Temporal and spatial transients in turbulent boundary layer flow over an oscillating wall

Direct numerical simulations have been performed to study the effect of an oscillating segment of the wall on a turbulent boundary layer flow. Two different oscillation amplitudes with equal oscillation period have been used, which allows a direct comparison between a relatively weak and strong forcing of the flow. The weaker forcing results in 18% drag reduction while the stronger forcing, with twice the amplitude, yields 29% drag reduction. The downstream development of the drag reduction is compared with earlier simulations and experiments. In addition, a simulation with identical oscillation parameters as in previous numerical and experimental investigations allows for an estimation of the effect of the Reynolds number on the drag reduction.Reductions in the Reynolds stresses and the important role that the edge of the Stokes layer has is explained.An estimation of the idealized power consumption shows that a positive energy budget is only possible for the weaker wall velocity case.Spatial and temporal transients are investigated and a transformation between spatial and temporal coordinates via a convection velocity is shown to facilitate a comparison between the two transients in a consistent manner. The streamwise shear exhibits a similar monotonic behavior in the spatial and temporal transients, while the non-monotinic temporal transient of the longitudinal Reynolds stress has no counterpart in the spatial development. Furthermore, the evolution in time of the spanwise Reynolds stress is very similar to previously reported channel flow data.The instantaneous spanwise velocity profile (only averaged in the homogeneous spanwise direction) will for the first time be presented from a boundary layer over an oscillating wall, and comparisons with the analytical solution to the laminar Navier–Stokes equations show very good agreement.     

Subcritical spatial transition of swept Hiemenz flow

It is known from experimental investigations that the leading-edge boundary layer of a swept wing exhibits transition to turbulence at subcritical Reynolds numbers, i.e. at Reynolds numbers which lie below the critical Reynolds number predicted by linear stability theory. In the present work, we investigate this subcritical transition process by direct numerical simulations of a swept Hiemenz flow in a spatial setting. The laminar base flow is perturbed upstream by a pair of stationary counter-rotating vortex-like disturbances. This perturbation generates high- and low-speed streaks by a non-modal growth mechanism. Further downstream, these streaky structures exhibit a strong instability to secondary perturbations which leads to a breakdown to turbulence.The observed transition mechanism has strong similarities to by-pass transition mechanisms found for two-dimensional boundary layers. It can be shown that transition strongly depends on the amplitude of the primary perturbation as well as on the frequency of the secondary perturbation.     

A Stochastic Backscatter Model for Grey-Area Mitigation in Detached Eddy Simulations

A new stochastic backscatter model is proposed for detached eddy simulations that accelerates the development of resolved turbulence in free shear layers. As a result, the model significantly reduces so-called grey areas in which resolved turbulence is lacking after the computation has switched from a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulation to a large eddy simulation. The new stochastic model adds stochastic forcing to the momentum equations with a rate of backscatter from the subgrid to the resolved scales that is consistent with theory. The effectiveness of the stochastic model is enhanced by including spatial and temporal correlations of the stochastic forcing for scales smaller than the cut-off scale. The grey-area mitigation is demonstrated for two canonical test cases: the plane free shear layer and the round jet.     

改进虚拟边界算法在超声速流动问题求解中的应用

提出了一种改进的虚拟单元浸没边界法, 并与一种高阶格式的有限差分算法相结合, 运用于求解超声速复杂几何绕流问题.该算法的核心思想在于在固体边界的内部和外部分别施加满足边界关系的作用点, 使得几何边界离散更加细化, 起到了壁面附近网格局部加密的作用.采用源空间内流体点作为反距离插值算法的重构点, 有效避免了插值点数目过少而与作用点相重合情况.通过对二维激波反射现象 (马赫数为 2.81) 和三维超声速球体绕流问题 (马赫数为 1.2) 的数值模拟, 与实验结果对比表明, 本文改进算法相对一般的虚拟边界法来说能显著提高数值精度, 减小计算误差.计算结果揭示了球体绕流中剪切层、压缩波系和尾迹的相互作用导致自由剪切层失稳的机理.剪切层厚度和湍流雷诺脉动经历了线性增长、大幅度震荡和小幅度波动三个阶段, 导致剪切层表面褶皱因子变化呈指数规律增长.其湍流结构表现出明显的各向异性, 具体在流向雷诺正应力在湍流脉动中占主导地位, 激波的压缩作用对不同方向雷诺正应力的影响存在空间迟滞效应.      

Optimal disturbances in suction boundary layers

A well-known optimization procedure is used to find the optimal disturbances in two different suction boundary layers within the spatial framework. The maximum algebraic growth in the asymptotic suction boundary layer is presented and compared to previous temporal results. Furthermore, the spatial approach allows a study of a developing boundary layer in which a region at the leading edge is left free from suction. This new flow, which emulates the base flow of a recent wind-tunnel experiment, is herein denoted a semi-suction boundary layer. It is found that the optimal disturbances for these two suction boundary layers consist of streamwise vortices that develop into streamwise streaks, as previously found for a number of shear flows. It is shown that the maximum energy growth in the semi-suction boundary layer is obtained over the upstream region where no suction is applied. The result indicates that the spanwise scale of the streaks is set in this region, which is in agreement with previous experimental findings.     

Characterization of noise amplifiers with global singular modes: the case of the leading-edge flat-plate boundary layer

This article deals with the linear dynamics of a transitional boundary layer subject to two-dimensional Tollmien–Schlichting instabilities. We consider a flat plate including the leading edge, characterized by a Reynolds number based on the length of the plate equal to Re = 6 × 10⁵, inducing a displacement thickness-based Reynolds number of 1,332 at the end of the plate. The global linearized Navier–Stokes equations only display stable eigenvalues, and the associated eigen-vectors are known to poorly represent the dynamics of such open flows. Therefore, we resort to an input–output approach by considering the singular value decomposition of the global resolvent. We then obtain a series of singular values, an associated orthonormal basis representing the forcing (the so-called optimal forcings) as well as an orthonormal basis representing the response (the so-called optimal responses). The objective of this paper is to analyze these spatial structures and to closely relate their spatial downstream evolution to the Orr and Tollmien–Schlichting mechanisms. Analysis of the spatio-frequential diagrams shows that the optimal forcings and responses are respectively localized, for all frequencies, near the upstream neutral point (branch I) and the downstream neutral point (branch II). It is also shown that the spatial growth of the dominant optimal response favorably compares with the e ^N method in regions where the dominant optimal forcing is small. Moreover, thanks to an energetic input–output approach, it is shown that this spatial growth is solely due to intrinsic amplifying mechanisms related to the Orr and Tollmien–Schlichting mechanisms, while the spatial growth due to the externally supplied power by the dominant optimal forcing is negligible even in regions where the dominant optimal forcing is strong. The energetic input–output approach also yields a general method to assess the strength of the instability in amplifier flows. It is based on a ratio comparing two quantities of same physical dimension, the mean-fluctuating kinetic energy flux of the dominant optimal response across some boundary and the supplied mean external power by the dominant optimal forcing. For the present boundary-layer flow, we have computed this amplification parameter for each frequency and discussed the results with respect to the Orr and Tollmien–Schlichting mechanisms.     

Boundary layer receptivity to the nonlinearly developing freestream turbulence

The turbulent-freestream-generated disturbances in the flat-plate boundary layer are studied. As distinct from the conventional representation of turbulence as superposition of exponentially decaying vortex disturbances frozen in the flow and satisfying the linearized Navier-Stokes equations, a model used takes account for their nonlinear development. Its basic features are the deviation of the phase velocity of vortex disturbances from the flow velocity and their slower decay. The model makes it possible to adequately describe the experimentally observable dependences of the velocity fluctuations in the boundary layer and their spectra on the stream wise coordinate.     

Receptivity of the Swept Wing Boundary Layer to a Steady Flow Inhomogeneity

The boundary layer on a plate with an inclined blunt leading edge is investigated for a free-stream flow with a small span-periodic velocity inhomogeneity. This flow simulates the penetration of the outer turbulence into the swept wing boundary layer. It is shown that the boundary layer perturbations generated by the inhomogeneity generally have a streamwise velocity component significantly greater than the initial inhomogeneity amplitude. The dependence of the perturbations on the distance from the leading edge and the spanwise inhomogeneity period is found. It is shown that the swept wing boundary layer is less sensitive to the perturbation type in question than the straight wing boundary layer.     

Flow past a cylinder: shear layer instability and drag crisis

Flow past a circular cylinder for Re=100 to 10⁷ is studied numerically by solving the unsteady incompressible two‐dimensional Navier–Stokes equations via a stabilized finite element formulation. It is well known that beyond Re ～ 200 the flow develops significant three‐dimensional features. Therefore, two‐dimensional computations are expected to fall well short of predicting the flow accurately at high Re. It is fairly well accepted that the shear layer instability is primarily a two‐dimensional phenomenon. The frequency of the shear layer vortices, from the present computations, agree quite well with the Re^0.67 variation observed by other researchers from experimental measurements. The main objective of this paper is to investigate a possible relationship between the drag crisis (sudden loss of drag at Re ～ 2 × 10⁵) and the instability of the separated shear layer. As Re is increased the transition point of shear layer, beyond which it is unstable, moves upstream. At the critical Reynolds number the transition point is located very close to the point of flow separation. As a result, the shear layer eddies cause mixing of the flow in the boundary layer. This energizes the boundary layer and leads to its reattachment. The delay in flow separation is associated with narrowing of wake, increase in Reynolds shear stress near the shoulder of the cylinder and a significant reduction in the drag and base suction coefficients. The spatial and temporal power spectra for the kinetic energy of the Re=10⁶ flow are computed. As in two‐dimensional isotropic turbulence, E(k) varies as k^?5/3 for wavenumbers higher than energy injection scale and as k^?3 for lower wavenumbers. The present computations suggest that the shear layer vortices play a major role in the transition of boundary layer from laminar to turbulent state. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transient growth mechanisms of low Reynolds number flow over a low-pressure turbine blade

A direct transient growth analysis for three-dimensional perturbations to flow past a periodic array of T-106/300 low-pressure turbine fan blades is presented. The methodology is based on a singular value decomposition of the flow evolution operator, linearised about a steady or periodic base flow. This analysis yields the optimal growth modes. Previous work on global mode stability analysis of this flow geometry showed the flow is asymptotically stable, indicating a non-modal explanation of transition may be more appropriate. The present work extends previous investigations into the transient growth around a steady base flow, to higher Reynolds numbers and periodic base flows. It is found that the notable transient growth of the optimal modes suggests a plausible route to transition in comparison to modal growth for this configuration. The spatial extent and localisation of the optimal modes is examined and possible physical triggering mechanisms are discussed. It is found that for longer times and longer spanwise wavelengths, a separation in the shear layer excites the wake mode. For shorter times and spanwise wavelengths, smaller growth associated with excitation of the near wake are observed.     

Linear Dynamics of Perturbations in Flows with Constant Horizontal Shear

The dynamics of perturbations in shallow water and incompressible stratified fluid flows with constant horizontal shear are described using the nonmodal analysis. It is shown that the shear flow perturbations can be divided into two classes on the basis of the potential vorticity: rapidly oscillating wave perturbations with zero potential vorticity and slow vortex perturbations with nonzero potential vorticity. In the cases of weak and strong shear the main features of the dynamics of wave and vortex perturbations are studied analytically (using the WKBG method) and numerically. It is shown that for large times the wave perturbation energy increases linearly, i.e., the shear flow is algebraically unstable due to the growth of rapid wave perturbations. This instability can be of importance in processes of turbulence development and surface and internal wave generation.     

Analytical solutions for thermal forcing vortices in boundary layer and its applications

Using the Boussinesq approximation, the vortex in the boundary layer is assumed to be axisymmetrical and thermal-wind balanced system forced by diabatic heating and friction, and is solved as an initial-value problem of linearized vortex equation set in cylindrical coordinates. The impacts of thermal forcing on the flow field structure of vortex are analyzed. It is found that thermal forcing has significant impacts on the flow field structure, and the material representative forms of these impacts are closely related to the radial distribution of heating. The discussion for the analytical solutions for the vortex in the boundary layer can explain some main structures of the vortex over the Tibetan Plateau.     

Vortex dynamics of a cylinder wake in proximity to a wall

Large-eddy simulations (LES) are used to investigate the modifications of wake dynamics and turbulence characteristics behind a circular cylinder placed near a wall for varying gap-to-diameter (G/D) ratios (where G signifies the gap between the wall and the cylinder, and D the cylinder diameter). The three-dimensional (3-D), time-dependent, incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with a dynamic subgrid-scale model are solved using a symmetry-preserving finite-difference scheme of second-order spatial and temporal accuracy. The immersed boundary (IB) method is employed to impose the no-slip boundary condition on the cylinder surface. Flow visualizations along with turbulence statistics are presented to gain insight into the flow structures that are due to interaction between the shear layers and the approaching boundary layer. Apart from the vortex shedding mechanism, the paper illustrates the physics involving the shear layer transition, stretching, breakdown and turbulence generation, either qualitatively or quantitatively, in the presence of a wall for a Reynolds number of Re=1440 (based on D and the inlet free-stream velocity U_∞).     

Flow around a NACA0018 airfoil with a cavity and its dynamical response to acoustic forcing

Trapping of vortices in a cavity has been explored in recent years as a drag reduction measure for thick airfoils. If, however, trapping fails, then oscillation of the cavity flow may couple with elastic vibration modes of the airfoil. To examine this scenario, the effect of small amplitude vertical motion on the oscillation of the shear layer above the cavity is studied by acoustic forcing simulating a vertical translation of a modified NACA0018 profile. At low Reynolds numbers based on the chord (O(10⁴)), natural instability modes of this shear layer are observed for Strouhal numbers based on the cavity width of order unity. Acoustic forcing sufficiently close to the natural instability frequency induces a strong non-linear response due to lock-in of the shear layer. At higher Reynolds numbers (above 10⁵) for Strouhal number 0.6 or lower, no natural instabilities of the shear layer and only a linear response to forcing were observed. The dynamical pressure difference across the airfoil is then dominated by added mass effects, as was confirmed by numerical simulations.     

Statistical laws of the pressure fluctuations in a hypersonic turbulent boundary layer

The results of measuring the pressure fluctuations on the wall of the nozzle of a hypersonic wind tunnel beneath a developed turbulent boundary layer are presented for the Mach number M_∞ = 7.5. On the basis of a statistical analysis, it is shown that the action of the turbulent flow is dynamically similar to the propagation of a random sequence of wave packets with continuously distributed temporal and spatial scales. Low-frequency disturbances are associated with large-scale structures of long duration that propagate at a mean-statistical velocity similar in value to the outer flow velocity. The continuous generation of weakly-correlated small-scale disturbances ensuring the maintenance and development of turbulence occurs chiefly in the inner region of the boundary layer. Spectral estimates of the power generated by the turbulent flow in the wall region of the boundary layer are presented.     

PIV study of the influence of large-scale streamwise vortices on a turbulent boundary layer

Vortex generator jets were used to generate large-scale longitudinal vortices embedded in a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer. The investigation was performed in a water tunnel, measuring instantaneous flow fields in planes parallel and normal to the flat plate, using particle image velocimetry. The objective of the research was to observe the response of near-wall turbulence to the imposed perturbing flow. It was shown that a small-amplitude forcing vortical flow had significant influence on the mean and fluctuating velocity profiles. Moreover, particle image velocimetry permitted speculation upon the behaviour of the wall velocity streaks under the action of the perturbing forcing vortical flow.     

Free interaction of a three-dimensional boundary layer with an exterior irrotational flow

Asymptotic equations describing the unsteady free interaction of a three-dimensional boundary layer with an exterior flow are derived. The orders of the independent variables and perturbations of the flow parameters are chosen in such a way that the pressure gradient that occurs in the equation of the wall layer is due to the displacement of streamlines situated near the surface of the body. The Fourier method is used to construct a solution to the linearized problem. A class of perturbations satisfying homogeneous boundary conditions on the surface of the body is found.     

Numerical simulations of non‐equilibrium turbulent boundary layer flowing over a bump

Large‐eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes simulation (RANS) with different turbulence models (including the standard k?ε, the standard k?ω, the shear stress transport k?ω (SST k?ω), and Spalart–Allmaras (S–A) turbulence models) have been employed to compute the turbulent flow of a two‐dimensional turbulent boundary layer over an unswept bump. The predictions of the simulations were compared with available experimental measurements in the literature. The comparisons of the LES and the SST k?ω model including the mean flow and turbulence stresses are in satisfied agreements with the available measurements. Although the flow experiences a strong adverse pressure gradient along the rear surface, the boundary layer is unique in that intermittent detachment occurring near the wall. The numerical results indicate that the boundary layer is not followed by mean‐flow separation or incipient separation as shown from the numerical results. The resolved turbulent shear stress is in a reasonable agreement with the experimental data, though the computational result of LES shows that its peak is overpredicted near the trailing edge of the bump, while the other used turbulence models, except the standard k?ε, underpredicts it. Analysis of the numerical results from LES confirms the experimental data, in which the existence of internal layers over the bump surface upstream of the summit and along the downstream flat plate. It also demonstrates that the quasi‐step increase in skin friction is due to perturbations in pressure gradient. The surface curvature enhances the near‐wall shear production of turbulent stresses, and is responsible for the formation of the internal layers. The aim of the present work is to examine the response and prediction capability of LES with the dynamic eddy viscosity model as a sub‐grid scale to the complex turbulence structure with the presence of streamline curvature generated by a bumpy surface. Aiming to reduce the computational costs with focus on the mean behavior of the non‐equilibrium turbulent boundary layer of flow over the bump surface, the present investigation also explains the best capability of one of the used RANS turbulence models to capture the driving mechanism for the surprisingly rapid return to equilibrium over the trailing flat plate found in the measurements. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Receptivity of the inclined-cylinder attachment-line boundary layer to vortex perturbations

The receptivity of the boundary layer in the neighborhood of the attachment line of a cylinder inclined to the flow with respect to periodic vortex perturbations frozen into the stream is investigated. The problem considered simulates the interaction between external turbulence and the leading-edge swept wing boundary layer. It is shown that if the direction of the external perturbation vector is almost parallel to the leading edge, then the external perturbations are considerably strengthened at the outer boundary layer edge. This effect can cause laminar-turbulent transition on the attachment line at subcritical Reynolds numbers.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Academii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, 2004, pp. 72–85. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Ustinov.     

The artificial buffer layer and the effects of forcing in hybrid LES/RANS

The present study is focused on large eddy simulations (LES) that use a statistical (RANS) turbulence model near solid walls, and on the artificial buffer layer that is formed at the interface between these two modeling regions. Additional forcing is used to trigger resolved motions in the LES region more quickly, and leads to improved results in several ways. The study investigates the artificial buffer layer and how it changes with the use of forcing in an in-depth manner, with the purpose of increased understanding of the increasingly popular hybrid LES/RANS group of methods.

The artificial buffer layer is shown to extend from below the modeling interface to well above it, in fact up to 20% of the boundary layer thickness for the cases studied here. The artificial buffer layer is found to be similar to the true buffer layer in many aspects, including a high correlation between the streamwise and wall normal velocity components in the ‘superstreaks’. This indicates that while the superstreaks are highly anisotropic and have unphysical length scales, they still contribute to the resolved shear stress. The forcing does not remove the artificial buffer layer, but it does reduce its extent and increases the resolved shear stress. This increase is mainly associated with increased fluctuations of the wall normal velocity.

A simple, low-dimensional forcing model is proposed and tested, with favorable results. The model is simple to implement and easily generalized to more complex geometries.