No abstract

The modification of decaying homogeneous turbulence due to its interaction with dispersed small solid particles (d/v < l), at a volumetric loading ratio $,<5 X lo-", is studied using direct numerical simulation. The results show that the particles increase the fluid turbulence energy at high wave numbers. This increase of energy is accompanied by an increase of the viscous dissipation rate, and, hence, an increase in the rate of energy transfer T(k) from the large-scale motion. Thus, depending on the conditions at particle injection, the fluid turbulence kinetic energy may increase initially. But, in the absence of external sources [shear or buoyancy), the turbulence energy eventually decays faster than in the particle-free turbulence. In gravitational environment, particles transfer their momentum to the small-scale motion but in an anisotropic manner. The pressure-strain correlation acts to remove this anisotropy by transferring energy from the direction of gravity to the other two directions, but at the same wave number, i.e., to the small-scale motion in directions normal to gravity. This input of energy in the two directions with lowest energy content causes a reverse cascade. This reverse cascade tends to build up the energy level at lower wave numbers, thus reducing the decay rate of energy as compared to that of either the particle-free turbulence or the zero-gravity particle-laden flow.

This study investigates the two-way coupling effects of finite-size solid spherical particles on decaying isotropic turbulence using direct numerical simulation with an immersed boundary method. We fully resolve all the relevant scales of turbulence around freely moving particles of the Taylor length-scale size, 1.2≤d/λ≤2.6. The particle diameter and Stokes number in terms of Kolmogorov length- and time scales are 16≤d/η≤35 and 38≤τp/τk≤178, respectively, at the time the particles are released in the flow. The particles mass fraction range is 0.026≤φm≤1.0, corresponding to a volume fraction of 0.01≤φv≤0.1 and density ratio of 2.56≤ρp/ρf≤10. The maximum number of dispersed particles is 6400 for φv=0.1. The typical particle Reynolds number is of O(10). The effects of the particles on the temporal development of turbulence kinetic energy E(t), its dissipation rate (t), its two-way coupling rate of change Ψp(t) and frequency spectra E(ω) are discussed.In contrast to particles with d < η, the effect of the particles in this study, with d > η, is that E(t) is always smaller than that of the single-phase flow. In addition, Ψp(t) is always positive for particles with d > η, whereas it can be positive or negative for particles with d < η.