arXiv subjects

Alban Pothérat

Publications and source records attributed to Alban Pothérat.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Effective boundary conditions for magnetohydrodynamic flows with thin Hartmann layers

Here we build some effective boundary conditions to be used in numerical calculations in order to avoid the thin meshing usually required in problems involving Hartmann layers near a locally plane wall. Wall model are provided for both tangential and normal electric current density and velocity. In particular, a condition on the normal derivative of the tangential velocity is derived. A wide variety of problems is covered as the only restriction is that the magnetic Reynolds number has to be large at the scale of the Hartmann layer. The cases of perfectly conducting or insulating wall are examined, as well as the case of a thin conducting wall. The newest result is a condition on the normal velocity accounting for inertial effects in the Hartmann layer.

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arXiv2020

Small scales and anisotropy in low $Rm$ magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

In this paper, we derive estimates for size of the small scales and the attractor dimension in low $Rm$ magnetohydrodynamic turbulence by deriving a rigorous upper bound of the dimension of the attractor representing this flow. To this end, we find an upper bound for the maximum growth rate of any $n$-dimensional volume of the phase space by the evolution operator associated to the Navier-Stokes equations. As explained by Constantin et al. (J. Fluid Mech., 1985), The value of $n$ for which this maximum is zero is an upper bound for the attractor dimension. In order to use this property in the more precise case of a 3D periodical domain, we are led to calculate the distribution of $n$ modes which minimises the total (viscous and Joule) dissipation. This set of modes turns out to exhibit most of the well known properties of MHD turbulence, previously obtained by heuristic considerations such as the existence of the Joule cone under strong magnetic field. The sought estimates for the small scales and attractor dimension are then obtained under no physical assumption as functions of the Hartmann and the Reynolds numbers and match the Hartmann number dependency of heuristic results. A necessary condition for the flow to be tridimensional and anisotropic (as opposed to purely two-dimensional) is also built.

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arXiv2020

Mathematical estimates for the attractor dimension in MHD turbulence

The aim of the present work is to derive rigorous estimates for turbulent MHD flow quantities such as the size and anisotropy of the dissipative scales, as well as the transition between 2D and 3D state. To this end, we calculate an upper bound for the attractor dimension of the motion equations, which indicates the number of modes present in the fully developed flow. This method has already been used successfully to derive such estimates for 2D and 3D hydrodynamic turbulence as a function of the $\mathcal L_\infty$ norm of the dissipation, as in \cite{doering95}. We tackle here the problem of a flow periodic in the 3 spatial directions (spatial period $2πL$), to which a permanent magnetic field is applied. In addition, the detailed study of the dissipation operator provides more indications about the structure of the flow. In section 2, we review the tools of the dynamical system theory as well as the results they have led to in the case of 3D hydrodynamic turbulence. Section 3 is devoted to the study of the set of modes which minimises the trace of the operator associated to the total dissipation in MHD turbulence (viscous and Joule). Eventually, the estimates for the attractor dimension and dissipative scales in MHD turbulence under strong magnetic field are derived in section 4 and compared to results obtained from heuristic considerations.

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arXiv2020

A note on Bödewadt-Hartmann layers

This paper addresses the problem of axisymetric rotating flows bounded by a fixed horizontal plate and subject to a permanent, uniform, vertical magnetic field (the so-called Bödewadt-Hartmann problem). The aim is to find out which one of the Coriolis or the Lorentz force dominates the dynamics (and hence the boundary layer thickness) when their ratio, represented by the Elsasser number $A$, varies. After a short review of existing linear solutions of the semi infinite Ekman-Hartmann problem, weakly non-linear analytical solutions as well as fully non-linear numerical solutions are given. The case of a rotating vortex in a finite depth fluid layer is then studied, first when the flow is steady under a forced rotation and second for spin-down from some initial state. The angular velocity in the first case and decay time in the second are obtained analytically as a function of $A$ using the weakly non linear results of the semi-infinite Bödewadt-Hartmann problem.

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arXiv2020

Bounds on the attractor dimension for low-R m wall-bound magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

Steady Low $R_m$ MHD turbulence is investigated here through estimates of upper bounds for attractor dimension. A flow between two parallel walls with an imposed perpendicular magnetic field is considered. The flow is defined by its maximum velocity and the intensity of the magnetic field. Given the corresponding Reynolds and Hartmann numbers, we derive an upper bound for the dimension of the attractor and find out which modes must be chosen to achieve this bound. Thier, are compared to heuristics estimates for the size of the smallest scales and anisotropy of the turbulence. We identify boundaries separating different sets of modes in the space of non-dimensional parameters, which are reminiscent of three important previously identified transitions observed in the real flow. The first boundary separates classical hydrodynamic sets of modes from MHD sets where anisotropy takes the form of a ``Joule cone''. The second boundary separates 3D MHD sets from quasi-2D MHD sets. The third separates sets where all the modes exhibit the same boundary layer thickness or so, and sets where many different ``boundary layer modes'' co-exists in the set. The non-dimensional relations defining these boundaries are then compared to the heuristics known for the transition between isotropic and anisotropic MHD turbulence, 3D and quasi-2D MHD turbulence and that between a turbulent and a laminar Hartmann layer. In addition to this 3D approach, we also determine upper bounds for the dimension of forced turbulent flows modelled using a 2D MHD equation, relevant in the quasi-2D MHD regime. The advantage of this 2D approach is that, while upper bounds are quite loose in three dimensions, optimal upper bounds exist for the 2D nonlinear term. This allows us to derive realistic attractor dimensions for quasi-2D MHD flows.

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arXiv2020

Quasi-two dimensional perturbations in duct flows under transverse magnetic field

Inspired by the experiment from Moresco \& Alboussière (2004, J. Fluid Mech.), we study the stability of a liquid metal flow in a rectangular, electrically insulating duct with a steady homogeneous transverse magnetic field. The Lorentz force tends to eliminate velocity variations along the magnetic field, leading to a quasi-two dimensional base flow with Hartmann boundary layers near the walls perpendicular to the magnetic field, and Shercliff layers near the walls parallel to the field. Since the Lorentz force strongly opposes the growth of perturbations with a dependence along the magnetic field direction too, we represent the flow with Sommeria \& Moreau's (1982, J. Fluid Mech.) model, a two-dimensional shallow water model with linear friction accounting for the effect of the Hartmann layer. The simplicity of this model makes it possible to study the stability and transient growth of quasi-two dimensional perturbations over an extensive range of parameters up to the limit of high magnetic fields, where the Reynolds number based on the Shercliff layer thickness $Re/H^{1/2}$ becomes the only relevant parameter. Tollmien-Schlichting waves are the most linearly unstable mode, with a further unstable mode $H \gtrsim 42$. The flow is linearly unstable for $Re/H^{1/2}\gtrsim 48350$ and energetically stable for $Re/H^{1/2}\lesssim 65.32$. Between these two bounds, non-modal quasi-two dimensional perturbations undergo significant transient growth (between 2 and 7 times more than in the case of a purely 2D Poiseuille flow, and for much more subcritical values of $Re$). In the limit of a high magnetic field, the maximum gain $G_{max}$ associated to this transient growth varies as $G_{max} \sim (Re/Re_c)^{2/3}$ and occurs at time $t_{Gmax}\sim(Re/Re_c)^{1/3}$ for streamwise wavenumbers of the same order of magnitude as the critical wavenumber for the linear stability.

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arXiv2020

A shallow water model for magnetohydrodynamic flows with turbulent Hartmann layers

We establish a shallow water model for flows of electrically conducting fluids in homogeneous static magnetic fields that are confined between two parallel planes where turbulent Hartmann layers are present. This is achieved by modelling the wall shear stress in these layers using the Prandtl's mixing length model, as did the authors of Albousssière \& Lingwood (Phys. Fluids, 2000). The idea for this new model arose from the failure of previous shallow water models that assumed a laminar Hartmann layer to recover the correct amount of dissipation found in some regimes of the MATUR experiment. This experiment, conducted by the authors of Messadek \& Moreau (J. Fluid Mech. 2002), consisted of a thin layer of mercury electrically driven in differential rotation in a transverse magnetic field. Numerical Simulations of our new model in the configuration of this experiment allowed us to recover experimental values of both the global angular momentum and the local velocity up to a few percent when the Hartmann layer was in a sufficiently well developed turbulent state. We thus provide an evidence that the unexplained level of dissipation observed in MATUR in these specific regimes was caused by turbulence in the Hartmann layers. A parametric analysis of the flow, made possible by the simplicity of our model, also revealed that turbulent friction in the Hartmann layer prevented quasi-2D turbulence from becoming more intense and limited the size of the large scales.

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arXiv2019

Mixed baroclinic convection in a cavity

We study the convective patterns that arise in a nearly semi-cylindrical cavity fed in with hot fluid at the upper boundary, bounded by a cold, porous semi-circular boundary at the bottom, and infinitely extended in the third direction. While this configuration is relevant to continuous casting processes that are significantly more complex, we focus on the flow patterns associated with the particular form of mixed convection that arises in it. Linear stability analysis and direct numerical simulations (DNS) are conducted, using the spectral element method to identify observable states. The nature of the bifurcations is determined through Stuart--Landau analysis for completeness. The base flow consists of two counter-rotating rolls driven by the baroclinic imbalance due to the curved isothermal boundary. These are however suppressed by the through-flow, which is found to have a stabilising influence as soon as the Reynolds number $Re$ based on the through-flow exceeds 25. For a sufficiently high Rayleigh number, this base flow is linearly unstable to three different modes, depending on $Re$. For $Re\leq75$, the rolls destabilise through a supercritical bifurcation into a travelling wave. For $100\leq Re \leq 110$, a subcritical bifurcation leads to a standing oscillatory mode, whereas for $Re\geq150$, the unstable mode is non-oscillatory and grows out of a supercritical bifurcation. The direct numerical simulations confirm that in all cases, the dominant mode returned by the linear stability analysis precisely matches the topology and evolution of the flow patterns that arise out of the fully nonlinear dynamics.

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arXiv2019

Simultaneous Eulerian-Lagrangian velocity measurements of particulate pipe flow in transitional regime

We present a unique pipe flow rig capable where simultaneous particle tracking and flow velocity measurements in a dilute, neutrally buoyant particulate pipe flow in regimes of transition to turbulence. The flow consists of solid glass spheres for the disperse phase, and a density-matching fluid for the carrier phase. The measurements are conducted using a bespoke, combined 2D PIV/ PTV technique. The technique takes advantage of a phase discrimination approach that involves separating the disperse and carrier phases based on their respective image characteristics. Our results show that the rig and the technique it implements can be employed to study transitional particulate pipe flows at dilute concentration.

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arXiv2019

Transition to chaos in an acoustically-driven cavity flow

We consider the unsteady regimes of an acoustically-driven jet that forces a recirculating flow through successive reflections on the walls of a square cavity. The specific question being addressed is to know whether the system can sustain states of low-dimensional chaos when the acoustic intensity driving the jet is increased, and, if so, to characterise the pathway and underlying physical mechanisms. We adopt two complementary approaches, both based on data extracted from numerical simulations: (i) We first characterise successive bifurcations through the analysis of leading frequencies. Two successive phases in the evolution of the system are singled out in this way, both leading to potentially chaotic states. The two phases are separated by a drastic simplification of the dynamics that immediately follows the emergence of intermittency. The second phase also features a second intermediate state where the dynamics is simplified due to frequency-locking. (ii) Nonlinear time series analysis enables us to reconstruct the attractor of the underlying dynamical system, and to calculate its correlation dimension and leading Lyapunov exponent. Both these quantities bring confirmation that the state preceding the dynamic simplification that initiates the second phase is chaotic. Poincaré maps further reveal that this chaotic state in fact results from a dynamic instability of the system between two non-chaotic states respectively observed at slightly lower and slightly higher acoustic forcing.

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arXiv2018

From three-dimensional to quasi-two-dimensional: Transient growth in magnetohydrodynamic duct flows

This study seeks to elucidate the linear transient growth mechanisms in a uniform duct with square cross-section applicable to flows of electrically conducting fluids under the influence of an external magnetic field. A particular focus is given to the question of whether at high magnetic fields purely two-dimensional mechanisms exist, and whether these can be described by a computationally inexpensive quasi-two-dimensional model. Two Reynolds numbers of $5000$ and $15\,000$ and an extensive range of Hartmann numbers $0 \leq Ha \leq 800$ were investigated. Three broad regimes are identified in which optimal mode topology and non-modal growth mechanisms are distinct. These regimes corresponding to low, moderate and high magnetic field strengths are found to be governed by the independent parameters, Hartmann number, Reynolds number based on the Hartmann layer thickness $R_H$, and Reynolds number built upon the Shercliff layer thickness $R_S$, respectively. Transition between regimes respectively occurs at $Ha \approx 2$ and no lower than $R_H \approx 33.\dot{3}$. Notably for the high Hartmann number regime, quasi-two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic models are shown to be an excellent predictor of not only transient growth magnitudes, but also the fundamental growth mechanisms of linear disturbances. This paves the way for a precise analysis of transition to quasi-two-dimensional turbulence at much higher Hartmann numbers than is currently achievable.

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arXiv2018

Dean flow and vortex shedding in a three-dimensional 180$^\circ$ sharp bend

We present a detailed analysis of the flow in a 180 sharp bend of square cross-section. Besides numerous applications where this generic configuration is found, its main fundamental interest resides in the co-existence of a recirculation bubble in the outlet and a pair of Dean vortices driven from within the turning part of the bend, and how their interaction may drive the flow dynamics. A critical point analysis first shows that the complex flow topology that results from this particular configuration can be reduced to three pairs of critical points in the symmetry plane of the bend (with a focus and a half-saddle each). These pairs respectively generate the first recirculation bubble, the pair of Dean vortex tubes and a third pair of vortex tubes located in the upper corner of the bend, akin to the Dean vortices but of much lower intensity and impact on the rest of the flow. The Dean flow by contrast drives a strong vertical jet that splits the recirculation bubble into two symmetric lobes. Unsteadiness sets in at $Re\lesssim800$ through a supercritical bifurcation, as these lobes start oscillating antisymmetrically. These initially periodic oscillations grow in amplitude until the lobes break away from the main recirculation. The system then settles into a second periodic state where streamwise vortices driven by the Dean flow are alternatively formed and shed on the left and right part of the outlet. This novel mechanism of periodic vortex shedding results from the subtle interaction between the recirculation bubble in the outlet and the pair of Dean vortices generated in the turning part, and in this sense, they are expected to be a unique feature of the 180$^o$ bend with sufficiently close side walls.

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arXiv2018

Experimental study of the convection in a rotating tangent cylinder

This paper experimentally investigates the convection in a fast rotating Tangent Cylinder (TC), for Ekman numbers down to $E=3.36\times10^{-6}$, in a configuration relevant to the liquid core of the Earth. In the apparatus, the TC results from the Proudman-Taylor constraint incurred by rotating a hemispherical fluid vessel heated in its centre by a protruding heating element of cylindrical shape. The resulting convection that develops above the heater, i.e within the TC, is shown to set in for critical Rayleigh numbers and wavenumbers respectively scaling as $Ra_c\sim E^{4/3}$ and $a_c\sim E^{1/3}$ with the Ekman number $E$. Though exhibiting the same exponents as for plane rotating convection, these laws are indicative of much larger convective plumes at onset. The structure and dynamics of these plumes are in fact closer to those found in solid rotating cylinders heated from below, suggesting that the confinement within the TC induced by the Taylor-Proudman constraint influences convection in a similar way as solid walls would do. There is further similarity in that the critical modes in the TC all exhibit a slow retrograde precession at onset. In supercritical regimes, the precession evolves into a thermal wind with a complex structure featuring retrograde rotation at high latitude and either prograde or retrograde rotation at low latitudes (close to the heater), depending on the criticality and the Ekman number. Nevertheless the intensity of the thermal wind measured by the Rossby number scales as $Ro\sim 0.85(Ra_q^*)^{0.41}$ with the Rayleigh number based on the heat flux $Ra_q^*$. This scaling suggests that the convection in the TC is driven by quasi-geostrophic dynamics, a finding supported by the scaling for the rotation-normalised Nusselt number $Nu^{*} \sim (Ra_{q}^{*})^{5/9}$.

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arXiv2017

Linear stability of horizontal, laminar fully developed, quasi-two-dimensional liquid metal duct flow under a transverse magnetic field and heated from below

This study considers the linear stability of Poiseuille-Rayleigh-Bénard flows, subjected to a transverse magnetic field to understand the instabilities that arise from the complex interaction between the effects of shear, thermal stratification and magnetic damping. This fundamental study is motivated in part by the desire to enhance heat transfer in the blanket ducts of nuclear fusion reactors. In pure MHD flows, the imposed transverse magnetic field causes the flow to become quasi-2D and exhibit disturbances that are localised to the horizontal walls. However, the vertical temperature stratification in Rayleigh-Bénard flows feature convection cells that occupy the interior region and therefore the addition of this aspect provides an interesting point for investigation. The linearised governing equations are described by the \qtwod\ model proposed by Sommeria and Moreau (1982) which incorporates a Hartmann friction term, and the base flows are considered fully developed and 1D. The neutral stability curves for critical Reynolds and Rayleigh numbers, $Re_c$ and $Ra_c$, respectively, as functions of Hartmann friction parameter $H$ have been obtained over $10^{-2}\leq H\leq10^4$. Asymptotic trends are observed as $H\rightarrow\infty$ following $Re_c\propto H^{\,1/2}$ and $Ra_c\propto H$. The linear stability analysis reveals multiple instabilities which alter the flow both within the Shercliff boundary layers and the interior flow, with structures consistent with features from plane Poiseuille and Rayleigh-Bénard flows.

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arXiv2017

Do magnetic fields enhance turbulence at low magnetic Reynolds number ?

Imposing a magnetic field on a turbulent flow of electrically conducting fluid incurs the Joule effect. A current paradigm is that the corresponding dissipation increases with the intensity of the magnetic field, and as a result turbulent fluctuations are all the more damped as the magnetic field is strong. While this idea finds apparent support in the phenomenology of decaying turbulence, measurements of turbulence in duct flows and other, more complex configurations have produced seemingly contradicting results. The root of the controversy is that magnetic fields promote sufficient scale-dependent anisotropy to profoundly reorganise the structure of turbulence, so their net effect cannot be understood in terms of the additional dissipation only. Here we show that when turbulence is forced in a magnetic field that acts on turbulence itself rather than on the mechanisms that generate it, the field promotes large, nearly 2D structures capturing sufficient energy to offset the loss due to Joule dissipation, with the net effect of increasing the intensity of turbulent fluctuations. This change of paradigm potentially carries important consequences for systems as diverse as the liquid cores of planets, accretion disks and a wide range of metallurgical and nuclear engineering applications.

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arXiv2017

Controlling the dimensionality of low-Rm MHD turbulence experimentally

This paper introduces an experimental apparatus, which drives turbulence electrically in a liquid metal pervaded by a high magnetic field. Unlike past magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) setups involving a shallow confinement, the experiment presented here drives turbulence whose dimensionality can be set anywhere between three-dimensional and quasi two-dimensional. In particular, we show that the dimensionality and componentality of the turbulence thus generated are in fact completely fixed by the single parameter lz(li)/h, which quantifies the competition between the solenoidal component of the Lorentz force and inertia acting on a turbulent structure of the size of the forcing scale li. This parameter is fully tunable thanks to the three operating settings at hand: the injection scale, the intensity of the electric forcing and the magnitude of the magnetic field. Thanks to the very high number of measuring probes and fast acquisition rate implemented in this experiment, it is possible to reliably measure the finest features of the inertial range on a scale-wise basis.

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arXiv2017

Dimensionality, secondary flows and helicity in low-Rm MHD vortices

In this paper, we examine the dimensionality of a single electrically driven vortex bounded by two no-slip and perfectly insulating horizontal walls distant by $h$. The study was performed in the weakly inertial limit by means of an asymptotic expansion, which is valid for any Hartmann number. We show that the dimensionality of the leading order can be fully described using the single parameter $l_z^ν/ h$, where $l_z^ν$ represents the distance over which the Lorentz force is able to act before being balanced by viscous dissipation. The base flow happens to introduce inertial recirculations in the meridional plane at the first order, which are shown to follow two radically different mechanisms: inverse Ekman pumping driven by a vertical pressure gradient along the axis of the vortex, or direct Ekman pumping driven by a radial pressure gradient in the Hartman boundary layers. We demonstrate that when the base flow is quasi-2D, the relative importance of direct and inverse pumping is solely determined by the aspect ratio $η/ h$, where $η$ refers to the width of the vortex. Of both mechanisms, only inverse pumping appears to act as a significant source of helicity.

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arXiv2014

Onset of plane layer magnetoconvection at low Ekman number

We study the onset of magnetoconvection between two infinite horizontal planes subject to a vertical magnetic field aligned with background rotation. In order to gain insight into the convection taking place in the Earth's tangent cylinder (TC), we target regimes of asymptotically strong rotation. The critical Rayleigh number $Ra_{c}$ and critical wavenumber are computed numerically by solving the linear stability problem in a systematic way. A parametric study is conducted, varying the Ekman number, $E$ (ratio of viscous to Coriolis forces) and the Elsasser number, $Λ$ (ratio of the Lorentz force to the Coriolis force). $E$ is varied from $10^{-9}$ to $10^{-2}$ and $Λ$ from $10^{-3}$ to $1$. Apply to arbitrary thermal and magnetic Prandtl numbers, our results verify and confirm previous experimental and theoretical results showing the existence of two distinct unstable modes at low values of $E$ one being controlled by the magnetic field, the other being controlled by viscosity (often called the viscous mode). Asymptotic scalings for the onset of these modes have been numerically confirmed and precisely quantified. We show that with no-slip boundary conditions, the asymptotic behaviour is reached for $E<10^{-6}$ and establish a map in the $(E,Λ)$ plane. We distinguish regions where convection sets in either in the magnetic mode or in the viscous mode. Our analysis gives the regime in which the transition between magnetic and viscous modes may be observed. We also show that within the asymptotic regime, the role played by the kinematic boundary conditions is minimal.

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