446 research outputs found
Intermittency and scaling laws for wall bounded turbulence
Well defined scaling laws clearly appear in wall bounded turbulence, even
very close to the wall, where a distinct violation of the refined Kolmogorov
similarity hypothesis (RKSH) occurs together with the simultaneous persistence
of scaling laws. A new form of RKSH for the wall region is here proposed in
terms of the structure functions of order two which, in physical terms,
confirms the prevailing role of the momentum transfer towards the wall in the
near wall dynamics.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Scaling properties in the production range of shear dominated flows
Recent developments in turbulence are focused on the effect of large scale
anisotropy on the small scale statistics of velocity increments. According to
Kolmogorov, isotropy is recovered in the large Reynolds number limit as the
scale is reduced and, in the so-called inertial range, universal features
-namely the scaling exponents of structure functions - emerge clearly. However
this picture is violated in a number of cases, typically in the high shear
region of wall bounded flows. The common opinion ascribes this effect to the
contamination of the inertial range by the larger anisotropic scales, i.e. the
residual anisotropy is assumed as a weak perturbation of an otherwise isotropic
dynamics. In this case, given the rotational invariance of the Navier-Stokes
equations, the isotropic component of the structure functions keeps the same
exponents of isotropic turbulence. This kind of reasoning fails when the
anisotropic effects are strong as in the production range of shear dominated
flows. This regime is analyzed here by means of both numerical and experimental
data for a homogeneous shear flow. A well defined scaling behavior is found to
exist, with exponents which differ substantially from those of classical
isotropic turbulence. Contrary to what predicted by the perturbation approach,
such a deep alteration concerns the isotropic sector itself. The general
validity of these results is discussed in the context of turbulence near solid
walls, where more appropriate closure models for the coarse grained
Navier-Stokes equations would be advisable.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Experimental assessment of a new form of scaling law for near-wall turbulence
Scaling laws and intermittency in the wall region of a turbulent flow are
addressed by analyzing moderate Reynolds number data obtained by single
component hot wire anemometry in the boundary layer of a flat plate. The paper
aims in particular at the experimental validation of a new form of refined
similarity recently proposed for the shear dominated range of turbulence, where
the classical Kolmogorov-Oboukhov inertial range theory is inappropriate. An
approach inspired to the extended self-similarity allows for the extraction of
the different power laws for the longitudinal structure functions at several
wall normal distances. A double scaling regime is found in the logarithmic
region, confirming previous experimental results. Approaching the wall, the
scaling range corresponding to the classical cascade-dominated range tends to
disappear and, in the buffer layer, a single power law is found to describe the
available range of scales. The double scaling is shown to be associated with
two different forms of refined similarity. The classical form holds below the
shear scale L s . The other, originally introduced on the basis of DNS data for
a turbulent channel, is experimentally confirmed to set up above L s . Given
the experimental diffulties in the evaluation of the instantaneous dissipation
rate, some care is devoted to check that its one-dimensional surrogate does not
bias the results. The increased intermittency as the wall is approached is
experimentally found entirely consistent with the failure of the refined
Kolmogorov-Oboukhov similarity and the establishment of its new form near the
wall.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figure
Creatine Supplementation to Improve Sarcopenia in Chronic Liver Disease: Facts and Perspectives
Creatine supplementation has been one of the most studied and useful ergogenic nutritional support for athletes to improve performance, strength, and muscular mass. Over time creatine has shown beneficial effects in several human disease conditions. This review aims to summarise the current evidence for creatine supplementation in advanced chronic liver disease and its complications, primarily in sarcopenic cirrhotic patients, because this condition is known to be associated with poor prognosis and outcomes. Although creatine supplementation in chronic liver disease seems to be barely investigated and not studied in human patients, its potential efficacy on chronic liver disease is indirectly highlighted in animal models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, bringing beneficial effects in the fatty liver. Similarly, encephalopathy and fatigue seem to have beneficial effects. Creatine supplementation has demonstrated effects in sarcopenia in the elderly with and without resistance training suggesting a potential role in improving this condition in patients with advanced chronic liver disease. Creatine supplementation could address several critical points of chronic liver disease and its complications. Further studies are needed to support the clinical burden of this hypothesis
Double scaling and intermittency in shear dominated flows
The Refined Kolmogorov Similarity Hypothesis is a valuable tool for the
description of intermittency in isotropic conditions. For flows in presence of
a substantial mean shear, the nature of intermittency changes since the process
of energy transfer is affected by the turbulent kinetic energy production
associated with the Reynolds stresses. In these conditions a new form of
refined similarity law has been found able to describe the increased level of
intermittency which characterizes shear dominated flows. Ideally a length scale
associated with the mean shear separates the two ranges, i.e. the classical
Kolmogorov-like inertial range, below, and the shear dominated range, above.
However, the data analyzed in previous papers correspond to conditions where
the two scaling regimes can only be observed individually.
In the present letter we give evidence of the coexistence of the two regimes
and support the conjecture that the statistical properties of the dissipation
field are practically insensible to the mean shear. This allows for a
theoretical prediction of the scaling exponents of structure functions in the
shear dominated range based on the known intermittency corrections for
isotropic flows. The prediction is found to closely match the available
numerical and experimental data.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR
Intermittency and structure functions in channel flow turbulence
We present a study of intermittency in a turbulent channel flow. Scaling
exponents of longitudinal streamwise structure functions, ,
are used as quantitative indicators of intermittency.
We find that, near the center of the channel the values of
up to are consistent with the assumption of homogeneous/isotropic
turbulence. Moving towards the boundaries, we observe a growth of intermittency
which appears to be related to an intensified presence of ordered vortical
structures. In fact, the behaviour along the normal-to-wall direction of
suitably normalized scaling exponents shows a remarkable correlation with the
local strength of the Reynolds stress and with the \rms value of helicity
density fluctuations. We argue that the clear transition in the nature of
intermittency appearing in the region close to the wall, is related to a new
length scale which becomes the relevant one for scaling in high shear flows.Comment: 4 pages, 6 eps figure
The Fluid-dynamics of endo vascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS) system failure
Purpose The main objective of this work is to investigate hemodynamics phenomena occurring in EVAS (Endo Vascular Aneurysm Sealing), to understand if and how they could lead to type 1a endoleaks and following re-intervention. To this aim, methods based on computational fluid mechanics are implemented as a tool for checking the behavior of a specific EVAS configuration, starting from the post-operative conditions. Pressure and velocity fields are detailed and compared, for two configurations of the Nellix, one as attained after correct implantation and the other in pathological conditions, as a consequence of migration or dislocation of endobags. Methods The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is used to simulate the behavior of blood within a segment of the aorta, before and after the abdominal bifurcation. The adopted procedure allows reconstructing the detailed vascular geometry from high-resolution computerized tomography (CT scan) and generating the mesh on which the equations of fluid mechanics are discretized and solved, in order to derive pressure and velocity field during heartbeats. Results The main results are obtained in terms of local velocity fields and wall pressures. Within the endobags, velocities are usually quite regular during the whole cardiac cycle for the post-implanted condition, whereas they are more irregular for the migrated case. The largest differences among the two cases are observed in the shape and location of the recirculation region in the rear part of the aorta and the region between the endobags, with the formation of a gap due to the migration of one or both of the two. In this gap, the pressure fields are highly different among the two conditions, showing pressure peaks and pressure gradients at least four times larger for the migrated case in comparison to the post-implanted condition. Conclusions In this paper, the migration of one or both endobags is supposed to be related to the existing differential pressures acting in the gap formed between the two, which could go on pushing the two branches one away from the other, thus causing aneurysm re-activation and endoleaks. Regions of flow recirculation and low-pressure drops are revealed only in case of endobag migration and in presence of an aneurysm. These regions are supposed to lead to possible plaque formation and atherosclerosis
Drag Reduction by Polymers in Turbulent Channel Flows: Energy Redistribution Between Invariant Empirical Modes
We address the phenomenon of drag reduction by dilute polymeric additive to
turbulent flows, using Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of the FENE-P model
of viscoelastic flows. It had been amply demonstrated that these model
equations reproduce the phenomenon, but the results of DNS were not analyzed so
far with the goal of interpreting the phenomenon. In order to construct a
useful framework for the understanding of drag reduction we initiate in this
paper an investigation of the most important modes that are sustained in the
viscoelastic and Newtonian turbulent flows respectively. The modes are obtained
empirically using the Karhunen-Loeve decomposition, allowing us to compare the
most energetic modes in the viscoelastic and Newtonian flows. The main finding
of the present study is that the spatial profile of the most energetic modes is
hardly changed between the two flows. What changes is the energy associated
with these modes, and their relative ordering in the decreasing order from the
most energetic to the least. Modes that are highly excited in one flow can be
strongly suppressed in the other, and vice versa. This dramatic energy
redistribution is an important clue to the mechanism of drag reduction as is
proposed in this paper. In particular there is an enhancement of the energy
containing modes in the viscoelastic flow compared to the Newtonian one; drag
reduction is seen in the energy containing modes rather than the dissipative
modes as proposed in some previous theories.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, included, PRE, submitted, REVTeX
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