The transport equation for the mean turbulent energy dissipation rate $\overline{{\it\epsilon}}$ along the centreline of a fully developed channel flow is derived by applying the limit at small separations to the two-point budget equation. Since the ratio of the isotropic energy dissipation rate to the mean turbulent energy dissipation rate $\overline{{\it\epsilon}}_{iso}/\overline{{\it\epsilon}}$ is sufficiently close to 1 on the centreline, our main focus is on the isotropic form of the transport equation. It is found that the imbalance between the production of $\overline{{\it\epsilon}}$ due to vortex stretching and the destruction of $\overline{{\it\epsilon}}$ caused by the action of viscosity is governed by the diffusion of $\overline{{\it\epsilon}}$ by the wall-normal velocity fluctuation. This imbalance is intrinsically different from the advection-driven imbalance in decaying-type flows, such as grid turbulence, jets and wakes. In effect, the different types of imbalance represent different constraints on the relation between the skewness of the longitudinal velocity derivative $S_{1,1}$ and the destruction coefficient $G$ of enstrophy in different flows, thus resulting in non-universal approaches of $S_{1,1}$ towards a constant value as the Taylor microscale Reynolds number, $R_{{\it\lambda}}$, increases. For example, the approach is slower for the measured values of $S_{1,1}$ along either the channel or pipe centreline than along the axis in the self-preserving region of a round jet. The data for $S_{1,1}$ collected in different flows strongly suggest that, in each flow, the magnitude of $S_{1,1}$ is bounded, the value being slightly larger than 0.5.
Determination of the turbulent energy dissipation rate from data measured by a “Stream Line” lidar in the atmospheric surface layer
