Visualization of the flow induced by a rotating disk in a cylindrical container

The flow induced by a rotating disk in a cylindrical container has been applied in a wide variety of rotating machineries. This flow is affected by Reynolds number Re=R²Ω/ν and the aspect ratio of the cavity that consisted of a rotating disk and a cylindrical container h/R, where R is the radius of the disk and Ω is the angular velocity, ν is the kinematic viscosity of the working fluid, h is the height of the cavity. We visualized this flow with flake particles and measured velocity by 3D particle tracking velocimetry (3D-PTV). In this study, we investigated the features of this flow at low Reynolds number such that turbulent transition would occur. Comparison of the visualized flow patterns during turbulent transition with the transition diagram of Schouveiler et al.(2001) [J. Fluid Mech., vol.443, pp.329-350] will be presented.