Particle response in a planar sudden expansion flow

Particle velocity and concentration statistics were measured in a vertically downward planar sudden expansion flow for large-eddy particle Stokes numbers (tau(p)U(o)/5H) ranging from 0.5 to 7.4. Particles with Stokes numbers greater than 3 did not enter the recirculation zone, exhibited substantial attenuation of cross-stream velocity fluctuations, and had large streamwise velocity fluctuations in regions of strong velocity gradient. The smallest particles filled the recirculation zone and showed strong response to the large eddies in the flow. Phase-locked particle concentration measurements showed that these particles were centrifuged away from vortex cores and concentrated between vortices. Intermediate-size particles with Stokes numbers of 1.4 were injected intermittently into the recirculation zone as tongues of particles moving down between vortices. Particle Reynolds number was found to have negligible effect on the particle velocity statistics. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1997.