The introduced swirling flows are highly turbulent and as known, the turbulence structure is strongly anisotropic. Moreover, the flow is characterized by a central recirculation region and a flow separation in the pipe expansion. Mostly such kind of flows is not stationary, but exhibits some fluctuations of the vortex core (precessing). This effect also influences the particle behaviour which is manifested in the formation of particle ropes. These are caused by slight fluctuations of the particle-laden primary jet induced by the vortex precession. Eventually these ropes move spirally along the test section wall downward. As a consequence of the locally high particle concentration two-way coupling effects and also inter-particle collisions might become of importance.