An Experimental Investigation of the Stability of Spiral Vortex Flow
- 1 December 1979
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science
- Vol. 21 (6) , 397-402
- https://doi.org/10.1243/jmes_jour_1979_021_069_02
Abstract
The hydrodynamic stability of the flow in an annular gap, formed by a stationary outer cylinder and a rotatable inner cylinder, through which an axial flow of air can be imposed, is studied experimentally. Two annulus radius ratios of 0.8 and 0.955 are considered, representing wide- and narrow-gap conditions, respectively. It is shown that, when a large, axial pressure gradient is superimposed on the tangential flow induced by the rotation of the inner cylinder, the characteristics of the flow at criticality change significantly from those at zero and low axial flows, the axial length and width of the resultant spiral vortex departing greatly from the known dimensions of a Taylor vortex cell at zero axial flow. Also, the drift velocity of the spiral vortex is found to vary with the axial flow. Axial Reynolds numbers, Rea, of up to 700 are considered.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
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- The stability of viscous axial flow in an annulus with a rotating inner cylinderProceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 1977
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