Experimental and computational modeling of oscillatory flow within a baffled tube containing periodic-tri-orifice baffle geometries

This paper describes numerical simulation and matching experimental results for oscillatory flow within a baffled tube containing tri-orifice baffles. The numerical simulation implemented a non-standard approach based on Implicit Large Eddy Simulation (ILES) to predict the flow in a situation where complex eddy formation occurs due to periodic separation for each oscillation of the flow. The set of performed experiments showed that within the cavity between each baffle, the flow structure was complex with elements of periodicity and a wide range of length scales. Conventional Large Eddy Simulation and comparison with experiments were used to validate the ILES results. It was concluded that the gross flow structure was captured by ILES, indicating that the numerical scheme is suitable for computation in the complex flow situation. In addition, ILES methodology was used to study the effect of increasing the oscillation frequency on the radial and axial velocities.

► A new methodology of numerical simulation for oscillatory flow is presented. ► Numerical simulations and experimental results for oscillatory flow in tri-orifice baffle geometries are presented. ► Large Eddy Simulation results with and without any explicit Turbulent Model are compared. ► A mechanism of the complex dynamics of the flow is identified. ► The effect of the oscillation frequency on the mixing capabilities of the oscillatory-baffled tube is studied.