Scalar dispersion by coherent structures in uniformly sheared flow generated in a water tunnel

In order to investigate the role of coherent structures as mechanisms of scalar dispersion, we studied measurements of a passive scalar plume released in a uniformly sheared turbulent flow generated in a water tunnel. The flow had homogeneous turbulence properties in the measurement domain and contained hairpin vortices similar to those in boundary layers, and so was an ideal test bed to study the effects of coherent structures on turbulent dispersion, free from the effects of inhomogeneities or boundaries. Measurements of the velocity and concentration fields were acquired simultaneously using stereo particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence. We found that dye was preferentially located far away from vortices and was less likely to appear in close proximity to vortices, which is attributed to the high dissipation at the periphery of the vortices. However, we also found that dye was not directly correlated with the uniform momentum zones in the flow, suggesting a more complex relationship exists between these zones, the locations of vortices, and dye transport. Considering scalar flux events rather than simply the presence of dye as our condition of interest, a conditional eddy analysis demonstrated that hairpin vortices are responsible for the large scalar flux events as well as the large Reynolds stress events in the flow. The fact that the Reynolds stress was correlated with the scalar flux further confirmed that coherent structures are dominant mechanisms for scalar transport. Furthermore, we found that the scalar flux vector was preferentially inclined by 155° and ?25° with respect to the streamwise direction, and was thus approximately orthogonal to the planes of the legs of the most common upright and inverted hairpin structures in the flow. These findings demonstrate that coherent structures play an important and intricate role in turbulent diffusion.