Propelled microprobes in turbulence

E. Calzavarini, Y. X. Huang, F. G. Schmitt, and L. P. Wang
Phys. Rev. Fluids 3, 054604 – Published 11 May 2018
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Abstract

The temporal statistics of incompressible fluid velocity and passive scalar fields in developed turbulent conditions is investigated by means of direct numerical simulations along the trajectories of self-propelled pointlike probes drifting in a flow. Such probes are characterized by a propulsion velocity which is fixed in intensity and direction; however, like vessels in a flow they are continuously deviated on their intended course as the result of local sweeping of the fluid flow. The recorded time series by these moving probes represent the simplest realization of transect measurements in a fluid flow environment. We investigate the nontrivial combination of Lagrangian and Eulerian statistical properties displayed by the transect time series. We show that, as a result of the homogeneity and isotropy of the flow, the single-point acceleration statistics of the probes follows a predictable trend at varying the propulsion speed, a feature that is also present in the scalar time-derivative fluctuations. Further, by focusing on two-time statistics we characterize how the Lagrangian-to-Eulerian transition occurs at increasing the propulsion velocity. The analysis of intermittency of temporal increments highlights in a striking way the opposite trends displayed by the fluid velocity and passive scalars.

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  • Received 2 February 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.3.054604

©2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Fluid Dynamics

Authors & Affiliations

E. Calzavarini1,*, Y. X. Huang2, F. G. Schmitt3, and L. P. Wang4

  • 1Univ. Lille, Unité de Mécanique de Lille, UML EA 7512, F 59000 Lille, France
  • 2State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, People's Republic of China
  • 3Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Cote d'Opale, UMR 8187, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géoscience, F 62930 Wimereux, France
  • 4UM-SJTU Joint Institute, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China

  • *enrico.calzavarini@polytech-lille.fr

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Vol. 3, Iss. 5 — May 2018

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