Variational multiscale turbulence modelling in a high order spectral element method

In the variational multiscale (VMS) approach to large eddy simulation (LES), the governing equations are projected onto an a priori scale partitioning of the solution space. This gives an alternative framework for designing and analyzing turbulence models. We describe the implementation of the VMS LES methodology in a high order spectral element method with a nodal basis, and discuss the properties of the proposed scale partitioning. The spectral element code is first validated by doing a direct numerical simulation of fully developed plane channel flow. The performance of the turbulence model is then assessed by several coarse grid simulations of channel flow at different Reynolds numbers.     

自由热射流流场的光学不均匀性数值研究

 通过建立物理模型，求解层流N-S方程，用数值方法模拟了二维热射流流场的有序大涡结构，计算了流场不同流向位置的光程值，分析了射流流场混合层的光学特性，得出了气动光学流场由于流场中大尺度涡结构的存在所引起的光学不均匀性，大涡结构中奇点所导致的光学畸变最大，在一定条件下大涡结构有散焦作用。     

Transition region where the large-scale and very large scale motions coexist in atmospheric surface layer: wind tunnel investigation

The turbulent structures in atmospheric surface layer (ASL) are investigated in wind tunnel with hot-wire anemometers in present study. The results show that there exist two typical turbulent structures characterised by their streamwise length scales, i.e. large-scale motions (LSMs) and very large scale motions (VLSMs) as reported recently in pipe flow, channel flow, zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers and near-neutral ASLs. Moreover, a transition region containing both LSMs and VLSMs is first reported in present investigation, and this region depends on the Reynolds numbers. In the transition region, as the wall-normal distance increases, the turbulent energy ratio of LSMs is gradually weakened but VSLMs strengthened.     

逆压梯度下层流分离泡转捩的大涡模拟

本文采用有限体积法,发展了适合复杂几何边界条件的可压缩流动大涡模拟程序,通过对槽道湍流的计算,验证了程序的可靠性。对低雷诺数、逆压梯度环境中的层流分离泡转捩现象进行了数值模拟,分析了其统计特性及大尺度相干结构的演化规律．初步的结果表明:大涡模拟可以很好地处理层流分离泡转捩问题,既能给出满意的统计平均结果,又可以通过相干结构的演化细致描述分离泡转捩的动力学过程。     

肋片对后台阶湍流流动影响的数值模拟

采用二阶全展开ETG有限元方法作为大涡模拟空间离散格式,计算了Reynolds数为47625条件下的后台阶湍流流动,结果与相关实验资料符合良好,在此基础上分析了附加肋片高度和肋距对后台阶湍流流动的影响.计算结果表明,不同肋高和肋距对台阶下游流动具有较大的影响,相应条件下台阶下游的涡系及其时变过程都发生了很大的变化,计算给出了台阶回流段长度随肋高和随肋距变化的曲线,并指出,在台阶下游附加肋片可以作为后台阶湍流流动一种简单有效的被动控制方式.     

Visualisation and analysis of large-scale vortex structures in three-dimensional turbulent lid-driven cavity flow

In this paper, large eddy simulation (LES) of a three-dimensional turbulent lid-driven cavity (LDC) flow at Re = 10,000 has been performed using the multiple relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method. A Smagorinsky eddy viscosity model was used to represent the sub-grid scale stresses with appropriate wall damping. The prediction for the flow field was first validated by comparing the velocity profiles with previous experimental and LES studies, and then subsequently used to investigate the large-scale three-dimensional vortical structures in the LDC flow. The instantaneous three-dimensional coherent structures inside the cavity were visualised using the second invariant (Q), Δ criterion, λ₂ criterion, swirling strength (λ_ci) and streamwise vorticity. The vortex structures obtained using the different criteria in general agree well with each other. However, a cleaner visualisation of the large vortex structures was achieved with the λ_ci criterion and also when the visualisation is based on the vortex identification criteria expressed in terms of the swirling strength parameters. A major objective of the study was to perform a three-dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) on the fluctuating velocity fields. The higher energy POD modes efficiently extracted the large-scale vortical structures within the flow which were then visualised with the swirling strength criterion. Reconstruction of the instantaneous fluctuating velocity field using a finite number of POD modes indicated that the large-scale vortex structures did effectively approximate the large-scale motion. However, such a reduced order reconstruction of the flow based on the large-scale vortical structures was clearly not as effective in predicting the small-scale details of the fluctuating velocity field which relate to the turbulent transport.     

Statistics of particle pair relative velocity in the homogeneous shear flow

Small scale clustering of inertial particles and relative velocity of particle pairs have been fully characterized for statistically steady homogeneous isotropic flows. Depending on the particle Stokes relaxation time, the spatial distribution of the disperse phase results in a multi-scale manifold characterized by local particle concentration and voids and, because of finite inertia, the two nearby particles have high probability to exhibit large relative velocities. Both effects might explain the speed-up of particle collision rate in turbulent flows. Recently it has been shown that the large scale geometry of the flow plays a crucial role in organizing small scale particle clusters. For instance, a mean shear preferentially orients particle patterns. In this case, depending on the Stokes time, anisotropic clustering may occur even in the inertial range of scales where the turbulent fluctuations which drive the particles have already recovered isotropy. Here we consider the statistics of particle pair relative velocity in the homogeneous shear flow, the prototypical flow which manifests anisotropic clustering at small scales. We show that the mean shear, by imprinting anisotropy on the large scale velocity fluctuations, dramatically affects the particle relative velocity distribution even in the range of small scales where the anisotropic mechanisms of turbulent kinetic energy production are sub-dominant with respect to the inertial energy transfer which drives the carrier fluid velocity towards isotropy. We find that the particles’ populations which manifest strong anisotropy in their relative velocities are the same which exhibit small scale clustering. In contrast to any Kolmogorov-like picture of turbulent transport these phenomena may persist even below the smallest dissipative scales where the residual level of anisotropy may eventually blow-up. The observed anisotropy of particle relative velocity and spatial configuration is suggested to influence the directionality of the collision probability, as inferred on the basis of the so-called “ghost collision” model.     

Large scale effects in weakly turbulent premixed flames

In this study we numerically investigate large scale premixed flames in weakly turbulent flow fields. A large scale flame is classified as such based on a reference hydrodynamic lengthscale being larger than a neutral (cutoff) lengthscale for which the hydrodynamic or Darrieus–Landau (DL) instability is balanced by stabilizing diffusive effects. As a result, DL instability can develop for large scale flames and is inhibited otherwise. Direct numerical simulations of both large scale and small scale three-dimensional, weakly turbulent flames are performed at constant Karlovitz and turbulent Reynolds number, using two paradigmatic configurations, namely a statistically planar flame and a slot Bunsen flame. As expected from linear stability analysis, DL instability induces its characteristic cusp-like corrugation only on large scale flames. We therefore observe significant morphological and topological differences as well as DL-enhanced turbulent flame speeds in large scale flames. Furthermore, we investigate issues related to reaction rate modeling in the context of flame surface density closure. Thicker flame brushes are observed for large scale flames resulting in smaller flame surface densities and overall larger wrinkling factors.     

高雷诺数气固湍流射流的直接数值模拟

本文对流动雷诺数 Re=5990的空间发展的气固两相湍流射流进行了直接数值模拟。其中对流场的求解采用具有四阶精度的紧致差分格式,对颗粒场的跟踪采用拉格朗日方法。结果表明,湍流拟序结构逐渐由对称模式发展到非对称模式;较小 Stokes 数的颗粒在流场中均匀分布,较大 Stokes 数的颗粒沿横向没有明显的扩散,而 Stokes 数为 1的量级的颗粒则大量聚集在大涡结构的外围。     

Phase-relationships between scales in the perturbed turbulent boundary layer

The phase-relationship between large-scale motions and small-scale fluctuations in a non-equilibrium turbulent boundary layer was investigated. A zero-pressure-gradient flat plate turbulent boundary layer was perturbed by a short array of two-dimensional roughness elements, both statically, and under dynamic actuation. Within the compound, dynamic perturbation, the forcing generated a synthetic very-large-scale motion (VLSM) within the flow. The flow was decomposed by phase-locking the flow measurements to the roughness forcing, and the phase-relationship between the synthetic VLSM and remaining fluctuating scales was explored by correlation techniques. The general relationship between large- and small-scale motions in the perturbed flow, without phase-locking, was also examined. The synthetic large scale cohered with smaller scales in the flow via a phase-relationship that is similar to that of natural large scales in an unperturbed flow, but with a much stronger organizing effect. Cospectral techniques were employed to describe the physical implications of the perturbation on the relative orientation of large- and small-scale structures in the flow. The correlation and cospectral techniques provide tools for designing more efficient control strategies that can indirectly control small-scale motions via the large scales.     

圆形射流湍流场的大涡模拟研究

使用发展的大涡模拟并行程序,数值模拟了圆形射流湍流场,与实验值进行详细比较,对大涡模拟程序进行检验,并分析网格尺度对计算结果的影响。结果表明,大涡模拟计算的平均速度场和雷诺应力场与实验值符合得非常好,验证了该大涡模拟计算程序的可靠性和精确度。同时发现一阶统计矩受网格尺度影响不大,二阶及高阶矩与网格尺度有较大的关系,因此使用大涡模拟方法计算湍流及湍流燃烧问题应对网格依赖性进行必要分析,至少保证二阶统计矩具有较好的精度。     

旋风分离器上部空间各种二次涡的数值模拟

采用改进的雷诺应力模型对旋风分离器上部环形空间内的强旋湍流流动进行了数值模拟,重点分析了顶板和升气管附近的局部二次涡。数值模拟结果与实验对比表明雷诺应力模型对环形空间内的强旋流动有良好的预报精度。旋风分离器上部环形空间不仅在顶板下存在有二次涡,而且在升气管外壁附近还存在有局部二次涡,局部二次涡的尺度比较小,而且沿周向有变化,呈现非轴对称分布。     

Turbulent propagation of premixed flames in the presence of Darrieus–Landau instability

We investigate the role played by hydrodynamic instability in the wrinkled flamelet regime of turbulent combustion, where the intensity of turbulence is small compared to the laminar flame speed and the scale large compared to the flame thickness. To this end the Michelson–Sivashinsky (MS) equation for flame front propagation in one and two spatial dimensions is studied in the presence of uncorrelated and correlated noise representing a turbulent flow field. The combined effect of turbulence intensity, integral scale, and an instability parameter related to the Markstein length are examined and turbulent propagation speed monitored for both stable planar flames and corrugated flames for which the planar conformation is unstable. For planar flames a particularly simple scaling law emerges, involving quadratic dependence on intensity and a linear dependence on the degree of instability. For corrugated flames we find the dependence on intensity to be substantially weaker than quadratic, revealing that corrugated flames are more resilient to turbulence than planar flames. The existence of a threshold turbulence intensity is also observed, below which the corrugated flame in the presence of turbulence behaves like a laminar flame. We also analyze the conformation of the flame surface in the presence of turbulence, revealing primary, large-scale wrinkles of a size comparable to the main corrugation. When the integral scale is much smaller than the characteristic corrugation length we observe, in addition to primary wrinkles, secondary small-scale wrinkles contaminating the surface. The flame then acquires a multi-scale, self-similar conformation, with a fractal dimension, for one-dimensional flames, plateauing at 1.23 for large intensities. The existence of an intermediate integral scale is also found at which the turbulent speed is maximized. When two-dimensional flames are subject to turbulence, the primary wrinkling patterns give rise to polyhedral-cellular structures which bear a very close resemblance to those observed in experiments on hydrodynamically unstable expanding spherical flames.     

带控制的超声速二维后台阶流动显示

在Mach数3.4的来流条件下,对二维后台阶流动精细结构开展了实验研究.实验分为后台阶上游无控制加粗糙带扰动及微涡流发生器（micro-vortex generator,MVG）扰动3种状态,采用基于纳米示踪的平面激光散射（nano-tracer based planar laser scattering,NPLS）方法获得了流向和展向切面内的高时空分辨率流动显示图像,并测量了模型表面静压分布.对大量NPLS图像取平均,研究了流场结构的时间平均规律,对比不同时刻的瞬态流场精细结构图像,发现不同状态下的湍流大尺度结构的特征时间.有粗糙带状态相对无粗糙带台阶下游回流区压力更低,而下游压力较高,台阶上游区别不大;受MVG控制后台阶下游附近区域压力突增;MVG对流动的控制改变能力较强,粗糙带能调整台阶上下游附近流动平稳过渡,流场壁面压力没有突变.      

Global injected power statistics in a turbulent system: degrees of freedom and aspect ratio effect

The properties of the global energy injection rate of a closed turbulent flow produced between two counter-rotating disks are studied. The statistics of this global quantity are measured when the aspect ratio (defined as the ratio of the disk diameter to the separating distance between both disks) is modified. It is shown that the non-Gaussian statistics obtained at a low aspect ratio becomes Gaussian for a large aspect ratio. This effect is accompanied with a large decrease of the fluctuation rate. These results indicate the total energy injection rate to obey the central limit theorem. It is also shown that the number of degrees of freedom of total injection rate may be related to the number of independent large scale structures present in the flow.     

An analytical-based method for studying the nonlinear evolution of localized vortices in planar homogenous shear flows

Recent experimental and numerical studies have shown that the interaction between a localized vortical disturbance and the shear of an external base flow can lead to the formation of counter-rotating vortex pairs and hairpin vortices that are frequently observed in wall bounded and free turbulent shear flows as well as in subcritical shear flows. In this paper an analytical-based solution method is developed. The method is capable of following (numerically) the evolution of finite-amplitude localized vortical disturbances embedded in shear flows. Due to their localization in space, the surrounding base flow is assumed to have homogeneous shear to leading order. The method can solve in a novel way the interaction between a general family of unbounded planar homogeneous shear flows and any localized disturbance. The solution is carried out using Lagrangian variables in Fourier space which is convenient and enables fast computations. The potential of the method is demonstrated by following the evolved structures of large amplitude disturbances in three canonical base flows, including simple shear, plane stagnation (extensional) and pure rotation flows, and a general case. The results obtained by the current method for plane stagnation and simple shear flows are compared with the published results. The proposed method could be extended to other flows (e.g. geophysical and rotating flows) and to include periodic disturbances as well.     

Kolmogorov scaling of turbulent flow in the vicinity of the wall

How to scale even the simplest of turbulent flows continues to be a cause for considerable controversy. In the present research, a data base compiling results from channel flow direct numerical simulations and turbulent boundary layer experiments is employed to investigate the properties of shear and normal Reynolds stresses very close to the wall. Two types of scaling based on Kolmogorov length and velocity scales are analyzed. It is shown that it is highly likely that large length scales of the order of the channel half-width or the boundary layer thickness play an important role even in the innermost regions of wall-bounded turbulent flows, which hints at the persistence of Reynolds number effects in even high Reynolds number flows.     

Estimation of nonlinear transfer functions for fully developed turbulence

A statistical method for modeling the linear and quadratically nonlinear relationship between fluctuations monitored at two points in space or time in a turbulent medium is presented. This relationship is described with the aid of linear and quadratic transfer functions and the concept of coherency is extended to quantify the goodness of the quadratic model. A unique feature of the approach described in this paper is that it is valid for non-Gaussian “input” and “output” signals. The validity of the approach is demonstrated with simulation data. The method is applied to experimental data taken in the turbulent edge plasma of the TEXT tokamak. The results indicate a three wave process with energy transfer to large scale fluctuations. The estimation of transfer functions is a first step in quantitatively measuring coupling coefficients and the energy transfer.     

Three-dimensional turbulent flow over cube-obstacles

In order to investigate the influence of surface roughness on turbulent flow and examine the wall-similarity hypothesis of Townsend, three-dimensional numerical study of turbulent channel flow over smooth and cube-rough walls with different roughness height has been carried out by using large eddy simulation(LES) coupled with immersed boundary method(IBM). The effects of surface roughness array on mean and fluctuating velocity profiles, Reynolds shear stress, and typical coherent structures such as quasi-streamwise vortices(QSV) in turbulent channel flow are obtained. The significant influences on turbulent fluctuations and structures are observed in roughness sub-layer(five times of roughness height).However, no dramatic modification of the log-law of the mean flow velocity and turbulence fluctuations can be found by surface cube roughness in the outer layer. Therefore, the results support the wall-similarity hypothesis. Moreover, the von Karman constant decreases with the increase of roughness height in the present simulation results. Besides, the larger size of QSV and more intense ejections are induced by the roughness elements, which is crucial for heat and mass transfer enhancement.     

E×B Velocity Shear and Intermittent Structures in RFX

Electrostatic turbulence in the edge region of the RFX device has been shown to be intermittent, i.e. not self-similar. In fact the probability distribution function of fluctuations at large scales is Gaussian in shape, whereas it displays strong tails for small scale fluctuations. The events responsible for these heavy tails are associated with turbulent structures with well defined density and floating potential spatial profiles, which have been characterised using arrays of probes. These structures tend to occur preferentially in correspondence to large scale magnetic relaxation events driven by core-resonant tearing modes. They also display an inclination related to the average velocity shear.