The effect of $Re_\lambda$ and Rouse numbers on the settling of inertial particles in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

TL;DR

This study experimentally investigates how turbulence intensity, characterized by Reynolds number, influences the settling velocity of inertial particles, revealing that higher turbulence levels hinder settling and that this effect scales with Rouse number.

Contribution

It demonstrates experimentally that the Reynolds number significantly affects particle settling velocity in turbulence, and introduces a scaling law relating settling velocity differences to Rouse number.

Findings

Settling velocity decreases with increasing Re_λ.

No strong influence of fluid-to-gravity acceleration ratio on settling.

Linear scaling of velocity difference with Rouse number at moderate values.

Abstract

We present an experimental study on the settling velocity of dense sub-Kolmogorov particles in active-grid-generated turbulence in a wind tunnel. Using phase Doppler interferometry, we observe that the modifications of the settling velocity of inertial particles, under homogeneous isotropic turbulence and dilute conditions $\phi_v\leq O(10)^{-5}$, is controlled by the Taylor-based Reynolds number $Re_\lambda$ of the carrier flow. On the contrary, we did not find a strong influence of the ratio between the fluid and gravity accelerations (i.e., $\gamma\sim(\eta/\tau_\eta^2)/g$) on the particle settling behavior. Remarkably, our results suggest that the hindering of the settling velocity (i.e. the measured particle settling velocity is smaller than its respective one in still fluid conditions) experienced by the particles increases with the value of $Re_\lambda$, reversing settling enhancement found under intermediate $Re_\lambda$ conditions. This observation applies to all particle sizes investigated, and it is consistent with previous experimental data in the literature. At the highest $Re_\lambda$ studied, $Re_\lambda>600$, the particle enhancement regime ceases to exist. Our data also show that for moderate Rouse numbers, the difference between the measured particle settling velocity and its velocity in still fluid conditions scales linearly with Rouse, when this difference is normalized by the carrier phase rms fluctuations, i.e., $(V_p-V_T)/u\sim -Ro$.