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GRACM 2002
Patras, 27-29 June, 2002
© GRACM
Abstract. The numerical investigation of the flow in a subsonic wind tunnel of circular cross section is
presented. The considered geometry comprises the settling chamber with one wire screen, the contraction and
the working section, as they are common in all tunnels despite of the type of circuit, i.e. open or closed. The
computation of the steady incompressible flow field is based on the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations
applying the finite volume method provided by a commercial code. The performed computations provide velocity
and pressure profiles along and across the tunnel centerline. The aim is the development of a CFD technique
that will serve flow quality predictions in a subsonic wind tunnel. Moreover it can be used for the correlation of
experimental data with available theories or design methods.
1 INTRODUCTION
Despite of the rapid expansion in the area of the computational fluid dynamics, the wind tunnel remains an
essential tool in engineering, both for model tests and basic research. The main aim when designing any wind
tunnel is the production of a steady flow with spatial uniformity in the test section over a range of Reynolds
number. This requirement can never be perfectly attained since there are always present small eddies of varying
size and intensity which are collectively described as the turbulence of the air stream. The wind tunnel fan, the
corner guide vanes and the upstream walls are the main sources of the test section turbulence.
A more than seventy years experience in wind tunnel design and testing proves that the settling chamber and
contraction combination helps to accomplish the uniform low turbulence field in the test section. The degree of
achievement of the required flow quality depends on the various flow manipulators (i.e. honeycomb, screens)
installed in the settling chamber as well as on the area ratio and the shape of the contraction. Based on certain
assumptions, various theories and empirical formulas have been proposed for computing the effect of flow
manipulators and contraction on the intensity and uniformity of turbulent flow. Theoretical and experimental
investigations regarding the effect both of screens and the contraction on the characteristics of the turbulent flow
have been carried out from the decade of 30’s. The most representative studies regarding the effect of screens
are those by Prandtl[1], Dryden and Schubauer[2], and Taylor and Batchelor[3]. The effect of contraction on
turbulence studied theoretically, by Prandtl[1], Taylor[4], Ribner and Tucker[5], and Batchelor and Proudman[6].
According to the reported studies, the quenching action of the screen on the turbulence velocity fluctuations is
related to the magnitude of the screen resistance coefficient that depends on its porosity and the Reynolds
number. In the case of few screens followed by a contraction with a medium area ratio, the comparison of
measurements and calculations indicate a reasonable agreement.
The aim of the research work is the development and validation of a computational fluids dynamic model
that will be served as a flow quality predictor for various combinations of screens–contractions and moreover it
can be used for the correlation of experimental data or design methods. Preliminary results from the application
of the developed model to the computation of the steady incompressible flow field in a settling chamber-
contraction-test section arrangement of the NBS wind tunnel[2] are presented and discussed. The computation is
based on the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations applying the finite volume method embodied in the
commercial code Phoenics.
Andronicos E. Filios , Dionissios P. Margaris , Athanasios G. Bouras, Maria K. Koukou , Nicolaos W. Vlachakis
2.2 Contraction
The contracting nozzle is placed upstream of the test section for two main reasons: a) It increases the flow
mean velocity allowing the honeycomb and screens to be placed in the lower speed regions, thus reducing the
pressure losses and the tunnel power factor. b) Both mean and fluctuating velocity variations are reduced to a
smaller fraction of the average velocity at a given cross section. The most important single parameter in
determining these effects is the contraction ratio.
The theoretical studies by Prandtl[1], Taylor[4] and Batchelor and Proudman[6] imply that the contraction
does exert a selective effect on the rms components of the fluctuating velocity, i.e. the longitudinal component is
reduced while the lateral components are increased. The investigation carried out by Klein and Ramjee[10] shows
that the shape of the contraction does not have significant influence on the turbulence intensities at the exit of
the contraction. The published theories defining the turbulence level reduction in contractions are limited for
axisymmetric configurations and while they have been partially correlated with results from 2-D and 3-D
geometries they also be applied herein.
1 i 2
3 m 4
U um
z
Figure 1: Tunnel layout for the numerical study (not in scale).
The contraction ratio is 6,6 and the inlet radius is 1,829m. Since no information was obtained regarding the
contraction geometry, the shape of the ax-symmetric contour was derived applying the method proposed by
Boerger[12]. The quality of the flow in section 1 depends on upstream conditions. It is noticeable that no bell
mouth inlet is present. In fact, upstream of section 1, a 90 deg bend is present delivering the air stream from the
return leg of the wind tunnel circuit. The upstream influence could be taking into account making use
experimental data.
in which the kinetic energy of turbulence, k and its dissipation rate e are solved. In general, turbulent flow is
characterized from the existence of rotational structures, called eddies; its velocity and other properties become
unsteady and time dependent in a random and chaotic way. One way of modeling turbulence can be the solution
of a time dependent problem, with computational cells smaller than the smallest eddy (direct modeling), but such
approach would require extreme amounts of computational power. To overcome this problem, several models
have been proposed, that are based in the modeling of time-averaged properties[16,17]. In this work, the high-Re
form of the k-e model plus wall functions are used. With the wall-function approach the viscous sublayer is
bridged by employing empirical formulae, wall functions, to provide near-wall boundary conditions for the
mean-flow and turbulence transport equations. The advantages of this approach are that it escapes the need to
extend the computations right down to the wall, and it avoids the need to account for viscous effects in the
turbulence model. The well-known logarithmic law of the wall is applied for velocities, and strictly this law is
valid as y+ values are in the range 30-100. This constraint has been satisfied by moving the grid closer to the
wall (figure 2). Furthermore, the boundary condition for kinetic energy, k, assumes that the turbulence is in local
equilibrium.
0,0042
Centerline
1,0 Middle
Wall
0,9
0,8
(p-patm )/patm
0,7
0,6 0,0041
r/R
0,5
0,4
0,3
-0,42m, screen-upstream
0,2 -0,10m, screen-upstream
-0,02m, screen-upstream
0,1 +0,06m, screen-downstream 0,0040
0,0 0,10 0,11 0,12 0,13 0,14 0,15
-0,15 -0,10 -0,05 0,00 0,05 0,10 0,15 x/L
(u-um)/um
Figure 7: Computed pressure drop along the
Figure 6: Computed velocities upstream and downstream of the wire screen. wire screen.
The effect of the wire screen in reducing the turbulence of the incoming air stream and therefore in the
‘smoothing’ of the air stream is shown in figure 6. The uniformity of the axial-velocity profile is expressed as a
difference of the local velocity from the mean velocity um, with the difference normalized to the latter. At the
centerline it is shown an almost 2,5% reduction of the flow non-uniformity. The pressure drop, which is
expressed in terms of pressure loss coefficient for the selected wire screen, is shown in figure 7. The calculations
indicate that the pressure close to the wire screen in the upstream and downstream direction is not constant in the
section perpendicular to the centerline and it is expected since the flow breaks to be parallel.
Andronicos E. Filios , Dionissios P. Margaris , Athanasios G. Bouras, Maria K. Koukou , Nicolaos W. Vlachakis
The calculated axial velocity profiles along the contraction and the test section are shown in figure 8. The
effect of the contraction in reducing the mean velocity variation as much as 1/C2, with C the contraction ratio, is
almost confirmed. The velocity profile is ‘smoothing’ in the downstream direction obtaining an almost flat front
in the middle of the test section. The overshooting of the velocity inside the contraction is explained from where
the strong acceleration of the flow. The position z=3,98m in figure 8, corresponds to x/L=0,5 in figure 9.
0,005
Centerline
1,0 Middle
0,004 Wall
0,9
0,8 0,003
0,7
(p-patm )/patm
0,002
0,6 Z=2,14m, contraction inlet
Z=3,98m, into contraction 0,001
r/R
0,5
Z=4,98m, contraction outet
0,4 Z=8,78m, into test section 0,000
0,3
0,2 -0,001
0,1
-0,002
0,0 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7
-0,20 -0,15 -0,10 -0,05 0,00 0,05 0,10 0,15 0,20 x/L
(u-um)/um
Figure 9: Computed pressure variation along the
Figure 8: Velocity profiles in contraction and working section.
tunnel layout.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Predictions of the flow in a subsonic wind tunnel have been conducted. The numerical simulation was
performed to study the effectiveness of screen in combination to the contraction for the flow uniformity
management in the test section of a subsonic wind tunnel. A commercial CFD code, theories and design methods
from the previous state of knowledge are the background of the present work. The aim of this preliminary
investigation is the development and validation of a computational fluids dynamic model that will be served as a
flow quality predictor for various combinations of screens–contractions and moreover it can be used for the
correlation of experimental data or design methods.
The present findings enlarge somewhat on the previous state of knowledge, primarily by focusing on the
region immediately downstream of the screens and contraction. The information available on the effect of the
wall shapes of a three-dimensional contraction is not sufficient to permit the exact computation of the turbulence
levels to be expected in wind tunnels.
6 NOMENCLATURE
C= contraction ratio (-)
e= dissipation rate of turbulence (m2·s-3)
k= turbulence kinetic energy (m2·s-2)
ks= pressure loss coefficient (-)
L= reference tunnel length (m)
p= local static pressure (Pa)
patm= atmospheric pressure (Pa)
r= radial distance (m)
R= inlet radius of wind tunnel (m)
Re= Reynolds number (-)
SΦ = source/sink term expressing the
production/consumption of Φ
ui= velocity resolute (m.s-1)
um= mean velocity (m.s-1)
U= velocity in Εq. (2) (m.s-1)
Umax= inlet maximum velocity in Εq. (2) (m.s-1)
uτ= friction velocity (τw/ρ)1/2 (m.s-1)
Andronicos E. Filios , Dionissios P. Margaris , Athanasios G. Bouras, Maria K. Koukou , Nicolaos W. Vlachakis
G
v= velocity vector in Εq. (1)
x= dimensionless lengthscale (-)
axial distance in figures 7,9 (m)
y= distance from the wind tunnel wall (m)
y+= dimensionless y in wall units (y.uτ/ν)
Hellenic symbol
ΓΦ = effective exchange coefficient of variable Φ (kg.m-1.s-1)
ε= screen porosity (-)
µ= viscosity (Pa·s)
ν= kinematic viscosity (m2.s-1)
ρ= fluid density (kg·m-3)
τw= wall shear stress (Pa)
Φ= variable (units Φ)
REFERENCES
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[17] http://www.cham.co.uk
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