Leith diffusion model for homogeneous anisotropic turbulence

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Computers and Fluids

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compfluid.2016.07.009· OSTI ID:1338774

Rubinstein, Robert; Clark, Timothy T.; Kurien, Susan

Here, a proposal for a spectral closure model for homogeneous anisotropic turbulence. The systematic development begins by closing the third-order correlation describing nonlinear interactions by an anisotropic generalization of the Leith diffusion model for isotropic turbulence. The correlation tensor is then decomposed into a tensorially isotropic part, or directional anisotropy, and a trace-free remainder, or polarization anisotropy. The directional and polarization components are then decomposed using irreducible representations of the SO(3) symmetry group. Under the ansatz that the decomposition is truncated at quadratic order, evolution equations are derived for the directional and polarization pieces of the correlation tensor. Here, numerical simulation of the model equations for a freely decaying anisotropic flow illustrate the non-trivial effects of spectral dependencies on the different return-to-isotropy rates of the directional and polarization contributions.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1338774
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1419375
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--16-21435
• Journal Information: Computers and Fluids, Journal Name: Computers and Fluids Journal Issue: C Vol. 151; ISSN 0045-7930
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
anisotropic diffusion
anisotropic turbulence
spectral modeling