Search Results (863)

The interaction between circular piers and turbulent open-channel flow generates complex three-dimensional structures, including horseshoe vortices at the pier base and wake vortices downstream. These structures increase vertical velocities, pressure fluctuations, and shear stresses, contributing to erosion and structural instability. Although these phenomena have been widely studied, limited attention has been given to surface geometric modifications as a flow-control strategy. This study employs Large Eddy Simulation (LES) to evaluate the influence of a hexagonal dimple pattern on circular piles in a free-surface channel. The dimples were defined by varying diameter, depth, and spacing to reduce vertical velocity and alter vortex formation. The computational domain represents a 0.40 m wide, 12 m long, and 1.2 m high rectangular channel, with an inlet mass flow of 9.4 kg/s and 0.10 m water depth. Model validation against particle image velocimetry (PIV) data showed 99% correlation, confirming numerical accuracy. Results demonstrate that textured surfaces modify flow dynamics by enhancing kinetic energy dissipation and generating micro-vortices that weaken dominant structures. The optimal configuration (6 mm diameter, 2 mm depth, 1 mm spacing) reduced downward vertical velocity by 42% and wake vortex shedding frequency by 24%, indicating improved hydraulic stability and erosion mitigation potential. Full article

The development of renewable energy and the increasing demand for electricity underscore the importance of pumped storage for grid stability. Under low-flow pump operating conditions, pump-turbines frequently exhibit hump characteristics, causing severe hydraulic instability and strong pressure pulsations. This study investigates the formation of a hump using full-channel numerical simulations based on the Scale-Adaptive Simulation turbulence model. The numerical flow–head characteristics were validated against the available experimental H–Q data, while the pressure pulsation results were used for qualitative mechanism analysis. The results reveal three major mechanisms: pre-swirl and spiral backflow in the draft tube, non-uniform runner inflow, and vortex flow-induced separation in the wicket gates. An analysis of entropy production reveals that vortex dissipation is responsible for as much as 71% of hydraulic losses in the hump region. In order to mitigate these effects, four stabilizing fins were installed inside the draft tube. The simulations indicate that the fins possess the capability to inhibit swirl and backflow, confine the vortices within the fin–runner interface, improve inflow uniformity and reduce overall hydraulic losses. As a result, the structural modification significantly attenuates the pressure pulsation amplitudes at key monitoring points and visibly shortens the recovery periods. The region of the hump and positive slope of the performance curve are considerably reduced while the head near the region of the hump is increased. Although the intrinsic hump characteristic is still present, the fin-based flow-control strategy can effectively improve the performance and stability of the pump-turbine, which can guide the design and optimization of high-efficiency pumped-storage plants. Full article

Both experimental and numerical studies were conducted to obtain the influence laws of complex cavitation flow structures around a Clark-Y hydrofoil cascade. The similarities and differences in cavitation flow characteristics between the cascade and single hydrofoil were compared to analyze the influence of the cascade configuration on the flow field structure. This study focuses on the correlations among cavity development, lift–drag characteristics, and flow field features of the hydrofoil cascade. The results indicate significant differences in the development degree and history of cavities at different positions within the cascade. The top layer of the cascade exhibits a cavitation pattern similar to a single hydrofoil; both generate large-scale shedding vortices at the trailing edge. In contrast, the cavitation phenomena in the middle and bottom layers are similar to each other. The suction side of the top-layer hydrofoil influences the middle and bottom layers. This interaction suppresses the formation of large-scale shedding bubbles and subsequently hinders re-entrant shocks. Furthermore, the cavities in the middle and bottom layers develop more rapidly, causing the dynamic characteristics of the cascade to reach their peak values earlier. At the cloud cavitation stage, the Strouhal numbers ($St$) for cavity collapse on the top and bottom hydrofoils are approximately 0.2 and 0.3, respectively. The $St$ for the middle hydrofoil exhibits an intermediate value that decreases from 0.3 to 0.2 as the cavitation number ($\sigma$) declines, reflecting a transitional characteristic modulated by the cascade structure. Compared to a single hydrofoil, the cascade is subject to the combined effects of the three-layer hydrofoils; consequently, its lift is approximately three times that of a single hydrofoil, though its drag also increases threefold. The lift variation pattern of the top-layer hydrofoil in the cascade is similar to that of a single hydrofoil. In contrast, the middle-layer hydrofoil exhibits a more complex lift evolution, as both its suction and pressure sides are significantly influenced by the surrounding cascade structure. For the bottom-layer hydrofoil, the lift remains relatively low because no cavities are generated on its surface. Lift fluctuation frequencies that aligned with cavity collapse were identified at 45 Hz, 70 Hz, and 50 Hz across the top, middle, and bottom cascade layers, respectively. Full article

To address the demand for a micro-power supply for vehicle suspension control, a novel harvester is proposed to recover vortex-induced vibration energy in the wake of a shock absorber. A suspension dynamic model was established to simulate the spring compression process and identify the wind-shielding condition. The spring-shock absorber assembly was then simplified as a stepped cylinder with two cross-sections. Flow-field analysis showed that the size, shape, and rising angle of the wake vortices were affected by the bluff-body geometry, Reynolds number, and boundary conditions. The downwash motion was found to directly influence vortex development, and two new vortex-connection modes were identified. These results provided guidance for harvester optimization. A two-way fluid–structure interaction model was developed to describe the electromechanical conversion behavior of the proposed harvester under flow excitation. Numerical results showed that the output voltage increased with vehicle speed. An average peak voltage of 1.82 V was obtained when the piezoelectric patches were installed two larger-cylinder diameters downstream. The optimal patch length was 120 mm, and further increasing the length did not significantly improve the harvesting performance. Finally, a full-scale prototype was tested, and the measured voltage agreed well with the simulation results. The proposed harvester can therefore serve as a potential micro-power source for low-power suspension electronics. Full article

Electron fields (and more generally spinor fields) with a vortex structure in free space that allows them to have arbitrary integer orbital angular momentum along the direction of motion have been studied for some time. We point out that there are several ways to calculate the local velocity of the electron field, defined as the ratio of momentum density to energy density, and that all but one show a singular vorticity at the vortex line. That one, using the Dirac bilinear current with no derivatives, is the only one so far (to our knowledge) studied in the literature in this context and we further show how to understand an apparent conflict in the existing results. The momentum densities corresponding to the three possible velocity fields give different physical results, in particular regarding the electron induced quantum superkicks given to small electron-absorbing test objects. Full article

The manipulation of vector beams (VBs) with longitudinally variant polarization states is an important research topic and has potential applications in classical and quantum fields. In this study, we propose a half-wave plate dielectric metasurface composed of two interleaved sub-metasurfaces to generate longitudinally separated dual-channel vectorial structured light fields. The propagation and Pancharatnam–Berry phases are employed to construct hyperbolic, helical, and opposite gradient phases for focusing wavefronts, generating circularly polarized (CP) vortices, and deflecting CP vortices with the same chirality in opposite directions. Consequently, dual-channel higher-order or hybrid-order Poincaré (HOP or HyOP) beams are generated along the optical axis under elliptically polarized illumination, and their polarization states evolve along an arbitrary pair of antipodal meridians on the HOP or HyOP sphere by varying the ellipticity of the incident light, the propagation-phase topological charge, and the rotation order of the meta-atom. The consistency between the theoretical and simulated results demonstrates the feasibility and practicability of the proposed method. This study is significant for compact, integrated, and multifunctional optical devices, and provides an innovative strategy to extend optical field manipulation from two-dimensional to three-dimensional space. Full article

Understanding wind–structure interaction (WSI) in low-rise buildings remains a significant challenge in wind and structural engineering, particularly under highly turbulent and non-stationary wind phenomena such as downbursts and tornado-like vortices. While Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become a widely adopted tool for predicting wind-induced loads, validation efforts remain predominantly limited to aerodynamic quantities—such as pressure and velocity fields—with insufficient consideration of structural response. This study presents a structured review of contemporary research in wind engineering, encompassing field measurements, wind tunnel experiments, and CFD modeling approaches. Particular attention is paid to turbulence model selection, methodological limitations of conventional validation strategies, and the often-overlooked necessity of incorporating structural response assessment into the validation process. Based on a synthesis of existing research, the paper outlines a multi-level validation perspective in which aerodynamic and structural validation are treated as interconnected components rather than independent procedures. The review identifies a prevailing focus on aerodynamic coefficients and flow field agreement, often lacking systematic integration of structural-scale verification. The proposed perspective emphasizes the need for a transparent and reproducible link between CFD-derived aerodynamic loads and structural response assessment. By bridging computational wind engineering and structural mechanics, this study supports a more reliable evaluation of wind-induced effects on building components and contributes to the development of robust, wind-resilient design methodologies for low-rise structures. Full article

Gas turbine engines operate in extremely harsh environments, subjecting turbines to high aerodynamic and thermal loads. In this context, non-axisymmetric endwalls have emerged as an effective strategy for reducing aerodynamic losses and mitigating heat transfer on the endwall surfaces, leading to their widespread adoption in turbine designs. This study presents an optimization of the endwall shape for a turbine guide vane from a real engine, employing the multi-island genetic algorithm. The optimization objectives are the endwall surface heat transfer coefficient and the total pressure loss coefficient at the blade outlet. The findings indicate that the modified endwall disrupts the horseshoe vortex structure at the blade leading edge, adversely influencing the formation and development of passage vortices within the cascade. Notably, this modification results in a significant reduction in aerodynamic losses and a decrease in the heat transfer coefficient on the endwall surface. Specifically, the total pressure loss coefficient at the outlet is reduced by 1.96%, while the endwall surface heat transfer coefficient decreases by 3.05%. These results underscore the considerable effectiveness of the optimized endwall design in enhancing turbine performance. Full article

Propagating easterly waves (EW) are analyzed here, within the dynamical environment of the Caribbean Low-Level Jet (CLLJ) using radiosondes from the Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field campaign, ERA5 reanalysis, and lightning from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) over $5^{\circ }$–${20}^{\circ }$ N, ${60}^{\circ }$–${100}^{\circ }$ W during 21 August–30 September 2019. Radiosondes resolve the vertical structure of the waves at San Andrés (Colombia), Limón and Santa Cruz–Guanacaste (Costa Rica), while ERA5 provides spatial–temporal continuity and vertically integrated diagnostics—namely, the vertically integrated moisture flux divergence (VIMFD) and the vertically integrated geopotential flux divergence (VIGFD). Lightning from WWLLN and precipitation from ERA5 and the Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM IMERG) offer independent convective proxies to track disturbances. Mean profiles from radiosondes and ERA5 show strong agreement at Limón and Guanacaste and some differences at San Andrés, yet all datasets capture coherent, phase-locked anomalies in zonal wind, meridional wind, temperature, humidity, vertical velocity and vorticity used to diagnose EW–CLLJ interactions. VIMFD, VIGFD, lightning and precipitation exhibit westward-propagating cores that align with the above anomalies, indicating that organized convection is coupled to the disturbances, whereas the mean state preconditions the environment to enable wave-induced upward motion. A robust vertical adjustment of the CLLJ is documented: the core shifts from near 925 hPa over the Caribbean Sea to about 700 hPa over the Eastern Tropical Pacific ($\Delta p\sim 150$ hPa). This feature is reproduced by a 30-year ERA5 climatology, consistent with jet-exit forcing and enhanced boundary-layer coupling over land. Conditions favorable for barotropic instability using the Rayleigh–Kuo criterion, were present over most of the period. A qualitative barotropic conversion proxy, computed from the eddy momentum covariance $⟨u^{\prime }{v}^{\prime }⟩$, shows positive values in the lower troposphere at Guanacaste and in the layer 850–700 hPa at San Andrés, suggesting mean-to-eddy momentum transfer, whereas the signal at Limón is weaker. Together, these results provide a physically consistent view of EW–CLLJ interactions across the IAS; therefore, a schematic of those mechanisms is proposed here. The results highlight the need for high-resolution modeling and full energy-budget analyses. Full article

The hollow fiber membrane humidification modules are used for indoor humidification in hot–dry regions and heating in winter. The module is composed of several flexible hollow fiber membranes, which are bent and displaced by gravity and fluid forces. This paper is a further study of previous work that reveals the internal relationship between the forces generated by vortex shedding and fiber vibration. The central trajectories of fibers in the flow field are described for various pulsating flow and fiber structure parameters. The effects of fiber displacement on fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer performance at different parameters are discussed. The results show that the fiber displacement in the flow field consists of two components: (i) deformation caused by fluid drag force and gravity and (ii) periodic vibration caused by periodic lift and drag force as vortices shed at the fiber surface. The fiber vibration facilitates the vortex shedding on the fiber surface, which enhances the convective heat and mass transfer performance on the fiber surface. The average friction factor (f_m,v), Nusselt number (Nu_m,v), and Sherwood number (Sh_m,v) increased by 12.9%, 39.3%, and 20.0%, respectively, when the fiber vibrated compared to non-vibration. This implies that inducing fiber vibration can optimize the heat and moisture transfer performance. Full article

In the context of global warming, the prediction of extreme precipitation events faces great challenges, especially the ensemble forecast of convective-scale heavy precipitation. Taking the heavy rainstorm in Zhengzhou on 20 July 2021 as an example, this paper aims to explore the performance of the convective-scale ensemble forecasting system based on the local breeding model cultivation method (LBGM) in extreme precipitation forecasting, and reveal the key physical mechanisms affecting the quality of forecasting. The traditional scoring (TS, Bias), neighborhood FSS and Contiguous Rain Area (CRA) methods were used to systematically evaluate the precipitation forecast, and the superior and inferior forecast members were diagnosed and analyzed by combining physical quantities such as isentropy vortex, relative vorticity, and water vapor flux divergence. The results show that: (1) the LBGM-EPS system can better capture the spatial distribution and intensity of heavy precipitation, which is better than the single deterministic forecast; (2) The CRA method is better than the traditional score in describing the spatial structure and intensity of precipitation, and can effectively identify the good and bad members of the forecast. (3) The reason why the dominant forecast members perform better is that the simulation of the dynamic-thermal structure of the mesoscale convective vortex is more reasonable, especially the coupling mechanism of the downward transmission of the high-level vortex and the convergence of water vapor at the lower level is better. The preliminary application of convective-scale ensemble forecasting based on the LBGM in this study has reference value for improving the prediction ability of extreme precipitation. Full article

This review critically analyzes the evolution of passive heat transfer enhancement in internal flows, charting a paradigm shift from momentum-based flow perturbation to the precise engineering of vortex structures. The central thesis is that the highest-performance, next-generation thermal systems will be realized through ‘flow field programming’—a unified design paradigm that intelligently architects vortex-topology and surface architecture across scales using smart materials, additive manufacturing, and artificial intelligence. This progression is traced from classical devices such as twisted tapes, which generate global swirl, to bio-inspired aerofoil inserts that efficiently produce discrete longitudinal vortices. The synergy achieved in compound systems—through the integration of geometries or the combination of inserts with advanced fluids—is identified as a key mechanism for surpassing traditional performance limits. Furthermore, applications in microscale and phase-change heat transfer, where surface engineering dominates, are explored. The novelty of this work lies in its synthesis of the underlying vortex-generation physics across diverse techniques and scales, introducing ‘flow field programming’ as a forward-looking framework for adaptive thermal management. This evolution—from static geometries to intelligent, responsive designs—is positioned to dramatically improve energy sustainability by enabling more compact, efficient, and adaptive thermal management across power generation, advanced electronics, and renewable energy systems. Full article

The continuous increase in power density of electronic devices imposes stringent requirements on the design of lightweight, high-efficiency heat sinks. To overcome the limitations of conventional single-gradient or monomaterial heat sinks—namely, their suboptimal heat-transfer efficiency and poor structural adaptability—this study proposes a dual-gradient, triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS)-based multimaterial heat sink architecture fabricated from CuCrZr and AlSi₇Mg. Thermal performance was quantified experimentally using infrared thermography, while the underlying flow-field mechanisms were investigated numerically via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations employing the standard k–ε turbulence model. With the TPMS material volume ratio fixed at 3:3 (CuCrZr:AlSi₇Mg), the Z-axis gradient configuration P-Z4-5 delivered the best overall thermal performance, achieving a heat-transfer coefficient (HTC) of 1557.63 W·m⁻²·K⁻¹ and a thermal resistance as low as 1.83 K·W⁻¹ at an inlet velocity of 5 m·s⁻¹. In contrast, the Y-axis gradient configuration P-Y3-6 yielded the most uniform temperature distribution, exhibiting a maximum surface temperature difference of only 21.5 °C under the same inlet condition. Velocity and turbulence distribution analyses reveal that the dual-gradient design enhances both the narrow-tube effect and flow-induced disturbances; furthermore, increasing the inlet velocity from 5 m·s⁻¹ to 21.65 m·s⁻¹ significantly intensifies vorticity-driven fluid mixing. Among all configurations evaluated, P-Z4-5 exhibited the highest j/f factor (i.e., the ratio of Colburn j-factor to Fanning friction factor), followed by P-Z3.5-5.5 and P-Z3-6. These findings establish a promising new pathway for the development of high-performance, lightweight heat sinks tailored for next-generation high-power electronics. Full article

This paper investigates the flight kinematics and unsteady aerodynamics of butterfly flight using high-speed schlieren imaging. Butterfly trajectories are reconstructed to examine flight control mechanisms, with particular emphasis on thorax-driven manoeuvring and body reorientation. By reconstructing free-flight trajectories utilizing image recognition algorithms, we isolate the mechanisms of flight control, with particular emphasis on how thoracic oscillation drives manoeuvring and body reorientation. Phase-resolved analysis reveals distinct wingbeat modes, including clap-and-fling motions associated with hovering and low-speed ascent. Schlieren visualization further captures a detailed view of the wake topology, displaying the formation and evolution of wingtip vortices during the downstroke, as well as attached and entrained flow structures during cupped wing configurations. The results demonstrate the strong coupling between body dynamics, wing kinematics, and wake structure, highlighting how butterflies combine aerodynamic and inertial mechanisms to achieve efficient lift generation and control. These findings provide biomimetic insights relevant to the design of flapping wing micro air vehicles, particularly for low-speed flight, hover efficiency, and passive stability and control through body–wing coupling. Full article

A transient numerical framework incorporating dynamic mesh techniques was developed to simulate the launch process. On this basis, a thermal–fluid–structural multi-physics coupling paradigm was proposed to interpret the evolution of the flow field and the associated load response throughout the entire firing sequence. The results show that flow development follows a multi-stage dynamic pattern, comprising gas-impact filling, gap-jet formation, and subsequent free-jet expansion. A pronounced spatially heterogeneous phase lag was observed in the pressure–Mach number response. This phenomenon arises from a mismatch among the characteristic time scales of pressure-wave propagation, flow inertia, and shock–boundary-layer interaction. Quantitative analysis further indicates that the spatial superposition of high-temperature zones, high-Mach regions, and elevated-pressure areas activates a thermal–fluid–structural positive-feedback loop that drives the local peak temperature to approximately 2.5 × 10³ K. The temperature response lags behind the pressure maximum by approximately 30–50 ms, reflecting the governing time scale of thermal inertia. In addition, vortical structures near the tube base account for nearly 15% of the total thrust. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for predicting transient peak loads in concentric cylindrical systems and for optimizing instantaneous thermal protection strategies. Full article