Flow Separation and Re-attachment

MEE 364 Automotive

Aerodynamics
Lecture 3.2
Sources : http://www-scf.usc.edu/~jmcarthu/FinalDissertationPaper_final.pdf; Report
: AFWAL-TR-80-2108
 Outline
• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Case Study : Flow Characteristics of Sudden
Expansions over a Step
▫ 5.2.1 Types of Separated Flows over a Step
▫ 5.2.2 Separated Flow Regions
▫ 5.2.3 Reattachment Length
▫ 5.2.4 Flow Field Properties
▫ 5.2.5 Pressure Distribution
• 5.3 Summary
 5.1 Introduction
• Flow separation due to adverse pressure gradients
occurs on :
▫ Air foils at high angles of attack.
▫ Wide angle diffusers.
▫ Cylinders and bluff bodies.
▫ Sudden expansions and contractions in pipes.
• It can lead to wake formation.
• Induces additional drag.
• Affects lift and stability.
Figure 5.1 Laminar Separation Bubble
• Figure 5.1 depicts a laminar separation bubble.
• It begins with a laminar boundary layer.
• The L.B.L is subjected to an adverse pressure gradient.
• Unfavorable pressure gradient causes b.l. separation.
• Laminar separated shear flow is unstable.
• Transition to turbulent separated shear ensues.
• Turbulence transports momentum from the free stream, across
the shear layer, and down to the surface.
• When momentum transport is sufficient, T.B.L reattaches itself
to the surface, downstream of the transition point.
• This closes the laminar bubble.
Figure 5.2 Pressure Distribution in a
Laminar Separation Bubble

Low pressure created

at separation and re-attachment
points induces +ve lift
 5.2 Case Study : Characteristics of
Suddenly Expanding Flows over a Step
• Suddenly expanding flows occur at pipe expansions, flow over a
step, etc.,
• Orifice flow filling a pipe is also an expanding flow.
• Sudden expansion of the flow leads to a pressure drop.
▫ Such momentum loss enhances local drag.
▫ A step, hence, is a hydraulic discontinuity.
• Suddenly expanding/contracting flows also occur in
automotive radiators and HVAC systems.
▫ Air side momentum loss increases the local drag.
Figure 5.3 Sudden Expansion Models

Axi-symmetric annular step 2-D Duct Step

2-D Open Channel Setup 2-D Surface Step

• 5.2.1 Types of Separated Flow Regions over a
Step

• Three types of separated flow regions can occur :

 Laminar

 Transitional

 Turbulent
• Laminar separated flow :

▫ Occurs when a laminar boundary layer separates and re-

attaches itself as a laminar boundary layer.

• Transitional separated flow :

▫ Transition to turbulence occurs after separation, but

before reattachment.
▫ Turbulent boundary layer grows immediately after
reattachment.
• Turbulent separated flow :
▫ Turbulent boundary layer separates itself and reattaches
itself as a turbulent boundary layer.

• Figure 5.4 depicts typical flow separation.

• Laminar boundary layer separation criterion :
Re *  400  500 (flow is transitional) (5.1)
s

 s* : boundary layer displacement thickness at point of separation

u  s*
Re *  (5.2)
s

Flat plate parallel flow at zero incidence, Re * ,crit  960 (5.3)
(laminar boundary layer begins transition to turbulence)
Figure 5.4 Separated Flow Regimes
I : 3D vortex regime
II : 2D region of trapped eddies
III : Re-attachment region
• Zone I :
▫ 3D vortices rotating parallel to y axis.
▫ Vortices can change size in time.
▫ Adjacent vortices can be of different sizes and contra-
rotating.
▫ # of vortices depends on obstacle (forward step)
geometry.
• Zone II :
▫ 2D region – contains trapped eddies with axes parallel to
z axis.
▫ umax = 1/5 (u∞) (5.4)
• Zone III :
▫ Re-attachment region.
▫ Bifurcation of shear layer occurs.
▫ Part of flow is deflected into Zone II as entrainment.
▫ Pressure increases due to reattachment.
▫ Shear layer that can cope with this rise, is deflected
back into II for re-circulation.
▫ Downstream of re-attachment point, new boundary
layer begins (laminar or turbulent).
• Transitional of turbulent separated flows :

▫ Regions I, II, and III are in equilibrium.

▫ Pressures exerted by solid surfaces = turbulent shear
stress in mixing region.
▫
 5.2.3 Re-attachment Length
• Re-attachment length : stream wise distance between
point of separation and reattachment of b.l.
▫ Re-attachment length = f(Re, Area Ratio, Aspect Ratio, inlet flow conditions)

▫ Figure 5.5 depicts experimental data of Back and Roschke.

 Water flow data

 Re = 20-4200
 Laminar, transitional, turbulent separated flows occurred in this regime.
 Re-attachment length varied considerably with flow regime.
 Laminar boundary re-attachment length increased with Re.
 This continued until transitional separated flow effects became dominant.
Figure 5.5 Re-attachment length vs Re in
sudden Pipe Expansions
• Turbulent separated flow :
▫ Re-attachment length was constant.
▫ Transitional separated flow regime was an interface
between laminar and turbulent regions.
• Laminar separated flow re-attachment point moved
downstream with increasing Re #.
• Free shear layer spread by diffusion.
• Cramer’s prediction for increase in xr :
x r Res* h
 [(  1) 2
 1] (5.5)
s*
3 s
*

x r : increase in laminar re-attachment length

h : step height
• Transitional separated flow:
▫ Occurs when Re increased from 250 to 1000 (Back and Roschke).
▫ Smooth waves in free shear layer replaced by fluctuations.
▫ At Re D  200
o small shear layer flows, moving downstream, grow in
amplitude as Re increases.
▫ At Re D  290 lateral extent of the shear layer resembles a vortex street.
o

▫ Re-attachment point moved upstream as Re increased (and vortex sheet

thickened).
▫ A slowly growing and shrinking re-circulation region indicates unsteady
re-attachment process.
 This is because the entrainment rate balances the back flow rate only in the
mean flow, and not instantaneous values.
 Unsteady re-attachment occurs for long periods.
Figure 5.6 Area Ratio vs Re-Attachment Length

Source : Abbott &

Kline
• Laminar flow separated flow exhibits an area ratio dependent, unequal re-
attachment length phenomena.

• Asymmetry (unequal re-attachment lengths) is related to the shear layers

and the coherent flow structures embedded within them.

• Figure 5.6 shows that for turbulent flow with area ratio of 1.5, the re-
attachment length for a 2-D single open channel step model coincides with
that for a double step model.

• Laminar, and transitional separated flow re-attachment lengths are much

less predictable.
Figure 5.7 Aspect Ratio vs Reynolds #
• Aspect ratio (As ) is defined as spanwise width to height.

• As should be large enough so that wall effects don’t dominate

the flow field in a 2-D duct or surface step.

• Aspect ratio had very little impact on the re-attachment point in

turbulent 2-D single duct step flow.

• No conclusive evidence is also available for predicting the same

in laminar separated flows.

• Lower aspect ratios, however, stabilized the flow and increased

Re # range for stable laminar separated flow.
• Figure 5.7 shows that for an expansion ratio of 2:1 and an
aspect ratio of 4:1, the re-circulating regions on both sides of
the duct are identical for ReD_h < 210.

• Turbulent separated flows are un-affected by inlet conditions

(due to the high degree of turbulence at separation).
▫ Inlet conditions include the inlet free stream core flow and the
boundary layer conditions.

• However, laminar and transitional separated flows are affected

by the inlet boundary layer conditions, especially  s*
(displacement thickness at separation).
 5.2.4 Flow-field Properties
• The sudden expansion geometry and flow Re # determine the
following parameters in the re-attaching and re-developing
flows :

▫ Mean velocity profiles

▫ Turbulence intensity profiles
▫ Turbulent kinetic energy
▫ Reynolds stress
Figure 5.8 Mean Velocity Distribution in
Separated Flows

Source : Cherdron, Durst and Whitelaw

• Figure 5.8 shows the development of experimental mean stream wise
velocity profiles obtained by Cherdron, Durst and Whitelaw.

• Asymmetric flow patterns were observed for Reh = 287 and 615.

• Asymmetry in the separated flow is strong for Reh = 615.

• In this laminar separated flow regime, the maximum re-circulation

intensity = (1/10) (umax).

• Similar trend was observed by Smyth for turbulent separated flow in

a double duct step.
▫ However, the flow was symmetrical.
▫ Maximum re-circulation velocity = 8% of umean,inlet
▫ Re-attachment length = 9h (h = step height) downstream of the step.
Figure 5.9 Stream-wise Turbulence
Intensity Profiles

Source : Smyth
• Figure 5.9 depicts turbulence intensity measured by Smyth
downstream of a double duct step .

• Minimum intensity occurred at the center of the duct and was

approximately 6.5%.

• Maximum turbulence intensity was 19.5% at x/D = 0.2

• At x/D > 3, peaks of maximum turbulence intensity disappeared.

▫ New turbulent boundary layer began to develop.

• Further downstream, turbulence intensity was similar to that

upstream of the step.
Figure 5.10 Turbulent Kinetic Energies and Reynolds Stress Distributions

Source : Smyth
• Smyth’s data in Fig. 5.10 indicate the following :

▫ Minimum turbulent kinetic energy occurs downstream of the step, and at

the center of the duct.

▫ A maximum of 6.2% occurs near the edge of the re-circulation region at

x/L = -8.

▫ Downstream of the step there is negligible Reynolds stress at the center of

the duct.

▫ A maximum value of -1.5% occurs near the edge of the re-circulation

region at x/L = 0.4.

▫ Such zones of maximum shear stress along with entrainment, maintain

equilibrium of separated flows.
 5.2.5 Pressure Distribution
• Abrupt pressure rise detected in transitional separated flows.
• Re #, surface roughness, turbulence intensity determine
transition.
• Change in transitional parameters affects pressure distribution.
▫ Location and magnitude of the pressure rise is altered.
• Flows with transition point close to re-attachment are
associated with steepest pressure rise.
• Figure 5.11 shows Tani, Iuchi and Komoda’s cp for turbulent
flows over 2-D surface steps.
Figure 5.11 Pressure Distribution for Turbulent Flow
over 2-D Surface Steps
p - p
cp  ; : up-stream
1 2
u
2
• -1 < (x/h) < 0 : step face
• (x/h) > 0 : bottom surface of the step, downstream

• Pressure distribution is in-sensitive to step height.

• Upstream boundary layer thickness has little impact on cp for turbulent

separated flow.

• Negative pressure coefficient on step face.

• Small drop in cp, downstream of the step.

• Followed by Rapid rise in pressure, indicating re-attachment.

• Interaction between re-circulation and main flow regions remains

unchanged if re-circulation zone is not altered.
 5.3 Summary
• Adverse pressure gradients lead to boundary layer separation.

• Surface geometry and Re # determine nature of separated flow.

• Re-circulation, re-attachment and re-development of the boundary layer

follows flow separation.

• Extent of re-circulation, and re-attachment length are affected by inlet flow

conditions, and local Re #.

• Laminar, transitional and turbulent separated flows exhibit different

sensitivities to flow conditions and geometry.

• Flow separation and re-attachment leads to momentum loss and hence

enhanced drag, and lift.