Angular momentum transport and pattern formation in medium- and wide-gap turbulent Taylor-Couette flow

An experimental study

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Turbulent Taylor-Couette flow, where the fluid is confined by two coaxial and independently rotating cylinders, is experimentally investigated within this thesis for medium and wide gaps. To reveal the influence of flow patterns on the angular momentum transport, direct torque measurements, flow visualizations and particle image velocimetry are performed in two different facilities. For the largely unexplored radius ratio regime of η = 0.357, the directly measured torque features a transition as a function of shear, which is connected to the capacity of the outer cylinder to emit small-scale plumes. When the cylinders rotate slightly in counter-direction, a maximum in torque occurs at μmax = -0.123, which is induced by the formation of large-scale Taylor vortices. The contribution of these vortices to the overall momentum transport clearly exceeds the contribution of the turbulent fluctuations for η = 0.5. Furthermore, the large-scale Taylor rolls are driven by small-scale plumes and feature azimuthally traveling waves for η = 0.714. Accordingly, the angular momentum transport in medium and wide-gap turbulent Taylor-Couette flow is determined by the interaction of turbulence and flow patterns of different scales.