Experimental study of turbulent thermal diffusion of particles in inhomogeneous and anisotropic turbulence

TL;DR

This experimental study investigates turbulent thermal diffusion of small particles in inhomogeneous and anisotropic stratified turbulence, demonstrating particle accumulation at temperature minima and measuring the effective diffusion coefficient.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of turbulent thermal diffusion in inhomogeneous turbulence and quantifies the diffusion coefficient based on detailed velocity and temperature measurements.

Findings

Particles accumulate at temperature minima due to turbulent thermal diffusion.

Effective turbulent thermal diffusion coefficient was measured.

Turbulent thermal diffusion was clearly detected in inhomogeneous turbulence.

Abstract

We study experimentally turbulent thermal diffusion of small particles in inhomogeneous and anisotropic stably stratified turbulence produced by one oscillating grid in the air flow. The velocity fields have been measured using a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). We have determined various turbulence characteristics: the mean and turbulent velocities, two-point correlation functions of the velocity field and an integral scale of turbulence from the measured velocity fields. The temperature field have been measured with a temperature probe equipped with 12 E thermocouples. Spatial distributions of micron size particles have been determined by a PIV system using the effect of the Mie light scattering by particles in the flow. The experiments have demonstrated that particles are accumulated at the minimum of mean fluid temperature due to phenomenon of turbulent thermal diffusion. Using measured spatial distributions of particles and temperature fields, we have determined the effective turbulent thermal diffusion coefficient of particles in inhomogeneous temperature stratified turbulence. This experimental study has clearly detected phenomenon of turbulent thermal diffusion in inhomogeneous turbulence.