No Arabic abstract
A study of large-scale motions from a new direct numerical simulation database of the turbulent boundary layer up to Re{theta} ~ 2500 is presented. The statistics of large-scale streamwise structures have been investigated using two-dimensional and three-dimensional extraction procedures. The large-scale structures are abstracted using a robust skeletonization method usually applied to other research domains to simplify complex 3D objects. Different structure parameters such as the length, shape or angle are investigated. The features of the detected structures are compared to their mean counterparts extracted from two-point correlations. Structures as large as 10 boundary layer thickness are observed. The streamwise length of these structures follows a -2 power law distribution, similar to the experimental findings at higher Reynolds numbers.
The turbulent boundary layer over a Gaussian shaped bump is computed by direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The two-dimensional bump causes a series of strong pressure gradients alternating in rapid succession. At the inflow, the momentum thickness Reynolds number is approximately 1,000 and the boundary layer thickness is 1/8 of the bump height. DNS results show that the strong favorable pressure gradient (FPG) causes the boundary layer to enter a relaminarization process. The near-wall turbulence is significantly weakened and becomes intermittent, however relaminarization does not complete. The streamwise velocity profiles deviate above the standard logarithmic law and the Reynolds shear stress is reduced. The strong acceleration also suppresses the wall-shear normalized turbulent kinetic energy production rate. At the bump peak, where the FPG switches to an adverse gradient (APG), the near-wall turbulence is suddenly enhanced through a partial retransition process. This results in a new highly energized internal layer which is more resilient to the strong APG and only produces incipient flow separation on the downstream side. In the strong FPG and APG regions, the inner and outer layers become largely independent of each other. The near-wall region responds to the pressure gradients and determines the skin friction. The outer layer behaves similarly to a free-shear layer subject to pressure gradients and mean streamline curvature effects. Results from a RANS simulation of the bump are also discussed and clearly show the lack of predictive capacity of the near-wall pressure gradient effects on the mean flow.
The turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate is computed by direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations as a test bed for a synthetic turbulence generator (STG) inflow boundary condition. The inlet momentum thickness Reynolds number is approximately 1,000. The study provides validation of the ability of the STG to develop accurate turbulence in 5 to 7 boundary layer thicknesses downstream of the boundary condition. Also tested was the effect of changes in the stabilization scheme on the development of the boundary layer. Moreover, the grid resolution required for both the development region and the downstream flow is investigated when using a stabilized finite element method.
This fluid dynamics video submitted to the Gallery of Fluid motion shows a turbulent boundary layer developing under a 5 metre-long flat plate towed through water. A stationary imaging system provides a unique view of the developing boundary layer as it would form over the hull of a ship or fuselage of an aircraft. The towed plate permits visualisation of the zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer as it develops from the trip to a high Reynolds number state ($Re_tau approx 3000$). An evolving large-scale coherent structure will appear almost stationary in this frame of reference. The visualisations provide an unique view of the evolution of fundamental processes in the boundary layer (such as interfacial bulging, entrainment, vortical motions, etc.). In the more traditional laboratory frame of reference, in which fluid passes over a stationary body, it is difficult to observe the full evolution and lifetime of turbulent coherent structures. An equivalent experiment in a wind/water-tunnel would require a camera and laser that moves with the flow, effectively `chasing eddies as they advect downstream.
Three-dimensional particle tracking experiments were conducted in a turbulent boundary layer with friction Reynolds number $Re_tau$ of 700 and 1300. Two finite size spheres with specific gravities of 1.003 (P1) and 1.050 (P2) and diameters of 60 and 120 wall units were released individually from rest on a smooth wall. The spheres were marked with dots all over the surface to monitor their translation and rotation via high-speed stereoscopic imaging. The spheres accelerated strongly after release over streamwise distances of one boundary layer thickness before approaching an approximate terminal velocity. Initially, sphere P1, which had Reynolds numbers $Re_p$ of 800 and 1900, always lifts off from the wall. Similar behavior was observed occasionally for sphere P2 with initial $Re_p$ of 1900. The spheres that lifted off reached an initial peak in height before descending towards the wall. The sphere trajectories exhibited multiple behaviors including saltation, resuspension and sliding motion with small random bouncing depending on both $Re_tau$ and specific gravity. The lighter sphere at $Re_tau=1300$, which remained suspended above the wall during most of its trajectory, propagated with the fastest streamwise velocity. By contrast, the denser sphere at $Re_tau=700$, which mostly slid along the wall, propagated with the slowest streamwise velocity. After the spheres approached an approximate terminal velocity, many experienced additional lift-off events that were hypothesized to be driven by hairpins or coherent flow structures. Spheres were observed to rotate about all three coordinate axes. While the mean shear may induce a rotation about the spanwise axis, near-wall coherent structures and the spheres wake might drive the streamwise and wall-normal rotations. In all cases where the sphere propagates along the wall, sliding motion, rather than forward rolling motion, is dominant.
Rod bundle flows are prevalent in nuclear engineering for both light water reactors (LWR) and advanced reactor concepts. Unlike canonical channel flow, the flow in rod bundles presents some unique characteristics, notably due to the inhomogeneous cross section which can present different local conditions of turbulence as well as localized effects characteristic of external flows. Despite the ubiquity of rod bundle flows and the decades of experimental and numerical knowledge acquired in this field, there are no publicly available direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the flow in multiple pin rod bundles with heat transfer. A multiple pin DNS study is of great value as it would allow for assessment of the reliability of various turbulence models in the presence of heat transfer, as well as allow for a deeper understanding of the flow physics. We present work towards DNS of the flow in a square 5x5 rod bundle representative of LWR fuel. We consider standard configurations as well as configurations where the central pin is replaced with a guide thimble. We perform simulations in STAR-CCM+ to design the numerical DNS, which is to be conducted using the open source spectral element code Nek5000. Large Eddy Simulations are also performed in Nek5000 to confirm that the resolution requirements are adequate. We compare results from STAR-CCM+ and Nek5000, which show very good agreement in the wide gaps with larger discrepancies in the narrow gaps. In particular, evidence of a gap vortex street is seen in the edge subchannels in LES but is not predicted by STAR-CCM+.