The near-wall scaling of mean velocity U(yw) is addressed for the case of zero skin friction on one wall of a fully turbulent channel flow. The present DNS results can be added to the evidence in support of the conjecture that U is proportional to the square root of yw in the region just above the wall at which the mean shear dU=dy = 0

Coleman, Gary N.

Spalart, Philippe R.

NASA Technical Reports Server

15TH EUROPEAN TURBULENCE CONFERENCE, 25-28 AUGUST, 2015, DELFT, THE NETHERLANDS
DIRECT NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TURBULENT COUETTE-POISEUILLE FLOWWITH
ZERO SKIN FRICTION
Gary N Coleman1 & Philippe R Spalart 2
1Computational AeroSciences, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, 23681, USA
2Boeing Commercial Airplanes, P O Box 3707, Seattle, Washington, 98124, USA
Abstract The near-wall scaling of mean velocity U(yw) is addressed for the case of zero skin friction on one wall of a fully turbulent
channel flow. The present DNS results can be added to the evidence in support of the conjecture that U is proportional to
√
yw in the
region just above the wall at which the mean shear dU/dy = 0.
INTRODUCTION AND APPROACH
The subject of this study is wall-bounded turbulence adjacent to a no-slip surface with vanishing mean shear stress. It
extends our earlier investigations [1, 2] of wall layers subjected to favorable and adverse streamwise pressure gradients
(FPG and APG, respectively), and specifically of how these gradients affect near-wall similarity relationships such as the
logarithmic law. As in those earlier studies, we use direct numerical simulation (DNS) of Couette-Poiseuille flow, which
contains shear-stress gradients of opposite signs on its two sides, and thus efficiently emulates an FPG layer on one side
and an APG layer on the other. For the present case, the balance between the streamwise pressure gradient d(P/ρ)/dx
and streamwise wall velocity Uw is adjusted such that the mean velocity gradient on the APG wall approaches zero and
therefore the non-dimensional pressure gradient p+ ≡ dτ+/dy+ = [d(P/ρ)/dx] [ν/u3τ ] → ∞, where uτ is the wall
friction velocity and ν the kinematic molecular viscosity. For the Reynolds number used here, h∆U/ν = 20, 000 (where
2h is the full channel height and ∆U = 2Uw is the wall-velocity difference), this requires d(P/ρ)/dx = −0.00365U2w/h,
which results in p+ ≈ −0.0006 on the FPG side (corresponding to a pure Poiseuille flow with Reτ = uτh/ν ≡ 1/p+ ≈
1700).
The simulation uses the Fourier/Chebyshev spectral channel code described in [1], with real-space resolution of nx×ny×
nz = 576×193×576 and domain of size 4pih×2h×2pih in the streamwise x, wall-normal y and spanwise z directions,
respectively. The 2/3 rule is applied in x and z for dealiasing. In wall units from the FPG side (i.e.,the side with larger
uτ ), the time step is ∆t+ ≈ 0.4 and the streamwise and spanwise grid spacing are ∆x+ ≈ 19 and ∆z+ ≈ 9.5, while the
wall-normal distance of the 10th grid point is y+10 ≈ 9. Thus, although the FPG side is slightly under-resolved [3], these
values are small enough to indicate the resolution for the uτ → 0 side – upon which we focus our attention here – will be
more than adequate.
Straford [4] and Townsend [5] proposed that the mean velocity U above a wall with vanishing skin friction will be
proportional to
√
yw in a region between the wall, yw = 0, and the outer flow, for the following reasons. If it is assumed (as
it was in the derivation of the log law) that the wall-normal velocity gradient dU/dyw depends solely on yw, d(P/ρ)/dx
and ν, that leads to
dU−
dy−
= F(y−), (1)
where U− = U/up, y− = ywup/ν and u3p = νd(P/ρ)/dx (cf. [6]). In the large-y
− ‘overlap’ region, where presumably
the viscosity is irrelevant, dimensional analysis implies (1) can be written as
dU−
dy−
=
A√
y−
. (2)
The y1/2w relationship then follows, with
U− = B
√
y− + C, (3)
where A, B = 2A and C are, within the present idealization, universal non-dimensional constants. The functional form
of (3) will be tested using the Couette-Poiseuille results shown below.
RESULTS
The mean velocity and total shear-stress profiles are shown in figure 1. Both reveal the desired dU/dy ≈ 0 behavior at
the APG wall, y = +h. The linear stress profile, whose slope agrees well with the constant pressure gradient d(P/ρ)/dx,
indicates that the mean statistics are reasonably close to a fully converged stationary state.
A fairly compelling affirmative answer to the U ∼ √yw conjecture (3) is provided in figure 2. Also shown, via the straight
broken line, is the curve fit defined by B = 1.8 and C = −2.05. The latter coefficient is within the −3.2 ≤ C ≤ 2.2
range given in Schlichting & Gersten [6] for this flow, but the former is well below the 2.5 ≤ B ≤ 5 they provide. As of
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20160006087 2019-08-31T02:53:11+00:00Z
y / h
U
/U
w
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
y / h
τ
/ρ
U
2 w
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 10
0.008
d(P/ρ)/dx = -0.00365U 2
w
/h
- u’v’
τ
Figure 1. Left, mean velocity; right, Reynolds shear stress.
(yu
s
 / ν)1/2
U
/u
s
0 2 4 6 8
0
5
10
15 Eqn (3) : B =1.8, C =-2.05
DNS
Figure 2. Mean velocity for vanishing-skin-friction wall.
now, the degree of universality of the square-root law (3) is thus an open question, requiring further experimental and/or
simulation studies.
The final paper will include finer resolution, and an extensive study of the apparent conflict with experiment in our results
so far. Other theoretical sources will be explored. The Reynolds stresses and other aspects of the turbulence will also be
presented.
References
[1] R. Johnstone, G. N. Coleman and P. R. Spalart. The resilience of the logarithmic law to pressure gradients: evidence from direct numerical
simulation. J. Fluid Mech. 643: 163–175, 2010.
[2] G. N. Coleman, A. Garbaruk and P. R. Spalart. Direct numerical simulation, theories and modeling of wall turbulence with a range of pressure
gradients. Proceedings of 10th International ERCOFTAC Symposium on Engineering Turbulence Modelling and Measurements – ETMM10,
Marbella, Spain, September 2014.
[3] P. R. Spalart, G. N. Coleman and R. Johnstone. Retraction: Direct numerical simulation of the Ekman layer: A step in Reynolds number, and
cautious support for a log law with shifted origin. Phys. Fluids 21: 109901, 2009.
[4] B. S. Stratford. The prediction of separation of the turbulent boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 5: 1–16, 1959.
[5] A. A. Townsend. The Structure of Turbulent Shear Flow, Cambridge University Press, 1976.
[6] H. Schlichting and K. Gersten. Boundary Layer Theory (8th edition), Springer, 2000.


Direct Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Couette-Poiseuille Flow With Zero Skin Friction

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