A non-contact Taylor-Coulter flow observation device based on PIV technology

The Taylor Coulter flow model is an ideal model for conducting experiments, with a simple geometric structure and rich and diverse flow state changes. The study of Taylor Coulter flow has been ongoing for a hundred years and has been enduring. Its research not only has great theoretical value but also has great application space, such as the optimization of liquid floating rotor microreactors, bioreactors, and anticoagulant reactors. At present, research on Taylor Coulter flow mostly focuses on uniform rotation conditions, and there is a lack of research on non-contact rotation situations. This article provides a detailed introduction to the development process, relevant theories, and measurement methods of Taylor Coulter flow (T-C flow). A non-contact T-C flow experimental setup was built to meet the experimental requirements, and the non-contact measurement characteristics of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and T-C flow experimental setup were utilized to clearly observe the development process of Taylor vortices. The experimental results show that by using PIV technology to observe the morphological changes of vortices under non-uniform rotation conditions, it was found that during the acceleration process, a small depression was generated near the inner cylinder wall of each vortex in the annular gap. The depression gradually increased with the rotation of the vortex center, and a half heart-shaped notch was generated on one side of the vortex. The duration of the notch was very short, and then the tail tip of the notch would combine with the head of the notch, restoring it to a complete vortex. The T-C flow device built can well reproduce the flow characteristics of each stage of the T-C flow, and the experimental phenomena are clear, which can meet the requirements of subsequent experiments. This work is beneficial for further optimizing the design of T-C flow observation devices.