48 Examining the flow through large sudden planar expansions

Fields:

Aerodynamics, Laser Diagnostics, Combustion, Industrial Design

Supervisors:

Dr. Gus Nathan and Dr Richard Kelso

Moderator:

 

Number of Students:

2

Description:

This project is a continuation of a 1999 Final Year Project in which a small scale experimental facility was constructed to examine the flow through a large sudden planar expansion. It is now well known that the flow through a large sudden expansion is asymmetric, with one re-attachment being longer than the other. Several numerical computations of the flow have been performed, but these calculations have yet to be adequately validated. The project will conduct flow visualisations and measurements of velocity and reattachment lengths using the existing facility. The results will then be compared with those of previous investigations. It is realistic to expect that a scientific publication will be possible from this project. It is suitable for one or two students.