In the present study, to reveal the air entrainment mechanism into a suction pipe in a suction sump, the authors conduct flow-velocity measurements by UDM (Ultrasonic Doppler Method). Here, we consider the simplest geometry as a suction sump, that is, a straight channel with rectangle-cross section and a simple suction pipe near the end of the channel. Ultrasonic transducers are fixed outside the side, bottom and back walls with right/near-right angles and, we get three-dimensional time-mean velocity distributions and equi-vorticity contours. At first, measurement accuracy is checked by comparing velocity profiles by UDM with hydrogen bubble method. As a result, the authors show typical flow fields in the sump, and show the relation between flow pattern and air entrainment. Especially, we compare two cases where the air entrainment is often observed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.