The study of oil films can be an approach to determine the friction velocity of turbulent channel flows. In experimentation, the oil film... Show moreThe study of oil films can be an approach to determine the friction velocity of turbulent channel flows. In experimentation, the oil film motion and the shear stresses can be measured using oil film interferometry. Similarly, these techniques can be set up to obtain the equivalent numerical simulation of these kinds of flows, also displaying the evolution of an oil droplet in such configurations. A two-dimensional simulation had been obtained using the Nek5000 code provided by Argonne National Laboratory. In this work, it was aimed to check the accuracy of such a simulation and to extend it to a uniform three-dimensional case to see whether the solver could be used to solve such problems. A new two-dimensional simulation was set up and gave preliminary results. A better achievement was made using tuned inputs that allowed comparing it with an available theory. The simulation and its accuracy were justified in specific cases. It was then extended to two uniform three-dimensional cases and compared with the previously obtained two-dimensional results. This allowed an extension of the use of the solver in specific cases and therefore provides an easy-to-implement method to determine the friction velocity in a flow and also to access some flow information such as velocity profiles or by extension pressure gradients. M.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, May 2015 Show less
