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.

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.

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 multifractal model for the momentum transfer process in wall-bounded flows

2017 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. I. A. Yang ◽  
A. Lozano-Durán
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flows ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Cascade Process ◽  
Outer Length ◽  
Multifractal Formalism ◽  
Multiplicative Process ◽  
Stress Fluctuation

The cascading process of turbulent kinetic energy from large-scale fluid motions to small-scale and lesser-scale fluid motions in isotropic turbulence may be modelled as a hierarchical random multiplicative process according to the multifractal formalism. In this work, we show that the same formalism might also be used to model the cascading process of momentum in wall-bounded turbulent flows. However, instead of being a multiplicative process, the momentum cascade process is additive. The proposed multifractal model is used for describing the flow kinematics of the low-pass filtered streamwise wall-shear stress fluctuation $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}_{l}^{\prime }$, where $l$ is the filtering length scale. According to the multifractal formalism, $\langle {\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}^{\prime }}^{2}\rangle \sim \log (Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}})$ and $\langle \exp (p\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}_{l}^{\prime })\rangle \sim (L/l)^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D701}_{p}}$ in the log-region, where $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}$ is the friction Reynolds number, $p$ is a real number, $L$ is an outer length scale and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D701}_{p}$ is the anomalous exponent of the momentum cascade. These scalings are supported by the data from a direct numerical simulation of channel flow at $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=4200$.

Direct Numerical Simulation of a Fully Developed Turbulent Channel Flow With Respect to the Reynolds Number Dependence

2001 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Abe ◽  
Hiroshi Kawamura ◽  
Yuichi Matsuo
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Direct Numerical Simulation ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Point Correlation ◽  
Reynolds Number Dependence

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a fully developed turbulent channel flow for various Reynolds numbers has been carried out to investigate the Reynolds number dependence. The Reynolds number is set to be Reτ=180, 395, and 640, where Reτ is the Reynolds number based on the friction velocity and the channel half width. The computation has been executed with the use of the finite difference method. Various turbulence statistics such as turbulence intensities, vorticity fluctuations, Reynolds stresses, their budget terms, two-point correlation coefficients, and energy spectra are obtained and discussed. The present results are compared with the ones of the DNSs for the turbulent boundary layer and the plane turbulent Poiseuille flow and the experiments for the channel flow. The closure models are also tested using the present results for the dissipation rate of the Reynolds normal stresses. In addition, the instantaneous flow field is visualized in order to examine the Reynolds number dependence for the quasi-coherent structures such as the vortices and streaks.

scholarly journals Local dissipation scales and energy dissipation-rate moments in channel flow

2012 ◽  
Vol 701 ◽  
pp. 419-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Hamlington ◽  
D. Krasnov ◽  
T. Boeck ◽  
J. Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Dissipation Rate ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Dissipation Scale ◽  
High Order Statistics

AbstractLocal dissipation-scale distributions and high-order statistics of the energy dissipation rate are examined in turbulent channel flow using very high-resolution direct numerical simulations at Reynolds numbers ${\mathit{Re}}_{\tau } = 180$, $381$ and $590$. For sufficiently large ${\mathit{Re}}_{\tau } $, the dissipation-scale distributions and energy dissipation moments in the channel bulk flow agree with those in homogeneous isotropic turbulence, including only a weak Reynolds-number dependence of both the finest and largest scales. Systematic, but ${\mathit{Re}}_{\tau } $-independent, variations in the distributions and moments arise as the wall is approached for ${y}^{+ } \lesssim 100$. In the range $100\lt {y}^{+ } \lt 200$, there are substantial differences in the moments between the lowest and the two larger values of ${\mathit{Re}}_{\tau } $. This is most likely caused by coherent vortices from the near-wall region, which fill the whole channel for low ${\mathit{Re}}_{\tau } $.

Very-large-scale fluctuations in turbulent channel flow at low Reynolds number

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 593-597
Author(s):  
Masaharu Matsubara ◽  
Shun Horii ◽  
Yoshiyuki Sagawa ◽  
Yuta Takahashi ◽  
Daisuke Saito
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Channel Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Channel Flow ◽  
Low Reynolds

scholarly journals An energy-efficient pathway to turbulent drag reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Marusic ◽  
Dileep Chandran ◽  
Amirreza Rouhi ◽  
Matt K. Fu ◽  
David Wine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Drag Reduction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Power Cost ◽  
Turbulent Fluid Flow ◽  
Low Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Turbulent Drag ◽  
Direct Measurements

AbstractSimulations and experiments at low Reynolds numbers have suggested that skin-friction drag generated by turbulent fluid flow over a surface can be decreased by oscillatory motion in the surface, with the amount of drag reduction predicted to decline with increasing Reynolds number. Here, we report direct measurements of substantial drag reduction achieved by using spanwise surface oscillations at high friction Reynolds numbers ($${{{\mathrm{Re}}}_{\tau }}$$ Re τ ) up to 12,800. The drag reduction occurs via two distinct physical pathways. The first pathway, as studied previously, involves actuating the surface at frequencies comparable to those of the small-scale eddies that dominate turbulence near the surface. We show that this strategy leads to drag reduction levels up to 25% at $${{{{{{{{\mathrm{Re}}}}}}}}}_{\tau }$$ Re τ = 6,000, but with a power cost that exceeds any drag-reduction savings. The second pathway is new, and it involves actuation at frequencies comparable to those of the large-scale eddies farther from the surface. This alternate pathway produces drag reduction of 13% at $${{{{{{{{\mathrm{Re}}}}}}}}}_{\tau }$$ Re τ = 12,800. It requires significantly less power and the drag reduction grows with Reynolds number, thereby opening up potential new avenues for reducing fuel consumption by transport vehicles and increasing power generation by wind turbines.

scholarly journals The scaling of straining motions in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

2017 ◽  
Vol 829 ◽  
pp. 31-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Elsinga ◽  
T. Ishihara ◽  
M. V. Goudar ◽  
C. B. da Silva ◽  
J. C. R. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Shear Layer ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Local Strain ◽  
Scale Structure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Small Scale Structure

The scaling of turbulent motions is investigated by considering the flow in the eigenframe of the local strain-rate tensor. The flow patterns in this frame of reference are evaluated using existing direct numerical simulations of homogeneous isotropic turbulence over a Reynolds number range from $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}=34.6$ up to 1131, and also with reference to data for inhomogeneous, anisotropic wall turbulence. The average flow in the eigenframe reveals a shear layer structure containing tube-like vortices and a dissipation sheet, whose dimensions scale with the Kolmogorov length scale, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}$. The vorticity stretching motions scale with the Taylor length scale, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{T}$, while the flow outside the shear layer scales with the integral length scale, $L$. Furthermore, the spatial organization of the vortices and the dissipation sheet defines a characteristic small-scale structure. The overall size of this characteristic small-scale structure is $120\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}$ in all directions based on the coherence length of the vorticity. This is considerably larger than the typical size of individual vortices, and reflects the importance of spatial organization at the small scales. Comparing the overall size of the characteristic small-scale structure with the largest flow scales and the vorticity stretching motions on the scale of $4\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{T}$ shows that transitions in flow structure occur where $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}\approx 45$ and 250. Below these respective transitional Reynolds numbers, the small-scale motions and the vorticity stretching motions are progressively less well developed. Scale interactions are examined by decomposing the average shear layer into a local flow, which is induced by the shear layer vorticity, and a non-local flow, which represents the environment of the characteristic small-scale structure. The non-local strain is $4\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{T}$ in width and height, which is consistent with observations in high Reynolds number flow of a $4\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}_{T}$ wide instantaneous shear layer with many $\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}$-scale vortical structures inside (Ishihara et al., Flow Turbul. Combust., vol. 91, 2013, pp. 895–929). In the average shear layer, vorticity aligns with the intermediate principal strain at small scales, while it aligns with the most stretching principal strain at larger scales, consistent with instantaneous turbulence. The length scale at which the alignment changes depends on the Reynolds number. When conditioning the flow in the eigenframe on extreme dissipation, the velocity is strongly affected over large distances. Moreover, the associated peak velocity remains Reynolds number dependent when normalized by the Kolmogorov velocity scale. It signifies that extreme dissipation is not simply a small-scale property, but is associated with large scales at the same time.

On the scaling of air entrainment from a ventilated partial cavity

2013 ◽  
Vol 732 ◽  
pp. 47-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simo A. Mäkiharju ◽  
Brian R. Elbing ◽  
Andrew Wiggins ◽  
Sarah Schinasi ◽  
Jean-Marc Vanden-Broeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Weber Number ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Air Entrainment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Entrainment Rate ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Stable Cavity

AbstractThe behaviour of a nominally two-dimensional ventilated partial cavity was examined over a wide range of size scales and flow speeds to determine the influence of Froude, Reynolds, and Weber number on the cavity shape, dynamics, and gas entrainment rate. Two geometrically similar experiments were conducted with a 14:1 length scale ratio. The results were compared to a two-dimensional semi-analytical model of the cavity flow, and Froude scaling was found to be sufficient to match basic cavity shapes. However, the air flux required to maintain a stable cavity did not scale with Froude number alone, as the dynamics of the cavity closure changed with increasing Reynolds number. The required air flux differed over one order of magnitude between the lowest and highest Reynolds number flows. But, for sufficiently high Reynolds numbers, the rate of scaled entrainment appeared to approach Reynolds number independence. Modest changes in surface tension of the small-scale experiment suggested that the Weber number was important only at the lowest speeds and smaller length scale. Otherwise, the Weber numbers of the flows were sufficiently high to make the effects of interfacial tension negligible. We also observed that modest unsteadiness in the inflow to the large-scale cavity led to a significant increase in the required air flux needed to maintain a stable cavity, with the required excess gas flux nominally proportional to the flow’s perturbation amplitude. Finally, discussion is provided on how these results relate to model testing of partial cavity drag reduction (PCDR) systems for surface ships.

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