Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Measuring turbulence energy with PIV in a backward-facing step flow

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Experiments in Fluids Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Turbulence energy is estimated in a backward-facing step flow with three-component (3C, stereo) particle image velocimetry (PIV). Estimates of turbulence energy transport equation for convection, turbulence transport, turbulence production, viscous diffusion, and viscous dissipation in addition to Reynolds stresses are computed directly from PIV data. Almost all the turbulence energy terms in the backward-facing step case can be measured with 3C PIV, except the pressure-transport term, which is obtained by difference of the other turbulence energy terms. The effect of the velocity spatial sampling resolution in derivative estimations is investigated with four two-dimensional PIV measurement sets. This sampling resolution information is used to calibrate the turbulence energies estimated by 3C PIV measurements. The focus of this study is on the separated shear layer of the backward-facing step. The measurements with 3C PIV are carried out in a turbulent water flow at Reynolds number of about 15,000, based on the step height h and the inlet streamwise maximum mean velocity U 0. The expansion ratio (ER) is 1.5. Turbulence energy budget profiles in locations x/h=4, x/h=6, and x/h=10 are compared with DNS data of a turbulent flow. The shapes of profiles agree well with each other. Different ERs between the PIV case (1.5) and the DNS case (1.2) cause higher values for the turbulence energies measured by PIV than the energies by DNS when x/h=10 is approached. PIV results also show that the turbulence energy level in these experiments is generally higher than that of the DNS data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 9.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 11.
Fig. 12.
Fig. 13.
Fig. 14.
Fig. 15.
Fig. 16.
Fig. 17.
Fig. 18.
Fig. 19.
Fig. 20a–d.
Fig. 21.
Fig. 22a,b.
Fig. 23a,b.
Fig. 24.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adrian RJ (1991) Particle-imaging techniques for experimental fluid mechanics. Annu Rev Fluid Mech 23:261–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armaly BF, Durst F, Pereira JCF, Schönung B (1983) Experimental and theoretical investigation of backward-facing step. J Fluid Mech 127:473–496

    Google Scholar 

  • Eaton JK, Johnstone JP (1980) Turbulent flow reattachment: an experimental study of the flow and structure behind a backward-facing step. Report MD-39, Thermosciences Division, Dept of Mech Eng, Stanford University, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Fincham AM, Spedding GR (1997) Low cost, high resolution DPIV for measurement of turbulent fluid flow. Exp Fluids 23:449–462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forliti DJ, Strykowski PJ, Depatin K (2000) Bias and precision errors of particle image velocimetry. Exp Fluids 28:436–447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foucaut JM (2001) Some considerations on the accuracy of derivative computation from PIV vector fields. In: Proc 4th international symposium on particle image velocimetry, Göttingen, Germany, 17–19 September 2001

  • Fouras A, Soria J (1998) Accuracy of out-of-plane vorticity measurements derived from in-plane field data. Exp Fluids 25:409–430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furuichi N, Kumada M (2002) An experimental study of a spanwise structure around a reattachment region of a two-dimensional backward-facing step. Exp Fluids 32:179–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Gui L (2001) Biases of PIV measurement of turbulent flow and the masked correlation-based interrogation algorithm. Exp Fluids 30:27–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hinze JO (1975) Turbulence, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill, New York

  • Huang HT, Fiedler HE, Wang JJ (1993) Limitation and improvement of PIV. 1. Limitation of conventional techniques due to deformation of particle image patterns. Exp Fluids 15:168–174

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang HT, Fiedler HE, Wang JJ (1993) Limitation and improvement of PIV. 2. Particle image distortion, a novel technique. Exp Fluids 15:263–273

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keane RD, Adrian RJ (1992) Theory of cross-correlation analysis of PIV images. App Sci Res 49:191–215

    Google Scholar 

  • Kostas J, Soria J, Chong MS (2002) Particle image velocimetry measurements of a backward-facing step flow. Exp Fluids 33:838–853

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuehn DM (1980) Effects of adverse pressure gradient on the incompressible reattaching flow over a rearward-facing step. AIAA J 18:343–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Le H, Moin P, Kim J (1997) Direct numerical simulation of turbulent flow over a backward facing step. J Fluid Mech 330:349–374

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lourenco L, Krothapalli A (1995) On the accuracy of velocity and vorticity measurements with PIV. Exp Fluids 18:421–428

    Google Scholar 

  • McKenna SP, McGillis WR (2002) Performance of digital image velocimetry processing techniques. Exp Fluids 32:106–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nogueira J, Lecuona A, Rodriguez PA (2001) Identification of a new source of peak locking, analysis and its removal in conventional and super-resolution PIV techniques. Exp Fluids 30:309–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ötügen MV (1991) Expansion ratio effects on the separated shear layer and reattachment downstream of a backward-facing step. Exp Fluids 10:273–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Piché R (1998) Filtering the interpolant is equivalent to interpolating the filtered data. Int J Math Educ Sci Technol 29:305–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Piirto M, Eloranta H, Saarenrinne P (2000) Interactive software for turbulence analysis from PIV vector fields. In: Proc 10th international symposium on applications of laser techniques to fluid mechanics, Lisbon, Portugal, 10–13 July

  • Raffel M, Willert C, Kompenhans J (1998) Particle image velocimetry: a practical guide. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ronneberger O, Raffel J, Kompenhans J (1998) Advanced evaluation algorithms for standard and dual plane particle image velocimetry. In: Proc 9th international symposium on applications of laser techniques to fluid mechanics, Lisbon, Portugal, 13–16 July

  • Saarenrinne P, Piirto M (2000) Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate estimation from PIV velocity vector fields. Exp Fluids 29:300–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scarano F, Riethmuller ML (1999) Iterative multigrid approach in PIV image processing with discrete window offset. Exp Fluids 26:513–523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharp KV, Kim KC, Adrian RJ (1998) Dissipation estimation around a Rushton turbine using particle image velocimetry. In: Proc 9th international symposium on applications of laser techniques to fluid mechanics, Lisbon, Portugal, 13–16 July

  • Soloff SM, Adrian RJ, Liu ZC (1997) Distortion compensation for generalized stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. Meas Sci Technol 8:1441–1454

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spalding DB (1961) A single formula for the law of the wall. J Appl Mech 28:455–457

    Google Scholar 

  • Westerweel J, Dabiri D, Gharib M (1997) The effect of a discrete window offset on the accuracy of cross-correlation analysis of digital PIV recordings. Exp Fluids 23:20–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willert CE, Gharib M (1991) Digital particle image velocimetry. Exp Fluids 10:181–193

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy and Process Engineering, Tampere Univ. of Technology, PO Box 589, 33101, Tampere, Finland

    M. Piirto, P. Saarenrinne, H. Eloranta & R. Karvinen

Authors
  1. M. Piirto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. Saarenrinne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. H. Eloranta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R. Karvinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Piirto.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Piirto, M., Saarenrinne, P., Eloranta, H. et al. Measuring turbulence energy with PIV in a backward-facing step flow. Exp Fluids 35, 219–236 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-003-0607-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-003-0607-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation