Experimental investigation on flows in a corrugated channel

Flows in a corrugated channel are investigated by a high-speed camera and a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. The bottom wall of the rectangular channel was corrugated with periodic grooves while the top wall and two sidewalls were flat plates made of Plexiglas. Flow visualization data from the high-speed camera determine the critical Reynolds number to be around 1500 by examining the stability of the vortex in the groove as well as fluid ejection from the groove. The visualization data for turbulent flow also show how a vortex evolves within the groove and triggers another vortex formation in the subsequent groove, and how fluid ejected from the groove triggers another ejection from the subsequent groove. Thus, strong hydrodynamic interactions are observed between successive corrugations. In addition, PIV data provide the profiles of velocities and Reynolds stresses as a function of Reynolds number. Time-averaged streamlines show that a large, stable vortex exists in the groove for laminar flow. On the other hand, for turbulent flow, the vortex is unstable inside the groove, often prompting fluid ejection which interacts with the bulk flow. Especially the Reynolds stress of the square of velocity fluctuation in the direction normal to the bulk flow significantly increases as the fluid ejection from the groove intensifies with increasing Reynolds number.