Energy-based characterisation of large-scale coherent structures in turbulent pipe flowsShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Journal of Fluid Mechanics, ISSN 0022-1120, E-ISSN 1469-7645, Vol. 996, article id A45Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Large-scale coherent structures in incompressible turbulent pipe flow are studied for a wide range of Reynolds numbers (Re-tau = 180, 550, 1000, 2000 and 5200). Employing the Karhunen-Loeve decomposition and a novel approach based on the Voronoi diagram, we identify and classify statistically coherent structures based on their location, dimensions and Re-tau. With increasing Re-tau, two distinct classes of structures become more energetic, namely wall-attached and detached eddies. The Voronoi methodology is shown to delineate these two classes without the need for specific criteria or thresholds. At the highest Re-tau, the attached eddies scale linearly with the wall-normal distance with a slope of approximately l(y) similar to 1.2y/R, while the detached eddies remain constant at the size of l(y) approximate to 0.26R, with a progressive shift towards the pipe centre. We extract these two classes of structures and describe their spatial characteristics, including radial size, helix angle and azimuthal self-similarity. The spatial distribution could help explain the differences in mean velocity between pipe and channel flows, as well as in modelling large and very-large-scale motions (LSM and VLSM). In addition, a comprehensive description is provided for both wall-attached and detached structures in terms of LSM and VLSM.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Cambridge University Press (CUP) , 2024. Vol. 996, article id A45
Keywords [en]
pipe flow, turbulence simulation, turbulence theory
National Category
Fluid Mechanics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-355192DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2024.776ISI: 001327781500001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85206833753OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-355192DiVA, id: diva2:1907701
Note
QC 20241023
2024-10-232024-10-232025-02-09Bibliographically approved