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This study presents direct numerical simulations of turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in non-colloidal suspensions, with special focus on the heat transfer modifications in the flow. Adopting a Rayleigh number of $10^8$ and Prandtl number of 7, parametric investigations of the particle volume fraction $$0\leq \varPhi \leq 40\,\%$$ and particle diameter $$1/20\leq d^*_p\leq 1/10$$ with respect to the cavity height, are carried out. The particles are neutrally buoyant, rigid spheres with physical properties that match the fluid phase. Up to $$\varPhi =25\,\%$$ , the Nusselt number increases weakly but steadily, mainly due to the increased thermal agitation that overcomes the decreased kinetic energy of the flow. Beyond $$\varPhi =30\,\%$$ , the Nusselt number exhibits a substantial drop, down to approximately 1/3 of the single-phase value. This decrease is attributed to the dense particle layering in the near-wall region, confirmed by the time-averaged local volume fraction. The dense particle layer reduces the convection in the near-wall region and negates the formation of any coherent structures within one particle diameter from the wall. Significant differences between $$\varPhi \leq 30\,\%$$ and 40 % are observed in all statistical quantities, including heat transfer and turbulent kinetic energy budgets, and two-point correlations. Special attention is also given to the role of particle rotation, which is shown to contribute to maintaining high heat transfer rates in moderate volume fractions. Furthermore, decreasing the particle size promotes the particle layering next to the wall, inducing a similar heat transfer reduction as in the highest particle volume fraction case.
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Experimental analysis of particle clustering in moderately dense gas–solid flow
In collisional gas–solid flows, dense particle clusters are often observed that greatly affect the transport properties of the mixture. The characterisation and prediction of this phenomenon are challenging due to limited optical access, the wide range of scales involved and the interplay of different mechanisms. Here, we consider a laboratory setup in which particles fall against upward-moving air in a square vertical duct: a classic configuration in riser reactors. The use of non-cohesive, monodispersed, spherical particles and the ability to independently vary the solid volume fraction ( $$\varPhi _V = 0.1\,\% - 0.8\,\%$$ ) and the bulk airflow Reynolds number ( $$Re_{bulk} = 300 - 1200$$ ) allows us to isolate key elements of the multiphase dynamics, providing the first laboratory observation of cluster-induced turbulence. Above a threshold $$\varPhi _V$$ , the system exhibits intense fluctuations of concentration and velocity, as measured by high-speed imaging via a backlighting technique which returns optically depth-averaged fields. The space–time autocorrelations reveal dense and persistent mesoscale structures falling faster than the surrounding particles and trailing long wakes. These are shown to be the statistical footprints of visually observed clusters, mostly found in the vicinity of the walls. They are identified via a percolation analysis, tracked in time, and characterised in terms of size, shape, location and velocity. Larger clusters are denser, longer-lived and have greater descent velocity. At the present particle Stokes number, the threshold $$\varPhi _V \sim 0.5$$ % (largely independent from $$Re_{bulk}$$ ) is consistent with the view that clusters appear when the typical interval between successive collisions is shorter than the particle response time.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1903564
- PAR ID:
- 10333128
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics
- Volume:
- 933
- ISSN:
- 0022-1120
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.1024
