Partially filled pipes: experiments in laminar and turbulent flow

Abstract

Pressure-driven laminar and turbulent flow in a horizontal partially filled pipe was investigated using stereoscopic particle imaging velocimetry (S-PIV) in the cross-stream plane. Laminar flow velocity measurements are in excellent agreement with a recent theoretical solution in the literature. For turbulent flow, the flow depth was varied independently of a nominally constant Reynolds number (based on hydraulic diameter, $D_{H}$; bulk velocity, $U_{b}$ and kinematic viscosity $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$) of $Re_{H}=U_{b}D_{H}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}\approx 30\,000\pm 5\,\%$. When running partially full, the inferred friction factor is no longer a simple function of Reynolds number, but also depends on the Froude number $Fr=U_{b}/\sqrt{gD_{m}}$ where $g$ is gravitational acceleration and $D_{m}$ is hydraulic mean depth. S-PIV measurements in turbulent flow reveal the presence of secondary currents which causes the maximum streamwise velocity to occur below the free surface consistent with results reported in the literature for rectangular cross-section open channel flows. Unlike square duct and rectangular open channel flow the mean secondary motion observed here manifests only as a single pair of vortices mirrored about the vertical bisector and these rollers, which fill the half-width of the pipe, remain at a constant distance from the free surface even with decreasing flow depth for the range of depths tested. Spatial distributions of streamwise Reynolds normal stress and turbulent kinetic energy exhibit preferential arrangement rather than having the same profile around the azimuth of the pipe as in a full pipe flow. Instantaneous fields reveal the signatures of elements of canonical wall-bounded turbulent flows near the pipe wall such as large-scale and very-large-scale motions and associated hairpin packets whilst near the free surface, the signatures of free surface turbulence in the absence of imposed mean shear such as ‘upwellings’, ‘downdrafts’ and ‘whirlpools’ are present. Two-point spatio-temporal correlations of streamwise velocity fluctuation suggest that the large-scale coherent motions present in full pipe flow persist in partially filled pipes but are compressed and distorted by the presence of the free surface and mean secondary motion.