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Measurement of particle accelerations in fully developed turbulence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2002

GREG A. VOTH ,
A. LA PORTA ,
ALICE M. CRAWFORD ,
JIM ALEXANDER  and
EBERHARD BODENSCHATZ
GREG A. VOTH
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
A. LA PORTA
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
ALICE M. CRAWFORD
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
JIM ALEXANDER
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
EBERHARD BODENSCHATZ
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Abstract

We use silicon strip detectors (originally developed for the CLEO III high-energy particle physics experiment) to measure fluid particle trajectories in turbulence with temporal resolution of up to 70000 frames per second. This high frame rate allows the Kolmogorov time scale of a turbulent water flow to be fully resolved for 140 [ges ] Rλ [ges ] 970. Particle trajectories exhibiting accelerations up to 16000 m s −2 (40 times the r.m.s. value) are routinely observed. The probability density function of the acceleration is found to have Reynolds-number-dependent stretched exponential tails. The moments of the acceleration distribution are calculated. The scaling of the acceleration component variance with the energy dissipation is found to be consistent with the results for low-Reynolds-number direct numerical simulations, and with the K41-based Heisenberg–Yaglom prediction for Rλ [ges ] 500. The acceleration flatness is found to increase with Reynolds number, and to exceed 60 at Rλ = 970. The coupling of the acceleration to the large-scale anisotropy is found to be large at low Reynolds number and to decrease as the Reynolds number increases, but to persist at all Reynolds numbers measured. The dependence of the acceleration variance on the size and density of the tracer particles is measured. The autocorrelation function of an acceleration component is measured, and is found to scale with the Kolmogorov time τη.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 469 , 25 October 2002 , pp. 121 - 160
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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