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Through experiments using two-dimensional particle-image velocimetry (PIV), this paper examines the nature of transition in a separation bubble and manipulations of the resultant breakdown to turbulence through passive means of control. An airfoil was used that provides minimal variation in the separation location over a wide operating range, with various two-dimensional modifications made to the surface for the purpose of manipulating the transition process. The study was conducted under low-freestream-turbulence conditions over a flow Reynolds number range of 28,000-101,000 based on airfoil chord. The spatial nature of the measurements has allowed identification of the dominant flow structures associated with transition in the separated shear layer and the manipulations introduced by the surface modifications. The Kelvin--Helmholtz (K-H) instability is identified as the dominant transition mechanism in the separated shear layer, leading to the roll-up of spanwise vorticity and subsequent breakdown into small-scale turbulence. Similarities with planar free-shear layers are noted, including the frequency of maximum amplification rate for the K-H instability and the vortex-pairing phenomenon initiated by a subharmonic instability. In some cases, secondary pairing events are observed and result in a laminar intervortex region consisting of freestream fluid entrained toward the surface due to the strong circulation of the large-scale vortices. Results of the surface-modification study show that different physical mechanisms can be manipulated to affect the separation, transition, and reattachment processes over the airfoil. These manipulations are also shown to affect the boundary-layer losses observed downstream of reattachment, with all surface-indentation configurations providing decreased losses at the three lowest Reynolds numbers and three of the five configurations providing decreased losses at the highest Reynolds number. The primary mechanisms that provide these manipulations include: suppression of the vortex-pairing phenomenon, which reduces both the shear-layer thickness and the levels of small-scale turbulence; the promotion of smaller-scale turbulence, resulting from the disturbances generated upstream of separation, which provides quicker transition and shorter separation bubbles; the elimination of the separation bubble with transition occurring in an attached boundary layer; and physical disturbance, downstream of separation, of the growing instability waves to manipulate the vortical structures and cause quicker reattachment. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2978997]

The development of turbulent spots in a separation bubble under elevated freestream turbulence levels is examined through direct numerical simulation. The flow Reynolds number, freestream turbulence level, and streamwise pressure distribution are typical of the conditions encountered on the suction side of low-pressure turbine blades of gasturbine engines. Based on the simulation results, the spreading and propagation rates of the turbulent spots and their internal structure ate documented, and comparisons are made to empirical correlations that are used for predicting the transverse growth and streamwise propagation characteristics of turbulent spots. The internal structure of the spots is identified as a series of vortex loops that develop as a result of low-velocity streaks generated in the shear layer. A frequency that is approximately 50% higher than that of the Kelvin--Helmholtz instability is identified in the separated shear layer, which is shown to be associated with the convection of these vortex loops through the separated shear layer. While freestream turbulence is noted to promote breakdown of the laminar separated shear layer into turbulence through the generation of turbulent spots, evidence is found to suggest coexistence of the Kelvin--Helmholtz instability, including the possibility of breakdown to turbulence through this mechanism.

The paper presents mid-span measurements for a turbine cascade with active flow control. Steady blowing through an inclined plane wall jet has been used to control the separation characteristics of a high-lift low-pressure turbine airfoil at low Reynolds numbers. Measurements were made at design incidence for blowing ratios from approximately 0.25 to 2.0 (ratio of jet-to-local freestream velocity), for Reynolds numbers of 25,000 and 50,000 (based on axial chord and inlet velocity), and for freestream turbulence intensities of 0.4% and 4%. Detailed flow field measurements were made downstream of the cascade using a three-hole pressure probe, static pressure distributions were measured on the airfoil suction surface, and hot-wire measurements were made to characterize the interaction between the wall jet and boundary layer. The primary focus of the study is on the low-Reynolds number and low-freestream turbulence intensity, cases, where the baseline airfoil stalls and high profile losses result. For low freestream turbulence (0.4%), the examined method of flow control was effective at preventing stall and reducing the profile losses. At a Reynolds number of 25,000, a blowing ratio greater than 1.0 was required to suppress stall. At a Reynolds number of 50,000, a closed separation bubble formed at a very low blowing ratio (0.25) resulting in a significant reduction in the profile loss. For high freestream turbulence intensity (4%), where the baseline airfoil has a closed separation bubble and low profile losses, blowing ratios below 1.0 resulted in a larger separation bubble and higher losses. The mechanism by which the wall jet affects the separation characteristics of the airfoil is examined through hot-wire traverse measurements in the vicinity of the slot.

Through numerical simulations, this paper examines the nature of instability mechanisms leading to transition in separation bubbles. The results of two direct numerical simulations are presented in which separation of a laminar boundary layer occurs over a flat surface in the presence of an adverse pressure gradient. The primary difference in the flow conditions between the two simulations is the level of freestream turbulence with intensities of 0.1% and 1.45% at separation. In the first part of the paper, transition under a low-disturbance environment is examined, and the development of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the separated shear layer is compared to the well-established instability characteristics of free shear layers. The study examines the role of the velocity-profile shape on the instability characteristics and the nature of the large-scale vortical structures shed downstream of the bubble. The second part of the paper examines transition in a high-disturbance environment, where the above-mentioned mechanism is by--passed as a result of elevated-freestream turbulence. Filtering of the freestream turbulence into the laminar boundary layer results in streamwise streaks, which provide conditions under which turbulent spots are produced in the separated shear layer, grow, and then merge to form a turbulent boundary layer. The results allow identification of the structure of the instability mechanism and the characteristic structure of the resultant turbulent spots. Recovery of the reattached turbulent boundary layer is then examined for both cases. The large-scale flow structures associated with transition are noted to remain coherent far downstream of reattachment, delaying recovery of the turbulent boundary layer to an equilibrium state. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2812949]

In this paper, transition in a separation bubble is examined through numerical simulation. The flow Reynolds number and streamwise pressure distribution are typical of the conditions encountered on the suction side of low-pressure turbine blades of gas-turbine engines. The spatial and temporal resolutions utilized in the present computations correspond to a coarse direct numerical simulation, wherein the majority of turbulence scales, including the inertial subrange, are adequately resolved. The accuracy of the simulation results is demonstrated through favorable comparisons to experimental data corresponding to the same flow conditions. The results of the simulation show linear Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) instability growth downstream of the point of separation, leading to the roll up of spanwise vorticity into discrete vortical structures, characteristic of Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability growth. The extent of cross-stream momentum exchange associated with packets of amplified T-S waves is examined, along with details of the time-periodic breakdown into turbulence occurring upon the development of the K-H instability. Reynolds-averaged properties of the separation bubble are presented and provide evidence of the strong three-dimensional nature of the reattachment process. [DOI: 10.1115/1.2750680]