DNS of the thermal effects of laser energy deposition in isotropic turbulence

2010 ◽  
Vol 654 ◽  
pp. 387-416
Author(s):  
SHANKAR GHOSH ◽  
KRISHNAN MAHESH
Keyword(s):  
Shock Wave ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Energy Deposition ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Radial Distance ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Shock Propagation ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Turbulent Reynolds Number ◽  
The Mean

The interaction of a laser-induced plasma with isotropic turbulence is studied using numerical simulations. The simulations use air as the working fluid and assume local thermodynamic equilibrium. The numerical method is fully spectral and uses a shock-capturing scheme in a corrector step. A model problem involving the effect of energy deposition on an isolated vortex is studied as a first step towards plasma/turbulence interaction. Turbulent Reynolds number Reλ = 30 and fluctuation Mach numbers Mt = 0.001 and 0.3 are considered. A tear-drop-shaped shock wave is observed to propagate into the background, and progressively become spherical in time. The turbulence experiences strong compression due to the shock wave and strong expansion in the core. This behaviour is spatially inhomogeneous and non-stationary in time. Statistics are computed as functions of radial distance from the plasma axis and angular distance across the surface of the shock wave. For Mt = 0.001, the shock wave propagates on a much faster time scale compared to the turbulence evolution. At Mt of 0.3, the time scale of the shock wave is comparable to that of the background. For both cases the mean flow is classified into shock formation, shock propagation and subsequent collapse of the plasma core, and the effect of turbulence on each of these phases is studied in detail. The effect of mean vorticity production on the turbulent vorticity field is also discussed. Turbulent kinetic energy budgets are presented to explain the mechanism underlying the transfer of energy between the mean flow and background turbulence.

scholarly journals WKB theory for rapid distortion of inhomogeneous turbulence

1999 ◽  
Vol 390 ◽  
pp. 325-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. NAZARENKO ◽  
N. K.-R. KEVLAHAN ◽  
B. DUBRULLE
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Turbulent Spot ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Inhomogeneous Turbulence ◽  
Large Scale Vortex ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Strain

A WKB method is used to extend RDT (rapid distortion theory) to initially inhomogeneous turbulence and unsteady mean flows. The WKB equations describe turbulence wavepackets which are transported by the mean velocity and have wavenumbers which evolve due to the mean strain. The turbulence also modifies the mean flow and generates large-scale vorticity via the averaged Reynolds stress tensor. The theory is applied to Taylor's four-roller flow in order to explain the experimentally observed reduction in the mean strain. The strain reduction occurs due to the formation of a large-scale vortex quadrupole structure from the turbulent spot confined by the four rollers. Both turbulence inhomogeneity and three-dimensionality are shown to be important for this effect. If the initially isotropic turbulence is either homogeneous in space or two-dimensional, it has no effect on the large-scale strain. Furthermore, the turbulent kinetic energy is conserved in the two-dimensional case, which has important consequences for the theory of two-dimensional turbulence. The analytical and numerical results presented here are in good qualitative agreement with experiment.

scholarly journals Optimal Surface Excitation of the Thermohaline Circulation

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 1820-1830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laure Zanna ◽  
Eli Tziperman
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Singular Problem ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
L2 Norm ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Mean

Abstract The amplification of thermohaline circulation (THC) anomalies resulting from heat and freshwater forcing at the ocean surface is investigated in a zonally averaged coupled ocean–atmosphere model. Optimal initial conditions of surface temperature and salinity leading to the largest THC growth are computed, and so are the structures of stochastic surface temperature and salinity forcing that excite maximum THC variance (stochastic optimals). When the THC amplitude is defined as its sum of squares (equivalent to using the standard L2 norm), the nonnormal linearized dynamics lead to an amplification with a time scale on the order of 100 yr. The optimal initial conditions have a vanishing THC anomaly, and the complex amplification mechanism involves the advection of both temperature and salinity anomalies by the mean flow and of the mean temperature and salinity by the anomaly flow. The L2 characterization of THC anomalies leads to physically interesting results, yet to a mathematically singular problem. A novel alternative characterizing the THC amplitude by its maximum value, as often done in general circulation model studies, is therefore introduced. This complementary method is shown to be equivalent to using the L-infinity norm, and the needed mathematical approach is developed and applied to the THC problem. Under this norm, an amplification occurs within 10 yr explained by the classic salinity advective feedback mechanism. The analysis of the stochastic optimals shows that the character of the THC variability may be very sensitive to the spatial pattern of the surface forcing. In particular, a maximum THC variance and long-time-scale variability are excited by a basin-scale surface forcing pattern, while a significantly higher frequency and to some extent a weaker variability are induced by a smooth and large-scale, yet mostly concentrated in polar areas, surface forcing pattern. Overall, the results suggest that a large THC variability can be efficiently excited by atmospheric surface forcing, and the simple model used here makes several predictions that would be interesting to test using more complex models.

scholarly journals The theory of axisymmetric turbulence

1946 ◽  
Vol 186 (1007) ◽  
pp. 480-502 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Viscous Dissipation ◽  
Invariant Theory ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Longitudinal Velocity ◽  
Practical Interest ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Velocity Correlation ◽  
Rates Of Change ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Velocity Pressure

This paper discusses a type of turbulence in a uniform stream which is next to isotropic turbulence in order of simplicity. Instead of spherical symmetry, or isotropy, axially symmetical turbulence possesses symmetry about an axis which in practice is usually the direction of mean flow. The analysis is developed with the aid of invariant theory, as suggested by a previous paper by Robertson. The form of the fundamental velocity correlation is obtained, and scales of axisymmetric turbulence are defined. The results of greatest practical interest concern the time rates of change of the mean squares of the lateral and longitudinal velocity components. The rates of change involve two terms, the first representing viscous dissipation, and the second representing a transfer of energy from one component to the other due to the finite correlation between the velocity and pressure at neighbouring points. The effect of the velocity-pressure correlation is to bring the two velocity components towards equality, while the effect of the viscous dissipation will only be towards equality if an inequality between the curvatures at the origin of two particular velocity correlation coefficient curves, both of which are measurable, is obeyed. The rates of change of the mean squares of the vorticity components are also obtained.

On the mean structure of sharp-fin-induced shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions over a cylindrical surface

2019 ◽  
Vol 865 ◽  
pp. 212-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Pickles ◽  
B. R. Mettu ◽  
P. K. Subbareddy ◽  
V. Narayanaswamy
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Shock Wave ◽  
Growth Rate ◽  
Cylindrical Surface ◽  
Separated Flow ◽  
Oblique Shock Wave ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Downstream Distance ◽  
Separation Shock ◽  
The Mean

Interactions between an oblique shock wave generated by a sharp fin placed on a cylindrical surface and the incoming boundary layer are investigated to unravel the mean features of the resulting shock/boundary layer interaction (SBLI) unit. This fin-on-cylinder SBLI unit has several unique features caused by the three-dimensional (3-D) relief offered by the cylindrical surface that noticeably alter the shock structure. Complementary experimental and computational studies are made to delineate both the surface and off-body flow features of the fin-on-cylinder SBLI unit and to obtain a detailed understanding of the mechanisms that dictate the mean flow and wall pressure features of the SBLI unit. Results show that the fin-on-cylinder SBLI exhibits substantial deviation from quasi-conical symmetry that is observed in planar fin SBLI. Furthermore, the separated flow growth rate appears to decrease with downstream distance and the separation size is consistently smaller than the planar fin SBLI with the same inflow and fin configurations. The causes for the observed diminution of the separated flow and its downstream growth rate were investigated in the light of changes caused by the cylinder curvature on the inviscid as well as separation shock. It was found that the inviscid shock gets progressively weakened in the region close to the triple point with downstream distance due to the 3-D relief effect from cylinder curvature. This weakening of the inviscid shock feeds into the separation shock, which is also independently impacted by the 3-D relief, to result in the observed modifications in the fin-on-cylinder SBLI unit.

scholarly journals Transport and instability in driven two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic flows

2016 ◽  
Vol 799 ◽  
pp. 541-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Durston ◽  
Andrew D. Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Body Force ◽  
Passive Scalar ◽  
Fast Time ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Background Shear

This paper concerns the generation of large-scale flows in forced two-dimensional systems. A Kolmogorov flow with a sinusoidal profile in one direction (driven by a body force) is known to become unstable to a large-scale flow in the perpendicular direction at a critical Reynolds number. This can occur in the presence of a ${\it\beta}$-effect and has important implications for flows observed in geophysical and astrophysical systems. It has recently been termed ‘zonostrophic instability’ and studied in a variety of settings, both numerically and analytically. The goal of the present paper is to determine the effect of magnetic field on such instabilities using the quasi-linear approximation, in which the full fluid system is decoupled into a mean flow and waves of one scale. The waves are driven externally by a given random body force and move on a fast time scale, while their stress on the mean flow causes this to evolve on a slow time scale. Spatial scale separation between waves and mean flow is also assumed, to allow analytical progress. The paper first discusses purely hydrodynamic transport of vorticity including zonostrophic instability, the effect of uniform background shear and calculation of equilibrium profiles in which the effective viscosity varies spatially, through the mean flow. After brief consideration of passive scalar transport or equivalently kinematic magnetic field evolution, the paper then proceeds to study the full magnetohydrodynamic system and to determine effective diffusivities and other transport coefficients using a mixture of analytical and numerical methods. This leads to results on the effect of magnetic field, background shear and ${\it\beta}$-effect on zonostrophic instability and magnetically driven instabilities.

Evolution of enstrophy in shock/homogeneous turbulence interaction

2012 ◽  
Vol 707 ◽  
pp. 74-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishnendu Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Shock Wave ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Direct Numerical Simulations ◽  
Homogeneous Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Linear Interaction

AbstractInteraction of turbulent fluctuations with a shock wave plays an important role in many high-speed flow applications. This paper studies the amplification of enstrophy, defined as mean-square fluctuating vorticity, in homogeneous isotropic turbulence passing through a normal shock. Linearized Navier–Stokes equations written in a frame of reference attached to the unsteady shock wave are used to derive transport equations for the vorticity components. These are combined to obtain an equation that describes the evolution of enstrophy across a time-averaged shock wave. A budget of the enstrophy equation computed using results from linear interaction analysis and data from direct numerical simulations identifies the dominant physical mechanisms in the flow. Production due to mean flow compression and baroclinic torques are found to be the major contributors to the enstrophy amplification. Closure approximations are proposed for the unclosed correlations in the production and baroclinic source terms. The resulting model equation is integrated to obtain the enstrophy jump across a shock for a range of upstream Mach numbers. The model predictions are compared with linear theory results for varying levels of vortical and entropic fluctuations in the upstream flow. The enstrophy model is then cast in the form of$k$–$\epsilon $equations and used to compute the interaction of homogeneous isotropic turbulence with normal shocks. The results are compared with available data from direct numerical simulations. The equations are further used to propose a model for the amplification of turbulent viscosity across a shock, which is then applied to a canonical shock–boundary layer interaction. It is shown that the current model is a significant improvement over existing models, both for homogeneous isotropic turbulence and in the case of complex high-speed flows with shock waves.

Evolution of localized disturbances in the elliptic instability

2014 ◽  
Vol 755 ◽  
pp. 603-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Hattori ◽  
Mohd Syafiq bin Marzuki
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Short Wavelength ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Inertial Range ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Weakly Nonlinear ◽  
Elliptical Flow ◽  
The Mean

AbstractThe time evolution of localized disturbances in an elliptical flow confined in an elliptical cylinder is studied by direct numerical simulation (DNS). The base flow is subject to the elliptic instability. The unstable growth of localized disturbances predicted by the short-wavelength stability analysis is captured. The time evolution can be divided into four stages: linear, weakly nonlinear, nonlinear and turbulent. In the linear stage a single wavepacket grows exponentially without changing its shape. The exponential growth is accompanied by large oscillations which have time period half that of the fluid particles in the elliptical flow. An averaged wavepacket, which is a train of bending waves that has a finite spatial extent, also grows exponentially, while the oscillations of the growth rate are small. The averaged growth rate increases as the kinematic viscosity decreases; the inviscid limit is close to the value predicted by the short-wavelength stability analysis. In the weakly nonlinear stage the energy stops growing. The vortical structure of the initial disturbances is deformed into wavy patterns. The energy spectrum loses the peak at the initial wavenumber, developing a broad spectrum, and the flow goes into the next stage. In the nonlinear stage weak vorticity is scattered in the whole domain although strong vorticity is still localized. The probability density functions (p.d.f.) of a velocity component and its longitudinal derivative are similar to those of isotropic turbulence; however, the energy spectrum does not have an inertial range showing the Kolmogorov spectrum. Finally in the turbulent stage fine-scale structures appear in the vorticity field. The p.d.f. of the longitudinal derivative of velocity shows the strong intermittency known for isotropic turbulence. The energy spectrum attains an inertial range showing the Kolmogorov spectrum. The turbulence is not symmetric because of rotation and strain; the component of vorticity in the compressing direction is smaller than the other two components. The energy of the mean flow as well as the total energy decreases. The ratio of the lost energy to the initial energy of the mean flow is large in the core region.

scholarly journals Optimal Excitation of Interannual Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Variability

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laure Zanna ◽  
Patrick Heimbach ◽  
Andrew M. Moore ◽  
Eli Tziperman
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Optimal Excitation ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
The Mean

Abstract The optimal excitation of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) anomalies is investigated in an ocean general circulation model with an idealized configuration. The optimal three-dimensional spatial structure of temperature and salinity perturbations, defined as the leading singular vector and generating the maximum amplification of MOC anomalies, is evaluated by solving a generalized eigenvalue problem using tangent linear and adjoint models. Despite the stable linearized dynamics, a large amplification of MOC anomalies, mostly due to the interference of nonnormal modes, is initiated by the optimal perturbations. The largest amplification of MOC anomalies, found to be excited by high-latitude deep density perturbations in the northern part of the basin, is achieved after about 7.5 years. The anomalies grow as a result of a conversion of mean available potential energy into potential and kinetic energy of the perturbations, reminiscent of baroclinic instability. The time scale of growth of MOC anomalies can be understood by examining the time evolution of deep zonal density gradients, which are related to the MOC via the thermal wind relation. The velocity of propagation of the density anomalies, found to depend on the horizontal component of the mean flow velocity and the mean density gradient, determines the growth time scale of the MOC anomalies and therefore provides an upper bound on the MOC predictability time. The results suggest that the nonnormal linearized ocean dynamics can give rise to enhanced MOC variability if, for instance, overflows, eddies, and/or deep convection can excite high-latitude density anomalies in the ocean interior with a structure resembling that of the optimal perturbations found in this study. The findings also indicate that errors in ocean initial conditions or in model parameterizations or processes, particularly at depth, may significantly reduce the Atlantic MOC predictability time to less than a decade.

scholarly journals Passive Front Propagation in Intense Turbulence: Early Transient and Late Statistically Stationary Stages of the Front Area Evolution

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 5102
Author(s):  
Vladimir A. Sabelnikov ◽  
Andrei N. Lipatnikov
Keyword(s):  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Front Surface ◽  
High Ratio ◽  
Turbulent Dispersion ◽  
Material Surface ◽  
Constant Density ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Fluid Consumption ◽  
Turbulent Reynolds Number ◽  
The Mean

The influence of statistically stationary, homogeneous isotropic turbulence (i) on the mean area of a passive front propagating in a constant-density fluid and, hence, (ii) on the mean fluid consumption velocity u¯T is explored, particularly in the case of an asymptotically high turbulent Reynolds number, and an asymptotically high ratio of the Kolmogorov velocity to a constant speed u0 of the front. First, a short early transient stage is analyzed by assuming that the front remains close to a material surface that coincides with the front at the initial instant. Therefore, similarly to a material surface, the front area grows exponentially with time. This stage, whose duration is much less than an integral time scale of the turbulent flow, is argued to come to an end once the volume of fluid consumed by the front is equal to the volume embraced due to the turbulent dispersion of the front. The mean fluid consumption velocity averaged over this stage is shown to be proportional to the rms turbulent velocity u′. Second, a late statistically stationary regime of the front evolution is studied. A new length scale characterizing the smallest wrinkles of the front surface is introduced. Since this length scale is smaller than the Kolmogorov length scale ηK under conditions of the present study, the front is hypothesized to be a bifractal with two different fractal dimensions for wrinkles larger and smaller than ηK. Finally, a simple scaling of u¯T∝u′ is obtained for this late stage as well.

Mean Rise-Rate of Droplets in Isotropic Turbulence

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Friedman ◽  
J. Katz
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulence Intensity ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Stokes Number ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Rise Rate ◽  
High Turbulence ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Surrounding Fluid ◽  
Quiescent Fluid

This paper investigates the rise-rate of droplets that are slightly lighter than the surrounding fluid. We experimentally investigate the effect of three parameters: Stokes number, turbulence intensity and droplet Reynolds number. Droplets were injected into a chamber with nearly isotropic turbulence and little mean flow. The results show that at high turbulence intensity, the mean droplet rise-rate is 25% of the rms velocity regardless of the Stokes number, while at low turbulence intensity, the droplets rise at a rate equal to the rise-rate in a quiescent fluid. At intermediate turbulence intensity, the rise-rate is strongly dependent on the Stokes number.

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