Investigation of Flow and Mass Transfer on a Flat Plate Downstream of a Shear Inducing Moving Wall

The effects of an opposing (upstream-moving) wall-shear on a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer are investigated. The shear at the boundary is imparted by a moving belt, flush with the wall. Boundary layer measurements are reported for four surface-to-freestream velocity ratios (0, −0.38, −0.51, −0.63) with the Reynolds number (based on the momentum thickness) between 922 and 1951. Velocity profiles downstream of the moving surface show an increased velocity deficit near the wall, which is more pronounced at higher (negative) belt velocity. Streamwise turbulence values downstream of the belt show the growth of a second peak in the logarithmic region of the boundary layer in addition to the normally-observed peak in the buffer region. This suggests the presence of larger length-scale turbulent eddies at locations away from the wall in the boundary layer. Spectral measurements indicate that the turbulent energy content is distributed over a wide portion of the logarithmic region. Mass transfer measurements using naphthalene sublimation provide the variation of Stanton with Reynolds number on the plate downstream of the moving belt. It shows little difference from the stationary belt case, which suggests that increased wall turbulence is balanced by an increase in the boundary layer thickness.