scholarly journals On coherent structure in wall turbulence

2013 ◽  
Vol 728 ◽  
pp. 196-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Sharma ◽  
B. J. McKeon

AbstractA new theory of coherent structure in wall turbulence is presented. The theory is the first to predict packets of hairpin vortices and other structure in turbulence, and their dynamics, based on an analysis of the Navier–Stokes equations, under an assumption of a turbulent mean profile. The assumption of the turbulent mean acts as a restriction on the class of possible structures. It is shown that the coherent structure is a manifestation of essentially low-dimensional flow dynamics, arising from a critical-layer mechanism. Using the decomposition presented in McKeon & Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382), complex coherent structure is recreated from minimal superpositions of response modes predicted by the analysis, which take the form of radially varying travelling waves. The leading modes effectively constitute a low-dimensional description of the turbulent flow, which is optimal in the sense of describing the resonant effects around the critical layer and which minimally predicts all types of structure. The approach is general for the full range of scales. By way of example, simple combinations of these modes are offered that predict hairpins and modulated hairpin packets. The example combinations are chosen to represent observed structure, consistent with the nonlinear triadic interaction for wavenumbers that is required for self-interaction of structures. The combination of the three leading response modes at streamwise wavenumbers $6, ~1, ~7$ and spanwise wavenumbers $\pm 6, ~\pm 6, ~\pm 12$, respectively, with phase velocity $2/ 3$, is understood to represent a turbulence ‘kernel’, which, it is proposed, constitutes a self-exciting process analogous to the near-wall cycle. Together, these interactions explain how the mode combinations may self-organize and self-sustain to produce experimentally observed structure. The phase interaction also leads to insight into skewness and correlation results known in the literature. It is also shown that the very large-scale motions act to organize hairpin-like structures such that they co-locate with areas of low streamwise momentum, by a mechanism of locally altering the shear profile. These energetic streamwise structures arise naturally from the resolvent analysis, rather than by a summation of hairpin packets. In addition, these packets are modulated through a ‘beat’ effect. The relationship between Taylor’s hypothesis and coherence is discussed, and both are shown to be the consequence of the localization of the response modes around the critical layer. A pleasing link is made to the classical laminar inviscid theory, whereby the essential mechanism underlying the hairpin vortex is captured by two obliquely interacting Kelvin–Stuart (cat’s eye) vortices. Evidence for the theory is presented based on comparison with observations of structure in turbulent flow reported in the experimental and numerical simulation literature and with exact solutions reported in the transitional literature.

2016 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ati S. Sharma ◽  
Rashad Moarref ◽  
Beverley J. McKeon ◽  
Jae Sung Park ◽  
Michael D. Graham ◽  
...  

1993 ◽  
Vol 247 ◽  
pp. 455-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjeev Sanghi ◽  
Nadine Aubry

Intermittent bursting events, similar to those characterizing the dynamics of near-wall turbulence, have been observed in a low-dimensional dynamical model (Aubry et al. 1988) built from eigenfunctions of the proper orthogonal decomposition (Lumley 1967). In the present work, we investigate the persistency of the intermittent behaviour in higher - but still of relatively low-dimensional dynamical systems. In particular, streamwise variations which were not accounted for in an explicit way in Aubry et al.'s model are now considered. Intermittent behaviour persists but can be of a different nature. Specifically, the non-zero streamwise modes become excited during the eruptive events so that rolls burst downstream into smaller scales. When structures have a finite length, they travel at a convection speed approximately equal to the mean velocity at the top of the layer (y+ ≈ 40). In all cases, intermittency seems to be due to homoclinic cycles connecting hyperbolic fixed points or more complex (apparently chaotic) limit sets. While these sets lie in the zero streamwise modes invariant subspace, the connecting orbits consist of nonzero streamwise modes travelling downstream. Chaotic limit sets connected by quasi-travelling waves have also been observed in a spatio-temporal chaotic regime of the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation (Aubry & Lian 1992a). When the limit sets lose their steadiness, the elongated rolls become randomly active, as they probably are in the real flow. A coherent structure study in our resulting flow fields is performed in order to relate our findings to experimental observations. It is shown that streaks, streamwise rolls, horseshoe vortical structures and shear layers, present in our models, are all connected to each other. Finally, criteria to determine a realistic value of the eddy viscosity parameter are developed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 658 ◽  
pp. 336-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. McKEON ◽  
A. S. SHARMA

A model-based description of the scaling and radial location of turbulent fluctuations in turbulent pipe flow is presented and used to illuminate the scaling behaviour of the very large scale motions. The model is derived by treating the nonlinearity in the perturbation equation (involving the Reynolds stress) as an unknown forcing, yielding a linear relationship between the velocity field response and this nonlinearity. We do not assume small perturbations. We examine propagating helical velocity response modes that are harmonic in the wall-parallel directions and in time, permitting comparison of our results to experimental data. The steady component of the velocity field that varies only in the wall-normal direction is identified as the turbulent mean profile. A singular value decomposition of the resolvent identifies the forcing shape that will lead to the largest velocity response at a given wavenumber–frequency combination. The hypothesis that these forcing shapes lead to response modes that will be dominant in turbulent pipe flow is tested by using physical arguments to constrain the range of wavenumbers and frequencies to those actually observed in experiments. An investigation of the most amplified velocity response at a given wavenumber–frequency combination reveals critical-layer-like behaviour reminiscent of the neutrally stable solutions of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation in linearly unstable flow. Two distinct regions in the flow where the influence of viscosity becomes important can be identified, namely wall layers that scale withR+1/2and critical layers where the propagation velocity is equal to the local mean velocity, one of which scales withR+2/3in pipe flow. This framework appears to be consistent with several scaling results in wall turbulence and reveals a mechanism by which the effects of viscosity can extend well beyond the immediate vicinity of the wall. The model reproduces inner scaling of the small scales near the wall and an approach to outer scaling in the flow interior. We use our analysis to make a first prediction that the appropriate scaling velocity for the very large scale motions is the centreline velocity, and show that this is in agreement with experimental results. Lastly, we interpret the wall modes as the motion required to meet the wall boundary condition, identifying the interaction between the critical and wall modes as a potential origin for an interaction between the large and small scales that has been observed in recent literature as an amplitude modulation of the near-wall turbulence by the very large scales.


2015 ◽  
Vol 782 ◽  
pp. 430-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Sung Park ◽  
Michael D. Graham

Several new families of nonlinear three-dimensional travelling wave solutions to the Navier–Stokes equation, also known as exact coherent states, are computed for Newtonian plane Poiseuille flow. The symmetries and streak/vortex structures are reported and their possible connections to critical layer dynamics are examined. While some of the solutions clearly display fluctuations that are localized around the critical layer (the surface on which the streamwise velocity matches the wave speed of the solution), for others this connection is not as clear. Dynamical trajectories along unstable directions of the solutions are computed. Over certain ranges of Reynolds number, two solution families are shown to lie on the basin boundary between laminar and turbulent flow. Direct comparison of nonlinear travelling wave solutions to turbulent flow in the same channel is presented. The state-space dynamics of the turbulent flow is organized around one of the newly identified travelling wave families, and in particular the lower-branch solutions of this family are closely approached during transient excursions away from the dominant behaviour. These observations provide a firm dynamical-systems foundation for prior observations that minimal channel turbulence displays time intervals of ‘active’ turbulence punctuated by brief periods of ‘hibernation’ (see, e.g., Xi & Graham, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 104, 2010, 218301). The hibernating intervals are approaches to lower-branch nonlinear travelling waves. Representing these solutions on a Prandtl–von Kármán plot illustrates how their bulk flow properties are related to those of Newtonian turbulence as well as the universal asymptotic state called maximum drag reduction (MDR) found in viscoelastic turbulent flow. In particular, the lower- and upper-branch solutions of the family around which the minimal channel dynamics is organized appear to approach the MDR asymptote and the classical Newtonian result respectively, in terms of both bulk velocity and mean velocity profile.


1990 ◽  
Vol 43 (5S) ◽  
pp. S245-S245
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Hanratty ◽  
K. Kontamaris

Observations of turbulent flow close to a wall reveal turbulent eddies which are elongated in the flow direction. This has motivated the use of a slender body assumption to simplify the Navier Stokes equations. Derivatives in the flow-direction are neglected so that three velocity components are calculated in a plane. The application of this 2 1/2D model to the viscous wall region (y+ < 40) shows that the turbulent velocity field can be represented by interaction of two eddies with spanwise wavelengths of 100 and 400 wall units. This model has been used to investigate the effect of favorable pressure gradients on a turbulent boundary-layer and to explore what determines the size of the stress producing eddies close to the wall. The accuracy of the basic physical assumptions are explored by examining resulte from a computer simulation of the three-dimensional time dependent turbulent flow in a channel. Some possible improvements are discussed, which make use of the observation that spatial derivatives in the flow direction can be related to time derivatives by using a convection velocity.


Author(s):  
Yan Jin

Abstract The turbulent flow in a compressor cascade is calculated by using a new simulation method, i.e., parameter extension simulation (PES). It is defined as the calculation of a turbulent flow with the help of a reference solution. A special large-eddy simulation (LES) method is developed to calculate the reference solution for PES. Then, the reference solution is extended to approximate the exact solution for the Navier-Stokes equations. The Richardson extrapolation is used to estimate the model error. The compressor cascade is made of NACA0065-009 airfoils. The Reynolds number 3.82 × 105 and the attack angles −2° to 7° are accounted for in the study. The effects of the end-walls, attack angle, and tripping bands on the flow are analyzed. The PES results are compared with the experimental data as well as the LES results using the Smagorinsky, k-equation and WALE subgrid models. The numerical results show that the PES requires a lower mesh resolution than the other LES methods. The details of the flow field including the laminar-turbulence transition can be directly captured from the PES results without introducing any additional model. These characteristics make the PES a potential method for simulating flows in turbomachinery with high Reynolds numbers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 878 ◽  
pp. 5-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Hattori ◽  
Francisco J. Blanco-Rodríguez ◽  
Stéphane Le Dizès

The linear instability of a vortex ring with swirl with Gaussian distributions of azimuthal vorticity and velocity in its core is studied by direct numerical simulation. The numerical study is carried out in two steps: first, an axisymmetric simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations is performed to obtain the quasi-steady state that forms a base flow; then, the equations are linearized around this base flow and integrated for a sufficiently long time to obtain the characteristics of the most unstable mode. It is shown that the vortex rings are subjected to curvature instability as predicted analytically by Blanco-Rodríguez & Le Dizès (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 814, 2017, pp. 397–415). Both the structure and the growth rate of the unstable modes obtained numerically are in good agreement with the analytical results. However, a small overestimation (e.g. 22 % for a curvature instability mode) by the theory of the numerical growth rate is found for some instability modes. This is most likely due to evaluation of the critical layer damping which is performed for the waves on axisymmetric line vortices in the analysis. The actual position of the critical layer is affected by deformation of the core due to the curvature effect; as a result, the damping rate changes since it is sensitive to the position of the critical layer. Competition between the curvature and elliptic instabilities is also investigated. Without swirl, only the elliptic instability is observed in agreement with previous numerical and experimental results. In the presence of swirl, sharp bands of both curvature and elliptic instabilities are obtained for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}=a/R=0.1$, where $a$ is the vortex core radius and $R$ the ring radius, while the elliptic instability dominates for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}=0.18$. New types of instability mode are also obtained: a special curvature mode composed of three waves is observed and spiral modes that do not seem to be related to any wave resonance. The curvature instability is also confirmed by direct numerical simulation of the full Navier–Stokes equations. Weakly nonlinear saturation and subsequent decay of the curvature instability are also observed.


1995 ◽  
Vol 291 ◽  
pp. 57-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Churilov ◽  
I. G. Shukhman

We consider the nonlinear spatial evolution in the streamwise direction of slightly three-dimensional disturbances in the form of oblique travelling waves (with spanwise wavenumber kz much less than the streamwise one kx) in a mixing layer vx = u(y) at large Reynolds numbers. A study is made of the transition (with the growth of amplitude) to the regime of a nonlinear critical layer (CL) from regimes of a viscous CL and an unsteady CL, which we have investigated earlier (Churilov & Shukhman 1994). We have found a new type of transition to the nonlinear CL regime that has no analogy in the two-dimensional case, namely the transition from a stage of ‘explosive’ development. A nonlinear evolution equation is obtained which describes the development of disturbances in a regime of a quasi-steady nonlinear CL. We show that unlike the two-dimensional case there are two stages of disturbance growth after transition. In the first stage (immediately after transition) the amplitude A increases as x. Later, at the second stage, the ‘classical’ law A ∼ x2/3 is reached, which is usual for two-dimensional disturbances. It is demonstrated that with the growth of kz the region of three-dimensional behaviour is expanded, in particular the amplitude threshold of transition to the nonlinear CL regime from a stage of ‘explosive’ development rises and therefore in the ‘strongly three-dimensional’ limit kz = O(kx) such a transition cannot be realized in the framework of weakly nonlinear theory.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 2189-2207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erman Ulker ◽  
Sıla Ovgu Korkut ◽  
Mehmet Sorgun

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to solve Navier–Stokes equations including the effects of temperature and inner pipe rotation for fully developed turbulent flow in eccentric annuli by using finite difference scheme with fixing non-linear terms. Design/methodology/approach A mathematical model is proposed for fully developed turbulent flow including the effects of temperature and inner pipe rotation in eccentric annuli. Obtained equation is solved numerically via central difference approximation. In this process, the non-linear term is frozen. In so doing, the non-linear equation can be considered as a linear one. Findings The convergence analysis is studied before using the method to the proposed momentum equation. It reflects that the method approaches to the exact solution of the equation. The numerical solution of the mathematical model shows that pressure gradient can be predicted with a good accuracy when it is compared with experimental data collected from experiments conducted at Izmir Katip Celebi University Flow Loop. Originality/value The originality of this work is that Navier–Stokes equations including temperature and inner pipe rotation effects for fully developed turbulent flow in eccentric annuli are solved numerically by a finite difference method with frozen non-linear terms.


2013 ◽  
Vol 715 ◽  
pp. 32-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihao Zhao ◽  
Helge I. Andersson ◽  
Jurriaan J. J. Gillissen

AbstractTransfer of mechanical energy between solid spherical particles and a Newtonian carrier fluid has been explored in two-way coupled direct numerical simulations of turbulent channel flow. The inertial particles have been treated as individual point particles in a Lagrangian framework and their feedback on the fluid phase has been incorporated in the Navier–Stokes equations. At sufficiently large particle response times the Reynolds shear stress and the turbulence intensities in the spanwise and wall-normal directions were attenuated whereas the velocity fluctuations were augmented in the streamwise direction. The physical mechanisms involved in the particle–fluid interactions were analysed in detail, and it was observed that the fluid transferred energy to the particles in the core region of the channel whereas the fluid received kinetic energy from the particles in the wall region. A local imbalance in the work performed by the particles on the fluid and the work exerted by the fluid on the particles was observed. This imbalance gave rise to a particle-induced energy dissipation which represents a loss of mechanical energy from the fluid–particle suspension. An independent examination of the work associated with the different directional components of the Stokes force revealed that the dominating energy transfer was associated with the streamwise component. Both the mean and fluctuating parts of the Stokes force promoted streamwise fluctuations in the near-wall region. The kinetic energy associated with the cross-sectional velocity components was damped due to work done by the particles, and the energy was dissipated rather than recovered as particle kinetic energy. Componentwise scatter plots of the instantaneous velocity versus the instantaneous slip-velocity provided further insight into the energy transfer mechanisms, and the observed modulations of the flow field could thereby be explained.


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