Diffusion maps embedding and transition matrix analysis of the large-scale flow structure in turbulent Rayleigh--B\'enard convection

By utilizing diffusion maps embedding and transition matrix analysis we investigate sparse temperature measurement time-series data from Rayleigh--B\'enard convection experiments in a cylindrical container of aspect ratio $\Gamma=D/L=0.5$ between its diameter ($D$) and height ($L$). We consider the two cases of a cylinder at rest and rotating around its cylinder axis. We find that the relative amplitude of the large-scale circulation (LSC) and its orientation inside the container at different points in time are associated to prominent geometric features in the embedding space spanned by the two dominant diffusion-maps eigenvectors. From this two-dimensional embedding we can measure azimuthal drift and diffusion rates, as well as coherence times of the LSC. In addition, we can distinguish from the data clearly the single roll state (SRS), when a single roll extends through the whole cell, from the double roll state (DRS), when two counter-rotating rolls are on top of each other. Based on this embedding we also build a transition matrix (a discrete transfer operator), whose eigenvectors and eigenvalues reveal typical time scales for the stability of the SRS and DRS as well as for the azimuthal drift velocity of the flow structures inside the cylinder. Thus, the combination of nonlinear dimension reduction and dynamical systems tools enables to gain insight into turbulent flows without relying on model assumptions

On thermal convective instability in rotating fluids.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Abstract available on the PDF

On the transition to turbulence of wall-bounded flows in general, and plane Couette flow in particular

The main part of this contribution to the special issue of EJM-B/Fluids dedicated to Patrick Huerre outlines the problem of the subcritical transition to turbulence in wall-bounded flows in its historical perspective with emphasis on plane Couette flow, the flow generated between counter-translating parallel planes. Subcritical here means discontinuous and direct, with strong hysteresis. This is due to the existence of nontrivial flow regimes between the global stability threshold Re_g, the upper bound for unconditional return to the base flow, and the linear instability threshold Re_c characterized by unconditional departure from the base flow. The transitional range around Re_g is first discussed from an empirical viewpoint ({\S}1). The recent determination of Re_g for pipe flow by Avila et al. (2011) is recalled. Plane Couette flow is next examined. In laboratory conditions, its transitional range displays an oblique pattern made of alternately laminar and turbulent bands, up to a third threshold Re_t beyond which turbulence is uniform. Our current theoretical understanding of the problem is next reviewed ({\S}2): linear theory and non-normal amplification of perturbations; nonlinear approaches and dynamical systems, basin boundaries and chaotic transients in minimal flow units; spatiotemporal chaos in extended systems and the use of concepts from statistical physics, spatiotemporal intermittency and directed percolation, large deviations and extreme values. Two appendices present some recent personal results obtained in plane Couette flow about patterning from numerical simulations and modeling attempts.Comment: 35 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Eur. J. Mech B/Fluid

An Efficient Hybrid Numerical Scheme for Nonlinear Multiterm Caputo Time and Riesz Space Fractional-Order Diffusion Equations with Delay

In this paper, we construct and analyze a linearized finite difference/Galerkin-Legendre spectral scheme for the nonlinear multiterm Caputo time fractional-order reaction-diffusion equation with time delay and Riesz space fractional derivatives. The temporal fractional orders in the considered model are taken as 0<β0<β1<β2<⋯<βm<1. The problem is first approximated by the L1 difference method on the temporal direction, and then, the Galerkin-Legendre spectral method is applied on the spatial discretization. Armed by an appropriate form of discrete fractional Grönwall inequalities, the stability and convergence of the fully discrete scheme are investigated by discrete energy estimates. We show that the proposed method is stable and has a convergent order of 2-βm in time and an exponential rate of convergence in space. We finally provide some numerical experiments to show the efficacy of the theoretical results. © 2021 A. K. Omran et al.A. K. Omran is funded by a scholarship under the joint executive program between the Arab Republic of Egypt and Russian Federation. M. A. Zaky wishes to acknowledge the support of the Nazarbayev University Program (091019CRP2120). M. A. Zaky wishes also to acknowledge the partial support of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant “Dynamical Analysis and Synchronization of Complex Neural Networks with Its Applications”)

Solution on square domains of reaction-convection-diffusion equations using spectral stochastic finite element and streamline upwind Galerkin Petrov

Se desarrolla la solución numérica de 2 problemas de difusión-convección (DC), mediante el empleo del método de elementos finitos de Petrov-Galerkin en contracorriente (SUPG). Los parámetros que definen el comportamiento de las ecuaciones se modelan como campos estocásticos, y son los siguientes: la velocidad convectiva, la difusión y la capacidad calorífica como valores de tipo aleatorio. Por tanto, se combina el método SUPG para ecuaciones de DC, con convección dominante, con el método de los elementos finitos estocásticos espectrales. Los parámetros de cada ecuación se han descrito mediante la expansión de Karhunen-Loève, mientras que la incógnita se representa mediante la expansión de los polinomios de caos. Los objetivos del artículo son: en primer lugar, estudiar la influencia de los campos estocásticos en la solución de problemas de DC con SUPG, y en segundo lugar obtener los patrones de cada coeficiente de la expansión en polinomios de caos. Los resultados muestran la versatilidad del método para solucionar diferentes problemas físicos gracias a la generalidad en la descripción estadística de la solución, y la riqueza en la representación de las zonas donde se halla la mayor variabilidad en la respuesta. Los patrones muestran la incertidumbre en la incógnita que depende de la dinámica de la difusión, la velocidad convectiva y el tipo de solución utilizado.In this paper we have developed the numerical solution of two problems of diffusion-convection (DC), using the finite element method of Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG). The parameters that define the behavior of the equations are modeled as stochastic fields, specifically, are used: the convective velocity, diffusion and heat capacity as values of random type. Therefore, we have included SUPG method to DC, with dominant convection, with the stochastic spectral finite element method. Each parameter was described by Karhunen-Loève expansion, while the unknown is represented by the polynomial expansion of the chaos. The objectives of the paper are: 1. To study the influence of stochastic fields in solving problems with SUPG DC and 2. Get the solution of each expansion unknown variable. The results show the versatility of the method for solving different physical problems due to the generality of the statistical description of the solution and the richness in the representation of the areas where there is the greater variability in response. The patterns shown in the unknown uncertainty depends on the dynamics of diffusion, convective velocity and the type of solution used.Peer Reviewe