Flow characteristics and formation optimization of vortex ring air supply

The vortex rings ventilation (VRV) is a new type of air supply system comprising vortex rings. Compared with an air supply jet, a vortex ring reduces the loss of fresh air during transportation because of its stable structure. However, during the formation of the vortex ring, it entrains the ambient air and reduces the fresh air in the vortex ring. In this study, a vortex ring generator with a fresh air cavity is proposed to form confined vortex rings. This improved the fresh air ratio of the VRV. Based on previous experiments, a piston-orifice axisymmetric model with a dynamic grid was developed to form an air vortex ring. The flow characteristics of free and confined vortex rings during the generation stage were studied. First, the evolution of free vortex rings with different stroke lengths was studied, and the optimal piston stroke length and radial constraint size were determined. Subsequently, the mixing ratios of the free and confined vortex rings were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the mixing ratio of the confined vortex ring formed by the fresh air cavity in the formation stage was zero. Moving to the location of 4.9 times the orifice diameter (D0$$ {D}_0 $$), reduced the mixing ratio of the confined vortex ring by 77.78% compared with that of the free vortex ring. In addition, the influence of three inner diameters and four outlet diameters of fresh air cavities on the vortex rings was studied to optimize the size of the vortex ring generator. The results showed that the inner diameter of the fresh air cavity was greater than 3D0$$ 3{D}_0 $$ and that an outlet diameter greater than 2.5D0$$ 2.5{D}_0 $$ had little influence on the vortex rings.

Automated summary

The vortex rings ventilation (VRV) system, consisting of vortex rings, reduces the loss of fresh air during transportation. A vortex ring generator with a fresh air cavity is proposed to form confined vortex rings and improve the fresh air ratio. The study investigates the flow characteristics of free and confined vortex rings, determines the optimal piston stroke length and radial constraint size, and analyzes the mixing ratios. The inner diameter of the fresh air cavity and the outlet diameter have an impact on the vortex rings.