La surface enneigée du continent Antarctique, sauf pour quelques heures les après-midi d'été, se refroidit constamment radiativement. Il en résulte une stratification stable persistante de la couche limite atmosphérique qui alimente un écoulement catabatique le long des pentes qui descendent du plateau vers l'océan. Les inversions de températures et les vitesses de vents associées sont extrêmes l'hiver où une inversion moyenne de 25°C sur le plateau et des vitesses dépassant les 200 km/h sur la côte sont régulièrement observées. L'été, les inversions restent très marquées la nuit, mais le réchauffement de la surface par le soleil conduit au développement de couches convectives l'après midi. Des replats et des pentes immenses et vides, inlassablement recouverts de neige : l'Antarctique est un laboratoire unique pour étudier les transitions entre les régimes turbulents, et surtout la turbulence dans les couches limites stables et catabatiques. Des processus délicats à étudier, puisque très sensibles aux hétérogénéités de la surface. Ce travail de thèse documente trois cas d'école estivaux typiques : le cycle diurne sur le plateau Antarctique, la génération d'un écoulement catabatique local, et la couche limite soumise à un forçage catabatique. Ces trois situations ont été explorées avec des observations in-situ. Pour deux d'entre elles, les observations ont nourri et ont été complétées par des simulations avec le modèle atmosphérique Méso-NH. Le premier cas s'intéresse au cycle diurne au Dôme~C. Le Dôme~C, sur le plateau Antarctique est une zone plate et homogène éloignée des perturbations océaniques. Depuis quelques années, une tour de 45 m échantillonne la couche limite. L'été, un cycle diurne marqué est observé en température et en vent avec un jet de basse couche surgéostrophique la nuit. Une période de deux jours, représentative du reste de l'été, a été sélectionnée, pour la construction du cas d'intercomparaison GABLS4, préparé en collaboration avec Météo-France. Les simulations uni-colonnes menées avec le modèle Méso-NH ont montré la nécessité d'adapter le schéma de turbulence afin qu'il puisse reproduire à la fois les inversions de température et l'intensité de la turbulence mesurées. Le deuxième cas d'école examine un écoulement catabatique généré localement, au coucher du soleil, observé sur une pente de 600 par 300 m en Terre Adélie. Certaines caractéristiques de la turbulence, en particulier l'anisotropie, ont été explorées à l'aide de simulations à fine échelle (LES). Le troisième cas s'intéresse à la couche limite mélangée typique des zones côtières soumises à un vent intense. Ce vent d'origine catabatique, a dévalé les 1000 km de pente en amont. En remobilisant la neige, il interagit avec le mélange turbulent. Le travail s'est intéressé dans ce troisième cas à l'impact du transport de neige sur l'humidité de l'air et au calcul des flux turbulents à partir des profils de température, vent et humidité. / Except during a few summer afternoon hours, the snow-covered surface of Antarctica is constantly cooling because of radiative processes. This results in a stable, persisting stratification of the atmospheric boundary layer that feeds katabatic winds along the slopes descending from the Plateau to the Ocean. Temperature inversions and wind speeds both peak during the winter, with inversions regularly reaching 25 degrees (C) over the Plateau and winds exceeding 200,km/h along the coast. In the summer, significant inversions remain at night but solar heating leads to the formation of convective layers near the surface in the afternoon. With berms and large, empty slopes constantly covered with snow, Antarctica is a unique and perfect laboratory for the study of transitions between turbulent regimes and of the turbulence within stable and katabatic boundary layers. The investigation of these processes is usually made difficult by their sensitivity to heterogeneities at the surface. This thesis work documents three typical "text-book" summer cases: the diurnal cycle on the Antarctic Plateau, the generation of a local katabatic wind and the katabatic forcing of the boundary layer. The investigation of these three cases uses in-situ data. For two of these cases, the observational data has fed and been completed with some Meso-NH model simulation outputs. The first case focusses on the diurnal cycle at Dome C. On the Antarctic Plateau, Dome C is a flat, homogeneous area far from oceanic perturbations. Since a few years, a 45 meters tower samples the boundary layer there. In the summer, the diurnal cycle there is characterized by clean signals in both temperature and winds, with a nocturnal low-level jet within the boundary layer. A two-days data set representative of the rest of the summer has been selected for analysis and is used in the GABLS4 comparison study prepared in collaboration with Meteo France. Single-column simulations have been run for this comparison work launched in June. The second case examines a local katabatic flow generated at sunset over a 600 by 300 meters slope in Terre Adelie. Characteristics of the turbulence of this flow, in particular, its anisotropy, are investigated using small-scale model simulations. A measuring station has been deployed in order to prepare and evaluate these simulations. The third case is concerned with boundary layers typical of coastal areas with strong winds of katabatic origins, which have flown over 1000 km-long slopes towards the sea. By moving around the snow at the surface, these winds interact with turbulent mixing processes. For this final case, the work is interested in the impact of blowing snow on atmospheric moisture and with the calculation of turbulent fluxes based on temperature, wind and humidity profiles.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:42:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:04:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:42:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:04:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Esta dissertação aborda um estudo sobre algoritmos matemáticos (Método da Variância, Método das Imagens, Método do Gradiente (MG), WCT - Wavelet Covariance Transform), os quais possibilitam a obtenção da altura máxima da Camada Limite Planetária (CLP) a partir de dados fornecidos por um sistema lidar. Em um primeiro momento será descrita a CLP e as suas principais variáveis, assim como também os métodos juntamente com os seus pontos positivos e negativos. Em seguida serão abordadas duas situações de medida: a primeira consiste em um estudo de casos realizado na cidade de Vitória-ES, para o qual foram escolhidas três situações típicas (calmaria, presença de subcamadas de aerossóis e/ou camadas de nuvens e turbulência) em que os métodos foram: testados, comparados entre si, com a análise visual do perfil e o BRN (Bulk Richardsons Number); a segunda situação aborda uma medida feita na cidade de São Paulo-SP durante um período de 12 horas contínuas, sendo o grande diferencial deste experimento, o lançamento de radiossondas dentro de intervalos de 3 horas, isso aliado a utilização de modelagem WRF (Weather Research Forecasting) permitiu uma maior comparação e validação dos dados. A partir dos estudos de casos foi possível observar que com o aumento da complexidade do perfil apresentado pela atmosfera, há um decréscimo na qualidade dos resultados apresentados pelos métodos e um aumento no tempo de processamento, já que há necessidade de um maior refinamento nos parâmetros que serão utilizados. Nas situações de \"calmaria\"o perfil da atmosfera se mostra mais simplificado, o que facilita a escolha de qual método utilizar, sendo que com exceção da Variância, todos os outros métodos forneceram resultados satisfatórios. Para o caso de \"presença de subcamadas de aerossóis e/ou nuvens\"a qualidade dos resultados apresentados pelos métodos decai sendo exceção da Variânci, uma vez que esta passa a apresentar resultados mais próximos do esperado devido ao aumento na complexidade do sinal lidar. Na situação caracterizada como \"turbulência\", todos os métodos passam a apresentar maiores dificuldades para detectar corretamente a CLP, sendo que o WCT se mostra o mais robusto, porém exige uma complexa escolha de parâmetros, demandando um alto tempo de processamento. Na medida de 12 horas contínuas todos os métodos conseguem representar satisfatoriamente a ascensão e o decaimento da CLP, ficando as maiores divergências para o meio do dia, principalmente quando há dispersão dos aerossóis gerando atenuação no sinal, com isso os métodos mais sensíveis (MG e Método das Imagens) passam a apresentar várias oscilações, dificultando a detecção do topo da CLP. As análises realizadas permitiram observar as vantagens e desvantagens de cada método, assim como descobrir qual possui o uso mais indicado para cada cenário meteorológico, sendo o algoritmo WCT o mais robusto em todas as situações apresentadas. / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

L’observation des couches limites atmosphériques au dessus du plateau antarctique a mis en évidence les plus fortes inversions de température proches de la surface de la planète. Bien paramétriser ces couches limites extrêmes dans un modèle de circulation générale est essentiel pour represéntercorrectement l’inversion climatologique de température au dessus du plateau, mais également pour reproduire des vents catabatiques réalistes en aval du plateau et de surcroit, une circulation atmosphérique correcte dans l’hémisphère sud. Les conclusions des précédentes "Gewex AtmosphericBoundary Layer Studies" (GABLS) ont conduit au constat que la paramétrisation des couches limites stables dans les modèles climatiques est une des priorités pour la communauté des modélisateurs.Ceci est dû au fait que la nature même des processus physiques en jeu est mal connue mais aussi parce que les lois de similitudes, sur lesquelles les paramétrisations du mélange turbulent sont fondées, ne sont pas applicables en condition très stable. L’objectif de ces travaux de thèse est d’évaluer et d’améliorer la représentation des couches limites sur le plateau antarctique dans le modèle français de circulation générale Laboratoire de MétéorologieDynamique-Zoom (LMDZ), composante atmosphérique du modèle de climat IPSL. Avant l’évaluation même du modèle, une étude approfondie de la couche limite de surface et de la structure de la couche limite stable a été conduite à partir de l’analyse de mesures in situ au Dôme C. Il en a résulté une caractérisation de la hauteur de rugosité aérodynamique, une estimation des flux turbulents de surface sur une année entière ainsi que la mise en évidence de sursaturations de la vapeur d’eau par rapport à la glace. L’analyse des mesures de température et de vent le long d’une tour de 45 m a aussi montré que la couche limite se comporte tel un système dynamique à deux régimes distincts. La relation entrevitesse du vent et inversion de température décrit un "S renversé", suggérant une transition de régime suivant un hystérésis. Une étude complémentaire a révélé que ce comportement dynamique à deux régimes est une caractéristique générale et robuste des couches limites stables, qui peuvent transiter,selon l’intensité des forçages, d’un régime ’turbulent’ peu stable à un régime ’radiatif’ très stable et vice et versa.Le modèle LMDZ a ensuite été évalué en configuration 1D sur un cycle diurne d’été dans le cadre de la quatrième expérience GABLS. Des tests de sensibilité aux paramètres de surface et à la paramétrisation du mélange turbulent ont été réalisés. Ils ont conduit à de nettes améliorations des performancesdu modèle ainsi qu’à la mise en place d’une configuration adaptée aux conditions antarctiques. Des simulations complémentaires en 3D ont par la suite soulevé l’importance du transfert radiatif infrarouge et de la paramétrisation des flux turbulents de surface pour la modélisation de la couchelimite sur le plateau pendant la nuit polaire. Enfin, les travaux de thèse ont été étendus à la modélisation des couches limites stables continentales. Les paramétrisations locales de turbulence ont en effet tendance à sous-estimer le mélange sous-maille continental, en raison de la multitude des processusde mélange en jeu. Un réflexion a donc été portée sur la façon de palier ce manque de mélange, avec comme idée directrice de transférer la perte d’énergie cinétique grande échelle perdue lors du freinage de l’écoulement par les ondes de gravité, vers de l’énergie cinétique turbulente. / Observation of the Atmospheric Boundary Layers (ABL) above the Antarctic Plateau has revealed the strongest near-surface temperature stratifications on the Earth. A correct parametrization of the very stratified Antarctic ABLs in General Circulation Models (GCM) is critical since they exert a strongcontrol on the continental scale temperature inversion, on the coastal katabatic winds and subsequently on the Southern Hemisphere circulation. The previous Gewex Atmospheric Boundary Layer Studies (GABLS) highlighted that the parametrization of the very stratified, or very stable, ABLs isone of the most critical challenge in the atmospheric modelers community. Indeed, the nature of the mixing processes are not completely understood and the commonly used similarity laws, on which the model’s parametrization are usually based, are no longer valid. The aim of this PhD work is to evaluate and improve the modelling of the ABL over the Antarctic Plateau by the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique-Zoom (LMDZ) GCM, the atmospheric component of the IPSL Earth System Model in preparation for the sixth Coupled Models Intercomparison Project. Before the model evaluation itself, an in-depth study of the dynamics of the atmospheric surface layer and of the stable ABL over the Antarctic Plateau was carried out from in situ measurements at Dome C. The analysis enabled the first estimations of the roughness length and of the surface fluxes during the polar night at this location as well as the characterization of very frequent occurences of near-surface moisture supersaturations with respect to ice. Investigation of meteorological measure-ments along a 45 m tower also revealed two distinct dynamical regimes of the stable ABL at this location. In particular, the relation between the near surface inversion amplitude and the wind speed takes a typical ’reversed S-shape’, suggesting a system obeing with an hysteresis. A further analysisshowed that this is a clear illustration of a general and robust feature of the stable ABL systems, corresponding to a ‘critical transition’ between a steady turbulent and a steady ‘radiative’ regime. LMDZ was then run on 1D simulations during a typical clear-sky summertime diurnal cycle in the framework of the fourth GABLS case. Sensitivity tests to surface parameters, vertical grid and turbulent mixing parametrizations were performed leading to significant improvements of the model and to a new configuration better adapted for Antarctic conditions. 3D simulations were then carried outwith the ’zooming capability’ of the horizontal grid and with nudging. These simulations enabled a further evaluation of the model over a full year and extending the analysis beyond Dome C. In particular, this study raised the importance of the radiative scheme and of the surface layer scheme forthe modelling of the ABL during the polar night over the Plateau. Finally, the PhD work extented toward the modelling of the stable ABL over the other continents, assessing how the frequently underestimated subgrid mixing of momentum and heat can be compensated by a transfer of large scalekinetic energy toward turbulent kinetic energy when the flow is slowed down by orographic gravity wave drag.

In canonical boundary layer transition, a uniform laminar flow perturbed by 2-d T-S waves develops downstream into 3-d waves, which eventually break down with turbulent spots appearing. Previous experimental studies have established that this kind of development is absent, is by-passed, in transition induced by free-stream turbulence or surface roughness. However a common, characteristic feature of the late, three-dimensional stage is the prevalence of streamwise vorticity and streaks. Isolated and multiple streamwise vortices are present in both, canonical transition and bypass transition. This thesis de-scribes an experimental study of the late stages of boundary layer transition after a single or a pair of streamwise vortices have formed. The present work can be considered both as a study of transition induced by surface roughness and as a study of the late stages of transition in general. The experiments were made on a zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer in a low speed wind tunnel. Various hill configurations, mounted on a flat plate, were used to create isolated and multiple streamwise vortices. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and hot-wire anemometry used for measurements. Numerical simulations of the initial laminar stage were carried out to understand the vortex formation at the edge of the hills. Computations have shown that the streamwise vorticity induced by the spanwise asymmetry of the hill rolls up into a single streamwise vortex. The streamwise vortex causes high speed fluid to be brought close to the wall and low speed fluid to move away. In turn, streamwise velocity profiles acquire inflections in both the spanwise and wall-normal directions. Previous studies have concluded that the inviscid instability of inflectional profiles are essential, or at least common, precursors to transition. Another view of the structure of bypass transition induced involves a secondary instability of streaks that can be sinuous or varicose. These two types follow from instabilities of the inflectional spanwise and wall-normal profiles of the streamwise velocity, respectively. However the present study confirms that the occurrence of inflections is not sufficient for transition. The first series of experiments were with smooth Gaussian shaped hills that spanned one-half of the tunnel. Two hill shapes were taken, steep and shallow. Isolated streamwise vortices formed by the side of the hill. Hill heights were less than that of the incoming boundary layer, and they were mounted within the subcritical part of the boundary layer. At low free stream speeds, streaks formed, with inflectional wall-normal and spanwise velocity profiles, but without effecting transition. The necessary conditions for inviscid instability Rayleigh’s inflexion-point theorem and Fjortoft’s theorem are satisfied for these low-speed non-transitional cases. Transition observed at higher speeds show two kinds of development. With the steep hill, the streamwise vortex is not too close to the plate and it exhibits oscillations over some distance before flow breaks down to turbulence; streamwise velocity signals exhibited the passage of a wave packet which intensified before break-down to turbulence. This dominant mode persists far downstream from the hill even while the flow breaks down and frequency content grows over a range of scales. With the shallow hill, the breakdown develops continuously without such a precursor stage; there was a broad range of frequencies present immediately downstream of the hill. For the steep hill the maximum fluctuation is observed on the upwash side of the vortex. With the shallow hill, the fluctuation level is maximum at the location between low and high speed streak. Features of breakdown to transition caused by these single streamwise vortices are found to be similar to those in transition by other causes such as surface roughness, freestream turbulence etc. With the steep hill, the growth of fluctuations(urms, the peak levels of streamwise velocity component fluctuations) is remarkably similar to that in the K-type transition. Unlike in freestream induced transition, the initial growth of u2 rms,max with downstream distance was not linear. Profiles of urms/urms,max vs. y/δ∗where δ∗,is the displacement thickness is partially matching with the optimal disturbances, for the steep hill case. The phase velocity matches as in previous measurements of roughness induced transition. The flow exhibits the breakup of a shear layer near the outer edge of the boundary layer into successive vortices. This breakdown pattern resembles to those in the recent numerical simulations. The passing frequency of these vortices scales with freestream velocity, similar to that in single-roughness induced transition. Quadrant analysis of streamwise and wall-normal velocity fluctuations show large ejection events in the outer layer. The difference in the route to transition between the steep and shallow hills was considered to the relative proximity of the initial streamwise vortex to the flat plate and its interaction with the wall. To examine this conjecture, two configurations were prepared to produce two types of counter-rotating streamwise vortices. One is a hill that span the tunnel except for a short gap, and the other, its complement, is a short span hill. The short-gap hill produce a pair of vortices with the common flow directed away from the wall. This resulted in a separation bubble that formed a short distance downstream and breakdown to turbulence. The short-span hill configuration seems to have a stabilizing effect. With the short gap hill, transition occurs for lower freestream speeds than with the isolated vortices considered before. Also, the breakdown location is further downstream when the gap is larger. The initial velocity profiles look similar for transitional and non-transitional flow cases, and are inflectional, which clearly indicates that inflectional instabilities are not effective here. A separation index was computed to identify unsteadiness of the separated flow region. The separation is itself steady, where as the reattachment is unsteady. Fluctuations grow near this reattachment zone. The unsteadiness of the reattachment coexists with the appearance of strong fluctuations and transition. It is likely that the this last stage of breakdown results when the shear layer, lifted up by the separation bubble, breaks down near the edge of the boundary layer and the consequent unsteadiness is in the reattachment also. Coherent cat’s-eye-like patterns were observed in a longitudinal, plane normal to the wall. With isolated vortices sinuous oscillations and with stream-wise vortex pairs varicose oscillations were observed in wall-parallel planes. In both cases passing frequency of these vortices scales with freestream velocity. Λ-type vortices were identified in spanwise plane with counter-rotating legs. These experiments have identified some possible roles of streamwise vortices in the last stages of boundary layer transition. Vortices may undergo their own instability in the background shear layer, evident as oscillations, if they are not too close to the wall. Otherwise the breakdown is without such a stage. Wall interaction of these vortices seems to be a necessary last stage. Inflectional instability is not indicated. Wall interaction that results in separation results in break-down in the unsteady reattachment zone. Breakdown coexists with the reattachment and not at separation, even though it may be the separating shear layer that breaks down.

No description available.

La présente thèse traite de deux questions de stabilité en mécanique des fluides. Les deux premiers résultats de la thèse sont consacrés au problème de la limite non-visqueuse pour les équations de Navier-Stokes. Il s'agit de déterminer si une famille de solutions de Navier-Stokes dans un demi-espace avec une condition de Navier au bord converge vers une solution du modèle non visqueux, l'équation d'Euler, lorsque les paramètres de viscosité tendent vers zéro. Dans un premier temps, on considère le modèle incompressible 2D. Nous obtenons la convergence dans L2 des solutions faibles de Navier-Stokes vers une solution forte d'Euler, et une instabilité dans L∞ en temps très court pour certaines données initiales qui sont des solutions stationnaires de l'équation d'Euler. Ces résultats ne sont pas contradictoires, et on construit un exemple de donnée initiale permettant de voir se réaliser les deux phénomènes simultanément dans le cadre périodique. Dans un second temps, on s'intéresse au modèle compressible isentropique (température constante) en 3D. On démontre l'existence de solutions dans des espaces de Sobolev conormaux sur un temps qui ne dépend pas de la viscosité lorsque celle-ci devient très petite, et on obtient la convergence forte de ces solutions vers une solution de l'équation d'Euler sur ce temps uniforme par des arguments de compacité. Le troisième résultat de cette thèse traite d'un problème de stabilité d'ondes solitaires. Précisément, on considère un fluide isentropique et non visqueux avec capillarité interne, régi par le modèle d'Euler-Korteweg, et on montre l'instabilité transverse non-linéaire de solitons, c'est-à-dire que des perturbations 2D initialement petites d'une solution sous forme d'onde progressive 1D peuvent s'éloigner de manière importante de celle-ci. / This thesis deals with a couple of stability problems in fluid mechanics. In the first two parts, we work on the inviscid limit problem for Navier-Stokes equations. We look to show whether or not a sequence of solutions to Navier-Stokes in a half-space with a Navier slip condition on the boundary converges towards a solution of the inviscid model, the Euler equation, when the viscosity parameters vanish. First, we consider the 2D incompressible model. We obtain convergence in L2 of weak solutions of Navier-Stokes towards a strong solution of Euler, as well as the instability in L∞ in a very short time of some initial data chosen as stationary solutions to the Euler equation. These results are not contradictory, and we construct initial data that allows both phenomena to occur simultaneously in the periodic setting. Second, we look at the 3D isentropic (constant temperature) compressible equations. We show that solutions exist in conormal Sobolev spaces for a time that does not depend on the viscosity when this is small, and we get strong convergence towards a solution of the Euler equation on this uniform time of existence by compactness arguments. In the third part of the thesis, we work on a solitary wave stability problem. To be precise, we consider an isentropic, compressible, inviscid fluid with internal capillarity, governed by the Euler-Korteweg equations, and we show the transverse nonlinear instability of solitons, that is that initially small 2D perturbations of a 1D travelling wave solution can end up far from it.

A focus has been put on the stability characteristics of different flow types existing on air vehicles. Flow passing over wings and different junctions on an aircraft face numerous local features, ranging from different pressure gradients, to interacting boundary layers. Primarily, stability characteristics of flow over a wing subject to negative pressure gradient is studied. The current numerical study conforms to an experimental study conducted by Saric and coworkers, in their Arizona State University wind tunnel experiments. Within that framework, a passive control mechanism has been tested to delay transition of flow from laminar to turbulence. The same control approach has been studied here, in addition to underling mechanisms playing major roles in flow transition, such as nonlinear effects and secondary instabilities. Another common three-dimensional flow feature arises as a result of streamlines passing through a junction, the so called corner-flow. For instance, this flow can be formed in the junction between the wing and fuselage on a plane. A series of direct numerical simulations using linear Navier-Stokes equations have been performed to determine the optimal initial perturbation. Optimal refers to a perturbation which can gain the maximum energy from the flow over a period of time. Power iterations between direct and adjoint Navier- Stokes equations determine the optimal initial perturbation. In other words this method seeks to determine the worst case scenario in terms of perturbation growth. Determining the optimal initial condition can help improve the design of such surfaces in addition to possible control mechanisms. / <p>QC 20130604</p> / RECEPT

The interaction between a bluff body and the impinging fluid flow, can involve detached boundary layers, massive flow separations, free shear layers, development of recirculation zones and formation of a highly disturbed and complex region downstream of the bluff body, which can be categorized as wake. The present research aims to experimentally investigate such fluid-structure interaction and provide insight into the wake structure of two bluff bodies. To this end, the airwake over the helicopter platform of a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) polar icebreaker was studied using high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV). The experiments were conducted on a scaled model of the polar icebreaker situated on a costume-built and computer-controlled turntable, which provided the ability to accurately change the incidence angle of the impinging flow with a given rate of change for incidence angle. Quantitative flow field data were obtained in several vertical and horizontal planes. The obtained velocity field was then used to calculate the time-averaged flow structure and turbulence metrics over the helicopter platform of the vessel. The present work compared the effects of two types of inflow conditions: (i) a uniform flow and (ii) a simulated atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) on the flow structure over the helicopter platform of the ship. Moreover, for the bluff scaled model, the effects of the Reynolds number on the wake structure and the flow patterns were investigated. The incidence angle (α) between the oncoming flow and the orientation of the ship varied between 0° to 330° with the increment of 30°. It was observed that higher maximum values of the turbulence intensity were associated with the simulated ABL. Moreover, it was found that for both inflow conditions, the incidence angle of 300o corresponded to the highest turbulence levels over the helicopter platform. Building on the results obtained for a stationary vessel in the simulated ABL, this work aimed to quantify the effects of the unsteady change in the direction of the impinging wind, simulated by rotating the model at a certain rate, . It was observed that the increase of the rate of change of the inflow direction resulted in an increase of the turbulent intensity over the helicopter platform. However, an exception was observed for the case of α = 60°, where clockwise rotation of the ship model with respect to the inflow exposed the helicopter platform to increased turbulent velocity fluctuations, while counterclockwise rotation diminished the flow unsteadiness over the helicopter platform. Moreover, aiming to identify the origins of the unsteady forces applied on bluff elongated plates with high chord-to thickness ratio (c/t = 23) at zero incidence, direct force measurement as well as PIV were used to identify the effect of transverse perforations on the flow-induced loading on the flow structure in the near-wake of the plates. The experiments were conducted in a water channel, where the plates were located at the center of channel, parallel to the upstream flow direction. Plates with various characteristic diameter of the perforation as well as a reference case without perforations were considered. The spectra of the trailing-edge vortex shedding and flow-induced forces were compared and it was observed that the vortex shedding frequencies were in very good agreement with those of the measured flow-induced forces for all considered perforation patterns. Thus, it was determined that the trailing-edge vortex shedding was the main mechanism of generating the unsteady loading on the plates. The staggered patterns of the perforations created a three-dimensional flow structure at the vicinity of the trailing edge and in the near wake, which was investigated using PIV at several data acquisition planes. It was found that in the cross-sectional planes corresponding to the close proximity of the perforations to the downstream edge, the periodic trailing-edge vortex shedding were suppressed. Furthermore, it was observed that for small perforations, the velocity fluctuations in the near wake were enhanced. However, further increase of the perforation diameter led to suppression of the velocity fluctuations. / Graduate

A Direct Simulation Monte Carlo fluid dynamics code named FENIX has been employed to study gas flow-through properties of the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Simulation data have been tested against the Navier-Stokes and heat equations in order to see if FENIX functions properly. The Navier-Stokes and heat equations have been constructed from simulation data and are compared term by term. This comparison shows that FENIX is able to correctly reproduce fluid dynamics throughout the ICP-MS simulation, with an exception immediately behind the ICP-MS sampler cone, where the continuum criterion for the Navier-Stokes equation is not met. Testing the data produced by Fenix also shows that this DSMC method correctly produces momentum and thermal boundary layer phenomenon as well. FENIX output data produce statistical fluctuations of about 2%. Limitations occur from fitting data near surfaces, incurring a relative error of about 5%, and fitting data to take second derivatives where fluid velocity gradients are steep, introducing a relative error of about 10%.