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Pipe flow measurements over a wide range of Reynolds numbers using liquid helium and various gases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2002

CHRIS J. SWANSON ,
BRIAN JULIAN ,
GARY G. IHAS  and
RUSSELL J. DONNELLY
CHRIS J. SWANSON
Affiliation:
Cryogenic Helium Turbulence Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
BRIAN JULIAN
Affiliation:
Cryogenic Helium Turbulence Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
GARY G. IHAS
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
RUSSELL J. DONNELLY
Affiliation:
Cryogenic Helium Turbulence Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
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Abstract

We demonstrate that an unusually small pipe flow apparatus using both liquid helium and room temperature gases can span an enormous range of Reynolds numbers. This paper describes the construction and operation of the apparatus in some detail. A wide range of Reynolds numbers is an advantage in any experiment seeking to establish scaling laws. This experiment also adds to evidence already in hand that the normal phase of liquid helium is a Navier–Stokes fluid. Finally, we explore recent questions concerning the influence of molecular motions on the transition to turbulence (Muriel 1998) and are unable to observe any influence.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 461 , 25 June 2002 , pp. 51 - 60
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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