The topology-conditioned turbulence kinetic energy budget

Abstract

The paper reports on the conditionally averaged turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) budget, where the conditioning is based on the invariants of the velocity gradient tensor. Three different datasets are utilized for this analysis. The particular terms of the budget are presented in the (R, Q) plane, showcasing a striking similarity (both quantitative and qualitative) among the results from each dataset. The importance of conditional averages for the overall variance of the specific terms of the TKE budget is also evaluated. Subsequently, the budgets are presented along conditional mean trajectories (CMTs), revealing the dynamics of the TKE budget associated with the evolution of local flow topology. Results obtained for different CMTs approximately collapse when suitably normalized (at least for certain parts of the trajectories). The conditional budget is clearly dominated by inertial and pressure transport terms, indicative of a “sweeping” effect.