arXiv subjects

Aaron Towne

Publications and source records attributed to Aaron Towne.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Efficient global resolvent analysis via the one-way Navier-Stokes equations. Part 2. Optimal response

In this study, we develop an efficient approach for approximating resolvent modes via spatial marching. Building on the methodology from Part 1, we leverage the ability of the projection-based formulation of the one-way Navier-Stokes equations (OWNS) to efficiently and accurately approximate the downstream response of the linearized Navier-Stokes equations to forcing for problems containing a slowly varying direction. Using an adjoint-based optimization framework, forcings that optimally excite a response in the flow are computed by marching the forward and adjoint OWNS equations in the downstream and upstream directions, respectively. This avoids the need to solve direct and adjoint globally-discretized equations, therefore bypassing the main computational bottleneck of a typical global resolvent calculation. The method is demonstrated for a supersonic turbulent jet at Mach 1.5 and a transitional zero-pressure-gradient flat-plate boundary layer flow at Mach 4.5, and the optimal OWNS results are validated against corresponding global calculations.

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arXiv2021

Efficient global resolvent analysis via the one-way Navier-Stokes equations. Part 1. Forced response

Resolvent analysis is a powerful tool for modeling and analyzing turbulent flows and in particular provides an approximation of coherent flow structures. Despite recent algorithmic advances, computing resolvent modes for flows with more than one inhomogeneous spatial coordinate remains computationally expensive. In this two-part paper, we show how efficient and accurate approximations of resolvent modes can be obtained using a well-posed spatial marching method for flows that contain a slowly varying direction. In this first part of the paper, we derive a well-posed and convergent one-way equation describing the downstream-traveling waves supported by the linearized Navier-Stokes equations. Integrating these equations, which requires significantly less CPU and memory resources than a direct solution of the linearized Navier-Stokes equations, approximates the action of the resolvent operator on a forcing vector. This capability is leveraged in part 2 of the paper to compute approximate resolvent modes. The method is validated and demonstrated using the examples of a simple acoustics problem and a supersonic turbulent jet.

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arXiv2021

Wavepacket modulation in shock-containing jets

We propose a new approach to predict the modulation of wavepackets in shock-containing jets. With a modelled ideally expanded mean flow as input, an approximation of the shock-cell structure is obtained from the parabolised stability equations (PSE) at zero frequency. This solution is then used to define a new shock-containing mean flow, which is a function of the shock-cell wavenumber at each streamwise station. Linearisation of the Navier-Stokes equations around this quasi-periodic mean flow allows us to postulate a solution based on the Floquet ansatz, and further manipulation of the equations leads to a system called the parabolised Floquet equations (PFE) that bears several similarities to PSE. The modulation wavenumbers are marched spatially together with the central Kelvin-Helmholtz wavenumber, leading to a modulated wavepacket as the final solution. The limitations of PFE are highlighted, and the method is applied to two sample cases: a canonical slowly diverging jet at low supersonic Mach number and an overexpanded jet, for which large-eddy simulation (LES) data is available. Overall, good agreement is observed between the wavepackets predicted by PFE and the leading spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) modes from the LES, suggesting that the method is able to capture the underlying physical mechanism associated with wavepacket modulation: the extraction of energy from the mean flow by the Kelvin-Helmholtz mode and a redistribution of energy to modulation wavenumbers due to the interaction with the shock-cell structure.

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arXiv2021

Reflection and transmission of a Kelvin-Helmholtz wave incident on a shock in a jet

Screech tones in supersonic jets are underpinned by resonance between downstream-travelling Kelvin-Helmholtz waves and upstream-travelling acoustic waves. Specifically, recent work suggests that the relevant acoustic waves are guided within the jet and are described by a discrete mode of the linearised Navier-Stokes equations. However, the reflection mechanism that converts downstream-travelling waves into upstream-travelling waves, and vice versa, has not been thoroughly addressed, leading to missing physics within most resonance models. In this work we investigate the reflection and transmission of waves generated by the interaction between a Kelvin-Helmholtz wave and a normal shock in an under-expanded jet using a mode-matching approach. Both vortex-sheet and finite-thickness shear-layer models are explored, quantifying the impact of the shear layer in the reflection process. This approach could enable more quantitative predictions of resonance phenomena in jets and other fluid systems.

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arXiv2021

A complex-valued resonance model for axisymmetric screech tones in supersonic jets

We model the resonance mechanism underpinning generation of A1 and A2 screech tones in an under-expanded supersonic jet. Starting from the resonance model recently proposed by \cite{mancinelli2019screech}, where the upstream-travelling wave is a neutrally-stable guided jet mode, we here present a more complete linear-stability-based model for screech prediction. We study temperature and shear-layer thickness effects and show that, in order to accurately describe the experimental data, the effect of the finite thickness of the shear layer must be incorporated in the jet-dynamics model. We then present an improved resonance model for screech-frequency predictions in which both downstream- and upstream-travelling waves may have complex wavenumber and frequency. This resonance model requires knowledge of the reflection coefficients at the upstream and downstream locations of the resonance loop. We explore the effect of the reflection coefficients on the resonance model and propose an approach for their identification. The complex-mode model identifies limited regions of frequency-flow parameter space for which the resonance loop is amplified in time, a necessary condition for the resonance to be sustained. This model provides an improved description of the experimental measurements.

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arXiv2021

Resolvent-based modeling of turbulent jet noise

Resolvent analysis has demonstrated encouraging results for modeling coherent structures in jets when compared against their data-educed counterparts from high-fidelity large-eddy simulations (LES). We formulate resolvent analysis as an acoustic analogy that relates the near-field resolvent forcing to the near- and far-field pressure. We use an LES database of round, isothermal, Mach 0.9 and 1.5 jets to produce an ensemble of realizations for the acoustic field that we project onto a limited set of resolvent modes. In the near-field, we perform projections on a restricted acoustic output domain, $r/D = [5,6]$, while the far-field projections are performed on a Kirchhoff surface comprising a 100-diameter arc centered at the nozzle. This allows the LES realizations to be expressed in the resolvent basis via a data-deduced, low-rank, cross-spectral density matrix. We find that a single resolvent mode reconstructs the most energetic regions of the acoustic field across Strouhal numbers, $St = [0-1]$, and azimuthal wavenumbers, $m=[0,2]$. Finally, we present a simple function that results in a rank-1 resolvent model agreeing within 2dB of the peak noise for both jets.

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arXiv2021

Resolvent-based estimation of turbulent channel flow using wall measurements

We employ a resolvent-based methodology to estimate velocity and pressure fluctuations within turbulent channel flows at friction Reynolds numbers of approximately 180, 550 and 1000 using measurements of shear stress and pressure at the walls, taken from direct numerical simulation (DNS) databases. Martini et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 900, 2021, A2) showed that the resolvent-based estimator is optimal when the true space-time forcing statistics are utilized, thus providing an upper bound for the accuracy of any linear estimator. We use this framework to determine the flow structures that can be linearly estimated from wall measurements, and we characterize these structures and the estimation errors in both physical and wavenumber space. We also compare these results to those obtained using approximate forcing models - an eddy-viscosity model and white-noise forcing - and demonstrate the significant benefit of using true forcing statistics. All models lead to accurate results up to the buffer-layer, but only using the true forcing statistics allows accurate estimation of large-scale log-layer structures, with significant correlation between the estimates and DNS results throughout the channel. The eddy-viscosity model displays an intermediate behaviour, which may be related to its ability to partially capture the forcing colour. Our results show that structures that leave a footprint on the channel walls can be accurately estimated using the linear resolvent-based methodology, and the presence of large-scale wall-attached structures enables accurate estimations through the logarithmic layer.

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arXiv2021

Absolute instability in shock-containing jets

We present an analysis of the linear stability characteristics of shock-containing jets. The flow is linearised around a spatially periodic mean, which acts as a surrogate for a mean flow with a shock-cell structure, leading to a set of partial differential equations with periodic coefficients in space. Disturbances are written using the Floquet ansatz and Fourier modes in the streamwise direction, leading to an eigenvalue problem for the Floquet exponent. The characteristics of the solution are directly compared to the locally parallel case, and some of the features are similar. The inclusion of periodicity induces minor changes in the growth rate and phase velocity of the relevant modes for small shock amplitudes. On the other hand, the eigenfunctions are now subject to modulation related to the periodicity of the flow. Analysis of the spatio-temporal growth rates led to the identification of a saddle point between the Kelvin-Helmholtz mode and the guided jet mode, characterising an absolute instability mechanism. Frequencies and mode shapes related to the saddle points for two conditions (associated with axisymmetric and helical modes) are compared with screech frequencies and the most energetic coherent structures of screeching jets, resulting in a good agreement for both. The analysis shows that a periodic shock-cell structure has an impulse response that grows upstream, leading to oscillator behaviour. The results suggest that screech can occur in the absence of a nozzle, and that the upstream reflection condition is not essential for screech frequency selection. Connections to previous models are also discussed.

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arXiv2020

Efficient computation of global resolvent modes

Resolvent analysis of the linearized Navier-Stokes equations provides useful insight into the dynamics of transitional and turbulent flows and can provide a model for the dominant coherent structures within the flow, particularly for flows with large gain separation. Direct computation of force and response modes using a singular value decomposition of the full resolvent matrix is feasible only for simple problems; despite recent progress, the cost of resolvent analysis for complex flows remains considerable. In this paper, we propose a new matrix-free method for computing resolvent modes based on integration of the linearized equations and the corresponding adjoint system in the time domain. Our approach achieves an order of magnitude speedup when compared to previous matrix-free time stepping methods by enabling all frequencies of interest to be computed simultaneously. Two different methods are presented: one based on analysis of the transient response, providing leading modes with fine frequency discretization; and another based on the steady-state response to a periodic forcing, providing optimal and suboptimal modes for a discrete set of frequencies. The methods are validated using a linearized Ginzburg-Landau equation and applied to the three dimensional flow around a parabolic body.

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arXiv2020

Waves in screeching jets

The interaction between various wavelike structures in screeching jets is considered via both experimental measurements and linear stability theory. Velocity snapshots of screeching jets are used to produce a reduced order model of the screech cycle via proper orthogonal decomposition. Streamwise Fourier filtering is then applied to isolate the negative and positive wavenumber components, which for the waves of interest in this jet correspond to upstream and downstream-travelling waves. A global stability analysis on an experimentally derived base flow is conducted, demonstrating a close match to the results obtained via experiment, indicating that the mechanisms considered here are well represented in a linear framework. In both analyses, three distinct wavelike structures are evident. These three waves are those first shown by Tam & Hu (1989) to be supported by a cylindrical vortex sheet. One is the Kelvin-Helmholtz mode. Another is the upstream-travelling guided jet mode that has been a topic of recent discussion. The third component, with positive phase velocity, has not previously been identified in screeching jets. We provide evidence that this downstream-travelling wave is a duct-like mode similar to that recently identified in high-subsonic jets by Towne et al. (2017). We further demonstrate that both of the latter two waves are generated by the interaction between the Kelvin-Helmholtz wavepacket and the shock cells in the flow, according to a theory first proposed in Tam & Tanna (1982). Finally, we consider the periodic spatial modulation of the coherent velocity fluctuation evident in screeching jets, and show that this modulation is the result of the superposition of the three wavelike structures, with no evidence that the shocks in the flow modulate the growth of the Kelvin-Helmholtz wavepacket.

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arXiv2019

Resolvent-based estimation of space-time flow statistics

We develop a method to estimate space-time flow statistics from a limited set of known data. While previous work has focused on modeling spatial or temporal statistics independently, space-time statistics carry fundamental information about the physics and coherent motions of the flow and provide a starting point for low-order modeling and flow control efforts. The method is derived using a statistical interpretation of resolvent analysis. The central idea of our approach is to use known data to infer the statistics of the nonlinear terms that constitute a forcing on the linearized Navier-Stokes equations, which in turn imply values for the remaining unknown flow statistics through application of the resolvent operator. Rather than making an a priori rank-1 assumption, our method allows the known input data to select the most relevant portions of the resolvent operator for describing the data, making it well-suited for high-rank turbulent flows. We demonstrate the predictive capabilities of the method using two examples: the Ginzburg-Landau equation, which serves as a convenient model for a convectively unstable flow, and a turbulent channel flow at low Reynolds number.

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arXiv2019

An efficient streaming algorithm for spectral proper orthogonal decomposition

A streaming algorithm to compute the spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD) of stationary random processes is presented. As new data becomes available, an incremental update of the truncated eigenbasis of the estimated cross-spectral density (CSD) matrix is performed. The algorithm converges orthogonal sets of SPOD modes at discrete frequencies that are optimally ranked in terms of energy. We define measures of error and convergence, and demonstrate the algorithm's performance on two datasets. The first example is that of a high-fidelity numerical simulation of a turbulent jet, and the second optical flow data obtained from high-speed camera recordings of a stepped spillway experiment. For both cases, the most energetic SPOD modes are reliably converged. The algorithm's low memory requirement enable real-time deployment and allow for the convergence of second-order statistics from arbitrarily long streams of data.

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arXiv2018

Spectral proper orthogonal decomposition and its relationship to dynamic mode decomposition and resolvent analysis

We consider the frequency domain form of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) called spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD). Spectral POD is derived from a space-time POD problem for statistically stationary flows and leads to modes that each oscillate at a single frequency. This form of POD goes back to the original work of Lumley (Stochastic tools in turbulence, Academic Press, 1970), but has been overshadowed by a space-only form of POD since the 1990s. We clarify the relationship between these two forms of POD and show that SPOD modes represent structures that evolve coherently in space and time while space-only POD modes in general do not. We also establish a relationship between SPOD and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD); we show that SPOD modes are in fact optimally averaged DMD modes obtained from an ensemble DMD problem for stationary flows. Accordingly, SPOD modes represent structures that are dynamic in the same sense as DMD modes but also optimally account for the statistical variability of turbulent flows. Finally, we establish a connection between SPOD and resolvent analysis. The key observation is that the resolvent-mode expansion coefficients must be regarded as statistical quantities to ensure convergent approximations of the flow statistics. When the expansion coefficients are uncorrelated, we show that SPOD and resolvent modes are identical. Our theoretical results and the overall utility of SPOD are demonstrated using two example problems: the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation and a turbulent jet.

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arXiv2017

Spectral analysis of jet turbulence

Informed by LES data and resolvent analysis of the mean flow, we examine the structure of turbulence in jets in the subsonic, transonic, and supersonic regimes. Spectral (frequency-space) proper orthogonal decomposition is used to extract energy spectra and decompose the flow into energy-ranked coherent structures. The educed structures are generally well predicted by the resolvent analysis. Over a range of low frequencies and the first few azimuthal mode numbers, these jets exhibit a low-rank response characterized by Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) type wavepackets associated with the annular shear layer up to the end of the potential core and that are excited by forcing in the very-near-nozzle shear layer. These modes too the have been experimentally observed before and predicted by quasi-parallel stability theory and other approximations--they comprise a considerable portion of the total turbulent energy. At still lower frequencies, particularly for the axisymmetric mode, and again at high frequencies for all azimuthal wavenumbers, the response is not low rank, but consists of a family of similarly amplified modes. These modes, which are primarily active downstream of the potential core, are associated with the Orr mechanism. They occur also as sub-dominant modes in the range of frequencies dominated by the KH response. Our global analysis helps tie together previous observations based on local spatial stability theory, and explains why quasi-parallel predictions were successful at some frequencies and azimuthal wavenumbers, but failed at others.

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arXiv2017

Jet-edge interaction tones

Motivated by the problem of jet-flap interaction noise, we study the tonal dynamics that occur when a sharp edge is placed in the hydrodynamic nearfield of an isothermal turbulent jet. We perform hydrodynamic and acoustic pressure measurements in order to characterise the tones as a function of Mach number and streamwise edge position. The distribution of spectral peaks observed, as a function of Mach number, cannot be explained using the usual edge-tone scenario, in which resonance is underpinned by coupling between downstream-travelling Kelvin-Helmholtz wavepackets and upstream-travelling sound waves. We show, rather, that the strongest tones are due to coupling between the former and upstream-travelling jet modes recently studied by Towne et al. (2017) and Schmidt et al. (2017). We also study the band-limited nature of the resonance, showing a high-frequency cut-off to be due to the frequency dependence of the upstream-travelling waves. At high Mach number these become evanescent above a certain frequency, whereas at low Mach number they become progressively trapped with increasing frequency, a consequence of which is their not being reflected in the nozzle plane. Additionally, a weaker, low-frequency, forced-resonance regime is identified that involves the same upstream travelling jet modes but that couple, in this instance, with downstream-travelling sound waves. It is suggested that the existence of two resonance regimes may be due to the non-modal nature of wavepacket dynamics at low-frequency.

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