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Turbulent boundary layer around 2D permeable and impermeable obstacles

Experiments in Fluids volume 59, Article number: 134 (2018) Cite this article

Abstract

An experimental investigation of the turbulent boundary layer around 2D permeable and impermeable obstacles was carried out using high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) in a large-scale refractive-index-matching (RIM) flume. The flow over three rectangular obstacles was studied including an impermeable model (case 1), a model porous through only its flow-facing surface (case 2), and an obstacle porous through both its flow-facing and upper surfaces (case 3). The ratio of the height (h) to the incoming boundary layer thickness (\(\delta _0\)) was \(h/\delta _0 \approx 1/4\). Measurements were performed at a Reynolds number Re = 70,000 based on the freestream velocity and \(\delta _0\). The results highlight the impact of permeability on the mean flow, separation bubble, Reynolds shear stress, as well as the level and production of turbulent kinetic energy. In particular, the momentum deficit and flow reattachment downstream of the obstacle were highly sensitive to the permeability. Similarly, the second-order statistics of the velocity in the vicinity of the three obstacles exhibited large variations. It is shown that constraining and channeling the flow through only the flow-facing surface of the obstacle (case 2) result in lower momentum deficit, turbulence levels, and Reynolds shear stress in the intermediate and far wake regions. Overall, the results highlight the distinctive effects of obstacle permeability on the turbulent boundary layer.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as part of the start-up package of Leonardo P. Chamorro. The experiments were performed in a facility built under the National Science Foundation Grant Award CBET-0923106. The authors thank the help of graduate and undergraduate students Nikhil Oberoi, Matthew Sadowski, Zixu Zhang, Dylan Harmon, and Allison Gibson at the University of Illinois.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 12308, USA

    A. M. Hamed

  2. Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    L. P. Chamorro

  3. Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    L. P. Chamorro

  4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    L. P. Chamorro

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  1. A. M. Hamed
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Correspondence to L. P. Chamorro.

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Hamed, A.M., Chamorro, L.P. Turbulent boundary layer around 2D permeable and impermeable obstacles. Exp Fluids 59, 134 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-018-2590-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-018-2590-4