Elucidating the impact of finite-size and point particles on the near-wall coherent structures using a high-fidelity computational strategy
Funding: American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund award #62195-DNI9 (2021 – 2023).
A vast majority of American crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas is shipped by pipeline. Breakthroughs in efficient fluid transport will have a transformative impact on petroleum transportation infrastructure. The pumping requirements are largely dictated by pressure-loss caused by wall shear stress. The presence of particles such as sediment grains or spherical additives in wall-bounded turbulence often leads to a modification of the flow observables that are difficult to predict. In particluar, the impact of the suspended phase on the wall-shear stress and friction coefficient is poorly understood. The project addresses these knowledge gaps by explaining these modifications using intuitive mechanisms based on the interaction of suspended particle with coherent flow structures. The identification of the precise particle mechanisms capable of a systematic reduction of wall shear stress may lead to novel strategies for skin-friction drag reduction in pipelines.
Related publications :
- J. S. Van Doren and M. H. Kasbaoui, Turbulence Modulation in Dense Liquid-Solid Channel Flow, Phys. Rev. Fluids 9, 064306 (2024).
- H. Dave and M. H. Kasbaoui, Mechanisms of Drag Reduction by Semidilute Inertial Particles in Turbulent Channel Flow, Phys. Rev. Fluids 8, 084305 (2023).
