The present study is concerned with the stability of a flow of viscous conducting liquid driven by a pressure gradient between two parallel walls in the presence of a transverse magnetic field, which is investigated using a Chebyshev collocation method. This magnetohydrodynamic counterpart of the classic plane Poiseuille flow is generally known as Hartmann flow. Although the magnetic field has a strong stabilizing effect, the turbulence is known to set in this flow similarly to its hydrodynamic counterpart well below the threshold predicted by the linear stability theory. Such a nonlinear transition to turbulence is thought to be mediated by unstable equilibrium flow states which may exist in addition to the base flow. Firstly, the weakly nonlinear stability analysis carried out in this study shows that Hartmann flow is subcritically unstable to small finite-amplitude disturbances regardless of the magnetic field strength. Secondly, two-dimensional nonlinear travelling wave states are found to exist in Hartmann flow at substantially subcritical Reynolds numbers starting from Ren = 2939 without the magnetic field and from Ren ∼ 6.50 × 103Ha in a sufficiently strong magnetic field defined by the Hartmann number Ha. Although the latter value is by a factor of seven lower than the linear stability threshold Rel ∼ 4.83×104Ha and by almost a factor of two lower than the value predicted by the mean-field (monoharmonic) approximation, it is still more than an order of magnitude higher than the experimentally observed value for the onset of turbulence in this flow. Three-dimensional disturbances are expected to bifurcate from these two-dimensional travelling waves or infinity and to extend to significantly lower Reynolds numbers. The by-product of this study are two developments of numerical techniques for linear and weakly nonlinear stability analysis. Firstly, a simple technique for avoiding spurious eigenvalues is developed for the solution of the Orr-Sommerfeld equation. Secondly, an efficient numerical method for evaluating Landau coefficients which describe small amplitude states in the vicinity of the linear stability threshold is introduced. The method differs from the standard approach by applying the solvability condition to the discretised rather than the continuous problem.

Rotor-dynamic stability is a very important subject impacting the design, control, maintenance, and operating safety and reliability of rotary mechanical systems. As rotor-dynamic nonlinearities are significantly more prominent at higher rotary speeds, the demand for better and improved performance achievable through higher speeds has rendered the use of a linear approach for rotor-dynamic analysis both inadequate and ineffective. To establish the fundamental knowledge base necessary for addressing the need, it is essential that nonlinear rotor-dynamic responses indicative of the causes of nonlinearity, along with the bifurcated dynamic states of instability, be fully characterized. The objectives of the research are to study the various rotor-dynamic instabilities induced by crack breathing and bearing fluid film forces using a model rotor-bearing system and to investigate the applicability of the fundamental concept of instantaneous frequency for characterizing rotor-dynamic nonlinear responses. A comprehensive finite element model incorporating translational and rotational inertia, bending stiffness and gyroscopic moment is developed. The intrinsic modes extracted using the Empirical Mode Decomposition along with their instantaneous frequencies resolved using the Hilbert transform are applied to characterize the inception and progression of bifurcations suggestive of the changing rotor-dynamic state and impending instability. The dissertation presents and demonstrates an effective approach that integrates nonlinear rotor-dynamics, instantaneous time-frequency analysis, advanced notions of dynamic system diagnostics and numerical modeling applied to the detection and identification of sensitive variations indicative of a bifurcated dynamic state. All presented studies on rotor response subjected to various system configurations and ranges of parameters show good agreements with published results. Under the influence of crack opening, the rotor-bearing model system displays transitional behaviors typical of a nonlinear dynamic system, going from periodic to period-doubling, chaotic to eventual failure. When film forces are also considered, the model system demonstrates very different behaviors and failures from different settings and ranges of control parameters. As a result, a dynamic failure curve differentiating zones of stability and bifurcated instability from zones of dynamic failure is constructed and proposed as an alternative to the traditional stability chart. Observations and results such as these have important practical implications on the design and safe operation of high performance rotary machinery.

Rotor-dynamic stability is a very important subject impacting the design, control, maintenance, and operating safety and reliability of rotary mechanical systems. As rotor-dynamic nonlinearities are significantly more prominent at higher rotary speeds, the demand for better and improved performance achievable through higher speeds has rendered the use of a linear approach for rotor-dynamic analysis both inadequate and ineffective. To establish the fundamental knowledge base necessary for addressing the need, it is essential that nonlinear rotor-dynamic responses indicative of the causes of nonlinearity, along with the bifurcated dynamic states of instability, be fully characterized. The objectives of the research are to study the various rotor-dynamic instabilities induced by crack breathing and bearing fluid film forces using a model rotor-bearing system and to investigate the applicability of the fundamental concept of instantaneous frequency for characterizing rotor-dynamic nonlinear responses. A comprehensive finite element model incorporating translational and rotational inertia, bending stiffness and gyroscopic moment is developed. The intrinsic modes extracted using the Empirical Mode Decomposition along with their instantaneous frequencies resolved using the Hilbert transform are applied to characterize the inception and progression of bifurcations suggestive of the changing rotor-dynamic state and impending instability. The dissertation presents and demonstrates an effective approach that integrates nonlinear rotor-dynamics, instantaneous time-frequency analysis, advanced notions of dynamic system diagnostics and numerical modeling applied to the detection and identification of sensitive variations indicative of a bifurcated dynamic state. All presented studies on rotor response subjected to various system configurations and ranges of parameters show good agreements with published results. Under the influence of crack opening, the rotor-bearing model system displays transitional behaviors typical of a nonlinear dynamic system, going from periodic to period-doubling, chaotic to eventual failure. When film forces are also considered, the model system demonstrates very different behaviors and failures from different settings and ranges of control parameters. As a result, a dynamic failure curve differentiating zones of stability and bifurcated instability from zones of dynamic failure is constructed and proposed as an alternative to the traditional stability chart. Observations and results such as these have important practical implications on the design and safe operation of high performance rotary machinery.

Spray models are increasingly becoming the principal tools in the design and development of gas turbine combustors. Spray modeling requires a knowledge of the liquid atomization process, and the sizes and velocities of subsequently formed droplets as initial conditions. In order to have a better understanding of the liquid atomization process,the breakup characteristics of plane liquid sheets in co-flowing gas streams are investigated by means of linear and nonlinear hydrodynamic instability analyses. The liquid sheet breakup process is studied for initial sinuous and varicose modes of disturbance. It is observed that the sheet breakup occurs at half-wavelength intervals for an initial sinuous disturbance and at full-wavelength intervals for an initial varicose disturbance. It is also found that under certain operating conditions, the breakup process is dictated by the initial varicose disturbance compare to its sinuous counterpart. Further, the breakup process is studied for the combined mode and it is found that the sheet breakup occurs at half- or full-wavelength intervals depending on the proportion of the individual sinuous and varicose disturbances. In general, the breakup length decreases with the increase in the Weber number, gas-to-liquid velocity and density ratios. A predictive model of the initial droplet size and velocity distributions for the subsequently formed spray is also formulated here. The present model incorporates the deterministic aspect of spray formation by calculating the breakup length and the mass-mean diameter and the stochastic aspect by statistical means through the maximum entropy principle based on Bayesian entropy. The two sub-models are coupled together by the various source terms signifying the liquid-gas interaction and a prior distribution based on instability analysis, which provides information regarding the unstable wave elements on the two liquid-gas interfaces. Experimental investigation of the breakup characteristics of the liquid sheet is performed by a high speed CCD camera and the measurement of the initial droplet size and distributions is conducted by phase-Doppler interferometry. Good agreement of the theoretical breakup length with the experiment is obtained for a planar, an annular and a gas turbine nozzle. The predicted initial droplet size and velocity distributions show reasonably satisfactory agreement with experimental data for all the three types of nozzles. Hence this spray model can be utilized to predict the initial droplet size and velocity distributions in sprays, which can then be implemented as a front-end subroutine to the existing computer codes.

Spray models are increasingly becoming the principal tools in the design and development of gas turbine combustors. Spray modeling requires a knowledge of the liquid atomization process, and the sizes and velocities of subsequently formed droplets as initial conditions. In order to have a better understanding of the liquid atomization process,the breakup characteristics of plane liquid sheets in co-flowing gas streams are investigated by means of linear and nonlinear hydrodynamic instability analyses. The liquid sheet breakup process is studied for initial sinuous and varicose modes of disturbance. It is observed that the sheet breakup occurs at half-wavelength intervals for an initial sinuous disturbance and at full-wavelength intervals for an initial varicose disturbance. It is also found that under certain operating conditions, the breakup process is dictated by the initial varicose disturbance compare to its sinuous counterpart. Further, the breakup process is studied for the combined mode and it is found that the sheet breakup occurs at half- or full-wavelength intervals depending on the proportion of the individual sinuous and varicose disturbances. In general, the breakup length decreases with the increase in the Weber number, gas-to-liquid velocity and density ratios. A predictive model of the initial droplet size and velocity distributions for the subsequently formed spray is also formulated here. The present model incorporates the deterministic aspect of spray formation by calculating the breakup length and the mass-mean diameter and the stochastic aspect by statistical means through the maximum entropy principle based on Bayesian entropy. The two sub-models are coupled together by the various source terms signifying the liquid-gas interaction and a prior distribution based on instability analysis, which provides information regarding the unstable wave elements on the two liquid-gas interfaces. Experimental investigation of the breakup characteristics of the liquid sheet is performed by a high speed CCD camera and the measurement of the initial droplet size and distributions is conducted by phase-Doppler interferometry. Good agreement of the theoretical breakup length with the experiment is obtained for a planar, an annular and a gas turbine nozzle. The predicted initial droplet size and velocity distributions show reasonably satisfactory agreement with experimental data for all the three types of nozzles. Hence this spray model can be utilized to predict the initial droplet size and velocity distributions in sprays, which can then be implemented as a front-end subroutine to the existing computer codes.

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Cette thèse vise à démêler les principaux mécanismes impliqués dans les écoulements transitoires et turbulents. L’idée centrale est d'utiliser une technique d’optimisation non linéaire pour étudier l’origine et le rôle des structures cohérentes habituellement observées dans ces écoulements. Cette méthode a été utilisée dans trois contextes différents. Tout d’abord, un écoulement laminaire linéairement stable a été considéré et l'optimisation a été utilisée pour calculer les perturbations les plus amplifiées parmi toutes les perturbations capables de déclencher une transition vers la turbulence. Une fois que la turbulence est bien établie, une optimisation non linéaire entièrement 3D maximisant l'énergie cinétique turbulente est utilisée pour étudier les structures cohérentes qui peuplent l’écoulement turbulent et les mécanismes responsables de la croissance et de l’échange d’énergie (optimale) sont étudiés. Ensuite, une approche de type système dynamique est appliquée aux équations du mouvement. La géométrie de l’espace des phases est étudiée en utilisant la théorie de la croissance transitoire pour évaluer l’importance des variétés stable et instable dans la dynamique. Dans le même cadre, un algorithme de minimisation non linéaire est utilisé pour calculer les connexions hétérocliniques parmi les solutions invariantes des équations de Navier-Stokes. / This thesis aims at unraveling the main mechanisms involved in transitional and turbulent flows. The central idea is that of using a nonlinear optimization technique to investigate the origin and role of coherent structures usually observed in these flows. This method has been used in three different contexts. First, a linearly stable laminar flow has been considered and the optimization has been used to compute the most amplified perturbations among all disturbances able to trigger transition to turbulence. Once turbulence is well established, a fully 3D nonlinear optimization maximizing the turbulent kinetic energy is used to study coherent structures populating turbulent shear flow as well as investigate the mechanisms responsible for the energy (optimally) growth and exchange. Then, a dynamical system approach is applied to fluid flow equations. The geometry of the state space is investigated by using transient growth theory to reveal the importance of the stable and unstable manifold. In the same framework, a nonlinear minimization algorithm is used to compute heteroclinic connections among invariant solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations.