CAREER: Revealing the characteristics of high Reynolds number wakes with rotation

该项目旨在揭示和描述大型旋转机器（如风力或潮汐涡轮机）背后的流动行为，以及这些机器之间的相互作用。这将通过独特的实验流动设备和数值模拟的结合来实现。由于这些机器通常非常大，因此在模型测试和模拟中需要准确地考虑由于惯性和流动旋转造成的影响。通过使用独特的高压流动设备，结合最先进的仪器，在与全尺寸现代风力或潮汐涡轮机相同的条件下，研究风力涡轮机后面的流动细节。这项工作将弥合以前的实验室研究、数值模型、现场实验和现实世界应用之间的差距，回答有关流动特性缩放的开放基本问题，以及作用在涡轮机上的功率输出和力。此外，该项目的数值组成部分将允许我们对可用模型进行独特的比较和评估，并进一步改进这些建模方法。从长远来看，改进的模型可以带来更经济有效的设计，并更好地理解维护指南。提出的研究计划的主要目标是揭示和表征由旋转机械在前所未有的雷诺数范围内产生的尾迹的形态和基本尺度。这项研究将使人们对风力和水动力涡轮机产生的尾流的细节有一个独特的了解，这在传统的受控环境中是不可能的。高雷诺数和旋转的结合使得精确模拟这些流动的尝试非常具有挑战性。该研究将结合最近开发的实验测试设备、定制设计的粒子图像测速系统和新型纳米级传感器，以详细准确地表征旋转尾迹中的流体力学。重点将放在提供知识，以提高我们建模和预测这些机器之间的性能和相互作用的能力。拟议的研究计划将使我们能够弥合以前的实验室研究、数值模型、现场实验和现实世界应用之间的差距，回答有关动量分布的尺度和动力学、湍流波动、尾流的结构和蜿蜒以及传统研究工作的可扩展性的开放基本问题。拟议项目的教育部分的主要目标是将设计融入入门工程实验课程，以便让学生拥有实验室，并以跨学科的方式教授他们现代工程工具。新课程将挑战学生建立自己的工具和测试平台，从强大的，低成本和开源组件来测试他们的想法和概念，他们已经读到。所建议的实验课程的形式是这样的，它可以很容易地被其他教育者采用，并且将具有成本效益。

This project aims to reveal and characterize the behavior of the flow behind large rotating machines, such as wind or tidal turbines, as well as interactions between such machines. This will be achieved by the combination of a unique experimental flow facility and numerical modeling. Since these machines are typically very large, one needs to accurately account for effects due to inertia and rotation of the flow in model tests and simulations. By using a unique high-pressure flow facility, in combination with state of the art instrumentation, the details of the flow behind a wind turbine will be studied under conditions identical to those of a full scale modern wind or tidal turbine. This work will bridge the gap between previous laboratory research, numerical models, field experiments and the real-world applications, answering open fundamental questions about the scaling of the flow characteristics, as well as the power output and forces acting on the turbine. Furthermore, the numerical component of the project will allow us to perform unique comparisons and evaluation of available models and to improve these modeling approaches further. Improved models can in term result in more cost-efficient designs as well as a better understanding of maintenance guidelines. The primary objective of the proposed research program is to reveal and characterize the morphology and fundamental scaling of wakes generated by rotating machinery over an unprecedented range of Reynolds numbers. The research will enable a unique insight into the details of wakes created by wind and hydrokinetic turbines, which traditionally has not been possible in controlled environments. The combination of high Reynolds numbers and rotation makes attempts to accurately simulate these flows very challenging. The proposed research will combine a recently developed experimental test facility, a custom designed Particle Image Velocimetry system, and novel nanoscale sensors to enable detailed and accurate characterization of the fluid mechanics within rotating wakes. Focus will be aimed at providing knowledge that can improve our ability to model and predict the performance and interactions between these kinds of machines. The proposed research program will permit us to bridge the current gap between previous laboratory research, numerical models, field experiments and the real-world applications, answering open fundamental questions about the scaling and dynamics of the momentum distribution, turbulent fluctuations, structure and meandering of the wake as well as scalability of conventional research efforts.The main objective of the education part of the proposed project is to integrate design into an introductory engineering laboratory course, in order to give the students ownership of the labs and teach them modern engineering tools in an interdisciplinary fashion. The new course will challenge the students to build their own tools and test benches from robust, low cost and open source components to test their ideas and the concepts they have read about. The format of the proposed laboratory course is such that it can be easily adopted by other educators and will be cost efficient.