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An experimental study has been performed on the dynamics of a large turbulent buoyanthelium plume. Two-dimensional velocity fields were measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV) while helium mass fraction was determined by planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF). PIV and PLIF were performed simultaneously in order to obtain velocity and mass fraction data over a plane that encompassed the plume core, the near-field mixing zones and the surrounding air. The Rayleigh–Taylor instability at the base of the plume leads to the vortex that grows to dominate the flow. This process repeats in a cyclical manner. The temporally and spatially resolved data show a strong negative correlation between density and vertical velocity, as well as a strong 90° phase lag between peaks in the vertical and horizontal velocities throughout the flow field owing to large coherent structures associated with puffing of the turbulent plume. The joint velocity an mass fraction data are used to calculate Favre-averaged statistics in addition to Reynolds-(time) averaged statistics. Unexpectedly, the difference between both the Favre-averaged and Reynolds-averaged velocities and second-order turbulent statistics is less than the uncertainty in the data throughout the flow field. A simple analysis was performed to determine the expected differences between Favre and Reynolds statistics for flows with periodic fluctuations in which the density and velocity fields are perfectly correlated, but have the phase relations as suggested by the data. The analytical results agreewith the data, showing that the Favre and Reynolds statistics will be the same to lead order. The combination of observation and simple analysis suggests that for buoyancy-dominated flows in which it can be expected that density and velocity are strongly correlated,phase relations will result in only second-order differences between Favre- and Reynolds-averaged data in spite of strong fluctuations in both density and velocity.

Large eddy simulations (LES) are conducted of a large, 1 m in diameter, turbulent helium plume. The plume instability modes and flow dynamics are explored as a function of grid resolution with and without the use of subgrid scale (SGS) models. LES results reproduce well-established varicose puffing mode instabilities as well as secondary “finger-like” azimuthal instabilities leading to the breakdown of periodically shed toroidal vortices. Simulation results of time-averaged velocity and concentration fields show excellent agreement with experimental data collected from Sandia’s FLAME facility using particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence measurement techniques. For locations very near the base of the plume, i.e., X/Dp<0.5, the LES overpredicts the measured root-mean squared streamwise velocity and concentration and, in addition, is found to be highly sensitive to grid resolution. The cause of these discrepancies is attributed to unresolved buoyancy-induced vorticity generation on resolved scales of fluid motion that is currently not explicitly treated in the SGS turbulence models used for the LES.

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