NUMERICAL MODELING AND PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY MEASUREMENT OF THE LAMINAR-FLOW FIELD-INDUCED BY AN ENCLOSED ROTATING-DISC

The fluid flow field within an enclosed cylindrical chamber with a rot ating flat disc was calculated using a finite volume computational flu id dynamics (CFD) model and compared with particle image velocimetry ( PIV) measurements. Two particular laminar cases near the Transitional flow regime were investigated: Reynolds number Re = 2.5 x 10(4), chamb er aspect ratio G (h/R(d)) = 0.2 and Re = 4.2 x 10(4), G (h/R(d)) = 0. 217. This enabled direct comparison with the numerical and experimenta l results reported by other researchers. The computational details and some major factors that affect the computed accuracy and convergence speed are also discussed in detail. PIV results containing some 4300 v elocity vector points in each of seven planes for each case were obtai ned from the flow field parallel to the rotating disc. It was found th at PIV results could be obtained in planes within the boundary layers as well as the core flow by careful use of a thin laser illumination s heet and correct choice of laser pulse separation. There was close agr eement between numerical results, the present PIV measurements and oth er reported experimental and numerical results.