On higher order passive scalar structure functions in grid turbulence

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 4012-4019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armann Gylfason ◽  
Zellman Warhaft
Keyword(s):  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Grid Turbulence ◽  
Scalar Structure

Finite-Péclet-number effects on the scaling exponents of high-order passive scalar structure functions

2012 ◽  
Vol 713 ◽  
pp. 453-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lepore ◽  
L. Mydlarski
Keyword(s):  
Scalar Field ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
High Order ◽  
Field Boundary ◽  
Scaling Exponents ◽  
Heated Cylinder ◽  
Scalar Structure ◽  
The Difference

AbstractThe effect of scalar-field (temperature) boundary conditions on the inertial-convective-range scaling exponents of the high-order passive scalar structure functions is studied in the turbulent, heated wake downstream of a circular cylinder. The temperature field is generated two ways: using (i) a heating element embedded within the cylinder that generates the hydrodynamic wake (thus creating a heated cylinder) and (ii) a mandoline (an array of fine, heated wires) installed downstream of the cylinder. The hydrodynamic field is independent of the scalar-field boundary conditions/injection methods, and the same in both flows. Using the two heat injection mechanisms outlined above, the inertial-convective-range scaling exponents of the high-order passive scalar structure functions were measured. It is observed that the different scalar-field boundary conditions yield significantly different scaling exponents (with the magnitude of the difference increasing with structure function order). Moreover, the exponents obtained from the mandoline experiment are smaller than the analogous exponents from the heated cylinder experiment (both of which exhibit a significant departure from the Kolmogorov prediction). Since the observed deviation from the Kolmogorov $n/ 3$ prediction arises due to the effects of internal intermittency, the typical interpretation of this result would be that the scalar field downstream of the mandoline is more internally intermittent than that generated by the heated cylinder. However, additional measures of internal intermittency (namely the inertial-convective-range scaling exponents of the mixed, sixth-order, velocity–temperature structure functions and the non-centred autocorrelations of the dissipation rate of scalar variance) suggest that both scalar fields possess similar levels of internal intermittency – a distinctly different conclusion. Examination of the normalized high-order moments reveals that the smaller scaling exponents (of the high-order passive scalar structure functions) obtained for the mandoline experiment arise due to the smaller thermal integral length scale of the flow (i.e. the narrower inertial-convective subrange) and are not solely the result of a more intermittent scalar field. The difference in the passive scalar structure function scaling exponents can therefore be interpreted as an artifact of the different, finite Péclet numbers of the flows under consideration – an effect that is notably less prominent in the other measures of internal intermittency.

Passive scalar statistics in high-Péclet-number grid turbulence

1998 ◽  
Vol 358 ◽  
pp. 135-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. MYDLARSKI ◽  
Z. WARHAFT
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Velocity Field ◽  
Peclet Number ◽  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Order Structure ◽  
Grid Turbulence ◽  
Temperature Derivative ◽  
Péclet Number ◽  
Transverse Temperature

The statistics of a turbulent passive scalar (temperature) and their Reynolds number dependence are studied in decaying grid turbulence for the Taylor-microscale Reynolds number, Rλ, varying from 30 to 731 (21[les ]Peλ[les ]512). A principal objective is, using a single (and simple) flow, to bridge the gap between the existing passive grid-generated low-Péclet-number laboratory experiments and those done at high Péclet number in the atmosphere and oceans. The turbulence is generated by means of an active grid and the passive temperature fluctuations are generated by a mean transverse temperature gradient, formed at the entrance to the wind tunnel plenum chamber by an array of differentially heated elements. A well-defined inertial–convective scaling range for the scalar with a slope, nθ, close to the Obukhov–Corrsin value of 5/3, is observed for all Reynolds numbers. This is in sharp contrast with the velocity field, in which a 5/3 slope is only approached at high Rλ. The Obukhov–Corrsin constant, Cθ, is estimated to be 0.45–0.55. Unlike the velocity spectrum, a bump occurs in the spectrum of the scalar at the dissipation scales, with increasing prominence as the Reynolds number is increased. A scaling range for the heat flux cospectrum was also observed, but with a slope around 2, less than the 7/3 expected from scaling theory. Transverse structure functions of temperature exist at the third and fifth orders, and, as for even-order structure functions, the width of their inertial subranges dilates with Reynolds number in a systematic way. As previously shown for shear flows, the existence of these odd-order structure functions is a violation of local isotropy for the scalar differences, as is the existence of non-zero values of the transverse temperature derivative skewness (of order unity) and hyperskewness (of order 100). The ratio of the temperature derivative standard deviation along and normal to the gradient is 1.2±0.1, and is independent of Reynolds number. The refined similarity hypothesis for the passive scalar was found to hold for all Rλ, which was not the case for the velocity field. The intermittency exponent for the scalar, μθ, was found to be 0.25±0.05 with a possible weak Rλ dependence, unlike the velocity field, where μ was a strong function of Reynolds number. New, higher-Reynolds-number results for the velocity field, which smoothly follow the trends of Mydlarski & Warhaft (1996), are also presented.

Investigation of internal intermittency by way of higher-order spectral moments

2021 ◽  
Vol 932 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lortie ◽  
L. Mydlarski
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
High Reynolds Number ◽  
Scalar Fields ◽  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Inertial Subrange ◽  
Grid Turbulence ◽  
Spectral Moments ◽  
Number Range ◽  
High Reynolds

The analysis of turbulence by way of higher-order spectral moments is uncommon, despite the relatively frequent use of such statistical analyses in other fields of physics and engineering. In this work, higher-order spectral moments are used to investigate the internal intermittency of the turbulent velocity and passive-scalar (temperature) fields. This study first introduces the theory behind higher-order spectral moments as they pertain to the field of turbulence. Then, a short-time Fourier-transform-based method is developed to estimate these higher-order spectral moments and provide a relative, scale-by-scale measure of intermittency. Experimental data are subsequently analysed and consist of measurements of homogeneous, isotropic, high-Reynolds-number, passive and active grid turbulence over the Reynolds-number range $35\leq R_{\lambda } \leq ~731$ . Emphasis is placed on third- and fourth-order spectral moments using the definitions formalised by Antoni (Mech. Syst. Signal Pr., vol. 20 (2), 2006, pp. 282–307), as such statistics are sensitive to transients and provide insight into deviations from Gaussian behaviour in grid turbulence. The higher-order spectral moments are also used to investigate the Reynolds (Péclet) number dependence of the internal intermittency of velocity and passive-scalar fields. The results demonstrate that the evolution of higher-order spectral moments with Reynolds number is strongly dependent on wavenumber. Finally, the relative levels of internal intermittency of the velocity and passive-scalar fields are compared and a higher level of internal intermittency in the inertial subrange of the scalar field is consistently observed, whereas a similar level of internal intermittency is observed for the velocity and passive-scalar fields for the high-Reynolds-number cases as the Kolmogorov length scale is approached.

Passive scalar dispersion and mixing in a turbulent jet

1995 ◽  
Vol 292 ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenning Tong ◽  
Z. Warhaft
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Thermal Field ◽  
Temperature Fluctuations ◽  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Turbulent Jet ◽  
Grid Turbulence ◽  
Far Field ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Heated Jet

The dispersion and mixing of passive scalar (temperature) fluctuations is studied in a turbulent jet. The temperature fluctuations were produced by heated fine wire rings placed axisymmetrically in the flow. Typically the ring diameters were of the same order as the jet, Dj, and they were placed in the self-similar region. However, other initial conditions were studied, including a very small diameter ring used to approximate a point source. Using a single ring to study dispersion (which is analogous to placing a line source in a planar flow such as grid turbulence), it was found that the intense local thermal field close to the ring disperses and fills the whole jet in approximately 1.5 eddy turnover times. Thereafter the thermal field evolves in the same way as for the traditional heated jet experiments. Two heated rings were used to study the mixing of two independently introduced scalar fields. Here an inference method (invoking the principle of superposition) was used to determine the evolution of the cross-correlation coefficient, ρ, and the segregation parameter, α, as well as the coherence and co-spectrum. While initially strongly dependent on ring locations and spacing, ρ and α reached asymptotic values of 1 and 0.04, respectively, also in about 1.5 eddy turnover times. These results are contrasted with mixing and dispersion in grid turbulence where the evolution is slower. Measurements in the far field of the jet (where ρ = 1) of the square of the scalar derivative conditioned on the scalar fluctuation itself, as well as other conditional statistics, showed strong dependence on the measurement location, as well as the direction in which the derivative was determined. The cross-correlation between the square of the scalar derivative and the signal showed a clear Reynolds-number trend, decreasing as the jet Reynolds number was varied from 2800 to 18 000. The far-field measurements, using the heated rings, were corroborated by new heated jet experiments.

Passive-scalar wake behind a line source in grid turbulence

2000 ◽  
Vol 416 ◽  
pp. 117-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. LIVESCU ◽  
F. A. JABERI ◽  
C. K. MADNIA
Keyword(s):  
Line Source ◽  
Scalar Fields ◽  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Transport Equations ◽  
Source Size ◽  
Scalar Dissipation ◽  
Grid Turbulence ◽  
Scalar Flux ◽  
Convective Regime ◽  
Scalar Variance

The structure and development of the scalar wake produced by a single line source are studied in decaying isotropic turbulence. The incompressible Navier–Stokes and the passive-scalar transport equations are solved via direct numerical simulations (DNS). The velocity and the scalar fields are generated by simulating Warhaft's (1984) experiment. The results for mean and r.m.s. scalar statistics are in good agreement with those obtained from the experiment. The structure of the scalar wake is examined first. At initial times, most of the contribution to the scalar variance is due to the flapping of the wake around the centreline. Near the end of the turbulent convective regime, the wake develops internal structure and the contribution of the flapping component to the scalar variance becomes negligible. The influence of the source size on the development of the scalar wake has been examined for source sizes ranging from the Kolmogorov microscale to the integral scale. After an initial development time, the half-widths of mean and scalar r.m.s. wakes grow at rates independent of the source size. The mixing in the scalar wake is studied by analysing the evolution of the terms in the transport equations for mean, scalar flux, variance, and scalar dissipation. The DNS results are used to test two types of closures for the mean and the scalar variance equations. For the time range simulated, the gradient diffusion model for the scalar flux and the commonly used scalar dissipation model are not supported by the DNS data. On the other hand, the model based on the unconditional probability density function (PDF) method predicts the scalar flux reasonably well near the end of the turbulent convective regime for the highest Reynolds number examined. The scalar source size does not significantly influence the models' predictions, although it appears that the time-scale ratio of mechanical dissipation to scalar dissipation approaches an asymptotic value earlier for larger source sizes.

scholarly journals Probing turbulence in OMC1 at the star forming scale: observations and simulations

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S237) ◽  
pp. 183-187
Author(s):  
Maiken Gustafsson ◽  
Axel Brandenburg ◽  
Jean-Louis Lemaire ◽  
David Field
Keyword(s):  
Selection Effect ◽  
Power Laws ◽  
Structure Functions ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Radial Velocities ◽  
Order Structure ◽  
Vibrationally Excited ◽  
Hydrodynamic Turbulence ◽  
Star Forming

AbstractUsing radial velocities of vibrationally excited H2 emission in OMC1 we present the structure functions and the scaling of the structure functions with their order at scales ranging from 70 AU to 30000 AU extending earlier related studies to scales lower by two orders of magnitude. The structure functions for OMC1 show clear deviations from power laws at 1500 AU. The scaling of the higher order structure functions with order deviates from predicted theoretical scalings. Observational results are compared with simulations of supersonic hydrodynamic turbulence. The unusual scaling is explained as a selection effect of preferentially observing the shocked part of the gas. The simulations are unable to reproduce the deviations from power laws of the structure functions.

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