.

Jownal of Non -Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 19 (1985) 229-234 229

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands

Short Co~unication

SOME NEW OBSERVATION ON THE EFFECTS OF DRAG

REDUCING AGENTS ON THE EARLY DE~LOPME~ OF WAKES *

PHILIPPE BOYCE and MADELEINE COUTANCEAU

Laboratoire de M&unique des Fluides ** Universitk de Poitiers (France)
(Received April 1, 1985)

1. Introduction

As drag reduction by means of polymer agents begins to be more and

more understood in pipe flows, the results available in the literature are
clearly fewer for external flows. Moreover, the term “external flow” includes
a great deal of obstacle shapes which makes comparison of results still more
difficult.
For these sorts of flows, the complexity of the rheological behaviour of the
fluids adds to the classical difficulties that scientists have to overcome in
order to determine the corresponding flow characteristics. This is illustrated
by the fact that results-either experimental or numerical-are often con-
flicting. Let us quote as an example the classical case of the viscoelastic flow
around a circular cylinder in the laminar regime, for which the presence of
polymer is said to either reduce or improve the drag force. The same
contradiction may be noted in papers dealing with the shift (either upstream
or downstream) of the streamline pattern [l-5].
So, in order to bring new information on the effects of the fluid elasticity
on the wake formation with time, we consider in this work the flow
establishment around a circular cylinder fitted, at its rear, with a thin flap,
both in the case of Newtonian liquid and of a dilute polymer solution.

2. Experimental technique and notation

The obstacle, described in Fig. 1, is abruptly set into translation in a

quiescent fluid (either water or 200 ppm polyethylene-oxide solution). Then,

* Originally delivered as an informal paper at the Third International Conference on DRAG

REDUCTION of Bristol (1984)
** Laboratoire associe au C.N.R.S. dans le cadre du L.A. No. 191

0377-0257/85/$03.30 0 1985 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

230

Fig. 1. Flow characteristics.

photographs are sequentially taken, at constant time steps, by a camera

moving with the obstacle, so that, in this frame, this cylinder appears to be at
rest, whereas the free flow comes from far away upstream with the constant
uniform velocity V,. The time of exposure is selected short enough in order
that the corresponding parts of the paths described by the intensely lit
particles give the quasi-instantaneous velocity field. More details on the
experimental device may be found in Bouard and Coutanceau (6). --
From the basic values V,, D, the kinematic viscosity v and characteristic
time of the fluid 7, non-dimensional reference numbers are defined as
follows:
Reynolds number: Re = V,D/v,
Weissenberg number: We = 7&/D, which represents the ratio of the fluid
characteristic time to the flow reference time.
normalized time: t* = tV,/D, where t is the time elapsed between the abrupt
start of the motion and the moment at which the photograph is taken.
The shape of the obstacle was chosen because of its property to create a
lift force (which could be increased by suction of the fluid between two
points as shown by WerlC [7]). Although being then asymmetrical, the vortex
shedding process seems to present globally an analogous evolution to that of
the shedding process relative to the fundamental circular cylinder case.

3. Presentation of the main elements of the wake

In order to establish a comparison between the flows of Newtonian and

viscoelastic fluids, we will first describe the time evolution of the Newtonian
wake structure with the help of Fig. 2. It presents the main elements of the
wake for Re = 1000 and t* = 2.5; it is to be remarked that, under’ these
conditions, the time evolution is smooth enough for such a drawing (Fig., 2)
to be directly obtained from the visualization pictures by means of a
“manual” integration of the.dashes described by the tracers.
Each eddy is marked Ei and Ci is its center, where i indicates the order of
detachment.
 231

Fig. 2. An instantaneous sketch of flow pattern for Re = 1000.

- the first eddy appearing is called E, and is of the starting type. It is

immediately created, at the sharp edge of the flap, after the start of the
motion and carried downtream.
- the second, called E,, at first grows from the upper downstream part of the
cylinder and remains attached, and then is carried away by the free stream.
- Conjointly with E,, two secondary cells (E; and Ed) are created, as in the
case of the flow around a circular cylinder without flap studied by Bouard
and Coutanceau [8]. Later, E; will be adsorbed by E, and both are carried
downstream.
- The E, eddy appears, like E,, at the edge of the thin flap and it increases in
size in the very near wake. Later, it will be also shed in the flow while E, will
grow and take the initial place of E,,
This initiates the vortex shedding process, since new eddies will be then
alternately created and shed from the rear smooth part of the cylinder and
from the sharp flap edge.

4. Comparison between Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows

From the different stages of the early time evolution of the Newtonian
wake now being described, it will be easier to explain the differences induced
by the presence of polyethylene-oxide in water.
At Re = 2000, no significant differences are observed between the flow in
water and in a 200 ppm polyox solution. This may be explained by the fact
that under these conditions, the Weissenberg number is low (about 0.2) and
so, we are in the presence of a weak flow: the characteristic time of the flow
is larger than that of the fluid.
At Re = 4500, the Weissenberg number is now 5 times larger than for
Re = 1000, and clear differences appear. To present them, we compare, in
Table 1, comments about photographs obtained in water and in the polyox
232

TABLE 1

Water flow Polyox solution flow

The starting vortex Et, which is No significant difference is visible
generated as soon as the movement
starts, is already shed downstream

The structure is developing as in the As a whole the wake is the same as in

case for Re =lOOO, however a little the Newtonian case, however no in-
difference must be pointed out: the stability is detected
secondary cells E; and E4 instead of
being well structured, present some
three-dimensional instabilities

Now the E3 eddy is quite developed The influence of the presence of

and E< and E, have lost their polyox is now quite obvious. Each
organized structure: they look like a cell is still stable. No instability is
turbulent pocket of fluid. Other in- strong enough to destroy their struc-
stabilities appear at the sharp edge of ture.
the flap.

The same inference as in the case relative to t* = 5 may be

drawn from the photographs relative to either water flow or
polyox flow.

The main eddy E, is, in its turn, The phenomenon is more and more
becoming turbulent while keeping evident, local velocity of the fluid
roughly its strength (proportionnal to the dash length) is
lower and lower

solution, respectively, at increasing selected times. It is to be noticed that

t* = 1 represents the time during which a point of the uniform free stream
covers a distance of one cylinder diameter from its initial position at rest (i.e.
at t = 0); in a fixed frame, the cylinder has translated one diameter.
Up to t* = 9, although important differences are observed in the details of
the wake evolution between the two sorts of flow (Newtonian and viscoelas-
tic), the global behaviour of each eddy remains analogous.
Later, at t* = 11 (our last time of observation), when the shedding process
seems to be established, a zone of quasi-dead fluid in the polyox flow has
taken the place of the apparently turbulent near wake generated in the water
flow. Undoubtedly the two velocity fields are then quite different.
Some examples of the comparative flow visualizations are given in Fig. 3.

4. Conclusion

Although, the photographs we obtained in this work are not yet com-
pletely analyzed and interpreted, they provide new evidences of the influence
 233

of the presence of drag reducing agents on the structure of a wake and its
time evolution. In particular, they show their stabilizing effect in the period
of the laminar-to-turbulent transition of the eddies.

Re=rlOOO

Re= 4500

Re=4500
Fig. 3. Comparative flow visualizations.
234

References

1 D.F. James and A.J. Acosta, (1970) J. Fluid Mech., 42 (2) (1970) 269.
2 P. Townsend, (1980) J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech., 6 (1980) 219.
3 D. Sigli, Pets. Commun., (1980).
4 0. Manero and B. Mena, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech., 9 (1981) 379.
5 P. Townsend, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech., 14 (1984) 265.
6 R. Bouard and M. Coutanceau, J. Fluid Mech., 79 (1977) 231.
7 H. Werle, Rech. Aerosp., 4 (1984) 265-274.
8 R. Bouard and M. Coutanceau, J. Fluid Mech., 101 (1980) 583.