The boiling Twente Taylor-Couette (BTTC) facility: Temperature controlled turbulent flow between independently rotating, coaxial cylinders

Abstract

A new Taylor-Couette system has been designed and constructed with precise temperature control. Two concentric independently rotating cylinders are able to rotate at maximum rates of fi = ±20 Hz for the inner cylinder and fo = ±10 Hz for the outer cylinder. The inner cylinder has an outside radius of ri = 75 mm, and the outer cylinder has an inside radius of ro = 105 mm, resulting in a gap of d = 30 mm. The height of the gap L = 549 mm, giving a volume of V = 9.3 L. The geometric parameters are η = ri/ro = 0.714 and Γ = L/d = 18.3. With water as working fluid at room temperature the Reynolds numbers that can be achieved are Rei = ωiri(ro − ri)/ν = 2.8 × 10 5 and Reo = ωoro(ro − ri)/ν = 2 × 10 5 , or a combined Reynolds number of up to Re = (ωiri − ωoro)(ro − ri)/ν = 4.8 × 10 5 . If the working fluid is changed to the fluorinated liquid FC-3284 with kinematic viscosity 0.42 cSt, the combined Reynolds number can reach Re = 1.1 × 10 6 . The apparatus features precise temperature control of the outer and inner cylinder separately, and is fully optically accessible from the side and top. The new facility offers the possibility to accurately study the process of boiling inside a turbulent flow and its effect on the flow.

Exploring the phase space of multiple states in highly turbulent Taylor-Couette flow

“…The experiments were performed in the Twente Turbulent TC facility (T 3 C) [48] and the new Boiling Twente Taylor-Couette facility (BTTC) [49]; see Fig. 1 for a schematic overview.…”

“…We now turn our attention to the BTTC facility [49]. This setup has an inner cylinder with radius r i = 75 mm and a transparent outer cylinder with inside radius r o = 105 mm, and a height of L = 549 mm.…”

Drag reduction in boiling Taylor–Couette turbulence

“…Also the underlying equations and boundary conditions are well-known and well-defined so that the turbulent flow is mathematically and numerically accessible. More concretely, the experiments are performed in the Boiling Twente Taylor-Couette (BTTC) facility (Huisman et al 2015), which allows us to control and access at the same time both global and local flow quantities, namely to measure the torque T required to drive the cylinders at constant speed, the liquid temperature T T C in the cell, the pressure P of the system, the volume fraction α of the vapor, and in the beginning of the vapor bubble nucleation process even the positions and sizes of individual vapor bubbles, all as function of time, so that we can study the dynamics and evolution of the boiling process. The focus of the work is on the onset and evolution of turbulent drag reduction induced by the nucleating vapor bubbles in the turbulent flow.…”

Towards boiling Taylor-Couette turbulence

“…The question is then, how efficient are vapor bubbles in achieving DR as compared to air bubbles in TC flow? In order to address this question, a state-of-the-art TC experiment has been designed and constructed [36]. The Boiling Twente-Taylor Couette facility (see Fig.…”

“…The PIV experiments were performed in the Taylor-Couette apparatus as described in Ref. [36]. This facility provides an optimal environment for PIV experiments in TC flow, due to its transparent outer cylinder and top plate.…”