scholarly journals The near-wall region of highly turbulent Taylor–Couette flow

2015 ◽  
Vol 788 ◽  
pp. 95-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Ostilla-Mónico ◽  
Roberto Verzicco ◽  
Siegfried Grossmann ◽  
Detlef Lohse
Keyword(s):  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Taylor Couette ◽  
Near Wall

Direct numerical simulations of the Taylor–Couette (TC) problem, the flow between two coaxial and independently rotating cylinders, have been performed. The study focuses on TC flow with mild curvature (small gap) with a radius ratio of ${\it\eta}=r_{i}/r_{o}=0.909$, an aspect ratio of ${\it\Gamma}=L/d=2{\rm\pi}/3$, and a stationary outer cylinder. Three inner cylinder Reynolds numbers of $1\times 10^{5}$, $2\times 10^{5}$ and $3\times 10^{5}$ were simulated, corresponding to frictional Reynolds numbers between $Re_{{\it\tau}}\approx 1400$ and $Re_{{\it\tau}}\approx 4000$. An additional case with a large gap, ${\it\eta}=0.5$ and driving of $Re=2\times 10^{5}$ was also investigated. Small-gap TC was found to be dominated by spatially fixed large-scale structures, known as Taylor rolls (TRs). TRs are attached to the boundary layer, and are active, i.e. they transport angular velocity through Reynolds stresses. An additional simulation was also conducted with inner cylinder Reynolds number of $Re=1\times 10^{5}$ and fixed outer cylinder with an externally imposed axial flow of comparable strength to the wind of the TRs. The axial flow was found to convect the TRs without any weakening effect. For small-gap TC flow, evidence was found for the existence of logarithmic velocity fluctuations, and of an overlap layer, in which the velocity fluctuations collapse in outer units. Profiles consistent with a logarithmic dependence were also found for the angular velocity in large-gap TC flow, albeit in a very reduced range of scales. Finally, the behaviour of both small- and large-gap TC flow was compared to other canonical flows. Small-gap TC flow has similar behaviour in the near-wall region to other canonical flows, while large-gap TC flow displays very different behaviour.

scholarly journals Optimal Taylor–Couette flow: direct numerical simulations

2013 ◽  
Vol 719 ◽  
pp. 14-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Ostilla ◽  
Richard J. A. M. Stevens ◽  
Siegfried Grossmann ◽  
Roberto Verzicco ◽  
Detlef Lohse
Keyword(s):  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Couette Flow ◽  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Experimental Result ◽  
Counter Rotation ◽  
Taylor Couette ◽  
Taylor Couette Flow

AbstractWe numerically simulate turbulent Taylor–Couette flow for independently rotating inner and outer cylinders, focusing on the analogy with turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard flow. Reynolds numbers of $R{e}_{i} = 8\times 1{0}^{3} $ and $R{e}_{o} = \pm 4\times 1{0}^{3} $ of the inner and outer cylinders, respectively, are reached, corresponding to Taylor numbers $Ta$ up to $1{0}^{8} $. Effective scaling laws for the torque and other system responses are found. Recent experiments with the Twente Turbulent Taylor–Couette (${T}^{3} C$) setup and with a similar facility in Maryland at very high Reynolds numbers have revealed an optimum transport at a certain non-zero rotation rate ratio $a= - {\omega }_{o} / {\omega }_{i} $ of about ${a}_{\mathit{opt}} = 0. 33$. For large enough $Ta$ in the numerically accessible range we also find such an optimum transport at non-zero counter-rotation. The position of this maximum is found to shift with the driving, reaching a maximum of ${a}_{\mathit{opt}} = 0. 15$ for $Ta= 2. 5\times 1{0}^{7} $. An explanation for this shift is elucidated, consistent with the experimental result that ${a}_{\mathit{opt}} $ becomes approximately independent of the driving strength for large enough Reynolds numbers. We furthermore numerically calculate the angular velocity profiles and visualize the different flow structures for the various regimes. By writing the equations in a frame co-rotating with the outer cylinder a link is found between the local angular velocity profiles and the global transport quantities.

Influence of large-scale motions on the frictional drag in a turbulent boundary layer

2017 ◽  
Vol 829 ◽  
pp. 751-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinyul Hwang ◽  
Hyung Jin Sung
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Skin Friction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Local Skin ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Change Of Scale ◽  
Local Skin Friction ◽  
Near Wall

Direct numerical simulation data of a turbulent boundary layer ($Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=1000$) were used to investigate the large-scale influences on the vortical structures that contribute to the local skin friction. The amplitudes of the streamwise and wall-normal swirling strengths ($\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{x}$and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{y}$) were conditionally sampled by measuring the large-scale streamwise velocity fluctuations ($u_{l}$). In the near-wall region, the amplitudes of$\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{x}$and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{y}$decreased under negative$u_{l}$rather than under positive$u_{l}$. This behaviour arose from the spanwise motions within the footprints of the large-scale low-speed ($u_{l}<0$) and high-speed structures ($u_{l}>0$). The intense spanwise motions under the footprint of positive$u_{l}$noticeably strengthened the small-scale spanwise velocity fluctuations ($w_{s}$) below the centre of the near-wall vortical structures as compared to$w_{s}$within the footprint of negative$u_{l}$. The streamwise and wall-normal components were attenuated or amplified around the modulated vortical motions, which in turn led to the dependence of the swirling strength on the$u_{l}$event. We quantified the contribution of the modulated vortical motions$\langle -w\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{y}\rangle$, which were related to a change-of-scale effect due to the vortex-stretching force, to the local skin friction. In the near-wall region, intense values of$\langle -w\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{y}\rangle$were observed for positive$u_{l}$. By contrast, these values were low for negative$u_{l}$, in connection with the amplification of$w_{s}$and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{y}$by the strong spanwise motions of the positive$u_{l}$. The resultant skin friction induced by the amplified vortical motions within$u_{l}^{+}>2$was responsible for 15 % of the total skin friction generated by the change-of-scale effect. Finally, we applied this analysis to a drag-reduced flow and found that the amplified vortical motions within the footprint of positive$u_{l}$were markedly diminished, which ultimately contributed to the total drag reduction.

scholarly journals Reynolds number trend of hierarchies and scale interactions in turbulent boundary layers

2017 ◽  
Vol 375 (2089) ◽  
pp. 20160077 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Baars ◽  
N. Hutchins ◽  
I. Marusic
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Shear Layers ◽  
Wall Turbulence ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Scale Interaction ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Near Wall

Small-scale velocity fluctuations in turbulent boundary layers are often coupled with the larger-scale motions. Studying the nature and extent of this scale interaction allows for a statistically representative description of the small scales over a time scale of the larger, coherent scales. In this study, we consider temporal data from hot-wire anemometry at Reynolds numbers ranging from Re τ ≈2800 to 22 800, in order to reveal how the scale interaction varies with Reynolds number. Large-scale conditional views of the representative amplitude and frequency of the small-scale turbulence, relative to the large-scale features, complement the existing consensus on large-scale modulation of the small-scale dynamics in the near-wall region. Modulation is a type of scale interaction, where the amplitude of the small-scale fluctuations is continuously proportional to the near-wall footprint of the large-scale velocity fluctuations. Aside from this amplitude modulation phenomenon, we reveal the influence of the large-scale motions on the characteristic frequency of the small scales, known as frequency modulation. From the wall-normal trends in the conditional averages of the small-scale properties, it is revealed how the near-wall modulation transitions to an intermittent-type scale arrangement in the log-region. On average, the amplitude of the small-scale velocity fluctuations only deviates from its mean value in a confined temporal domain, the duration of which is fixed in terms of the local Taylor time scale. These concentrated temporal regions are centred on the internal shear layers of the large-scale uniform momentum zones, which exhibit regions of positive and negative streamwise velocity fluctuations. With an increasing scale separation at high Reynolds numbers, this interaction pattern encompasses the features found in studies on internal shear layers and concentrated vorticity fluctuations in high-Reynolds-number wall turbulence. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Toward the development of high-fidelity models of wall turbulence at large Reynolds number’.

scholarly journals A comparison of turbulent pipe, channel and boundary layer flows

2009 ◽  
Vol 632 ◽  
pp. 431-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. MONTY ◽  
N. HUTCHINS ◽  
H. C. H. NG ◽  
I. MARUSIC ◽  
M. S. CHONG
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Streamwise Velocity ◽  
Energy Spectra ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Velocity Measurements ◽  
Boundary Layer Flows ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Measurement Resolution ◽  
Structural Differences ◽  
Near Wall

The extent or existence of similarities between fully developed turbulent pipes and channels, and in zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers has come into question in recent years. This is in contrast to the traditionally accepted view that, upon appropriate normalization, all three flows can be regarded as the same in the near-wall region. In this paper, the authors aim to provide clarification of this issue through streamwise velocity measurements in these three flows with carefully matched Reynolds number and measurement resolution. Results show that mean statistics in the near-wall region collapse well. However, the premultiplied energy spectra of streamwise velocity fluctuations show marked structural differences that cannot be explained by scaling arguments. It is concluded that, while similarities exist at these Reynolds numbers, one should exercise caution when drawing comparisons between the three shear flows, even near the wall.

scholarly journals Turbulent Taylor–Couette flow with stationary inner cylinder

2016 ◽  
Vol 799 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ostilla-Mónico ◽  
R. Verzicco ◽  
D. Lohse
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Law Of The Wall ◽  
Large Scale Structures ◽  
Large Gradient ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Taylor Couette ◽  
Cylinder Rotation

A series of direct numerical simulations were performed of Taylor–Couette (TC) flow, the flow between two coaxial cylinders, with the outer cylinder rotating and the inner one fixed. Three cases were considered, where the Reynolds number of the outer cylinder was $Re_{o}=5.5\times 10^{4}$, $Re_{o}=1.1\times 10^{5}$ and $Re_{o}=2.2\times 10^{5}$. The ratio of radii ${\it\eta}=r_{i}/r_{o}$ was fixed to ${\it\eta}=0.909$ to mitigate the effects of curvature. Axially periodic boundary conditions were used, with the aspect ratio of vertical periodicity ${\it\Gamma}$ fixed to ${\it\Gamma}=2.09$. Being linearly stable, TC flow with outer cylinder rotation is known to have very different behaviour than TC flow with pure inner cylinder rotation. Here, we find that the flow nonetheless becomes turbulent, but the torque required to drive the cylinders and level of velocity fluctuations was found to be smaller than those for pure inner cylinder rotation at comparable Reynolds numbers. The mean angular momentum profiles showed a large gradient in the bulk, instead of the constant angular momentum profiles of pure inner cylinder rotation. The near-wall mean and fluctuation velocity profiles were found to coincide only very close to the wall, showing large deviations from both pure inner cylinder rotation profiles and the classic von Karman law of the wall elsewhere. Finally, transport of angular velocity was found to occur mainly through intermittent bursts, and not through wall-attached large-scale structures as is the case for pure inner cylinder rotation.

scholarly journals Turbulent plane Couette flow at moderately high Reynolds number

2014 ◽  
Vol 751 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Avsarkisov ◽  
S. Hoyas ◽  
M. Oberlack ◽  
J. P. García-Galache
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Couette Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Wall Layer ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Plane Couette Flow ◽  
Turbulent Plane ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Near Wall

AbstractA new set of numerical simulations of turbulent plane Couette flow in a large box of dimension ($\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}20\pi h,\, 2h,\, 6\pi h$) at Reynolds number $(\mathit{Re}_{\tau }) =125$, 180, 250 and 550 is described and compared with simulations at lower Reynolds numbers, Poiseuille flows and experiments. The simulations present a logarithmic near-wall layer and are used to verify and revise previously known results. It is confirmed that the fluctuation intensities in the streamwise and spanwise directions do not scale well in wall units. The scaling failure occurs both near to and away from the wall. On the contrary, the wall-normal intensity scales in inner units in the near-wall region and in outer units in the core region. The spectral ridge found by Hoyas & Jiménez (Phys. Fluids, vol. 18, 2003, 011702) for the turbulent Poiseuille flow can also be seen in the present flow. Away from the wall, very large-scale motions are found spanning through all the length of the channel. The statistics of these simulations can be downloaded from the webpage of the Chair of Fluid Dynamics.

scholarly journals Evidence of very long meandering features in the logarithmic region of turbulent boundary layers

2007 ◽  
Vol 579 ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. HUTCHINS ◽  
IVAN MARUSIC
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Streamwise Velocity ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layers ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Near Wall

A regime of very long meandering positive and negative streamwise velocity fluctuations, that we term ‘superstructures’, are found to exist in the log and lower wake regions of turbulent boundary layers. Measurements are made with a spanwise rake of 10 hot-wires in two separate facilities (spanning more than a decade of Reτ) and are compared with existing PIV and DNS results. In all cases, we note evidence of a large-scale stripiness in the streamwise velocity fluctuations. The length of these regions can commonly exceed 20δ. Similar length scales have been previously reported for pipes and DNS channel flows. It is suggested that the true length of these features is masked from single-point statistics (such as autocorrelations and spectra) by a spanwise meandering tendency. Support for this conjecture is offered through the study of a synthetic flow composed only of sinusoidally meandering elongated low- and high-speed regions. From detailed maps of one-dimensional spectra, it is found that the contribution to the streamwise turbulence intensities associated with the superstructures appears to be increasingly significant with Reynolds number, and scales with outer length variables (δ). Importantly, the superstructure maintains a presence or footprint in the near-wall region, seeming to modulate or influence the near-wall cycle. This input of low-wavenumber outer-scaled energy into the near-wall region is consistent with the rise in near-wall streamwise intensities, when scaled with inner variables, that has been noted to occur with increasing Reynolds number. In an attempt to investigate these structures at very high Reynolds numbers, we also report on recent large-scale sonic anemometer rake measurements, made in the neutrally stable atmospheric surface layer. Preliminary results indicate that the superstructure is present in the log region of this atmospheric flow at Reτ = 6.6×105, and has a size consistent with outer scaling.

Axisymmetric Couette flow at large Taylor numbers

1984 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 329-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Large Scale Motion ◽  
Scale Motion

Measurements have been made in flow between concentric cylinders with only the inner one rotating, for Reynolds numbers (based on flow gap) from 17 000 to 120 000, corresponding to Taylor numbers from 8 × 107 to 4 × 109. At the lower speeds (Reynolds numbers less than 30 000), the large-scale motion consists of toroidal eddies, highly uniform in spacing and intensity and convected by a slow axial flow past fixed sensors. By synchronizing an external oscillator with the passage frequency, flow velocity and small-scale turbulent intensity may be sampled at defined stages of the passage cycle and averaged to provide maps of the velocity fields and the associated distributions of small-scale intensity and Reynolds stress.At higher speeds, the passage of toroidal eddies becomes too irregular to establish the passage cycle, but, by comparing the velocity fluctuations from four inclined hot wires placed near the outer cylinder, the current location of large-scale flow separation from the outer cylinder can be approximately determined. Statistics of the temporal variations of the location show that the large-scale motion still approximates to the toroidal form, but that there are azimuthal variations of separation position and velocity that indicate a change from toroidal to helical eddies. Conditional averages of flow velocity and small-scale turbulent intensity, based on relative distance from the position of flow separation, are very similar in form and magnitude to phase-selected averages obtained at lower speeds.The considerable changes in the large-scale motion that occur as the Reynolds number increases from 300 to 1200 times the critical value are believed to arise from increase in the ‘turbulent Taylor number’ of the central flow, based on variation of angular momentum and on the eddy diffusion coefficients for linear and angular momentum. Effects on the motion of the slow axial flow, always less than 1% of the peripheral flow velocity, are also discussed.

Turbulent flow between counter-rotating concentric cylinders: a direct numerical simulation study

2008 ◽  
Vol 615 ◽  
pp. 371-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. DONG
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Taylor Vortex ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Concentric Cylinders ◽  
High Reynolds

We report three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of the turbulent flow between counter-rotating concentric cylinders with a radius ratio 0.5. The inner- and outer-cylinder Reynolds numbers have the same magnitude, which ranges from 500 to 4000 in the simulations. We show that with the increase of Reynolds number, the prevailing structures in the flow are azimuthal vortices with scales much smaller than the cylinder gap. At high Reynolds numbers, while the instantaneous small-scale vortices permeate the entire domain, the large-scale Taylor vortex motions manifested by the time-averaged field do not penetrate a layer of fluid near the outer cylinder. Comparisons between the standard Taylor–Couette system (rotating inner cylinder, fixed outer cylinder) and the counter-rotating system demonstrate the profound effects of the Coriolis force on the mean flow and other statistical quantities. The dynamical and statistical features of the flow have been investigated in detail.

scholarly journals Optimal Taylor–Couette turbulence

2012 ◽  
Vol 706 ◽  
pp. 118-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis P. M. van Gils ◽  
Sander G. Huisman ◽  
Siegfried Grossmann ◽  
Chao Sun ◽  
Detlef Lohse
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Function ◽  
Probability Distribution ◽  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Probability Distribution Function ◽  
Neutral Line ◽  
Velocity Ratio ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Taylor Number ◽  
Counter Rotation ◽  
Taylor Couette

AbstractStrongly turbulent Taylor–Couette flow with independently rotating inner and outer cylinders with a radius ratio of $\eta = 0. 716$ is experimentally studied. From global torque measurements, we analyse the dimensionless angular velocity flux ${\mathit{Nu}}_{\omega } (\mathit{Ta}, a)$ as a function of the Taylor number $\mathit{Ta}$ and the angular velocity ratio $a= \ensuremath{-} {\omega }_{o} / {\omega }_{i} $ in the large-Taylor-number regime $1{0}^{11} \lesssim \mathit{Ta}\lesssim 1{0}^{13} $ and well off the inviscid stability borders (Rayleigh lines) $a= \ensuremath{-} {\eta }^{2} $ for co-rotation and $a= \infty $ for counter-rotation. We analyse the data with the common power-law ansatz for the dimensionless angular velocity transport flux ${\mathit{Nu}}_{\omega } (\mathit{Ta}, a)= f(a)\hspace{0.167em} {\mathit{Ta}}^{\gamma } $, with an amplitude $f(a)$ and an exponent $\gamma $. The data are consistent with one effective exponent $\gamma = 0. 39\pm 0. 03$ for all $a$, but we discuss a possible $a$ dependence in the co- and weakly counter-rotating regimes. The amplitude of the angular velocity flux $f(a)\equiv {\mathit{Nu}}_{\omega } (\mathit{Ta}, a)/ {\mathit{Ta}}^{0. 39} $ is measured to be maximal at slight counter-rotation, namely at an angular velocity ratio of ${a}_{\mathit{opt}} = 0. 33\pm 0. 04$, i.e. along the line ${\omega }_{o} = \ensuremath{-} 0. 33{\omega }_{i} $. This value is theoretically interpreted as the result of a competition between the destabilizing inner cylinder rotation and the stabilizing but shear-enhancing outer cylinder counter-rotation. With the help of laser Doppler anemometry, we provide angular velocity profiles and in particular identify the radial position ${r}_{n} $ of the neutral line, defined by $ \mathop{ \langle \omega ({r}_{n} )\rangle } \nolimits _{t} = 0$ for fixed height $z$. For these large $\mathit{Ta}$ values, the ratio $a\approx 0. 40$, which is close to ${a}_{\mathit{opt}} = 0. 33$, is distinguished by a zero angular velocity gradient $\partial \omega / \partial r= 0$ in the bulk. While for moderate counter-rotation $\ensuremath{-} 0. 40{\omega }_{i} \lesssim {\omega }_{o} \lt 0$, the neutral line still remains close to the outer cylinder and the probability distribution function of the bulk angular velocity is observed to be monomodal. For stronger counter-rotation the neutral line is pushed inwards towards the inner cylinder; in this regime the probability distribution function of the bulk angular velocity becomes bimodal, reflecting intermittent bursts of turbulent structures beyond the neutral line into the outer flow domain, which otherwise is stabilized by the counter-rotating outer cylinder. Finally, a hypothesis is offered allowing a unifying view and consistent interpretation for all these various results.

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