Introduction to turbulence

From CFD-Wiki

Revision as of 13:01, 21 June 2007

This section is currently undergoing heavy reorganization and editing. Please excuse any errors or unfinished parts. --Jola 07:01, 21 June 2007 (MDT)

Nature of turbulence

• The turbulent world around us
• What is turbulence?
• Why study turbulence?
• The cost of our ignorance
• What do we really know for sure?

Statistical analysis

• Ensemble average
  • Mean or ensemble average
  • Fluctuations about the mean
  • Higher moments
• Probability
  • Histogram and probability density function
  • Probability distribution
  • Gaussian (or normal) distributions
  • Skewness and kurtosis
• Multivariate random variables
  • Joint pdfs and joint moments
  • The bi-variate normal (or Gaussian) distribution
  • Statistical independence and lack of correlation
• Estimation from a finite number of realizations
  • Estimators for averaged quantities
  • Bias and convergence of estimators
• Generalization to the estimator of any quantity

Reynolds averaged equations and the turbulence closure problem

• The equations governing the instantaneous fluid motions
• Equations for the average velocity
• The turbulence problem
• Origins of turbulence
• The importance of non-linearity
• The Turbulence Closure problem and the Eddy Viscosity
• The Reynolds Stress Equations

Turbulence kinetic energy

• The Fluctuating Kinetic Energy
• The Rate of Dissipation of the Turbulence Kinetic Energy

Stationarity and homogeneity

Homogeneous turbulence

Free turbulent shear flows

Wall bounded turbulent flows

Credits

This text was based on "Lectures in Turbulence for the 21st Century" by Professor William K. George, Professor of Turbulence, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.