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Reduction of Ekman circulation within Taylor-Couette flow

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Abstract

We demonstrate experimentally that independently rotating intermediary end-rings between the cylinders of a Taylor–Couette apparatus can be utilized to reduce friction-driven secondary flow, i.e. Ekman circulation. This allows for velocity profiles in a device of small aspect ratio to be less constrained by ‘end effects’, so that the resulting wide-gap flows can be made to have a radial distribution of circumferential velocity that resembles a narrow-gap Couette solution.

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Abbreviations

Ω 1(2)  :

rotation rate of the inner (outer) cylinder

η:

radius ratio, r 1/r 2, where r 1(2) is the radius of the inner (outer) cylinder

Γ:

aspect ratio, H/(r 2 − r1), where H is the height of the cylinders

Re :

Reynolds number, \( Re \equiv \frac{{\Omega r(\Delta r)}} {v},\) where Ω is the rotation rate, and Δr = r 2 − r 1.

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Acknowledgments

This research was largely funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, grant DE-AC02-76-CH03073. MJB was supported from the NSF under grant AST-0205903. W. L. was supported under NASA grant ATP03-0084-0106 as well as NSF grant PHY-0215581, and he thanks A. Kageyama for providing the basis of a 2D fluid code whose results are featured in Fig. 4. The authors also thank C. Jun for additional engineering advice concerning the apparatus, as well as Dantec Dynamics for the contracted use of a LDA measurement system. Most of the manufacturing for the apparatus was provided by General Tool, of Cincinnati, OH, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    M. J. Burin, H. Ji, E. Schartman, R. Cutler, P. Heitzenroeder, W. Liu, L. Morris & S. Raftopolous

  2. Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    M. J. Burin

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  1. M. J. Burin
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  2. H. Ji
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  3. E. Schartman
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  4. R. Cutler
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  7. L. Morris
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  8. S. Raftopolous
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Correspondence to M. J. Burin.

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Burin, M.J., Ji, H., Schartman, E. et al. Reduction of Ekman circulation within Taylor-Couette flow. Exp Fluids 40, 962–966 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-006-0132-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-006-0132-y

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