Guide to Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition

This paper discusses the spectral proper orthogonal decomposition and its use in identifying modes, or structures, in flow data. A specific algorithm based on estimating the cross-spectral density tensor with Welch’s method is presented, and guidance is provided on selecting data sampling parameters and understanding tradeoffs among them in terms of bias, variability, aliasing, and leakage. Practical implementation issues, including dealing with large datasets, are discussed and illustrated with examples involving experimental and computational turbulent flow data

Acoustic Saturation in Bubbly Cavitating Flow Adjacent to an Oscillating Wall

Bubbly cavitating flow generated by the normal oscillation of a wall bounding a semi-infinite domain of fluid is computed using a continuum two-phase flow model. Bubble dynamics are computed, on the microscale, using the Rayleigh-Plesset equation. A Lagrangian finite volume scheme and implicit adaptive time marching are employed to accurately resolve bubbly shock waves and other steep gradients in the flow. The one-dimensional, unsteady computations show that when the wall oscillation frequency is much smaller than the bubble natural frequency, the power radiated away from the wall is limited by an acoustic saturation effect (the radiated power becomes independent of the amplitude of vibration), which is similar to that found in a pure gas. That is, for large enough vibration amplitude, nonlinear steepening of the generated waves leads to shocking of the wave train, and the dissipation associated with the jump conditions across each shock limits the radiated power. In the model, damping of the bubble volume oscillations is restricted to a simple "effective" viscosity. For wall oscillation frequency less than the bubble natural frequency, the saturation amplitude of the radiated field is nearly independent of any specific damping mechanism. Finally, implications for noise radiation from cavitating flows are discussed

A reduced-order model of diffusive effects on the dynamics of bubbles

We propose a new reduced-order model for spherical bubble dynamics that accurately captures the effects of heat and mass diffusion. The objective is to reduce the full system of partial differential equations to a set of coupled ordinary differential equations that are efficient enough to implement into complex bubbly flow computations. Comparisons to computations of the full partial differential equations and of other reduced-order models are used to validate the model and establish its range of validity

A Numerical Investigation of Unsteady Bubbly Cavitating Nozzle Flows

The effects of unsteady bubbly dynamics on cavitating flow through a converging-diverging nozzle are investigated numerically. A continuum model that couples the Rayleigh-Plesset equation with the continuity and momentum equations is used to formulate unsteady, quasi-one-dimensional partial differential equations. Flow regimes studied include those where steady-state solutions exist, and those where steady-state solutions diverge at the so-called flashing instability. these latter flows consist of unsteady bubbly shock waves traveling downstream in the diverging section of the nozzle. An approximate analytical expression is developed to predict the critical backpressure for choked flow. The results agree with previous barotropic models for those flows where bubbly dynamics are not important, but show that in many instances the neglect of bubbly dynamics cannot be justified. Finally the computations show reasonable agreement with an experiment that measures the spatial variation of pressure, velocity and void fraction for steady shockfree flows, and good agreement with an experiment that measures the throat pressure and shock position for flows with bubbly shocks. In the model, damping of the bubbly raidal motion is restricted to a simple "effective" viscosity, but many features of the flow are shown to be independent of the specific damping mechanism

Spectral proper orthogonal decomposition and its relationship to dynamic mode decomposition and resolvent analysis

We consider the frequency domain form of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) called spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD). Spectral POD is derived from a space-time POD problem for statistically stationary flows and leads to modes that each oscillate at a single frequency. This form of POD goes back to the original work of Lumley (Stochastic tools in turbulence, Academic Press, 1970), but has been overshadowed by a space-only form of POD since the 1990s. We clarify the relationship between these two forms of POD and show that SPOD modes represent structures that evolve coherently in space and time while space-only POD modes in general do not. We also establish a relationship between SPOD and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD); we show that SPOD modes are in fact optimally averaged DMD modes obtained from an ensemble DMD problem for stationary flows. Accordingly, SPOD modes represent structures that are dynamic in the same sense as DMD modes but also optimally account for the statistical variability of turbulent flows. Finally, we establish a connection between SPOD and resolvent analysis. The key observation is that the resolvent-mode expansion coefficients must be regarded as statistical quantities to ensure convergent approximations of the flow statistics. When the expansion coefficients are uncorrelated, we show that SPOD and resolvent modes are identical. Our theoretical results and the overall utility of SPOD are demonstrated using two example problems: the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation and a turbulent jet

A Reduced-Order Model of Heat Transfer Effects on the Dynamics of Bubbles

The Rayleigh-Plesset equation has been used extensively to model spherical bubble dynamics, yet it has been shown that it cannot correctly capture damping effects due to mass and thermal diffusion. Radial diffusion equations may be solved for a single bubble, but these are too computationally expensive to implement into a continuum model for bubbly cavitating flows since the diffusion equations must be solved at each position in the flow. The goal of the present research is to derive reduced-order models that account for thermal and mass diffusion. We present a model that can capture the damping effects of the diffusion processes in two ODE's, and gives better results than previous models

Reduced-Order Modeling of Diffusive Effects on the Dynamics of Bubbles

The Rayleigh-Plesset equation and its extensions have been used extensively to model spherical bubble dynamics, yet radial diffusion equations must be solved to correctly capture damping effects due to mass and thermal diffusion. The latter are too computationally intensive to implement into a continuum model for bubbly cavitating flows, since the diffusion equations must be solved at each position in the flow. The goal of the present research is to derive a reduced-order model that accounts for thermal and mass diffusion. Motivated by results of applying the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition to data from full radial computations, we derive a model based upon estimates of the average heat transfer coefficients. The model captures the damping effects of the diffusion processes in two ordinary differential equations, and gives better results than previous models

Three-dimensional instabilities of compressible flow over open cavities: direct solution of the BiGlobal eigenvalue problem

We report progress in our ongoing effort to compute and understand the instabilities of open cavity flows from incompressible to supersonic speeds. We consider three-dimensional instabilities of nominally two dimensional (spanwise homogeneous) cavity flows (BiGlobal instabilities). Experiments, DNS/LES computations, and preliminary instability computations have shown that the modes of oscillation are influenced by complex interactions between the shear layer and the recirculating flow within the cavity. We present here a framework for computation of the two-dimensional eigenvalue problem for the compressible open cavity. We validate the numerical scheme by computing several canonical flows: square duct flow, boundary layers at speeds from incompressible to supersonic, and two-dimensional parallel shear layers. We present preliminary results for the three-dimensional modes of the compressible open cavity flow with length-to-depth ratio of two at a Mach number of 0.325

Shock Theory of a Bubbly Liquid in a Deformable Tube

Shock propagation through a bubbly liquid filled in a deformable cylindrical tube is considered. Quasi-one-dimensional bubbly flow equations that include fluid-structure interaction are formulated, and the steady shock relations are derived. Experiments are conducted in which a free-falling steel projectile impacts the top of an air/water mixture in a polycarbonate tube, and stress waves in the tube material are measured. The experimental data indicate that the linear theory cannot properly predict the propagation speeds of shock waves in mixture-filled tubes; the shock theory is found to more accurately estimate the measured wave speeds

Application of Lighthill's Equation to a Mach 1.92 Turbulent Jet

It has often been suggested that simulations of turbulent jets could provide the necessary sound source information for jet noise predictions via Lighthill’s acoustic analogy. Such an application of Lighthill’s equation is useful for two reasons. First, it provides a framework for identifying and modeling acoustic sources in a turbulent flow. Second, it may provide a less expensive means of computing the sound generated by turbulent flows because the flow equations would need to be computed only in the source region