On continuous spectra of the Orr–Sommerfeld/Squire equations and entrainment of free-stream vortical disturbances

2013 ◽  
Vol 732 ◽  
pp. 616-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Dong ◽  
Xuesong Wu
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Streamwise Velocity ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Leading Order ◽  
Local Boundary ◽  
Asymptotic Suction

AbstractSmall-amplitude perturbations are governed by the linearized Navier–Stokes equations, which are, for a parallel or nearly parallel shear flow, customarily reduced to the Orr–Sommerfeld (O-S) and Squire equations. In this paper, we consider continuous spectra (CS) of the O-S and Squire operators for the Blasius and asymptotic suction boundary layers, and address the issue of whether and when continuous modes can represent free-stream vortical disturbances and their entrainment into the shear layer. For the Blasius boundary layer, we highlight two particular properties of the CS: (i) the eigenfunction of a continuous mode simultaneously consists of two components with wall-normal wavenumbers $\pm {k}_{2} $, a phenomenon which we refer to as ‘entanglement of Fourier components’; and (ii) for low-frequency disturbances the presence of the boundary layer forces the streamwise velocity in the free stream to take a much larger amplitude than those of the transverse velocities. Both features appear to be non-physical, and cast some doubt about the appropriateness of using CS to characterize free-stream vortical disturbances and their entrainment into the boundary layer, a practice that has been adopted in some recent studies of bypass transition. A high-Reynolds-number asymptotic description of continuous modes and entrainment is present, and it shows that the entanglement is a result of neglecting non-parallelism, which has a leading-order effect on the entrainment. When this effect is included, entanglement disappears, and moreover the streamwise velocity is significantly amplified in the edge layer when ${R}^{- 1} \ll \omega \ll 1$, where $R$ is the Reynolds number based on the local boundary-layer thickness. For the asymptotic suction boundary layer, which is an exactly parallel flow, both temporal and spatial CS may be defined mathematically. However, at a finite $R$ neither of them represents the physical process of free-stream vortical disturbances penetrating into the boundary layer. The latter must instead be characterized by a peculiar type of continuous modes whose eigenfunctions increase exponentially with the distance from the wall. In the limit $R\gg 1$, all three types of CS are identical at leading order, and hence can be used to represent free-stream vortical disturbances and their entrainment. Low-frequency disturbances are found to generate a large-amplitude streamwise velocity in the boundary layer, which is reminiscent of longitudinal streaks.

scholarly journals Effect of free-stream turbulence and other vortical disturbances on a laminar boundary layer

1999 ◽  
Vol 380 ◽  
pp. 169-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. LEIB ◽  
DAVID W. WUNDROW ◽  
M. E. GOLDSTEIN
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Streamwise Velocity ◽  
Boundary Region ◽  
Quantitative Agreement ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Turbulent Reynolds Number

This paper is concerned with the effect of free-stream turbulence on the pretransitional flat-plate boundary layer. It is assumed that either the turbulent Reynolds number or the downstream distance (or both) is small enough that the flow can be linearized. The dominant disturbances in the boundary layer, which are of the Klebanoff type, are governed by the linearized unsteady boundary-region equations, i.e. the linearized Navier–Stokes equations with the streamwise derivatives neglected in the viscous and pressure-gradient terms. The turbulence is represented as a superposition of vortical free-stream Fourier modes and the corresponding Fourier component solutions to the boundary-region equations are obtained numerically. The results are then superposed to compute the root mean square of the fluctuating streamwise velocity in the boundary layer produced by the actual free-stream turbulence. It is found that the disturbances computed with isotropic free-stream turbulence do not reach the levels measured in experiments. However, good quantitative agreement is obtained with the relatively low turbulent Reynolds number data of Kendall when the measured strong anisotropy of the low-frequency portion of his spectrum is accounted for. Data at higher turbulent Reynolds numbers are affected by nonlinearity, which manifests itself through the generation of small spanwise length scales. We attempt to model this within the context of the linear theory by choosing a free-stream spectrum whose energy is concentrated at larger transverse wavenumbers and achieve very good agreement with the data. The results suggest that even small deviations from pure isotropy can be an important factor in explaining the large amplitudes of the Klebanoff modes in the pre-transitional boundary layer, and also point to the importance of nonlinear effects. We discuss some additional effects that may need to be accounted for in order to obtain a complete description of the Klebanoff modes.

Free-stream coherent structures in parallel boundary-layer flows

2014 ◽  
Vol 752 ◽  
pp. 602-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kengo Deguchi ◽  
Philip Hall
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Coherent Structures ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Homotopy Continuation ◽  
Boundary Layer Flows ◽  
Navier Stokes Equations ◽  
High Reynolds

AbstractOur concern in this paper is with high-Reynolds-number nonlinear equilibrium solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations for boundary-layer flows. Here we consider the asymptotic suction boundary layer (ASBL) which we take as a prototype parallel boundary layer. Solutions of the equations of motion are obtained using a homotopy continuation from two known types of solutions for plane Couette flow. At high Reynolds numbers, it is shown that the first type of solution takes the form of a vortex–wave interaction (VWI) state, see Hall & Smith (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 227, 1991, pp. 641–666), and is located in the main part of the boundary layer. On the other hand, here the second type is found to support an equilibrium solution of the unit-Reynolds-number Navier–Stokes equations in a layer located a distance of $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}O(\ln \mathit{Re})$ from the wall. Here $\mathit{Re}$ is the Reynolds number based on the free-stream speed and the unperturbed boundary-layer thickness. The streaky field produced by the interaction grows exponentially below the layer and takes its maximum size within the unperturbed boundary layer. The results suggest the possibility of two distinct types of streaky coherent structures existing, possibly simultaneously, in disturbed boundary layers.

Two-dimensional global low-frequency oscillations in a separating boundary-layer flow

2008 ◽  
Vol 614 ◽  
pp. 315-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
UWE EHRENSTEIN ◽  
FRANÇOIS GALLAIRE
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Perturbation Analysis ◽  
Boundary Layer Flow ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Optimal Perturbation ◽  
Layer Flow

A separated boundary-layer flow at the rear of a bump is considered. Two-dimensional equilibrium stationary states of the Navier–Stokes equations are determined using a nonlinear continuation procedure varying the bump height as well as the Reynolds number. A global instability analysis of the steady states is performed by computing two-dimensional temporal modes. The onset of instability is shown to be characterized by a family of modes with localized structures around the reattachment point becoming almost simultaneously unstable. The optimal perturbation analysis, by projecting the initial disturbance on the set of temporal eigenmodes, reveals that the non-normal modes are able to describe localized initial perturbations associated with the large transient energy growth. At larger time a global low-frequency oscillation is found, accompanied by a periodic regeneration of the flow perturbation inside the bubble, as the consequence of non-normal cancellation of modes. The initial condition provided by the optimal perturbation analysis is applied to Navier–Stokes time integration and is shown to trigger the nonlinear ‘flapping’ typical of separation bubbles. It is possible to follow the stationary equilibrium state on increasing the Reynolds number far beyond instability, ruling out for the present flow case the hypothesis of some authors that topological flow changes are responsible for the ‘flapping’.

Viscous shear flow past small bluff bodies attached to a plane wall

1975 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 803-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaru Kiya ◽  
Mikio Arie
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Shear Flow ◽  
Numerical Solutions ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Major Axis ◽  
Plane Wall ◽  
Local Boundary ◽  
Flow Past ◽  
Viscous Shear

Numerical solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations are presented for two-dimensional viscous flow past semicircular and semielliptical projections attached to a plane wall on which a laminar boundary layer has developed. Since the major axis is in the direction normal to the wall and is chosen to be twenty times as long as the minor axis in the present case, the flow around the semielliptical projection will approximately correspond to that around a normal flat plate. It is assumed that the height of each obstacle is so small in comparison with the local boundary-layer thickness that the approaching flow can be approximated by a uniform shear flow. Numerical solutions are obtained for the range 0·1-100 of the Reynolds number, which is defined in terms of the undisturbed approaching velocity at the top of the obstacle and its height. The geometrical shapes of the front and rear standing vortices, the drag coefficients and the pressure and shear-stress distributions are presented as functions of the Reynolds number. The computed results are discussed in connexion with the data already obtained in the other theoretical solutions and an experimental observation.

scholarly journals Entrainment of short-wavelength free-stream vortical disturbances in compressible and incompressible boundary layers

2016 ◽  
Vol 797 ◽  
pp. 683-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuesong Wu ◽  
Ming Dong
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Leading Order ◽  
Compressible Boundary Layers ◽  
Characteristic Wavelength ◽  
Incompressible Boundary ◽  
Edge Layer

The fundamental difference between continuous modes of the Orr–Sommerfeld/Squire equations and the entrainment of free-stream vortical disturbances (FSVD) into the boundary layer has been investigated in a recent paper (Dong & Wu, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 732, 2013, pp. 616–659). It was shown there that the non-parallel-flow effect plays a leading-order role in the entrainment, and neglecting it at the outset, as is done in the continuous-mode formulation, leads to non-physical features of ‘Fourier entanglement’ and abnormal anisotropy. The analysis, which was for incompressible boundary layers and for FSVD with a characteristic wavelength of the order of the local boundary-layer thickness, is extended in this paper to compressible boundary layers and FSVD with even shorter wavelengths, which are comparable with the width of the so-called edge layer. Non-parallelism remains a leading-order effect in the present scaling, which turns out to be more general in that the equations and solutions in the previous paper are recovered in the appropriate limit. Appropriate asymptotic solutions in the main and edge layers are obtained to characterize the entrainment. It is found that when the Prandtl number $\mathit{Pr}<1$, free-stream vortical disturbances of relatively low frequency generate very strong temperature fluctuations within the edge layer, leading to formation of thermal streaks. A composite solution, uniformly valid across the entire boundary layer, is constructed, and it can be used in receptivity studies and as inlet conditions for direct numerical simulations of bypass transition. For compressible boundary layers, continuous spectra of the disturbance equations linearized about a parallel base flow exhibit entanglement between vortical and entropy modes, namely, a vortical mode necessarily induces an entropy disturbance in the free stream and vice versa, and this amounts to a further non-physical behaviour. High Reynolds number asymptotic analysis yields the relations between the amplitudes of entangled modes.

scholarly journals Evolution and instability of unsteady nonlinear streaks generated by free-stream vortical disturbances

2011 ◽  
Vol 677 ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
PIERRE RICCO ◽  
JISHENG LUO ◽  
XUESONG WU
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Initial Boundary ◽  
Initial Boundary Value Problem ◽  
Streamwise Velocity ◽  
Quantitative Relation ◽  
Flow Profile ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence

We investigate the influence of free-stream vortical disturbances on the evolution and instability of an incompressible laminar boundary layer, focusing on components of sufficiently long wavelength, which are known to penetrate into the boundary layer to generate streamwise elongated streaks. The free-stream disturbance is assumed to be sufficiently strong (but still of small amplitude) that the induced streaks acquire an O(1) streamwise velocity in the region where the boundary-layer thickness becomes comparable with the spanwise wavelength of the perturbation. The formation and evolution of the streaks are governed by the nonlinear unsteady boundary-region equations supplemented by appropriate upstream and far-field boundary conditions. This initial-boundary-value problem is solved for the special case where the free-stream disturbance is modelled by a pair of oblique vortical modes with the same frequency but opposite spanwise wavenumbers. Nonlinearity is found to inhibit the response. The nonlinear interaction alters the mean-flow profile appreciably, the shape of which is in quantitative agreement with experimental measurements. Wall-normal inflection points are detected in the instantaneous streamwise velocity profiles. The secondary stability analysis indicates that in the presence of free-stream disturbance with an intensity of 2.8%, the resulting streaky boundary layer becomes inviscidly unstable. The characteristic frequency, phase and group velocities, and growth rate of unstable sinuous modes are found to be in broad agreement with recent experiments. The present theoretical framework allows in principle a quantitative relation to be established between the characteristics of free-stream turbulence and the secondary instability, and this relation may be exploited to develop an efficient and physics-based approach for predicting bypass transition.

High Resolution Measurements of Heat Transfer, Near-Wall Intermittency, and Reynolds-Stresses Along a Flat Plate Boundary Layer Undergoing Bypass Transition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Albiez ◽  
Christoph Gramespacher ◽  
Matthias Stripf ◽  
Hans-Jörg Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Flat Plate ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Length Scales ◽  
Near Wall

Abstract A new experimental dataset focusing on the influence of high free-stream turbulence and large pressure gradients on boundary layer transition is presented. The experiments are conducted in a new wind tunnel equipped with a flat plate test section and a new kind of turbulence generator which allows for a continuous variation of turbulence intensity. The flat plate features an elliptic nose and is mounted midway between contoured top and bottom walls. Two different wall contours can be implemented to create pressure distributions on the flat plate that are typical for the pressure and suction side of high pressure turbine cascades. A large variation of Reynolds number from 3.0 · 105 to 7.5 · 105 and inlet turbulence intensity between 1.1 % and 8 % is realized, resulting in more than 100 test cases. Measurements comprise highly resolved heat transfer, near-wall intermittency and free-stream Reynolds stress distributions. Near-wall intermittency is measured using a traversable hotfilm sensor embedded in a steel-belt that is running around the flat plate while free-stream Reynolds stresses are measured simultaneously at the same position with a revolvable X-wire probe. Additionally, turbulent length scales are analyzed using the X-wire signal along the flat plate. Results show that heat transfer and near wall intermittency distributions are in good agreement and that heat transfer at high turbulence levels increases prior to the formation of first turbulence spots. Transition onset is found to be influenced by the turbulence Reynolds number, i.e. turbulent length scales. At constant inlet turbulence intensity, transition onset moves upstream, when the turbulent Reynolds number is decreased.

Free-stream coherent structures in growing boundary layers: a link to near-wall streaks

2015 ◽  
Vol 778 ◽  
pp. 451-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kengo Deguchi ◽  
Philip Hall
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Coherent Structures ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Base Flow ◽  
Interaction Problem ◽  
Near Wall

In a recent paper, Deguchi & Hall (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 752, 2014a, pp. 602–625) described a new kind of exact coherent structure which sits at the edge of an asymptotic suction boundary layer at high values of the Reynolds number $Re$. At a distance $\ln Re$ from the wall, the structure is driven by the fully nonlinear interaction of tiny rolls, waves and streaks convected downstream at almost the free-stream speed. The interaction problem satisfies the unit-Reynolds-number three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations and is localized in a layer of the same depth as the unperturbed boundary layer. Here, we show that the interaction problem is generic to any boundary layer that approaches its free-stream form through an exponentially small correction. It is shown that away from the layer where it is generated the induced roll–streak flow is dominated by non-parallel effects which now play a major role in the streamwise evolution of the structure. The similarity with the parallel boundary layer case is restricted only to the layer where it is generated. It is shown that non-parallel effects cause the structure to persist only over intervals of finite length in any growing boundary layer and lead to a flow structure reminiscent of turbulent boundary layer simulations. The results found shed light on a possible mechanism to couple near-wall streaks with coherent structures located towards the edge of a turbulent boundary layer. Some discussion of how the mechanism adapts to a three-dimensional base flow is given.

Simulations of bypass transition

2001 ◽  
Vol 428 ◽  
pp. 185-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. JACOBS ◽  
P. A. DURBIN
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Laminar Boundary Layer ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Turbulent Inflow ◽  
Irregular Motion

Bypass transition in an initially laminar boundary layer beneath free-stream turbulence is simulated numerically. New perspectives on this phenomenon are obtained from the numerical flow fields. Transition precursors consist of long backward jets contained in the fluctuating u-velocity field; they flow backwards relative to the local mean velocity. The jets extend into the upper portion of the boundary layer, where they interact with free-stream eddies. In some locations a free-stream perturbation to the jet shear layer develops into a patch of irregular motion – a sort of turbulent spot. The spot spreads longitudinally and laterally, and ultimately merges into the downstream turbulent boundary layer. Merging spots maintain the upstream edge of the turbulent region. The jets, themselves, are produced by low-frequency components of the free-stream turbulence that penetrate into the laminar boundary layer. Backward jets are a component of laminar region streaks.A method to construct turbulent inflow from Orr–Sommerfeld continuous modes is described. The free-stream turbulent intensity was chosen to correspond with the experiment by Roach & Brierly (1990). Ensemble-averaged numerical data are shown to be in good agreement with laboratory measurements.

Spatial numerical simulation of boundary layer transition: effects of a spherical particle

1997 ◽  
Vol 345 ◽  
pp. 133-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. SAIKI ◽  
S. BIRINGEN
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Spherical Particle ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Splitting Method ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Wave Part

In the present study, the effects of an isolated stationary spherical particle on the transition process in a flat-plate boundary layer are examined by a spatial direct numerical simulation. The full three-dimensional time-dependent incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are integrated by a time-splitting method and discretized spatially by a high-order finite difference/spectral method. A virtual boundary technique defining the no-slip boundary of a sphere is implemented within the Cartesian geometry of the computational grid.Two numerical simulations which consider the effects of the sphere on the boundary layer are presented. The subcritical Reynolds number case reveals the appearance of hairpin vortices shed into the sphere wake which decay as they are convected downstream. The initial interaction of the sphere and the boundary layer produces a three-dimensional isolated disturbance comprising a wave part and a transient part. The decaying transient part is convected downstream at the local mean velocity, while the wave part induces a decaying Tollmien–Schlichting wave in the flow field.In the second case, an increase in the Reynolds number results in a wedge of incipient turbulent flow downstream of the sphere. The development of the wake of the sphere is dominated by the appearance of an isolated disturbance which rapidly breaks down forming a structure resembling a turbulent spot. It is demonstrated that the transition induced by a sphere in the boundary layer is due to a mechanism related to bypass transition.

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