Effect of particle inertia on the turbulence in a suspension

We propose a one-fluid analytical model for a turbulently flowing dilute suspension, based on modified Navier-Stokes equation with a $k$-dependent effective density of suspension, $\rho_ {eff}(k)$, and an additional damping term $\propto \gamma_ p(k)$, representing the fluid-particle friction (described by Stokes law). The statistical description of turbulence within the model is simplified by a modification of the usual closure procedure based on the Richardson-Kolmogorov picture of turbulence with a differential approximation for the energy transfer term. The resulting ordinary differential equation for the energy budget is solved analytically for various important limiting cases and numerically in the general case. In the inertial interval of scales we describe analytically two competing effects: the energy suppression due to the fluid particle friction and the energy enhancement during the cascade process due to decrease of the effective density of the small scale motions. An additional suppression or enhancement of the energy density may occur in the viscous subrange, caused by the variation of the extent of the inertial interval due to the combined effect of the fluid-particle friction and the decrease of the kinematic viscosity of the suspensions. The analytical description of the complicated interplay of these effects supported by numerical calculations is presented. Our findings allow one to rationalize the qualitative picture of the isotropic homogeneous turbulence of dilute suspensions as observed in direct numerical simulations.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figues,included, PRE, submitte

Estimating von-Karman's constant from Homogeneous Turbulence

A celebrated universal aspect of wall-bounded turbulent flows is the von Karman log-law-of-the-wall, describing how the mean velocity in the streamwise direction depends on the distance from the wall. Although the log-law is known for more than 75 years, the von Karman constant governing the slope of the log-law was not determined theoretically. In this Letter we show that the von-Karman constant can be estimated from homogeneous turbulent data, i.e. without information from wall-bounded flows.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figs, PRL, submitte

Computing the Scaling Exponents in Fluid Turbulence from First Principles: Demonstration of Multi-scaling

This manuscript is a draft of work in progress, meant for network distribution only. It will be updated to a formal preprint when the numerical calculations will be accomplished. In this draft we develop a consistent closure procedure for the calculation of the scaling exponents $\zeta_n$ of the $n$th order correlation functions in fully developed hydrodynamic turbulence, starting from first principles. The closure procedure is constructed to respect the fundamental rescaling symmetry of the Euler equation. The starting point of the procedure is an infinite hierarchy of coupled equations that are obeyed identically with respect to scaling for any set of scaling exponents $\zeta_n$. This hierarchy was discussed in detail in a recent publication [V.S. L'vov and I. Procaccia, Phys. Rev. E, submitted, chao-dyn/9707015]. The scaling exponents in this set of equations cannot be found from power counting. In this draft we discuss in detail low order non-trivial closures of this infinite set of equations, and prove that these closures lead to the determination of the scaling exponents from solvability conditions. The equations under consideration after this closure are nonlinear integro-differential equations, reflecting the nonlinearity of the original Navier-Stokes equations. Nevertheless they have a very special structure such that the determination of the scaling exponents requires a procedure that is very similar to the solution of linear homogeneous equations, in which amplitudes are determined by fitting to the boundary conditions in the space of scales. The re-normalization scale that i necessary for any anomalous scaling appears at this point. The Holder inequalities on the scaling exponents select the renormalizaiton scale as the outer scale of turbulence $L$.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figs. to be submitted PR

Evolution of Neutron-Initiated Micro-Big-Bang in superfluid He 3B

A nuclear capture reaction of a single neutron by ultra-cold superfluid $^3$He results in a rapid overheating followed by the expansion and subsequent cooling of the hot subregion, in a certain analogy with the Big Bang of the early Universe. It was shown in a Grenoble experiment that a significant part of the energy released during the nuclear reaction was not converted into heat even after several seconds. It was thought that the missing energy was stored in a tangle of quantized vortex lines. This explanation, however, contradicts the expected lifetime of a bulk vortex tangle, $10^{-5}-10^{-4}\,$s, which is much shorter than the observed time delay of seconds. In this Letter we propose a scenario that resolves the contradiction: the vortex tangle, created by the hot spot, emits isolated vortex loops that take with them a significant part of the tangle's energy. These loops quickly reach the container walls. The dilute ensemble of vortex loops attached to the walls can survive for a long time, while the remaining bulk vortex tangle decays quickly.Comment: 5 pages, PRL submitte