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Main Authors: Mukherjee, Siddhartha, Mascini, Merlijn, Portela, Luis M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2020
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.07455
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author Mukherjee, Siddhartha
Mascini, Merlijn
Portela, Luis M.
author_facet Mukherjee, Siddhartha
Mascini, Merlijn
Portela, Luis M.
contents Turbulence organization, long conceptualized in terms of spatial coherent-structures, has resisted clear description. A major limitation has been the lack of tools to identify instantaneous spatial organization, while unravelling the superposition of structures. To address this, we present a generalized correlation framework, using: (i) correlation measures to identify instantaneous vector-field patterns, and (ii) a Helmholtz-decomposition based structure-disentanglement paradigm. After examples using canonical flows, we apply these methods to homogeneous isotropic turbulence fields. We show that high kinetic energy ($E_k$) regions manifest as interspersed, localized, velocity-jets, contrary to the prevalent view of high $E_k$ regions as large swirling structures (eddies). High enstrophy ($ω^2$) regions form small vorticity-jets, invariably surrounded by swirling-velocity. The jet-like and swirling-velocity structures are spatially exclusive. Decomposing the Biot-Savart contributions from different levels and regions of the vorticity-field reveals the organization of velocity-field structures. High $E_k$ jets are neither self-induced (due to their low vorticity contents), nor induced by strong vorticity, being almost entirely induced, non-locally, by the permeating intermediate range (rms level) vorticity. High $ω^2$ swirls, instead, are a superposition of self-induced swirling-velocity along with a background-induced flow. Moreover, intermediate vorticity dominantly induces the velocity-field everywhere. This suggests that turbulence organization could emerge from non-local and non-linear field interactions, dominated by permeating intermediate vorticity, leading to an alternative description of turbulence, contrary to the notion of a strict structural hierarchy. The tools presented can be readily applied to generic vector and scalar fields associated with diverse phenomena.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2011_07455
institution arXiv
publishDate 2020
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Correlation and decomposition framework for identifying and disentangling flow structures: canonical examples and application to isotropic turbulence
Mukherjee, Siddhartha
Mascini, Merlijn
Portela, Luis M.
Fluid Dynamics
Turbulence organization, long conceptualized in terms of spatial coherent-structures, has resisted clear description. A major limitation has been the lack of tools to identify instantaneous spatial organization, while unravelling the superposition of structures. To address this, we present a generalized correlation framework, using: (i) correlation measures to identify instantaneous vector-field patterns, and (ii) a Helmholtz-decomposition based structure-disentanglement paradigm. After examples using canonical flows, we apply these methods to homogeneous isotropic turbulence fields. We show that high kinetic energy ($E_k$) regions manifest as interspersed, localized, velocity-jets, contrary to the prevalent view of high $E_k$ regions as large swirling structures (eddies). High enstrophy ($ω^2$) regions form small vorticity-jets, invariably surrounded by swirling-velocity. The jet-like and swirling-velocity structures are spatially exclusive. Decomposing the Biot-Savart contributions from different levels and regions of the vorticity-field reveals the organization of velocity-field structures. High $E_k$ jets are neither self-induced (due to their low vorticity contents), nor induced by strong vorticity, being almost entirely induced, non-locally, by the permeating intermediate range (rms level) vorticity. High $ω^2$ swirls, instead, are a superposition of self-induced swirling-velocity along with a background-induced flow. Moreover, intermediate vorticity dominantly induces the velocity-field everywhere. This suggests that turbulence organization could emerge from non-local and non-linear field interactions, dominated by permeating intermediate vorticity, leading to an alternative description of turbulence, contrary to the notion of a strict structural hierarchy. The tools presented can be readily applied to generic vector and scalar fields associated with diverse phenomena.
title Correlation and decomposition framework for identifying and disentangling flow structures: canonical examples and application to isotropic turbulence
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.07455