Approach to the 4/3 law for turbulent pipe and channel flows examined through a reformulated scale-by-scale energy budget

In this study, we propose a scale-by-scale (SBS) energy budget equation for flows with homogeneity in at least one direction. This SBS budget represents a modified form of the equation first proposed by Danaila et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 430, 2001, pp. 87–109) for the channel centreline – the primary difference is that, here, we consider the role of pressure along with the errors associated with the isotropic approximations of the interscale divergence and Laplacian of the squared velocity increment. The term encompassing the effects of mean shear is also characterised such that the present analysis can be extended straightforwardly to locations away from the centreline. We show, based on a detailed analysis of previously published channel flow direct numerical simulations and pipe flow experiments near the centreline, how several terms in the present SBS budget equation (including the third-order velocity structure function) behave with increasing Reynolds number. The behaviour of these terms is shown to imply a rate of emergence and subsequent growth of the 4/3 law scale subrange at the channel centreline and pipe axis. The analysis also suggests that the peak magnitude of the third-order velocity structure function occurs at a scale that is fixed in proportion to the Taylor microscale at sufficiently high Reynolds number.

Projected velocity statistics of interstellar turbulence

ABSTRACT Velocity statistics is a direct probe of the dynamics of interstellar turbulence. Its observational measurements are very challenging due to the convolution between density and velocity and projection effects. We introduce the projected velocity structure function, which can be generally applied to statistical studies of both subsonic and supersonic turbulence in different interstellar phases. It recovers the turbulent velocity spectrum from the projected velocity field in different regimes, and when the thickness of a cloud is less than the driving scale of turbulence, it can also be used to determine the cloud thickness and the turbulence driving scale. By applying it to the existing core velocity dispersion measurements of the Taurus cloud, we find a transition from the Kolmogorov to the Burgers scaling of turbulent velocities with decreasing length-scales, corresponding to the large-scale solenoidal motions and small-scale compressive motions, respectively. The latter occupy a small fraction of the volume and can be selectively sampled by clusters of cores with the typical cluster size indicated by the transition scale.

MULTIFRACTAL CASCADE SYMMETRY MODEL FOR FULLY DEVELOPED TURBULENCE

We report a symmetry model for turbulence intermittency. This is obtained by the compositions of continuous symmetry group transformations of statistical turbulent spectral equation at infinite Reynolds number limit. Flow evolution under group compositions yields velocity structure function exponents that depend on the dilation symmetry group parameter [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and a random parameter [Formula: see text]. The random parameter [Formula: see text] is associated with energy distribution. Since the correction to the space-filling Kolmogorov cascade is small, the value of [Formula: see text]. The asymptotic structures are filaments having dimension one, so [Formula: see text] is found to be related with [Formula: see text] by [Formula: see text]. The present model therefore depends only on [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] can be ascertained uniquely for [Formula: see text]. It is found that the velocity structure function exponents [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] in present symmetry model agree well with the existing experimental, direct numerical simulation results and different phenomenological models for [Formula: see text]. For these values of [Formula: see text], the correction to Kolmogorov space-filling, universal [Formula: see text] law, belongs to the range [Formula: see text], and the fractal dimension for the support set lies in [Formula: see text].

Finite Reynolds number effect on the scaling range behaviour of turbulent longitudinal velocity structure functions

The effect of large-scale forcing on the second- and third-order longitudinal velocity structure functions, evaluated at the Taylor microscale $r=\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$, is assessed in various turbulent flows at small to moderate values of the Taylor microscale Reynolds number $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$. It is found that the contribution of the large-scale terms to the scale by scale energy budget differs from flow to flow. For a fixed $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$, this contribution is largest on the centreline of a fully developed channel flow but smallest for stationary forced periodic box turbulence. For decaying-type flows, the contribution lies between the previous two cases. Because of the difference in the large-scale term between flows, the third-order longitudinal velocity structure function at $r=\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}$ differs from flow to flow at small to moderate $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$. The effect on the second-order velocity structure functions appears to be negligible. More importantly, the effect of $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$ on the scaling range exponent of the longitudinal velocity structure function is assessed using measurements of the streamwise velocity fluctuation $u$, with $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$ in the range 500–1100, on the axis of a plane jet. It is found that the magnitude of the exponent increases as $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$ increases and the rate of increase depends on the order $n$. The trend of published structure function data on the axes of an axisymmetric jet and a two-dimensional wake confirms this dependence. For a fixed $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$, the exponent can vary from flow to flow and for a given flow, the larger $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}}$ is, the closer the exponent is to the value predicted by Kolmogorov (Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, vol. 30, 1941a, pp. 299–303) (hereafter K41). The major conclusion is that the finite Reynolds number effect, which depends on the flow, needs to be properly accounted for before determining whether corrections to K41, arising from the intermittency of the energy dissipation rate, are needed. We further point out that it is imprudent, if not incorrect, to associate the finite Reynolds number effect with a consequence of the modified similarity hypothesis introduced by Kolmogorov (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 13, 1962, pp. 82–85) (K62); we contend that this association has misled the vast majority of post K62 investigations of the consequences of K62.

A general self-preservation analysis for decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence

A general framework of self-preservation (SP) is established, based on the transport equation of the second-order longitudinal velocity structure function in decaying homogeneous isotropic turbulence (HIT). The analysis introduces the skewness of the longitudinal velocity increment, $S(r,t)$ ($r$ and $t$ are space increment and time), as an SP controlling parameter. The present SP framework allows a critical appraisal of the specific assumptions that have been made in previous SP analyses. It is shown that SP is achieved when $S(r,t)$ varies in a self-similar manner, i.e. $S=c(t){\it\phi}(r/l)$ where $l$ is a scaling length, and $c(t)$ and ${\it\phi}(r/l)$ are dimensionless functions of time and $(r/l)$, respectively. When $c(t)$ is constant, $l$ can be identified with the Kolmogorov length scale ${\it\eta}$, even when the Reynolds number is relatively small. On the other hand, the Taylor microscale ${\it\lambda}$ is a relevant SP length scale only when certain conditions are met. The decay law for the turbulent kinetic energy ($k$) ensuing from the present SP is a generalization of the existing laws and can be expressed as $k\sim (t-t_{0})^{n}+B$, where $B$ is a constant representing the energy of the motions whose scales are excluded from the SP range of scales. When $B=0$, SP is achieved at all scales of motion and ${\it\lambda}$ becomes a relevant scaling length together with ${\it\eta}$. The analysis underlines the relation between the initial conditions and the power-law exponent $n$ and also provides a link between them. In particular, an expression relating $n$ to the initial values of the scaling length and velocity is developed. Finally, the present SP analysis is consistent with both experimental grid turbulence data and the eddy-damped quasi-normal Markovian numerical simulation of decaying HIT by Meldi & Sagaut (J. Turbul., vol. 14, 2013, pp. 24–53).

Topological Characteristics of Coherent Structures in the Turbulent Boundary Layer Measured by Tomo-PIV

Database of time series of the instantaneous three-dimensional three-component (3D-3C) velocity vector field, measured by tomographic time-resolved PIV(Tomo-PIV) in a water tunnel, was analyzed to investigate spatial topologies of coherent structures in the turbulent boundary layer (TBL). A new concept of spatial locally averaged velocity structure function of turbulence is put forward to describe the spatial dilation or compression of the multi-scale coherent structures in the TBL. According to the physical mechanism of dilation or compression of multi-scale coherent vortex structures in the turbulent flow, a new conditional sampling method was proposed as well to extract the spatial topological characteristics of physical quantities of coherent structures, such as fluctuating velocities, velocity gradients, velocity strain rates and vorticity during the bursting process in the Tomo-PIV database. Furthermore, the anti-symmetric structures are the typical spatial topologies characteristics for the velocity gradients and vorticity during coherent structures burst.

Experimental study of the influence of anisotropy on the inertial scales of turbulence

We ask whether the scaling exponents or the Kolmogorov constants depend on the anisotropy of the velocity fluctuations in a turbulent flow with no shear. According to our experiment, the answer is no for the Eulerian second-order transverse velocity structure function. The experiment consisted of 32 loudspeaker-driven jets pointed toward the centre of a spherical chamber. We generated anisotropy by controlling the strengths of the jets. We found that the form of the anisotropy of the velocity fluctuations was the same as that in the strength of the jets. We then varied the anisotropy, as measured by the ratio of axial to radial root-mean-square (r.m.s.) velocity fluctuations, between 0.6 and 2.3. The Reynolds number was approximately constant at around ${R}_{\lambda } = 481$. In a central volume with a radius of 50 mm, the turbulence was approximately homogeneous, axisymmetric, and had no shear and no mean flow. We observed that the scaling exponent of the structure function was $0. 70\pm 0. 03$, independent of the anisotropy and regardless of the direction in which we measured it. The Kolmogorov constant, ${C}_{2} $, was also independent of direction and anisotropy to within the experimental error of 4 %.