A model-based description of the scaling and radial location of turbulent fluctuations in turbulent pipe flow is presented and used to illuminate the scaling behaviour of the very large scale ...motions. The model is derived by treating the nonlinearity in the perturbation equation (involving the Reynolds stress) as an unknown forcing, yielding a linear relationship between the velocity field response and this nonlinearity. We do not assume small perturbations. We examine propagating helical velocity response modes that are harmonic in the wall-parallel directions and in time, permitting comparison of our results to experimental data. The steady component of the velocity field that varies only in the wall-normal direction is identified as the turbulent mean profile. A singular value decomposition of the resolvent identifies the forcing shape that will lead to the largest velocity response at a given wavenumber–frequency combination. The hypothesis that these forcing shapes lead to response modes that will be dominant in turbulent pipe flow is tested by using physical arguments to constrain the range of wavenumbers and frequencies to those actually observed in experiments. An investigation of the most amplified velocity response at a given wavenumber–frequency combination reveals critical-layer-like behaviour reminiscent of the neutrally stable solutions of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation in linearly unstable flow. Two distinct regions in the flow where the influence of viscosity becomes important can be identified, namely wall layers that scale with R+1/2 and critical layers where the propagation velocity is equal to the local mean velocity, one of which scales with R+2/3 in pipe flow. This framework appears to be consistent with several scaling results in wall turbulence and reveals a mechanism by which the effects of viscosity can extend well beyond the immediate vicinity of the wall. The model reproduces inner scaling of the small scales near the wall and an approach to outer scaling in the flow interior. We use our analysis to make a first prediction that the appropriate scaling velocity for the very large scale motions is the centreline velocity, and show that this is in agreement with experimental results. Lastly, we interpret the wall modes as the motion required to meet the wall boundary condition, identifying the interaction between the critical and wall modes as a potential origin for an interaction between the large and small scales that has been observed in recent literature as an amplitude modulation of the near-wall turbulence by the very large scales.
A new theory of coherent structure in wall turbulence is presented. The theory is the first to predict packets of hairpin vortices and other structure in turbulence, and their dynamics, based on an ...analysis of the Navier–Stokes equations, under an assumption of a turbulent mean profile. The assumption of the turbulent mean acts as a restriction on the class of possible structures. It is shown that the coherent structure is a manifestation of essentially low-dimensional flow dynamics, arising from a critical-layer mechanism. Using the decomposition presented in McKeon & Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382), complex coherent structure is recreated from minimal superpositions of response modes predicted by the analysis, which take the form of radially varying travelling waves. The leading modes effectively constitute a low-dimensional description of the turbulent flow, which is optimal in the sense of describing the resonant effects around the critical layer and which minimally predicts all types of structure. The approach is general for the full range of scales. By way of example, simple combinations of these modes are offered that predict hairpins and modulated hairpin packets. The example combinations are chosen to represent observed structure, consistent with the nonlinear triadic interaction for wavenumbers that is required for self-interaction of structures. The combination of the three leading response modes at streamwise wavenumbers
$6, ~1, ~7$
and spanwise wavenumbers
$\pm 6, ~\pm 6, ~\pm 12$
, respectively, with phase velocity
$2/ 3$
, is understood to represent a turbulence ‘kernel’, which, it is proposed, constitutes a self-exciting process analogous to the near-wall cycle. Together, these interactions explain how the mode combinations may self-organize and self-sustain to produce experimentally observed structure. The phase interaction also leads to insight into skewness and correlation results known in the literature. It is also shown that the very large-scale motions act to organize hairpin-like structures such that they co-locate with areas of low streamwise momentum, by a mechanism of locally altering the shear profile. These energetic streamwise structures arise naturally from the resolvent analysis, rather than by a summation of hairpin packets. In addition, these packets are modulated through a ‘beat’ effect. The relationship between Taylor’s hypothesis and coherence is discussed, and both are shown to be the consequence of the localization of the response modes around the critical layer. A pleasing link is made to the classical laminar inviscid theory, whereby the essential mechanism underlying the hairpin vortex is captured by two obliquely interacting Kelvin–Stuart (cat’s eye) vortices. Evidence for the theory is presented based on comparison with observations of structure in turbulent flow reported in the experimental and numerical simulation literature and with exact solutions reported in the transitional literature.
We investigate statistics of large-scale structures from large-eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent channel flow at friction Reynolds numbers Reτ = 2K and 200K (where K denotes 1000). In order to ...capture the behaviour of large-scale structures properly, the channel length is chosen to be 96 times the channel half-height. In agreement with experiments, these large-scale structures are found to give rise to an apparent amplitude modulation of the underlying small-scale fluctuations. This effect is explained in terms of the phase relationship between the large- and small-scale activity. The shape of the dominant large-scale structure is investigated by conditional averages based on the large-scale velocity, determined using a filter width equal to the channel half-height. The conditioned field demonstrates coherence on a scale of several times the filter width, and the small-scale–large-scale relative phase difference increases away from the wall, passing through π/2 in the overlap region of the mean velocity before approaching π further from the wall. We also found that, near the wall, the convection velocity of the large scales departs slightly, but unequivocally, from the mean velocity.
Data-driven resolvent analysis Herrmann, Benjamin; Baddoo, Peter J.; Semaan, Richard ...
Journal of fluid mechanics,
07/2021, Volume:
918
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Resolvent analysis identifies the most responsive forcings and most receptive states of a dynamical system, in an input–output sense, based on its governing equations. Interest in the method has ...continued to grow during the past decade due to its potential to reveal structures in turbulent flows, to guide sensor/actuator placement and for flow control applications. However, resolvent analysis requires access to high-fidelity numerical solvers to produce the linearized dynamics operator. In this work, we develop a purely data-driven algorithm to perform resolvent analysis to obtain the leading forcing and response modes, without recourse to the governing equations, but instead based on snapshots of the transient evolution of linearly stable flows. The formulation of our method follows from two established facts: (i) dynamic mode decomposition can approximate eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the underlying operator governing the evolution of a system from measurement data, and (ii) a projection of the resolvent operator onto an invariant subspace can be built from this learned eigendecomposition. We demonstrate the method on numerical data of the linearized complex Ginzburg–Landau equation and of three-dimensional transitional channel flow, and discuss data requirements. Presently, the method is suitable for the analysis of laminar equilibria, and its application to turbulent flows would require disambiguation between the linear and nonlinear dynamics driving the flow. The ability to perform resolvent analysis in a completely equation-free and adjoint-free manner will play a significant role in lowering the barrier of entry to resolvent research and applications.
Simulations of elastoinertial turbulence (EIT) of a polymer solution at low Reynolds number are shown to display localized polymer stretch fluctuations. These are very similar to structures arising ...from linear stability (Tollmien-Schlichting modes) and resolvent analyses, i.e., critical-layer structures localized where the mean fluid velocity equals the wave speed. Computations of self-sustained nonlinear Tollmien-Schlichting waves reveal that the critical layer exhibits stagnation points that generate sheets of large polymer stretch. These kinematics may be the genesis of similar structures in EIT.
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This paper extends the resolvent analysis of McKeon & Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382) to consider flow control techniques that employ linear control laws, focusing on opposition ...control (Choi, Moin & Kim, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 262, 1994, pp. 75–110) as an example. Under this formulation, the velocity field for turbulent pipe flow is decomposed into a series of highly amplified (rank-1) response modes, identified from a gain analysis of the Fourier-transformed Navier–Stokes equations. These rank-1 velocity responses represent propagating structures of given streamwise/spanwise wavelength and temporal frequency, whose wall-normal footprint depends on the phase speed of the mode. Opposition control, introduced via the boundary condition on wall-normal velocity, affects the amplification characteristics (and wall-normal structure) of these response modes; a decrease in gain indicates mode suppression, which leads to a decrease in the drag contribution from that mode. With basic assumptions, this rank-1 model reproduces trends observed in previous direct numerical simulation and large eddy simulation, without requiring high-performance computing facilities. Further, a wavenumber–frequency breakdown of control explains the deterioration of opposition control performance with increasing sensor elevation and Reynolds number. It is shown that slower-moving modes localized near the wall (i.e. attached modes) are suppressed by opposition control. Faster-moving detached modes, which are more energetic at higher Reynolds number and more likely to be detected by sensors far from the wall, are further amplified. These faster-moving modes require a phase lag between sensor and actuator velocity for suppression. Thus, the effectiveness of opposition control is determined by a trade-off between the modes detected by the sensor. However, it may be possible to develop control strategies optimized for individual modes. A brief exploration of such mode-optimized control suggests the potential for significant performance improvement.
Known structures and self-sustaining mechanisms of wall turbulence are reviewed and explored in the context of the scale interactions implied by the nonlinear advective term in the Navier–Stokes ...equations. The viewpoint is shaped by the systems approach provided by the resolvent framework for wall turbulence proposed by McKeon & Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382), in which the nonlinearity is interpreted as providing the forcing to the linear Navier–Stokes operator (the resolvent). Elements of the structure of wall turbulence that can be uncovered as the treatment of the nonlinearity ranges from data-informed approximation to analysis of exact solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations (so-called exact coherent states) are discussed. The article concludes with an outline of the feasibility of extending this kind of approach to high-Reynolds-number wall turbulence in canonical flows and beyond.
We generate predictions for the fluctuating pressure field in turbulent pipe flow by reformulating the resolvent analysis of McKeon and Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382) in terms ...of the so-called primitive variables. Under this analysis, the nonlinear convective terms in the Fourier-transformed Navier–Stokes equations (NSE) are treated as a forcing that is mapped to a velocity and pressure response by the resolvent of the linearized Navier–Stokes operator. At each wavenumber–frequency combination, the turbulent velocity and pressure field are represented by the most-amplified (rank-1) response modes, identified via a singular value decomposition of the resolvent. We show that these rank-1 response modes reconcile many of the key relationships among the velocity field, coherent structure (i.e. hairpin vortices), and the high-amplitude wall-pressure events observed in previous experiments and direct numerical simulations (DNS). A Green’s function representation shows that the pressure fields obtained under this analysis correspond primarily to the fast pressure contribution arising from the linear interaction between the mean shear and the turbulent wall-normal velocity. Recovering the slow pressure requires an explicit treatment of the nonlinear interactions between the Fourier response modes. By considering the velocity and pressure fields associated with the triadically consistent mode combination studied by Sharma and McKeon (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 728, 2013, pp. 196–238), we identify the possibility of an apparent amplitude modulation effect in the pressure field, similar to that observed for the streamwise velocity field. However, unlike the streamwise velocity, for which the large scales of the flow are in phase with the envelope of the small-scale activity close to the wall, we expect there to be a
$\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\pi /2$
phase difference between the large-scale wall-pressure and the envelope of the small-scale activity. Finally, we generate spectral predictions based on a rank-1 model assuming broadband forcing across all wavenumber–frequency combinations. Despite the significant simplifying assumptions, this approach reproduces trends observed in previous DNS for the wavenumber spectra of velocity and pressure, and for the scale-dependence of wall-pressure propagation speed.
This paper extends the resolvent formulation proposed by McKeon & Sharma (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 658, 2010, pp. 336–382) to consider turbulence–compliant wall interactions. Under this formulation, the ...turbulent velocity field is expressed as a linear superposition of propagating modes, identified via a gain-based decomposition of the Navier–Stokes equations. Compliant surfaces, modelled as a complex wall admittance linking pressure and velocity, affect the gain and structure of these modes. With minimal computation, this framework accurately predicts the emergence of the quasi-two-dimensional propagating waves observed in recent direct numerical simulations. Further, the analysis also enables the rational design of compliant surfaces, with properties optimized to suppress flow structures energetic in wall turbulence. It is shown that walls with unphysical negative damping are required to interact favourably with modes resembling the energetic near-wall cycle, which could explain why previous studies have met with limited success. Positive-damping walls are effective for modes resembling the so-called very-large-scale motions, indicating that compliant surfaces may be better suited for application at higher Reynolds number. Unfortunately, walls that suppress structures energetic in natural turbulence are also predicted to have detrimental effects elsewhere in spectral space. Consistent with previous experiments and simulations, slow-moving spanwise-constant structures are particularly susceptible to further amplification. Mitigating these adverse effects will be central to the development of compliant coatings that have a net positive influence on the flow.
Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are a major class of axon growth inhibitors that are up-regulated after spinal cord injury (SCI) and contribute to regenerative failure. Chondroitinase ABC ...(chABC) digests glycosaminoglycan chains on CSPGs and can thereby overcome CSPG-mediated inhibition. But chABC loses its enzymatic activity rapidly at 37 °C, necessitating the use of repeated injections or local infusions for a period of days to weeks. These infusion systems are invasive, infection-prone, and clinically problematic. To overcome this limitation, we have thermostabilized chABC and developed a system for its sustained local delivery in vivo, obviating the need for chronically implanted catheters and pumps. Thermostabilized chABC remained active at 37 °C in vitro for up to 4 weeks. CSPG levels remained low in vivo up to 6 weeks post-SCI when thermostabilized chABC was delivered by a hydrogel-microtube scaffold system. Axonal growth and functional recovery following the sustained local release of thermostabilized chABC versus a single treatment of unstabilized chABC demonstrated significant differences in CSPG digestion. Animals treated with thermostabilized chABC in combination with sustained neurotrophin-3 delivery showed significant improvement in locomotor function and enhanced growth of cholera toxin B subunit-positive sensory axons and sprouting of serotonergic fibers. Therefore, improving chABC thermostability facilitates minimally invasive, sustained, local delivery of chABC that is potentially effective in overcoming CSPG-mediated regenerative failure. Combination therapy with thermostabilized chABC with neurotrophic factors enhances axonal regrowth, sprouting, and functional recovery after SCI.
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