Vortex Motion

Consider flow along a curved path

Mass in dA: dAdr
Radial acceleration: v
2
/r
Centrifugal force:
Pressure= P at r ; P+dP at r+dr
So, the force balance (along the curved path) is:
(dP) (dA) = (dAdr) (v
2
/r)
Or,
So the pressure gradient is:
dr
dA
P
P+dP
V (tangential
velocity)
streamlines
dr
r
v
dP
2
=
r
v
dr
dP
2
=
[(P+dP)-P]dA
= resultant force = mass x accel
Forced and Free Vortex
Pressure gradient:
is useful for investigating conditions in direction normal to
streamlines.
e.g.: straight streamlines: r and dP 0
curved streamlines: at r r+dr, then P P+dP
Exactly how they change depends on how v varies with r
Consider motion of a rotating cylinder:
Angular velocity is
Linear velocity v is given by : v = r
Linear velocity decreases towards the center
i.e. no relative motion between wall of cylinder and fluid
The rotation is a solid body rotation and is called Forced Vortex
r
v
dr
dP
2
=

Forced and Free Vortex

Flow in forced vortex is rotational
In a forced vortex, we apply a torque:
Free Vortex (Potential Vortex):
No torque is applied.
So, vr = constant = K
( )
( ) mvr
dt
d
Fv T
mv
dt
d
F
= =
=
Linear momentum
Angular momentum
Torque
( ) ( ) 0 or 0 = = vr
dt
d
mvr
dt
d
r
v
constant
=
A
A
A A
B
B
B
B
r
Forced and Free Vortex
Free Vortex
The flow is irrotational,

In cylindrical coordinates:
x = r cos , y = r sin , z = z
( ) 0 = mvr
dt
d
A
A
B
B
A
B
A
B
0 = v

( ) ( ) 0

1
0
=

=
=

=
z
v
rv
r z
v
z
v
r rv
z
v
r
v rv v
z r
z r
v
r z r z
z r

( )
( ) 0
0
0
=

=
|
.
|

\
|

r
z r
z z
v
rv
r
z
v
z
v
z
v
r
z
r
v
v
rv
z
v
dz
dr
rd

r
Forced and Free Vortex
Circular symmetry
ONLY v

0, and v
r
= 0 and v
z
= 0 (no flow).
So, i.e. r v

= constant, =>
Note: v

when r 0.
This cannot be true for real fluid because of fluid viscosity.
Fluid viscosity slows down the motion.
Viscous friction causes fluid outside the core to rotate like solid
body and flow to be rotational.
( ) 0
0
=

r
z r
v
rv
r
z
v
z
v
0 0
0
0
0
( ) 0 =

rv
r
r
v
constant
=

( ) =

z
rv
z
v
0
Forced and Free Vortex
Rankine Vortex
r r < a (forced vortex rotational flow)
constant/r = a
2
/r r > a (free vortex irrotational flow)
v
r
= 0 and v
z
= 0
v

=
v

=a when r =a
v

r
r
v=r v=a
2
/r
a
a
Forced
Vortex
(rotational)
Free
Vortex
(irrotational)
W
Vorticity
Rotational flow
z
r
z r r
z r
v W or
0 0
1

= =
Zero vorticity (irrot)
0 = = v W

Forced and Free Vortex

Pressure Distribution
( )
( )
( )
( ) ( )
( )
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
2 2
2
1
2
1 1
2
2
2
2
1
2
1 2
2 2 1 1
2
2
2
1
2
1 2
2
1
2
2
2
1
3
2
1 2
2
1
3
2
2
1
2
2
1
2
2 2 2
K or
r
K
: Notes
1 1
2
1
2
1 1

v v
r
r v
r
r v
r
K
r
K
P P
r v r v v
r r
K
P P
r
K dr
r
K P P dr
r
K
dr
r
v
dP
r
v
dr
dP
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
= = =
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|

= = = =
=

2
2 2
2
1 1
2 2
v P v P

+ = +
Consider r, v=K/r0, and P
2
P

1
2
1
2
1 1
2
and
2
P v P P v P = = +


2
1
2
1
2 r
K
P P

=

As r
1
small, P
1
small
Low pressure near center when r small
e.g. whirlpool and tornado
=>
Examples of Vortex Motion
von Karman Vortices near
Guadalupe Island, 260 km west of
Baja California
Multiple-exposure photograph of
the tip vortex on a rectangular
wing of aspect ratio 1
Wake Vortex Study at Wallops Island
http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/HPDOCS/misr/misr_html/von_karman_
vortex.html http://www.asc.nasa.gov/media_room/photo1.html http://www.nd.edu/~mav/research.htm
Examples of Vortex Motion
Re=9.6
Re=13.1
Re=26
Re=2000
Re=10,000
Flow past a cylinder Vortex formation in
microfluidic channel
M.Van Dyke, An Album of Fluid Motion, Parabolic Press (Standford, 1982)
Lim DSW, Shelby JP, Kuo JS, Chiu DT , Applied Physics
Letters 83 (6): 1145-1147 Aug 11 2003
Examples of Vortex Motion
http://www.pma.caltech.edu/Courses/ph136/yr2002/chap17/0217.1.pdf
Rayleigh-Bernard convection. A fluid is
confined between two horizontal surfaces
separated by a vertical distance d. When
the temperature difference between the two
plates T is increased sufficiently, the
fluid will start to convect heat vertically.
Silicone oil on a uniformly heated copper plate.
M.Van Dyke, An Album of Fluid Motion, Parabolic Press (Standford, 1982)
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/users/jcm/Topic3/Topic3.html
Instability
Scope
1. Couette Flow: The flow of fluid in an annulus between
two concentric spinning cylinders.
2. Linear stability analysis
1. Couette Flow
For steady circular flow
Consider simplified Navier-Stokes in cylindrical coordinates:
Solution:
r
2
r
1
r
1
r r
2
0
2
2
2
= +


u
dr
du
r
dr
u d
r
r
B
Ar u + =

Instability
If r
1
rotates at
1
and r
2
rotates at
2
, then:
Consider the fluid element going around the ring:
Velocity: u

(r)=r
Angular momentum: r u

(r)= r
2

2. Linear stability analysis
Consider conservation of angular momentum:
( )
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
1 2 1
2
1
2
2
2
1 1
2
2 2
,
r r
r r
B
r r
r r
A

=
r
2
r
1
( ) ( ) 0 or 0
2 2
= = r
Dt
D
r
Dt
D
Instability
A small change in angular momentum:
Now, consider stability of a small perturbation:
i.e. if we displace a fluid from r r+r such that the angular
momentum is conserved.
Can pressure in surrounding fluid able to maintain equilibrium?
Compare pressure in perturbed and equilibrium state.
Consider centrifugal pressure:
dr
r
d
rd dr d r dr r
d r rdr r d

2

2 2 or
0 ) 2 ( ) (
2
2 2

=
= =
= + =
2 2
2 2
2 2
2
2
1
2

or
r
r
P
dr r dP r
r
u
dr
dP

= =
= = =

Instability
Stability criteron: P
dist
P
undist
< 0
( ) r r r
dr
d
P
r P
undist
undist


+

+ + =
=
at (r) r r
2
1

2
1
2
2
2 2
( ) | |
( )
2
2
2 2
2
) (
2
1
) (
2
1

+ =
+ + =
r
r
r r r P
d r r r P
dist
dist

The next ring at r + r
Same ring is being displace over, so we
need to look at d based on the
conservation of angular momentum
( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ( )
( )
0 2
2
2
2
4
0
4
2
4
) ( ) (
2
1
(r) r r
2
1 2
) (
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2 2
2 2
2
2
2
2
2
< =
|
.
|

\
|
+ =

>

|
.
|

\
|
+ + =

+ +

+ =
r
dr
r d
r
r
dr
d
r
r
dr
d
r
r
r
dr
d
dr
r
r
dr
d
r
r
r r r r
r
dr
d
r
r
r r r P P
undist dist

Instability
( )
( )
0
0
2
2
<
>
dr
r d
dr
r d

For stability
This implies that:
Recall:
Since,
For instability
r
B
Ar r u + = =

B Ar ru r + = =
2 2

( ) 0 2
2
> = + Ar B Ar
dr
d
0 2 2
2
1
2
2
2
1 1
2
2 2
2
1
2
2
2
1 1
2
2 2
>
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
r
r r
r r
Ar
r r
r r
A
2
1 1
2
2 2
r r > For stability
Rayleigh stability critereon
Taylor-Couette Cell
Taylor-Couttte flow is the flow of an incompressible,
viscous fluid contained in the gap between two concentric,
rotating cylinders.
When angular velocity of the inner cylinder exceeds a
critical values, flow patterns developed that consists of
axisymmetric vortices stacked on top of one another in the
axial direction, with radial inflows and outflows.
Some flow patterns observed are:
http://www.students.ncl.ac.uk/a.j.youd/tcf/tcf.html
Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability
Kelvin-Helmholtz instability
occurs when two fluids of
different densities flowing at
various velocities.
Formation of clouds generated by
Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.
http://www.colorado-research.com/~werne/eos/text/turbulence.html
Two stably stratified fluids are flowing from left to right with the
uppermost low density fluid traveling 3.5 times faster than the lower
heavy fluid
http://www.itsc.com/movvkv.htm
Waves that grow on jets of
high or low density fluid
such as the hot bouyant jet
of gas.
von Karman Vortex
A heated plate with a thick initial thermal boundary
layer is suddenly accelerated to 5 m/s in air
Vortices that shed alternatively from
two sides of a body (e.g. flat plate or
cylinder) in highly structured and
unsteady pattern.
Smoke at various levels in vortex sheet
M.Van Dyke, An Album of Fluid Motion, Parabolic Press (Standford, 1982)
Periodic vortex street created by a flat plate
http://www.itsc.com/movvkv.htm
Viscous Fingering
Frontal instabilities resulted
when a low viscosity fluid
displaces a high viscosity
fluid in a porous medium
Nitrogen injection
into mineral oil in a
Hele-Shaw-type
cell
Nitrogen injection
into mineral oil in a
Hele-Shaw-type
cell but with half of
the cell etched with
rectangular lattice
Viscous finger of
associating
polymer: from
normal fingering to
fractals.
http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/groups/cond_mat/research/pattern_formation/pattform.html