The mixing layer and its coherence examined from the point of view of two-dimensional turbulence

1988 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 511-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Lesieur ◽  
Chantal Staquet ◽  
Pascal Le Roy ◽  
Pierre Comte
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
White Noise ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
Finite Size ◽  
Spanwise Direction ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Infinite Domain ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum

A two-dimensional numerical large-eddy simulation of a temporal mixing layer submitted to a white-noise perturbation is performed. It is shown that the first pairing of vortices having the same sign is responsible for the formation of a continuous spatial longitudinal energy spectrum of slope between k−4 and k−3. After two successive pairings this spectral range extends to more than 1 decade. The vorticity thickness, averaged over several calculations differing by the initial white-noise realization, is shown to grow linearly, and eventually saturates. This saturation is associated with the finite size of the computational domain.We then examine the predictability of the mixing layer, considering the growth of decorrelation between pairs of flows differing slightly at the first roll-up. The inverse cascade of error through the kinetic energy spectrum is displayed. The error rate is shown to grow exponentially, and saturates together with the levelling-off of the vorticity thickness growth. Extrapolation of these results leads to the conclusion that, in an infinite domain, the two fields would become completely decorrelated. It turns out that the two-dimensional mixing layer is an example of flow that is unpredictable and possesses a broadband kinetic energy spectrum, though composed mainly of spatially coherent structures.It is finally shown how this two-dimensional predictability analysis can be associated with the growth of a particular spanwise perturbation developing on a Kelvin-Helmholtz billow: this is done in the framework of a one-mode spectral truncation in the spanwise direction. Within this analogy, the loss of two-dimensional predictability would correspond to a return to three-dimensionality and a loss of coherence. We indicate also how a new coherent structure could then be recreated, using an eddy-viscosity assumption and the linear instability of the mean inflexional shear.

Stratified turbulence forced with columnar dipoles: numerical study

2015 ◽  
Vol 769 ◽  
pp. 403-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Augier ◽  
Paul Billant ◽  
Jean-Marc Chomaz
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Stationary Flow ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Stratified Turbulence ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum

This paper builds upon the investigation of Augier et al. (Phys. Fluids, vol. 26 (4), 2014) in which a strongly stratified turbulent-like flow was forced by 12 generators of vertical columnar dipoles. In experiments, measurements start to provide evidence of the existence of a strongly stratified inertial range that has been predicted for large turbulent buoyancy Reynolds numbers $\mathscr{R}_{t}={\it\varepsilon}_{\!K}/({\it\nu}N^{2})$, where ${\it\varepsilon}_{\!K}$ is the mean dissipation rate of kinetic energy, ${\it\nu}$ the viscosity and $N$ the Brunt–Väisälä frequency. However, because of experimental constraints, the buoyancy Reynolds number could not be increased to sufficiently large values so that the inertial strongly stratified turbulent range is only incipient. In order to extend the experimental results toward higher buoyancy Reynolds number, we have performed numerical simulations of forced stratified flows. To reproduce the experimental vortex generators, columnar dipoles are periodically produced in spatial space using impulsive horizontal body force at the peripheries of the computational domain. For moderate buoyancy Reynolds number, these numerical simulations are able to reproduce the results obtained in the experiments, validating this particular forcing. For higher buoyancy Reynolds number, the simulations show that the flow becomes turbulent as observed in Brethouwer et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 585, 2007, pp. 343–368). However, the statistically stationary flow is horizontally inhomogeneous because the dipoles are destabilized quite rapidly after their generation. In order to produce horizontally homogeneous turbulence, high-resolution simulations at high buoyancy Reynolds number have been carried out with a slightly modified forcing in which dipoles are forced at random locations in the computational domain. The unidimensional horizontal spectra of kinetic and potential energies scale like $C_{1}{\it\varepsilon}_{\!K}^{2/3}k_{h}^{-5/3}$ and $C_{2}{\it\varepsilon}_{\!K}^{2/3}k_{h}^{-5/3}({\it\varepsilon}_{\!P}/{\it\varepsilon}_{\!K})$, respectively, with $C_{1}=C_{2}\simeq 0.5$ as obtained by Lindborg (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 550, 2006, pp. 207–242). However, there is a depletion in the horizontal kinetic energy spectrum for scales between the integral length scale and the buoyancy length scale and an anomalous energy excess around the buoyancy length scale probably due to direct transfers from large horizontal scale to small scales resulting from the shear and gravitational instabilities. The horizontal buoyancy flux co-spectrum increases abruptly at the buoyancy scale corroborating the presence of overturnings. Remarkably, the vertical kinetic energy spectrum exhibits a transition at the Ozmidov length scale from a steep spectrum scaling like $N^{2}k_{z}^{-3}$ at large scales to a spectrum scaling like $C_{K}{\it\varepsilon}_{\!K}^{2/3}k_{z}^{-5/3}$, with $C_{K}=1$, the classical Kolmogorov constant.

scholarly journals Calculating Energy Spectra from Drifters

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph H. LaCasce
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Longitudinal Structure ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum ◽  
Longitudinal Structure Function ◽  
Large Pair ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Lagrangian Data

The relations between the kinetic energy spectrum and the second order longitudinal structure function in two dimensions are derived, and several examples are considered. The forward conversion (from spectrum to structure function) is illustrated first with idealized power law spectra, representing turbulent inertial ranges. The forward conversion is also applied to the zonal kinetic energy spectrum of Nastrom and Gage (1985) and the result agrees well with the longitudinal structure function of Lindborg (1999). The inverse conversion (from structure function to spectrum) is tested with data from 2D turbulence simulations. When applied to the theoretical structure function (derived from the forward conversion of the spectrum), the result closely resembles the original spectrum, except at the largest wavenumbers. However the inverse conversion is much less successful when applied to the structure function obtained from pairs of particles in the flow. This is because the inverse conversion favors large pair separations, which are typically noisy with particle data. Fitting the structure function to a polynomial improves the result, but not sufficiently to distinguish the correct inertial range dependencies. Furthermore the inversion of non-local spectra is largely unsuccessful. Thus it appears that focusing on structure functions with Lagrangian data is preferable to estimating spectra.

Kinetic energy spectrum of large-and mesoscale atmospheric processes

Nature ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 310 (5972) ◽  
pp. 36-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. Nastrom ◽  
K. S. Gage ◽  
W. H. Jasperson
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Atmospheric Processes ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum

scholarly journals Comment on "Reinterpreting aircraft measurement in anisotropic scaling turbulence" by Lovejoy et al. (2009)

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1401-1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Lindborg ◽  
K. K. Tung ◽  
G. D. Nastrom ◽  
J. Y. N. Cho ◽  
K. S. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Measured Spectrum ◽  
Vertical Movements ◽  
Aircraft Measurement ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum ◽  
Anisotropic Scaling ◽  
The 1960S

Abstract. Recently, Lovejoy et al. (2009) argued that the steep ~k−3 atmospheric kinetic energy spectrum at synoptic scales (≥1000 km) observed by aircraft is a spurious artefact of aircraft following isobars instead of isoheights. Without taking into account the earth's rotation they hypothesise that the horizontal atmospheric energy spectrum should scale as k−5/3 at all scales. We point out that the approximate k−3-spectrum at synoptic scales has been observed by a number of non-aircraft means since the 1960s and that general circulation models and other current models have successfully produced this spectrum. We also argue that the vertical movements of the aircraft are far too small to cause any strong effect on the measured spectrum at synoptic scales.

Decrypting the charge-resolved kinetic-energy spectrum in the Coulomb explosion of argon clusters

2012 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Rajeev ◽  
K. P. M. Rishad ◽  
T. Madhu Trivikram ◽  
V. Narayanan ◽  
T. Brabec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Kinetic Energy ◽  
Coulomb Explosion ◽  
Kinetic Energy Spectrum ◽  
Argon Clusters
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