Department Of Aerospace Engineering,

Indian Institute Of Technology Madras

AS2510:Low Speed Lab

Experiment on Free Vortex

Anik Bhowmick
AE20B102
April 23, 2022
Contents
1 Theory 2

2 Apparatus and Procedure 4

2.1 Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3 Objective 5

4 Result 5

5 Calculation and Plot 5

6 Conclusion 7

List of Figures
1 Coutte flow between coaxial cylinders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Free Vortex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 Free vortex Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4 Free vortex Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5 Free vortex Apparatus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1
1 Theory
Vortices can occur naturally or be produced in a laboratory. There are two types of
vortices: free vortices and forced vortices. In our experiment we will only take free
vortex. A free vortex is formed, for example, when water flows out of a vessel through a
central hole in the base. No external force is required to rotate the fluid, and the degree
of rotation is dependent upon the initial disturbance. Whirlpools in rivers and tornadoes
are examples of natural free vortices. A free vortex can be assumed to be an example
of Couette flow between two cylinders with inner cylinder having very small radius and
outer one very large and setting the outer cylinder’s angular velocity equal to 0.

Figure 1: Coutte flow between coaxial cylinders

By axis symmetry we can tell that only nonzero componenet of velocity is: uθ which
is also a function of r only. With inviscid incompressible assumption the Navier stokes
Equation in Cylindrical component can be written as:

∇.τ = 0 (1)
or, µ∇2 V = 0
∂ r∂uθ uθ
or, = (2)
∂r ∂r r
B
Hence, uθ = Ar + (3)
r
B
In our case A=0, and B is some unknown. So: uθ = r

2
Figure 2: Free Vortex

3
2 Apparatus and Procedure
2.1 Apparatus

Figure 3: Free vortex Apparatus

The apparatus comprises a clear acrylic cylinder on a plinth designed to produce and
measure free and forced vortices. The free vortex is generated by water discharging
through an interchangeable orifice in the base of the cylinder, and the resulting profile is
measured using a combined calliper and depth scale. Velocity at any point in the free or
forced vortices may be measured using the appropriate pitot tube supplied.

2.2 Procedure
ˆ Set the vortex apparatus on the Hydraulics Bench and keep it level.

ˆ An orifice with small diameter was placed on the base of a cylinder tank.

ˆ The output valve was closed and the inlet 3-way valve was adjusted to let the water
flows into the tank from two pipes. The water could flow out through the orifice.

4
 ˆ The pump was switched on and the control valve on the hydraulic bench was opened
slowly until it reached the tank limit. The water level was maintained to 160mm
by adjusting the control valve.

ˆ Pitot tube was placed at radial distance 15mm, 25 mm and 30mm from center at
a height 122mm from bottom to measure velocity. The height of the liquid column
due to total pressure was measured by scale.

3 Objective
ˆ To uθ at three radial distance.

4 Result
Using pitot tube the height of water column that we found is given in the following table:

Radius (mm) Height of water column (mm)

15 155
25 162
30 161

5 Calculation and Plot

We will use Bernoulli’s Equation to find the velocity of the rotating fluid. For velocity
measurement at location 30mm radial distances the height of pitot tube was 122 mm.
The height of the fluid as a function of radius is given by following formula:

U 2 R2 1
 
1
h(r) = ho − − (4)
2g r 2 R2

As a consequence of Kelvin’s Circulation theorem:

U R = uθ r (5)

If we put uθ r in Above equation:

u2 r 2
 
1 1
h(r) = ho − 2
− 2 (6)
2g r R

Now we will use Pressure formula between pitot tube and the height of water column
inside the tube. Denoting the height of water column as h1 from the above table:

5
 Figure 4: Free vortex Apparatus

ρu2θ
Pa + ρg(h1 − 122) = Pa + ρg(h(r) − 122) + (7)
2
ρu2θ
h(r) = h1 − (8)
2
Now:
ρu2 u2 r2
 
1 1
h1 − θ = ho − θ 2
− 2 (9)
2 2g r R
2 2
ur
or h1 − ho = θ 2 (10)
2gR
For calculation we take radius 25 mm. Using the above formula and R=122.5 mm we get
:
s 
2 × 9.81 × (0.162 − 0.160) × 122.52
uθ = = 0.9706 m/s
252

Since the height of the pitot tube was decreased while measuring the velocity at 15mm
because wather surface height itself was very low so we can’t determine the the velocity
using above equation but by using the Kelvin Circulation theorem we can find:

uθ × 15 = 0.9706 × 25
uθ = 1.61767 m/s

similarly ar R=30 mm uθ = 0.572 m/s.

Radius (mm) Velocity (m/s) Height (mm) Circulation (m2 /s)

15 1.6 28.6 0.15
25 0.97 113.9 0.15
30 0.572 128.7 0.11

6
 Figure 5: Free vortex Apparatus

6 Conclusion
The above expermient demsonstrates the existance of free vortex. Since we didn’t have
the adequate data for pitot tube height we had to use Circulation theorem to get velocity
at some points. This report has calculations mixed with theoretical formula and actual
experimental data. Only due to which the experimental plot and theoretical plot came
almost same. We could not exactly find the water surface height due to which there is
some pressure measurement errors. Even having such limitations the experiment has given
useful insight into the vortices. Lift of airfoil, Existence of Kutta Joukowskii Theorem
is also due to circulation. If the forced vortex experiment could be performed then we
could be in a better position to be able to distinguish between forced and free vortices.