Summary
An experimental study is presented dealing with free surface effects on the flow between two truncated conical cylinders, the inner being rotated and the outer at rest. For different filling ratios and angular velocities different flow modes are observed. The basic flow and the occurring vortices in the present arrangement show similarities to those observed for the case of a completely liquid-filled annulus. In both systems upwards travelling toroidal cells, steady Taylor vortices and downwards moving helical vortice appear. The variation of the wavelength of toroidal vortices for small filling ratios as well as the occurrence of a helical upward motion are, however, new effects which are solely related to the free surface. In a partially liquid-filled annulus both helical systems may coexist, whereby the helical vortices with opposite inclinations of the vortex axes propagate in opposite directions. The characteristics of the various flow modes are discussed for different Reynolds numbers, filling ratios and initial conditions. A comparison with the case of a completely liquid-filled annulus and with the case of circular cylinders is made.
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Noui-Mehidi, M.N., Wimmer, M. Free surface effects on the flow between conical cylinders. Acta Mechanica 135, 13–25 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01179043
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01179043