Publications

Flow topologies and turbulence scales in a jet-in-cross-flow

Ruiz, A.M.; Lacaze, G.; Oefelein, Joseph C.

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the flow topologies and turbulence scales in the jet-in-cross-flow experiment of Su and Mungal ["Simultaneous measurements of scalar and velocity field evolution in turbulent crossflowing jets," J. Fluid Mech. 513(1), 1-45 (2004)]. The analysis is performed using the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique with a highly resolved grid and time-step and well controlled boundary conditions. This enables quantitative agreement with the first and second moments of turbulence statistics measured in the experiment. LES is used to perform the analysis since experimental measurements of time-resolved 3D fields are still in their infancy and because sampling periods are generally limited with direct numerical simulation. A major focal point is the comprehensive characterization of the turbulence scales and their evolution. Time-resolved probes are used with long sampling periods to obtain maps of the integral scales, Taylor microscales, and turbulent kinetic energy spectra. Scalar-fluctuation scales are also quantified. In the near-field, coherent structures are clearly identified, both in physical and spectral space. Along the jet centerline, turbulence scales grow according to a classical one-third power law. However, the derived maps of turbulence scales reveal strong inhomogeneities in the flow. From the modeling perspective, these insights are useful to design optimized grids and improve numerical predictions in similar configurations.