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Title: Turbulent mixing of a slightly supercritical van der Waals fluid at low-Mach number

Abstract

Supercritical fluids near the critical point are characterized by liquid-like densities and gas-like transport properties. These features are purposely exploited in different contexts ranging from natural products extraction/fractionation to aerospace propulsion. Large part of studies concerns this last context, focusing on the dynamics of supercritical fluids at high Mach number where compressibility and thermodynamics strictly interact. Despite the widespread use also at low Mach number, the turbulent mixing properties of slightly supercritical fluids have still not investigated in detail in this regime. This topic is addressed here by dealing with Direct Numerical Simulations of a coaxial jet of a slightly supercritical van der Waals fluid. Since acoustic effects are irrelevant in the low Mach number conditions found in many industrial applications, the numerical model is based on a suitable low-Mach number expansion of the governing equation. According to experimental observations, the weakly supercritical regime is characterized by the formation of finger-like structures – the so-called ligaments – in the shear layers separating the two streams. The mechanism of ligament formation at vanishing Mach number is extracted from the simulations and a detailed statistical characterization is provided. Ligaments always form whenever a high density contrast occurs, independently of real or perfectmore » gas behaviors. The difference between real and perfect gas conditions is found in the ligament small-scale structure. More intense density gradients and thinner interfaces characterize the near critical fluid in comparison with the smoother behavior of the perfect gas. A phenomenological interpretation is here provided on the basis of the real gas thermodynamics properties.« less

Authors:
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Sapienza University, via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome (Italy)
  2. Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Venezia 1, 35131 Padova (Italy)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22257692
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Fluids (1994)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 26; Journal Issue: 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1070-6631
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; BULK DENSITY; COMPRESSIBILITY; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; EXTRACTION; FRACTIONATION; LIQUIDS; MACH NUMBER; PROPULSION; SHEAR; THERMODYNAMICS; VAN DER WAALS FORCES

Citation Formats

Battista, F., Casciola, C. M., and Picano, F. Turbulent mixing of a slightly supercritical van der Waals fluid at low-Mach number. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4873200.
Battista, F., Casciola, C. M., & Picano, F. Turbulent mixing of a slightly supercritical van der Waals fluid at low-Mach number. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4873200
Battista, F., Casciola, C. M., and Picano, F. 2014. "Turbulent mixing of a slightly supercritical van der Waals fluid at low-Mach number". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4873200.
@article{osti_22257692,
title = {Turbulent mixing of a slightly supercritical van der Waals fluid at low-Mach number},
author = {Battista, F. and Casciola, C. M. and Picano, F.},
abstractNote = {Supercritical fluids near the critical point are characterized by liquid-like densities and gas-like transport properties. These features are purposely exploited in different contexts ranging from natural products extraction/fractionation to aerospace propulsion. Large part of studies concerns this last context, focusing on the dynamics of supercritical fluids at high Mach number where compressibility and thermodynamics strictly interact. Despite the widespread use also at low Mach number, the turbulent mixing properties of slightly supercritical fluids have still not investigated in detail in this regime. This topic is addressed here by dealing with Direct Numerical Simulations of a coaxial jet of a slightly supercritical van der Waals fluid. Since acoustic effects are irrelevant in the low Mach number conditions found in many industrial applications, the numerical model is based on a suitable low-Mach number expansion of the governing equation. According to experimental observations, the weakly supercritical regime is characterized by the formation of finger-like structures – the so-called ligaments – in the shear layers separating the two streams. The mechanism of ligament formation at vanishing Mach number is extracted from the simulations and a detailed statistical characterization is provided. Ligaments always form whenever a high density contrast occurs, independently of real or perfect gas behaviors. The difference between real and perfect gas conditions is found in the ligament small-scale structure. More intense density gradients and thinner interfaces characterize the near critical fluid in comparison with the smoother behavior of the perfect gas. A phenomenological interpretation is here provided on the basis of the real gas thermodynamics properties.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4873200},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22257692}, journal = {Physics of Fluids (1994)},
issn = {1070-6631},
number = 5,
volume = 26,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}