Structure of Turbulence Within a Sheared Wake of a Rotor Blade

Stereoscopic PIV measurements examine the flow structure and turbulence within a rotor near wake located within a non-uniform field generated by a row of Inlet Guide Vanes (IGVs). The experiments are performed in a refractive index matched facility that provides unobstructed view of the entire flow field. The data are acquired at 10 closely spaced radial planes located near mid-span, enabling measurements of all the components of the phase averaged velocity and strain rate, as well as the Reynolds stress and the triple correlation tensors. The rotor wake is sheared and bent towards the pressure (inner) side by a non-uniform flow field generated by IGV wake segments that propagate along the suction and pressure sides of the rotor passage with different speeds. The axial velocity fluctuations increase along the suction/outer side of the wake, while the other components decay. On the pressure/inner part of the bent wake the circumferential velocity fluctuations are higher. The Reynolds shear stress has a complex distribution, but is higher on the suction side. The turbulent kinetic energy is also consistently higher on the outer (suction) side of the wake. This trend is fundamentally different from those observed in prior studies of curved wakes where turbulence is enhanced on the inner side of the wake due to the destabilizing effect of curvature. To explain the difference, we examine the contributors to turbulent kinetic energy production rate in a curvilinear coordinate system aligned with the wake-centerline. The contribution of streamwise curvature to the production rate of turbulent kinetic energy, although consistent with expected trends, is overwhelmed by effects of wake shearing. The primary contributor to turbulent kinetic energy production rate is the product of Reynolds shear stress with cross-stream gradients of streamwise (in a frame of reference relative to the rotor blade) velocity in the wake. The location of peak in turbulent kinetic energy is almost aligned with that of production rate. The turbulence diffusion term opposes the production rate peaks, but also has high values along the edge of the wake.