Abstract
The lift force on an isolated rotating sphere in a uniform flow was investigated by means of a three-dimensional numerical simulation for low Reynolds numbers (based on the sphere diameter) (Re<68.4) and high dimensionless rotational speeds (Г<5). The Navier-Stokes equations in Cartesian coordinate system were solved using a finite volume formulation based on SIMPLE procedure. The accuracy of the numerical simulation was tested through a comparison with available theoretical, numerical and experimental results at low Reynolds numbers, and it was found that they were in close agreement under the above mentioned ranges of the Reynolds number and rotational speed. From a detailed computation of the flow field around a rotational sphere in extended ranges of the Reynolds number and rotational speed, the results show that, with increasing the rotational speed or decreasing the Reynolds number, the lift coefficient increases. An empirical equation more accurate than those obtained by previous studies was obtained to describe both effects of the rotational speed and Reynolds number on the lift force on a sphere. It was found in calculations that the drag coefficient is not significantly affected by the rotation of the sphere. The ratio of the lift force to the drag force, both of which act on a sphere in a uniform flow at the same time, was investigated. For a small spherical particle such as one of about 100 μm in diameter, even if the rotational speed reaches about 106 revolutions per minute, the lift force can be neglected as compared with the drag force.
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The project supported by the Special Funds for Major Basis Research Projects in China (G19990222)
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Changfu, Y., Haiying, Q. & Xuchang, X. Lift force on rotating sphere at low Reynolds numbers and high rotational speeds. Acta Mech Sinica 19, 300–307 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02487805
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02487805