AE351
Lab Report
A1: Smoke Flow Visualization and Hele-Shaw
Visualization
Group: G1
Name: Dhruv Bansal
Roll no.: 220359
Date of Expt.: 10th Jan’25
Objective
To study the flow pattern over Streamlined and bluff body.
Introduction
Flow visualization provides a qualitative insight into complex flow fields and
patterns around a body. Various techniques are employed to visualize flow, with
two commonly used methods: Smoke flow visualization and Hele-Shaw
visualization. Smoke flow is particularly suited for incompressible flows,
offering a clear depiction of flow behavior. In this experiment, both techniques
were utilized to capture the flow patterns effectively, providing valuable
observations of the flow dynamics over the test body.
Equipments / Experimental Setup
For smoke flow visualization -:
1. It is carried out in an open circuit blower type wind tunnel.
2. Fan is in front followed by a settling chamber which consist of five screens
to make flow uniform .
3. A kerosene based Smoke generator is used to make smoke and is injected
using a smoke rake
4. Various streamlined body and bluff body are used for visualization.
For Hele-Shaw Visualization
1. The experimental set up consists of two parallel glass plates placed in a
very narrow distance.
2. Water and dye mixture is poured in the narrow section between the two
glass plates. The model is pushed inside the narrow section from above
opening between two plates.
3. Below the glass plates there is a tube whose opening can be varied using a
control valve. Flow passing through this tube is collected in a beaker.
4. KMnO4 is used as coloured dye to visualize the potential flow pattern over
different bodies
Procedures:
Smoke Flow visualization
1. Mount the test model inside the Test section.
2. Start the smoke flow using the kerosene based smoke generator
3. Visualize the flow pattern around the streamlined (cambered /symmetric
airfoil) and bluff body.
4. Change the angle of attack and visualize the change in flow pattern over
the airfoil .
5. Photograph the flow pattern that is obtained.
Hele- Shaw visualization
1. Clean the apparatus and pour Water and dye ( KMnO4) inside the
apparatus .
2. Now insert the model in the narrow space between the plates.
3. Open the valve and visualize the flow pattern around the test model .
4. Take pictures of the observed flow patterns .
5. Repeat the same steps for different models.
Observation
Smoke flow visualization
In the smoke flow visualization experiment conducted at a free stream velocity
of 5 m/s, distinct flow patterns were observed around different airfoil shapes. For
a symmetric airfoil at zero angle of attack, the flow remained attached with no
separation. However, for a cambered airfoil at zero angle of attack, flow
separation occurred on the upper surface. As the angle of attack increased,
separation progressively moved closer to the leading edge. For cambered
airfoils, flow separation occurred near the leading edge even at small negative
angles of attack. Suction was applied to the symmetric airfoil to delay flow
separation, demonstrating effective control.
Hele-Shaw visualization
When the valve opens , dye flows, forming a distinct pattern around the model.
Due to the high viscosity of the fluid and the narrow gap between the plates,
viscous forces dominate over inertial forces, resulting in the flow fully
enveloping the model. Stagnation points appear at the leading and trailing edges,
where the flow velocity reduces to zero. The observed flow resembles a potential
flow pattern, with streamlines smoothly curving around the body. This
experiment effectively visualizes low Reynolds number flows, where viscous
forces govern the behavior, highlighting the fluid dynamics and flow
characteristics in constrained environments.
Conclusion
It is clearly noticed that the Smoke flow visualization over the streamlined and
bluff body can clearly reveals the flow patterns. It enables the observation of
changes in flow behavior, including the movement of boundary layer separation
with varying angles of attack. This technique provides valuable insights into
flow dynamics, helping to understand how flow interacts with different
geometries and the effects of separation on overall performance.
In Hele-Shaw visualization we can clearly visualize the potential flow pattern
over the model and can see the effect of flow with low Re. From Hele-Shaw
visualization, we can conclude that it effectively captures potential flow patterns
at low Reynolds numbers. It provides insights into how viscous forces dominate,
highlighting smooth flow characteristics and stagnation points near the leading
and trailing edges of the model.
