Comparison of Turbulent Pipe and Boundary Layer Flows

Abstract

Results from direct numerical simulation of a turbulent pipe flow at ReD=35000 showed that very long meandering motions exceeding 30R exist in the pipe flow and the streamwise length scale of the structures is increased up to y/R~0.3, while the structures in boundary layer increase up to the edge of the log layer. In addition, it was found that strong swirling motions is more frequently observed in the pipe flow, and this strong swirl is related to the increase of the streamwise length scale in the pipe flow.