Area of scalar isosurfaces in homogeneous isotropic turbulence as a function of Reynolds and Schmidt numbers

DOI10.1017/JFM.2019.875MaRDI QIDQ5205739zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Kedar Prashant Shete, Stephen M. de Bruyn Kops

Publication date 16 December 2019

Published in Journal of Fluid Mechanics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.03116

zbMATH Keywords

computational methodshomogeneous turbulenceisotropic turbulence

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Isotropic turbulence; homogeneous turbulence (76F05) Direct numerical and large eddy simulation of turbulence (76F65)

Abstract: A fundamental effect of fluid turbulence is turbulent mixing, which results in the stretching and wrinkling of scalar isosurfaces. Thus, the area of isosurfaces is of interest in understanding turbulence in general with specific applications in, e.g., combustion and the identification of turbulent/non-turbulent interfaces. We report measurements of isosurface areas in 28 direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of homogeneous isotropic turbulence with a mean scalar gradient resolved on up to $14256^3$ grid points with Taylor Reynolds number $Re{}_{l}ambda$ ranging from 24 to 633 and Schmidt number $Sc$ ranging from 0.1 to 7. More precisely, we measure layers with very small but finite thickness. The continuous equation we evaluate converges exactly to the area in the limit of zero layer thickness. We demonstrate a method for numerically integrating this equation that, for a test case with an analytical solution, converges linearly towards the exact solution with decreasing layer width. By applying the technique to DNS data and testing for convergence with resolution of the simulations, we verify the resolution requirements for DNS recently proposed by citet{yeung18}. We conclude that isosurface areas scale with the square root of the Taylor P'eclet number $P{e}_{lambda}$ between approximately 50 and 4429 with some departure from power law scaling evident for $2.4<P{e}_{lambda}<50$. No independent effect of either $R{e}_{lambda}$ or $Sc$ is observed. The excellent scaling of area with $P{e}_{lambda}^{1/2}$ occurs even though the probability density function (p.d.f.) of the scalar gradient is very close to exponential for $R{e}_{lambda}=98$ but approximately lognormal when $R{e}_{lambda}=633$.

Recommendations

• Self-similarity of scalar isosurface area density in a temporal mixing layer
• Iso-scalar surfaces, mixing and reaction in turbulent flows
• Structure of iso-scalar sets
• Micro-structure and Lagrangian statistics of the scalar field with a mean gradient in isotropic turbulence
• Resolution effects and scaling in numerical simulations of passive scalar mixing in turbulence

Cites work

• A deterministic forcing scheme for direct numerical simulations of turbulence
• Anomalous scaling of structure functions and dynamic constraints on turbulence simulations
• Area–volume properties of fluid interfaces in turbulence: scale-local self-similarity and cumulative scale dependence
• Classical scaling and intermittency in strongly stratified Boussinesq turbulence
• Curvature Measures
• Dissipation and enstrophy in isotropic turbulence: Resolution effects and scaling in direct numerical simulations
• Dynamics of scalar dissipation in isotropic turbulence: A numerical and modelling study
• Energy dissipation rate and energy spectrum in high resolution direct numerical simulations of turbulence in a periodic box
• Energy dissipation rate surrogates in incompressible Navier-Stokes turbulence
• Geometrical properties and turbulent flame speed measurements in stationary premixed V-flames using direct numerical simulation
• High-Reynolds-number simulation of turbulent mixing
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1226946 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2232765 (Why is no real title available?)
• Inertial-range intermittency and accuracy of direct numerical simulation for turbulence and passive scalar turbulence
• Iso-surface mass flow density and its implications for turbulent mixing and combustion
• Kinetic energy dynamics in forced, homogeneous, and axisymmetric stably stratified turbulence
• Measurements of entrainment by axisymmetrical turbulent jets
• Models of the scalar spectrum for turbulent advection
• Numerical recipes. The art of scientific computing.
• On the histogram as a density estimator:L 2 theory
• Parallel Monte Carlo Approach for Integration of the Rendering Equation
• Random-sweeping hypothesis for passive scalars in isotropic turbulence
• Robust identification of dynamically distinct regions in stratified turbulence
• Scalar dissipation and flame surface density in premixed turbulent combustion
• Small-scale statistics in high-resolution direct numerical simulation of turbulence: Reynolds number dependence of one-point velocity gradient statistics
• Statistics and geometry of passive scalars in turbulence
• Study of High–Reynolds Number Isotropic Turbulence by Direct Numerical Simulation
• Surface area estimation of digitized 3D objects using quasi-Monte Carlo methods
• The effects of stable stratification on the decay of initially isotropic homogeneous turbulence
• The evolution of surfaces in turbulence
• The passive scalar spectrum and the Obukhov–Corrsin constant
• Turbulent Combustion
• Turbulent Flows
• Turbulent/non-turbulent interfaces in wakes in stably stratified fluids
• Velocity and temperature derivatives in high- Reynolds-number turbulent flows in the atmospheric surface layer. Part 3. Temperature and joint statistics of temperature and velocity derivatives
• Velocity and temperature derivatives in high-Reynolds-number turbulent flows in the atmospheric surface layer. Part 2. Accelerations and related matters

Cited in

(10)

• Iso-scalar surfaces, mixing and reaction in turbulent flows
• Area–volume properties of fluid interfaces in turbulence: scale-local self-similarity and cumulative scale dependence
• Self-similarity of scalar isosurface area density in a temporal mixing layer
• Structure of iso-scalar sets
• Modelling the transport equation of the scalar structure function
• Interpreting neural network models of residual scalar flux
• Internal gravity wave radiation from a stratified turbulent wake
• On the evolution of scalar iso-surface area density in a turbulent mixing layer
• Understanding the effect of Prandtl number on momentum and scalar mixing rates in neutral and stably stratified flows using gradient field dynamics
• Momentum, vorticity and scalar transport in turbulence: the Taylor-Prandtl controversy

Describes a project that uses

Uses Software

• VTK

This page was built for publication: Area of scalar isosurfaces in homogeneous isotropic turbulence as a function of Reynolds and Schmidt numbers

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q5205739)