scholarly journals Self-sustaining process of minimal attached eddies in turbulent channel flow

2016 ◽  
Vol 795 ◽  
pp. 708-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongyun Hwang ◽  
Yacine Bengana

It has been recently shown that the energy-containing motions (i.e. coherent structures) in turbulent channel flow exist in the form of Townsend’s attached eddies by a numerical experiment which simulates the energy-containing motions only at a prescribed spanwise length scale using their self-sustaining nature (Hwang, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 767, 2015, pp. 254–289). In the present study, a detailed investigation of the self-sustaining process of the energy-containing motions at each spanwise length scale (i.e. the attached eddies) in the logarithmic and outer regions is carried out with an emphasis on its relevance to ‘bursting’, which refers to an energetic temporal oscillation of the motions (Flores & Jiménez, Phys. Fluids, vol. 22, 2010, 071704). It is shown that the attached eddies in the logarithmic and outer regions, composed of streaks and quasi-streamwise vortical structures, bear the self-sustaining process remarkably similar to that in the near-wall region: i.e. the streaks are significantly amplified by the quasi-streamwise vortices via the lift-up effect; the amplified streaks subsequently undergo a ‘rapid streamwise meandering motion’, reminiscent of streak instability or transient growth, which eventually results in breakdown of the streaks and regeneration of new quasi-streamwise vortices. For the attached eddies at a given spanwise length scale ${\it\lambda}_{z}$ between ${\it\lambda}_{z}^{+}\simeq 100$ and ${\it\lambda}_{z}\simeq 1.5h$, the single turnover time period of the self-sustaining process is found to be $Tu_{{\it\tau}}/{\it\lambda}_{z}\simeq 2$ ($u_{{\it\tau}}$ is the friction velocity), which corresponds well to the time scale of the bursting. Two additional numerical experiments, designed to artificially suppress the lift-up effect and the streak meandering motions, respectively, reveal that these processes are essential ingredients of the self-sustaining process of the attached eddies in the logarithmic and outer regions, consistent with several previous theoretical studies. It is also shown that the artificial suppression of the lift-up effect of the attached eddies in the logarithmic and outer regions leads to substantial amounts of turbulent skin-friction reduction.

2015 ◽  
Vol 767 ◽  
pp. 254-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongyun Hwang

AbstractThe linear growth of the spanwise correlation length scale with the distance from the wall in the logarithmic region of wall-bounded turbulent flows has been understood as a reflection of Townsend’s attached eddies. Based on this observation, in the present study, we perform a numerical experiment, which simulates energy-containing motions only at a given spanwise length scale in the logarithmic region, using their self-sustaining nature found recently. The self-sustaining energy-containing motions at each of the spanwise length scales are found to be self-similar with respect to the given spanwise length. Furthermore, their statistical structures are consistent with those of the attached eddies in the original theory, providing direct evidence on the existence of Townsend’s attached eddies. It is shown that a single self-sustaining attached eddy is composed of two distinct elements, one of which is a long streaky motion reaching the near-wall region, and the other is a relatively short vortical structure carrying all the velocity components. For the given spanwise length ${\it\lambda}_{z}$ between ${\it\lambda}_{z}^{+}=100$ and ${\it\lambda}_{z}\simeq 1.5h$, where $h$ is half the height of the channel, the former is found to be self-similar along $y\simeq 0.1{\it\lambda}_{z}$ and ${\it\lambda}_{x}\simeq 10{\it\lambda}_{z}$, while the latter is self-similar along $y\simeq 0.5{\it\lambda}_{z}\sim 0.7{\it\lambda}_{z}$ and ${\it\lambda}_{x}\simeq 2{\it\lambda}_{z}\sim 3{\it\lambda}_{z}$ where $y$ is the wall-normal direction. The scaling suggests that the smallest attached eddy would be a near-wall coherent motion in the form of a streak and quasi-streamwise vortices aligned to that, whereas the largest one would be an outer motion with a very-large-scale motion (VLSM) and large-scale motions (LSMs) aligned to that. The attached eddies in between, the size of which is proportional to their distance from the wall, contribute to the logarithmic region and fill the space caused by the length scale separation. The scaling is also found to yield behaviour consistent with the emergence of $k_{x}^{-1}$ spectra in a number of previous studies. Finally, a further discussion is provided, in particular on Townsend’s inactive motion and several recent theoretical findings.


1996 ◽  
Vol 310 ◽  
pp. 269-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh M. Blackburn ◽  
Nagi N. Mansour ◽  
Brian J. Cantwell

An investigation of topological features of the velocity gradient field of turbulent channel flow has been carried out using results from a direct numerical simulation for which the Reynolds number based on the channel half-width and the centreline velocity was 7860. Plots of the joint probability density functions of the invariants of the rate of strain and velocity gradient tensors indicated that away from the wall region, the fine-scale motions in the flow have many characteristics in common with a variety of other turbulent and transitional flows: the intermediate principal strain rate tended to be positive at sites of high viscous dissipation of kinetic energy, while the invariants of the velocity gradient tensor showed that a preference existed for stable focus/stretching and unstable node/saddle/saddle topologies. Visualization of regions in the flow with stable focus/stretching topologies revealed arrays of discrete downstream-leaning flow structures which originated near the wall and penetrated into the outer region of the flow. In all regions of the flow, there was a strong preference for the vorticity to be aligned with the intermediate principal strain rate direction, with the effect increasing near the walls in response to boundary conditions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-89
Author(s):  
Muhammad Saiful Islam Mallik ◽  
Md. Ashraf Uddin

A large eddy simulation (LES) of a plane turbulent channel flow is performed at a Reynolds number Re? = 590 based on the channel half width, ? and wall shear velocity, u? by approximating the near wall region using differential equation wall model (DEWM). The simulation is performed in a computational domain of 2?? x 2? x ??. The computational domain is discretized by staggered grid system with 32 x 30 x 32 grid points. In this domain the governing equations of LES are discretized spatially by second order finite difference formulation, and for temporal discretization the third order low-storage Runge-Kutta method is used. Essential turbulence statistics of the computed flow field based on this LES approach are calculated and compared with the available Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and LES data where no wall model was used. Comparing the results throughout the calculation domain we have found that the LES results based on DEWM show closer agreement with the DNS data, especially at the near wall region. That is, the LES approach based on DEWM can capture the effects of near wall structures more accurately. Flow structures in the computed flow field in the 3D turbulent channel have also been discussed and compared with LES data using no wall model.


Author(s):  
Atsushi Nagamachi ◽  
Takahiro Tsukahara

Abstract We tested Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to predict a fully-developed turbulent channel flow of a viscoelastic fluid in preparation for elucidating flow phenomenon and solving the difficulty in DNS (Direct Numerical Simulation) due to numerical instability of the viscoelastic fluid. Two kinds of ANNs (multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and U-Net) were trained using DNS data to predict conformation stress from given instantaneous field. The MLP showed accurate predictions and predictions got better with z-score normalization. ANN predicted accurately in near-wall region having coherent structures. In addition, we demonstrated that ANN get the nonlinear relationship between velocity gradient and viscoelastic stress partially.


Author(s):  
Boris Arcen ◽  
Anne Tanie`re ◽  
Benoiˆt Oesterle´

The importance of using the lift force and wall-corrections of the drag coefficient for modeling the motion of solid particles in a fully-developed channel flow is investigated by means of direct numerical simulation (DNS). The turbulent channel flow is computed at a Reynolds number based on the wall-shear velocity and channel half-width of 185. Contrary to most of the numerical simulations, we consider in the present study a lift force formulation that accounts for the weak and strong shear as well as for the wall effects (hereinafter referred to as optimum lift force), and the wall-corrections of the drag force. The DNS results show that the optimum lift force and the wall-corrections of the drag together have little influence on most of the statistics (particle concentration, mean velocities, and mean relative and drift velocities), even in the near wall region.


2016 ◽  
Vol 808 ◽  
pp. 511-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo de Giovanetti ◽  
Yongyun Hwang ◽  
Haecheon Choi

Despite a growing body of recent evidence on the hierarchical organization of the self-similar energy-containing motions in the form of Townsend’s attached eddies in wall-bounded turbulent flows, their role in turbulent skin-friction generation is currently not well understood. In this paper, the contribution of each of these self-similar energy-containing motions to turbulent skin friction is explored up to $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}\simeq 4000$. Three different approaches are employed to quantify the skin-friction generation by the motions, the spanwise length scale of which is smaller than a given cutoff wavelength: (i) FIK (Fukagata, Iwamoto, Kasagi) identity in combination with the spanwise wavenumber spectra of the Reynolds shear stress; (ii) confinement of the spanwise computational domain; (iii) artificial damping of the motions to be examined. The near-wall motions are found to continuously reduce their role in skin-friction generation on increasing the Reynolds number, consistent with the previous finding at low Reynolds numbers. The largest structures given in the form of very-large-scale and large-scale motions are also found to be of limited importance: due to a non-trivial scale interaction process, their complete removal yields only a 5–8 % skin-friction reduction at all of the Reynolds numbers considered, although they are found to be responsible for 20–30 % of total skin friction at $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}\simeq 2000$. Application of all the three approaches consistently reveals that the largest amount of skin friction is generated by the self-similar motions populating the logarithmic region. It is further shown that the contribution of these motions to turbulent skin friction gradually increases with the Reynolds number, and that these coherent structures are eventually responsible for most of turbulent skin-friction generation at sufficiently high Reynolds numbers.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 598-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kasagi ◽  
Y. Tomita ◽  
A. Kuroda

A direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the fully developed thermal field in a two-dimensional turbulent channel flow of air was carried out. The isoflux condition was imposed on the two walls so that the local mean temperature increased linearly in the streamwise direction. With any buoyancy effect neglected, temperature was considered as a passive scalar. The computation was executed on 1,589,248 grid points by using a spectral method. The statistics obtained were root-mean-square temperature fluctuations, turbulent heat fluxes, turbulent Prandtl number, and dissipation time scales. They agreed fairly well with existing experimental and numerical simulation data. Each term in the budget equations of temperature variance, its dissipation rate, and turbulent heat fluxes was also calculated. It was found that the temperature fluctuation θ′ was closely correlated with the streamwise velocity fluctuation u′, particularly in the near-wall region. Hence, the distribution of budget terms for the streamwise and wall-normal heat fluxes, u′θ′ and v′θ′, were very similar to those for the two Reynolds stress components, u′u′ and u′v′.


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