Small-scale anisotropy in turbulent boundary layers

2016 ◽  
Vol 804 ◽  
pp. 5-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Pumir ◽  
Haitao Xu ◽  
Eric D. Siggia
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Statistical Properties ◽  
Simultaneous Action ◽  
Large Reynolds Number ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Scale Properties

In a channel flow, the velocity fluctuations are inhomogeneous and anisotropic. Yet, the small-scale properties of the flow are expected to behave in an isotropic manner in the very-large-Reynolds-number limit. We consider the statistical properties of small-scale velocity fluctuations in a turbulent channel flow at moderately high Reynolds number ($Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}\approx 1000$), using the Johns Hopkins University Turbulence Database. Away from the wall, in the logarithmic layer, the skewness of the normal derivative of the streamwise velocity fluctuation is approximately constant, of order 1, while the Reynolds number based on the Taylor scale is $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}\approx 150$. This defines a small-scale anisotropy that is stronger than in turbulent homogeneous shear flows at comparable values of $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$. In contrast, the vorticity–strain correlations that characterize homogeneous isotropic turbulence are nearly unchanged in channel flow even though they do vary with distance from the wall with an exponent that can be inferred from the local dissipation. Our results demonstrate that the statistical properties of the fluctuating velocity gradient in turbulent channel flow are characterized, on one hand, by observables that are insensitive to the anisotropy, and behave as in homogeneous isotropic flows, and on the other hand by quantities that are much more sensitive to the anisotropy. How this seemingly contradictory situation emerges from the simultaneous action of the flux of energy to small scales and the transport of momentum away from the wall remains to be elucidated.

On the universality of local dissipation scales in turbulent channel flow

2015 ◽  
Vol 786 ◽  
pp. 234-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. C. Bailey ◽  
B. M. Witte
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Scaling Behaviour ◽  
Sixth Moment

Well-resolved measurements of the small-scale dissipation statistics within turbulent channel flow are reported for a range of Reynolds numbers from $Re_{{\it\tau}}\approx 500$ to 4000. In this flow, the local large-scale Reynolds number based on the longitudinal integral length scale is found to poorly describe the Reynolds number dependence of the small-scale statistics. When a length scale based on Townsend’s attached-eddy hypothesis is used to define the local large-scale Reynolds number, the Reynolds number scaling behaviour was found to be more consistent with that observed in homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. The Reynolds number scaling of the dissipation moments up to the sixth moment was examined and the results were found to be in good agreement with predicted scaling behaviour (Schumacher et al., Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 111, 2014, pp. 10961–10965). The probability density functions of the local dissipation scales (Yakhot, Physica D, vol. 215 (2), 2006, pp. 166–174) were also determined and, when the revised local large-scale Reynolds number is used for normalization, provide support for the existence of a universal distribution which scales differently for inner and outer regions.

scholarly journals Geometric study of Lagrangian and Eulerian structures in turbulent channel flow

2011 ◽  
Vol 674 ◽  
pp. 67-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUE YANG ◽  
D. I. PULLIN
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Inclination Angle ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Sweep Angle ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Geometric Study ◽  
Near Wall

We report the detailed multi-scale and multi-directional geometric study of both evolving Lagrangian and instantaneous Eulerian structures in turbulent channel flow at low and moderate Reynolds numbers. The Lagrangian structures (material surfaces) are obtained by tracking the Lagrangian scalar field, and Eulerian structures are extracted from the swirling strength field at a time instant. The multi-scale and multi-directional geometric analysis, based on the mirror-extended curvelet transform, is developed to quantify the geometry, including the averaged inclination and sweep angles, of both structures at up to eight scales ranging from the half-height δ of the channel to several viscous length scales δν. Here, the inclination angle is on the plane of the streamwise and wall-normal directions, and the sweep angle is on the plane of streamwise and spanwise directions. The results show that coherent quasi-streamwise structures in the near-wall region are composed of inclined objects with averaged inclination angle 35°–45°, averaged sweep angle 30°–40° and characteristic scale 20δν, and ‘curved legs’ with averaged inclination angle 20°–30°, averaged sweep angle 15°–30° and length scale 5δν–10δν. The temporal evolution of Lagrangian structures shows increasing inclination and sweep angles with time, which may correspond to the lifting process of near-wall quasi-streamwise vortices. The large-scale structures that appear to be composed of a number of individual small-scale objects are detected using cross-correlations between Eulerian structures with large and small scales. These packets are located at the near-wall region with the typical height 0.25δ and may extend over 10δ in the streamwise direction in moderate-Reynolds-number, long channel flows. In addition, the effects of the Reynolds number and comparisons between Lagrangian and Eulerian structures are discussed.

scholarly journals Correlation between small-scale velocity and scalar fluctuations in a turbulent channel flow

2009 ◽  
Vol 627 ◽  
pp. 1-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
HIROYUKI ABE ◽  
ROBERT ANTHONY ANTONIA ◽  
HIROSHI KAWAMURA
Keyword(s):  
Strain Rate ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Dissipation Rate ◽  
Compressive Strain ◽  
Outer Region ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Scalar Fields ◽  
Scalar Dissipation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Scalar Dissipation Rate

Direct numerical simulations of a turbulent channel flow with passive scalar transport are used to examine the relationship between small-scale velocity and scalar fields. The Reynolds number based on the friction velocity and the channel half-width is equal to 180, 395 and 640, and the molecular Prandtl number is 0.71. The focus is on the interrelationship between the components of the vorticity vector and those of the scalar derivative vector. Near the wall, there is close similarity between different components of the two vectors due to the almost perfect correspondence between the momentum and thermal streaks. With increasing distance from the wall, the magnitudes of the correlations become smaller but remain non-negligible everywhere in the channel owing to the presence of internal shear and scalar layers in the inner region and the backs of the large-scale motions in the outer region. The topology of the scalar dissipation rate, which is important for small-scale scalar mixing, is shown to be associated with the organized structures. The most preferential orientation of the scalar dissipation rate is the direction of the mean strain rate near the wall and that of the fluctuating compressive strain rate in the outer region. The latter region has many characteristics in common with several turbulent flows; viz. the dominant structures are sheetlike in form and better correlated with the energy dissipation rate than the enstrophy.

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow up to

2015 ◽  
Vol 774 ◽  
pp. 395-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myoungkyu Lee ◽  
Robert D. Moser
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Direct Numerical Simulation ◽  
Turbulent Flows ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Streamwise Velocity ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Layer Structures ◽  
High Reynolds

A direct numerical simulation of incompressible channel flow at a friction Reynolds number ($\mathit{Re}_{{\it\tau}}$) of 5186 has been performed, and the flow exhibits a number of the characteristics of high-Reynolds-number wall-bounded turbulent flows. For example, a region where the mean velocity has a logarithmic variation is observed, with von Kármán constant ${\it\kappa}=0.384\pm 0.004$. There is also a logarithmic dependence of the variance of the spanwise velocity component, though not the streamwise component. A distinct separation of scales exists between the large outer-layer structures and small inner-layer structures. At intermediate distances from the wall, the one-dimensional spectrum of the streamwise velocity fluctuation in both the streamwise and spanwise directions exhibits $k^{-1}$ dependence over a short range in wavenumber $(k)$. Further, consistent with previous experimental observations, when these spectra are multiplied by $k$ (premultiplied spectra), they have a bimodal structure with local peaks located at wavenumbers on either side of the $k^{-1}$ range.

Anomalous velocity fluctuations in particulate turbulent channel flow

2001 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Fukagata ◽  
Said Zahrai ◽  
Shunsuke Kondo ◽  
Fritz H. Bark
Keyword(s):  
Channel Flow ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Anomalous Velocity
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