Oleg Zikanov

Numerical study of the instability of the Hartmann layer

(Received 7 March 2003 and in revised form 1 July 2003) Direct numerical simulation is applied to investigate instability and transition to turbulence in the flow of an electrically conducting incompressible fluid between two parallel unbounded insulating walls affected by a wall-normal magnetic field (the Hartmann flow). The linear stability analysis of this flow provided unrealistically high critical Reynolds numbers, about two orders of magnitude higher than those observed in experiments. We propose an explanation based on the streak growth and breakdown mechanism described earlier for other shear flows. The mechanism is investigated using a two-step procedure that includes transient growth of two-dimensional optimal perturbations and the subsequent three-dimensional instability of the modulated streaky flow. In agreement with recent experimental investigations the calculations produce a critical range between 350 and 400 for the Hartmann thickness based Reynolds number, where the transition occurs at realistic amplitudes of two- and three-dimensional perturbations.

Direct numerical simulation of forced MHD turbulence at low magnetic Reynolds number

The transformation of initially isotropic turbulent flow of electrically conducting incompressible viscous fluid under the influence of an imposed homogeneous magnetic field is investigated using direct numerical simulation. Under the assumption of large kinetic and small magnetic Reynolds numbers (magnetic Prandtl number P m [Lt ]1) the quasi-static approximation is applied for the computation of the magnetic field fluctuations. The flow is assumed to be homogeneous and contained in a three-dimensional cubic box with periodic boundary conditions. Large-scale forcing is applied to maintain a statistically steady level of the flow energy. It is found that the pathway traversed by the flow transformation depends decisively on the magnetic interaction parameter (Stuart number). If the magnetic interaction number is small the flow remains three-dimensional and turbulent and no detectable deviation from isotropy is observed. In the case of a strong magnetic field (large magnetic interaction parameter) a rapid transformation to a purely two-dimensional steady state is obtained in agreement with earlier analytical and numerical results for decaying MHD turbulence. At intermediate values of the magnetic interaction parameter the system exhibits intermittent behaviour, characterized by organized quasi-two-dimensional evolution lasting several eddy-turnover times, which is interrupted by strong three-dimensional turbulent bursts. This result implies that the conventional picture of steady angular energy transfer in MHD turbulence must be refined. The spatial structure of the steady two-dimensional final flow obtained in the case of large magnetic interaction parameter is examined. It is found that due to the type of forcing and boundary conditions applied, this state always occurs in the form of a square periodic lattice of alternating vortices occupying the largest possible scale. The stability of this flow to three-dimensional perturbations is analysed using the energy stability method.

Theory of the Lorentz force flowmeter

A Lorentz force flowmeter is a device for the contactless measurement of flow rates in electrically conducting fluids. It is based on the measurement of a force on a magnet system that acts upon the flow. We formulate the theory of the Lorentz force flowmeter which connects the measured force to the unknown flow rate. We first apply the theory to three specific cases, namely (i) pipe flow exposed to a longitudinal magnetic field, (ii) pipe flow under the influence of a transverse magnetic field and (iii) interaction of a localized distribution of magnetic material with a uniformly moving sheet of metal. These examples provide the key scaling laws of the method and illustrate how the force depends on the shape of the velocity profile and the presence of turbulent fluctuations in the flow. Moreover, we formulate the general kinematic theory which holds for arbitrary distributions of magnetic material or electric currents and for any velocity distribution and which provides a rational framework for the prediction of the sensitivity of Lorentz force flowmeters in laboratory experiments and in industrial practice.

Large-eddy simulations of the wind-induced turbulent Ekman layer

At urbulent Ekman layer created by a steady wind near the water surface is investigated using the numerical method of large-eddy simulations. The classical case of a flow unaffected by density stratification and surface waves is revisited to understand the internal structure of the flow and implications of the traditional assumptions of constant effective viscosity and the ‘f -plane’ approximation. A series of numerical experiments reveals that the Ekman solution needs correcting even in this case. The examination of the effective viscosity hypothesis confirms its validity but shows that the viscosity varies strongly with depth. It increases in the subsurface layer of thickness about 1/4 the turbulent length scale and decreases below this level. A Bessel function solution is proposed that corresponds to the approximate effective viscosity profile and matches with the LES results. Strong flow dependence on the latitude and wind direction is detected and explained by the effects of redistribution of turbulent kinetic energy between the velocity components and modification of the vertical transfer of turbulent momentum. In this paper, we consider the classical problem of a turbulent flow generated near the ocean surface by a steady wind stress in the presence of Earth’s rotation. Interest in this flow goes back to Ekman’s landmark work published in 1905. (An interesting historical review of Fridtjof Nansen’s polar expedition and other events preceding Ekman’s paper is given by Walker (1991).) Ekman assumed a balance between the Coriolis force, viscous friction and the pressure gradient, adopted the approximation of constant vertical eddy viscosity Az ,a ndderived a solution now known as the ‘Ekman spiral’. In the case of a steady wind in the x-direction, the steady-state Ekman velocity profile in the open ocean is (for the northern hemisphere) u = V0 cos π + π D z

On the instability of pipe Poiseuille flow

Stability of the flow of incompressible viscous fluid in a circular pipe is studied numerically. A perturbation consisting of finite‐amplitude two‐dimensional and infinitesimal three‐dimensional parts is imposed on the basic flow. The temporal evolution of the perturbation is analyzed by direct numerical calculation of the Navier–Stokes equations. The two‐dimensional disturbances are independent of the streamwise coordinate and initially take the form of streamwise rolls. It is shown that the nonlinear development of two‐dimensional perturbations results in substantial spanwise modulation of the streamwise velocity component manifesting itself as a formation of streaks and the occurrence of inflection points. The modulated mean flow is found to be highly unstable to the three‐dimensional perturbations which are localized spatially near these points. An instability mechanism that includes the modulation of the flow by growing two‐dimensional disturbances and the inflectional instability of the modulated fl...

Anisotropy of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence at low magnetic Reynolds number

Turbulent fluctuations in magnetohydrodynamic flows are known to become anisotropic under the action of a sufficiently strong magnetic field. We investigate this phenomenon in the case of low magnetic Reynolds number using direct numerical simulations and large eddy simulations of a forced flow in a periodic box. A series of simulations is performed with different strengths of the magnetic field, varying Reynolds number, and two types of forcing, one of which is isotropic and the other limited to two-dimensional flow modes. We find that both the velocity anisotropy (difference in the relative amplitude of the velocity components) and the anisotropy of the velocity gradients are predominantly determined by the value of the magnetic interaction parameter. The effects of the Reynolds number and the type of forcing are much weaker. We also find that the anisotropy varies only slightly with the length scale.

Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in a channel with spanwise magnetic field

The effect of a uniform spanwise magnetic field on a turbulent channel flow is investigated for the case of a low magnetic Reynolds number. Direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large eddy simulation (LES) computations are performed for two values of the hydrodynamic Reynolds number (104 and 2×104) and with the Hartmann number varying in a wide range. It is shown that the main effect of the magnetic field is the suppression of turbulent velocity fluctuations and momentum transfer in the wall-normal direction. This leads to drag reduction and transformation of the mean flow profile. The centerline velocity grows, the mean velocity gradients near the wall decrease, and the typical horizontal dimensions of the coherent structures enlarge upon increasing the Hartmann number. Comparison between LES and DNS results shows that the dynamic Smagorinsky model accurately reproduces the flow transformation.

Transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

We report a theoretical investigation of the robustness of two-dimensional inviscid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows at low magnetic Reynolds numbers with respect to three-dimensional perturbations. We use a combination of linear stability analysis and direct numerical simulations to analyse three problems, namely the flow in the interior of a triaxial ellipsoid, and two unbounded flows: a vortex with elliptical streamlines and a vortex sheet parallel to the magnetic field. The flow in a triaxial ellipsoid is found to present an exact analytical model which demonstrates both the existence of inviscid unstable three-dimensional modes and the stabilizing role of the magnetic field. The nonlinear evolution of the flow is characterized by intermittency typical of other MHD flows with long periods of nearly two-dimensional behaviour interrupted by violent three-dimensional transients triggered by the instability. We demonstrate, using the second model, that motion with elliptical streamlines perpendicular to the magnetic field becomes unstable with respect to the elliptical instability once the magnetic interaction parameter falls below a critical magnitude whose value tends to infinity as the eccentricity of the streamlines increases. Furthermore, the third model indicates that vortex sheets parallel to the magnetic field, which are unstable for any velocity and any magnetic field, emit eddies with vorticity perpendicular to the magnetic field. Whether the investigated instabilities persist in the presence of small but finite viscosity, in which case two-dimensional turbulence would represent a singular state of MHD flows, remains an open question.

Optimal linear growth in magnetohydrodynamic duct flow

Transient linear growth in laminar magnetohydrodynamic duct flow is analysed. The duct is straight with rectangular cross-section and electrically insulating walls. The applied uniform magnetic field is oriented perpendicular to the mean flow direction and parallel to one of the walls. Optimal perturbations and their maximum amplifications over finite time intervals are computed. The optimal perturbations are increasingly damped by the magnetic field, localized in the boundary layers parallel to the magnetic field irrespective of the duct aspect ratio. Typically, the optimal perturbations have non-vanishing streamwise wavenumber as found in magnetohydrodynamic channel flow with spanwise magnetic field. The Hartmann boundary layers perpendicular to the magnetic field do not contribute to the transient growth.

Optimal growth and transition to turbulence in channel flow with spanwise magnetic field

Instability and transition to turbulence in a magnetohydrodynamic channel flow are studied numerically for the case of a uniform magnetic field imposed along the spanwise direction. Optimal perturbations and their maximum amplifications over finite time intervals are computed in the framework of the linear problem using an iterative scheme based on direct and adjoint governing equations. It is shown that, at sufficiently strong magnetic field, the maximum amplification is no longer provided by classical streamwise rolls, but rather by rolls oriented at an oblique angle to the basic flow direction. The angle grows with the Hartmann number Ha and reaches the limit corresponding to purely spanwise rolls at Ha between 50 and 100 depending on the Reynolds number. Direct numerical simulations are applied to investigate the transition to turbulence at a single subcritical Reynolds number Re = 5000 and various Hartmann numbers. The transition is caused by the transient growth and subsequent breakdown of optimal perturbations, which take the form of one or two symmetric optimal modes (streamwise, oblique or spanwise modes depending on Ha) with low-amplitude three-dimensional noise added at the moment of strongest energy amplification. A sufficiently strong magnetic field (Ha larger than approximately 30) is found to completely suppress the instability. At smaller Hartmann numbers, the transition is observed but it is modified in comparison with the pure hydrodynamic case.