Free Turbulent Mixing in Axial Pressure Gradients

Abstract

The results of an experimental investigation of the free turbulent mixing of wakes and jets in axial pressure gradients are presented. The data include static pressure and velocity profiles and the turbulent intensity which is presented in terms of the parameter u′ cL2(Δu)max2. It is hypothesized that the representation of the Reynolds stress by a generalized Clauser eddy viscosity model is scaled by this parameter. The experimentally observed dependence of this turbulence quantity on flow field dimensionality and the imposed pressure gradient places more stringent demands on the form of the eddy viscosity than has been shown before. However, the experimental data reveal some fortuitous behavior which aids in the specification of the spatial dependence of the turbulence parameter, leaving the scaling to be determined primarily by the initial conditions, i.e., the state of the turbulence in the near field. Substantial lateral static pressure gradients were observed in all two-dimensional cases studied. It is shown that the boundary-layer form of the viscous flow equations are inadequate in such cases, and a numerical solution of a system of equations that includes an approximate form of the lateral momentum equation provides predictions in good agreement with the data for the mean flow field.