Critical Reynolds numbers

Laminar and Turbulent Flow, Reynolds Number These terms refer to two distinct types of flow. In laminar flow, there are smooth streamlines and the fuiid velocity components vary smoothly with position, and with time if the flow is unsteady. The flow described in reference to Fig. 6-1 is laminar. In turbulent flow, there are no smooth streamlines, and the velocity shows chaotic fluctuations in time and space. Velocities in turbulent flow may be reported as the sum of a time-averaged velocity and a velocity fluctuation from the average. For any given flow geometry, a dimensionless Reynolds number may be defined for a Newtonian fluid as Re = LU p/ I where L is a characteristic length. Below a critical value of Re the flow is laminar, while above the critical value a transition to turbulent flow occurs. The geometry-dependent critical Reynolds number is determined experimentally. 

Laminar and Turbulent Flow Below a critical Reynolds number of about 2,100, the flow is laminar over the range 2,100 < Re < 5,000 there is a transition to turbulent flow. For laminar flow, the Hagen-Poiseuille equation... 

The critical Reynolds number for transition from laminar to turbulent flow in noncirciilar channels varies with channel shape. In rectangular ducts, 1,900 < Re < 2,800 (Hanks and Ruo, Ind. Eng. Chem. Fundam., 5, 558-561 [1966]). In triangular ducts, 1,600 < Re < 1,800 (Cope and Hanks, Ind. Eng. Chem. Fundam., II, 106-117 [1972] Bandopadhayay and Hinwood, j. Fluid Mech., 59, 775-783 [1973]). 

Here the second term accounts for the laminar leading edge of the boundaiy layer and assumes that the critical Reynolds number is 500,000. 

Continuous Flat Surface Boundaiy layers on continuous surfaces drawn through a stagnant fluid are shown in Fig. 6-48. Figure 6-48 7 shows the continuous flat surface (Saldadis, AIChE J., 7, 26—28, 221-225, 467-472 [1961]). The critical Reynolds number for transition to turbulent flow may be greater than the 500,000 value for the finite flat-plate case discussed previously (Tsou, Sparrow, and Kurtz, J. FluidMech., 26,145—161 [1966]). For a laminar boundary layer, the thickness is given by... 

Turbulent flow occurs when the Reynolds number exceeds a critical value above which laminar flow is unstable the critical Reynolds number depends on the flow geometry. There is generally a transition regime between the critical Reynolds number and the Reynolds number at which the flow may be considered fully turbulent. The transition regime is very wide for some geometries. In turbulent flow, variables such as velocity and pressure fluctuate chaotically statistical methods are used to quantify turbulence. 

Coefficient A and exponent a can be evaluated readily from data on Re and T. The dimensionless groups are presented on a single plot in Figure 15. The plot of the function = f (Re) is constructed from three separate sections. These sections of the curve correspond to the three regimes of flow. The laminar regime is expressed by a section of straight line having a slope P = 135 with respect to the x-axis. This section corresponds to the critical Reynolds number, Re < 0.2. This means that the exponent a in equation 53 is equal to 1. At this a value, the continuous-phase density term, p, in equation 46 vanishes. 

The first critical values of the dimensionless sedimentation numbers, S, and Sj, are obtained by substituting for the critical Reynolds number value, Re = 0.2, into the above expressions ... 

The turbulent regime for Cq is characterized by the section of line almost parallel to the x-axis (at the Re" > 500). In this case, the exponent a is equal to zero. Consequently, viscosity vanishes from equation 46. This indicates that the friction forces are negligible in comparison to inertia forces. Recall that the resistance coefficient is nearly constant at a value of 0.44. Substituting for the critical Reynolds number, Re > 500, into equations 65 and 68, the second critical values of the sedimentation numbers are obtained ... 

It is necessary to study the Reynolds number independence in the hill scale and in the model as part of a complete model experiment. The threshold or the critical Reynolds number, Re, for the problem considered should be found by the experiments, and measurements should be made at either the same Reynolds number as in the full scale or at a Reynolds number equal to or larger than Re if the Reynolds number in the full scale is larger than Re. for the problem considered. 

From equation 3.178, the critical Reynolds number for a Newtonian fluid is 2100. As n decreases, (ReMK)c rises to a maximum of 2400, and then falls to 1600 for n = 0.1, Most of the experimental evidence suggests, however, that the transition occurs at a value close to 2000. 

The existence of roughness leads also to decreasing the value of the critical Reynolds number, at which transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs. The character of the dependence of the friction factor on the Reynolds number in laminar flow remains the same for both smooth and rough micro-channels, i.e., X = const/Re. 

The data on critical Reynolds numbers in micro-channels of circular and rectangular cross-section are presented in Tables 3.5 and 3.6, respectively. We also list geometrical characteristics of the micro-channels and the methods used for determination of the critical Reynolds number. 

Table 3.5 Critical Reynolds number in circular micro-channels...

Thus, the available data related to transition in circular micro-tubes testify to the fact that the critical Reynolds number, which corresponds to the onset of such transition, is about 2,000. The evaluation of critical Reynolds number in irregular micro-channels will entail great difficulty since this problem contains a number of characteristic length scales. This fact leads to some vagueness in definition of critical Reynolds number that is not a single criterion, which determines flow characteristics. 

The data presented in the previous chapters, as well as the data from investigations of single-phase forced convection heat transfer in micro-channels (e.g., Bailey et al. 1995 Guo and Li 2002, 2003 Celata et al. 2004) show that there exist a number of principal problems related to micro-channel flows. Among them there are (1) the dependence of pressure drop on Reynolds number, (2) value of the Poiseuille number and its consistency with prediction of conventional theory, and (3) the value of the critical Reynolds number and its dependence on roughness, fluid properties, etc. 

Peng and Peterson (1996), Peng and Wang (1998), and Mala and Li (1999) obtained the anomalously low critical Reynolds number Rccr 200-900. 

Thus, the measurements of integral flow characteristics, as well as mean velocity and rms of velocity fluctuations testify to the fact that the critical Reynolds number is the same as Rccr in the macroscopic Poiseuille flow. Some decrease in the critical Reynolds number down to Re 1,500— 1,700, reported by the second group above, may be due to energy dissipation. The energy dissipation leads to an increase in fluid temperature. As a result, the viscosity would increase in gas and decrease in liquid. Accordingly, in both cases the Reynolds number based on the inlet flow viscosity differs from that based on local viscosity at a given point in the micro-channel. 

We estimate the critical Reynolds number for flows of water and transformer oil, using the physical properties presented by Vargaftik et al. (1996) to be... 

For an incompressible fluid, the density variation with temperature is negligible compared to the viscosity variation. Hence, the viscosity variation is a function of temperature only and can be a cause of radical transformation of flow and transition from stable flow to the oscillatory regime. The critical Reynolds number also depends significantly on the specific heat, Prandtl number and micro-channel radius. For flow of high-viscosity fluids in micro-channels of tq < 10 m the critical Reynolds number is less than 2,300. In this case the oscillatory regime occurs at values of Re < 2,300. 

White (14) proposed a graphical method of determining the critical Reynolds number at which the fully turbulent flow... 

The difference between the calculated and experimentally determined critical Reynolds number can be explained from the reactor configuration, which consisted of four coils connected by straight tubing section. The straight sections would lower the rela-... 

Since the phenomenon only occ irs above a critical Reynolds number (11), it may be most applicable to particles larger than a micron in diameter. 

This observation is supported by experiments carried out with a phosphate buffer and a fluorescein solution for visualization of the mixing process. However, in the experiments there are indications that the critical Reynolds number where the mass transfer enhancement sets in is lower (-7) than predicted by the simulations, a fact which is not well understood. 

The rotation rate should ensure forced convection on the one hand, but laminar flow on the other, so that it remains well below the conditions of the critical Reynolds number, above which turbulent flow sets in ... 

Viscosity. Generally, a higher heat-transfer coefficient will be obtained by allocating the more viscous material to the shell-side, providing the flow is turbulent. The critical Reynolds number for turbulent flow in the shell is in the region of 200. If turbulent flow cannot be achieved in the shell it is better to place the fluid in the tubes, as the tube-side heat-transfer coefficient can be predicted with more certainty. 

Perhaps the simplest classification of flow regimes is on the basis of the superficial Reynolds number of each phase. Such a Reynolds number is expressed on the basis of the tube diameter (or an apparent hydraulic radius for noncircular channels), the gas or liquid superficial mass-velocity, and the gas or liquid viscosity. At least four types of flow are then possible, namely liquid in apparent viscous or turbulent flow combined with gas in apparent viscous or turbulent flow. The critical Reynolds number would seem to be a rather uncertain quantity with this definition. In usage, a value of 2000 has been suggested (L6) and widely adopted for this purpose. Other workers (N4, S5) have found that superficial liquid Reynolds numbers of 8000 are required to give turbulent behavior in horizontal or vertical bubble, plug, slug or froth flow. Therefore, although this classification based on superficial Reynolds number is widely used... 

Figure 5.18 shows the only reliable Nui c data available near the critical Reynolds number (XI). Since the data were taken with a side support, there is some effect on the separation and transition angles. Thus the values of Nuj are probably subject to error (R2, R3) although the trend with Re should be correct. At Re = 0.87 x 10 the Shi variation is similar to that shown at lower Re in Fig. 5.17. At Re = 1.76 x 10 the critical transition has already occurred, with the separation bubble accounting for the minimum in Nuj c at 0 — 110°. The maximum in Nuj at 0 = 125° reflects the increased transfer rate in the attached turbulent boundary layer. The local minimum at 0 = 160° is due to final separation. These angles do not agree exactly with those in Fig. 5.11 because of the crossflow support and the fact that angular diffusion shifts the...

At the other extreme of Re, Achenbach (Al) investigated flow around a sphere fixed on the axis of a cylindrical wind tunnel in the critical range. Wall effects can increase the supercritical drag coefficient well above the value of 0.3 arbitrarily used to define Re in an unbounded fluid (see Chapter 5). If Re is based on the mean approach velocity and corresponds to midway between the sub- and super-critical values, the critical Reynolds number decreases from 3.65 x 10 in an unbounded fluid to 1.05 x 10 for k = 0.916. 

If the particle Re is well above the creeping flow range, mean drag may be increased or decreased by freestream turbulence. The most significant effect is on the critical Reynolds number. As noted in Chapter 5, the sharp drop in Cd at high Re results from transition to turbulence in the boundary layer and consequent rearward shift in the final separation point. Turbulence reduces Re, presumably by precipitating this transition." ... 

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