Turbulent Poiseuille \& Couette flows at high $Re$

ORAL

Abstract

We present the results of direct numerical simulation (DNS) of high $Re$ turbulent Poiseuille and Couette flows. Couette flow has been simulated with a streamwise ($x$) domain that is 100$\pi\delta$ long at Reynolds number up to $Re_\tau \approx 500$. In addition Poiseuille flow simulations up to $Re_\tau \approx 5200$ were performed (Lee \& Moser, {\it J. Fluid Mech.}, {\bf 774}, 2015). In Couette flow, extremely large scale motions, which are approximately 50$\pi\delta$ long in the $x$-direction with very strong intensity, have been observed. In this presentation we will focus on a comparison between these two flows in terms of the vorticity-velocity co-spectra, which are interesting because of the relationship between the Reynolds stress and the velocity-vorticity correlation ($\partial_y \langle u'v' \rangle = \langle w'\omega_y' \rangle - \langle v'\omega_z' \rangle$). Also considered will be the spectra of the turbulent transport term in the evolution equation for the turbulent kinetic energy. In both (co)-spectra it is shown that the difference between the two flows at high $Re$ are primarily at large scales.

*This work was supported by NSF (OCI-0749223 and PRAC Grant 0832634), and computation resources were provided by the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility through the Early Science, INCITE 2013 and Directors Discretionary Programs.

Authors

  • Myoungkyu Lee

    • The University of Texas at Austin
  • Robert D. Moser

    • Univ of Texas, Austin
    • University of Texas at Austin
    • University of Texas, Austin
    • Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
    • The University of Texas at Austin