arXiv subjects

Ravi Samtaney

Publications and source records attributed to Ravi Samtaney.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

A Hybrid Discrete Exterior Calculus Discretization and Fourier Transform of the Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations in 3D

The simulation of fluid flow problems, specifically incompressible flows governed by the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE), holds fundamental significance in a range of scientific and engineering applications. Traditional numerical methods employed for solving these equations on three-dimensional (3D) meshes are commonly known for their moderate conservation properties, high computational intensity and substantial resource demands. Relying on its ability to capture the intrinsic geometric and topological properties of simplicial meshes, discrete exterior calculus (DEC) provides a discrete analog to differential forms and enables the discretization of partial differential equations (PDEs) on meshes.We present a hybrid discretization approach for the 3D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations based on DEC and Fourier transform (FT). An existing conservative primitive variable DEC discretization of incompressible Navier-Stokes equations over surface simplicial meshes developed by Jagad et al. [1] is considered in the planar dimension while the Fourier expansion is applied in the third dimension. The test cases of three-dimensional lid-driven cavity and viscous Taylor-Green three-dimensional vortex (TGV) flows show that the simulation results using this hybrid approach are comparable to literature.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2022

A hybrid discrete exterior calculus and finite difference method for Boussinesq convection in spherical shells

We present a new hybrid discrete exterior calculus (DEC) and finite difference (FD) method to simulate fully three-dimensional Boussinesq convection in spherical shells subject to internal heating and basal heating, relevant in the planetary and stellar phenomenon. We employ DEC to compute the surface spherical flows, taking advantage of its unique features of structure preservation (e.g., conservation of secondary quantities like kinetic energy) and coordinate system independence, while we discretize the radial direction using FD method. The grid employed for this novel method is free of problems like the coordinate singularity, grid non-convergence near the poles, and the overlap regions. We have developed a parallel in-house code using the PETSc framework to verify the hybrid DEC-FD formulation and demonstrate convergence. We have performed a series of numerical tests which include quantification of the critical Rayleigh numbers for spherical shells characterized by aspect ratios ranging from 0.2 to 0.8, simulation of robust convective patterns in addition to stationary giant spiral roll covering all the spherical surface in moderately thin shells near the weakly nonlinear regime, and the quantification of Nusselt and Reynolds numbers for basally heated spherical shells. The method exhibits slightly better than second order error convergence with the mesh size.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Similarities between characteristics of convective turbulence in confined and extended domains

To understand turbulent convection at very high Rayleigh numbers typical of natural phenomena, computational studies in slender cells are an option if the needed resources have to be optimized within available limits. However, the accompanying horizontal confinement affects some properties of the flow. Here, we explore the characteristics of turbulent fluctuations in the velocity and temperature fields in a cylindrical convection cell of aspect ratio 0.1 by varying the Prandtl number $Pr$ between 0.1 and 200 at a fixed Rayleigh number $Ra = 3 \times 10^{10}$, and find that the fluctuations weaken with increasing $Pr$, quantitatively as in aspect ratio 25. The probability density function (PDF) of temperature fluctuations in the bulk region of the slender cell remains mostly Gaussian, but increasing departures occur as $Pr$ increases beyond unity. We assess the intermittency of the velocity field by computing the PDFs of velocity derivatives and of the kinetic energy dissipation rate, and find increasing intermittency as $Pr$ decreases. In the bulk region of convection, a common result applicable to the slender cell, large aspect ratio cells, as well as in 2D convection, is that the turbulent Prandtl number decreases as $Pr^{-1/3}$.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Detection of magnetohydrodynamic waves by using machine learning

Nonlinear wave interactions, such as shock refraction at an inclined density interface, in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) lead to a plethora of wave patterns with myriad wave types. Identification of different types of MHD waves is an important and challenging task in such complex wave patterns. Moreover, owing to the multiplicity of solutions and their admissibility for different systems, especially for intermediate-type MHD shock waves, the identification of MHD wave types is complicated if one solely relies on the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions. MHD wave detection is further exacerbated by the unphysical smearing of discontinuous shock waves in numerical simulations. We present two MHD wave detection methods based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) which enables the classification of waves and identification of their locations. The first method separates the output into a regression (location prediction) and a classification problem assuming the number of waves for each training data is fixed. In the second method, the number of waves is not specified a priori and the algorithm, using only regression, predicts the waves' locations and classifies their types. The first fixed output model efficiently provides high precision and recall, the accuracy of the entire neural network achieved is up to 0.99, and the classification accuracy of some waves approaches unity. The second detection model has relatively lower performance, with more sensitivity to the setting of parameters, such as the number of grid cells N_{grid} and the thresholds of confidence score and class probability, etc. The proposed two methods demonstrate very strong potential to be applied for MHD wave detection in some complex wave structures and interactions.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Large-eddy simulation of Rayleigh-B\'enard convection at extreme Rayleigh numbers

We adopt the stretched spiral vortex sub-grid model for large-eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent convection at extreme Rayleigh numbers. We simulate Rayleigh-B\'enard convection (RBC) for Rayleigh numbers ranging from $10^6$ to $10^15$ and for Prandtl numbers 0.768 and 1. We choose a box of dimensions 1:1:10 to reduce computational cost. Our LES yields Nusselt and Reynolds numbers that are in good agreement with the direct-numerical simulation (DNS) results of Iyer et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol 117 (14), 2020, pp. 7594-7598), albeit with a smaller grid size and at significantly reduced computational expense. For example, in our simulations at $Ra = 10^13$, we use grids that are 1/120 times the grid-resolution as that of the DNS (Iyer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol 117 (14), 2020, pp. 7594-7598). The Reynolds numbers in our simulations span 3 orders of magnitude from 1,000 to 1,700,000. Consistent with the literature, we obtain scaling relations for Nusselt and Reynolds numbers as $Nu \sim Ra^{0.317}$ and $Re \sim Ra^{0.497}$. We also perform LES of RBC with periodic side-walls, for which we obtain the corresponding scaling exponents as 0.343 and 0.477 respectively. Our LES is a promising tool to push simulations of thermal convection to extreme Rayleigh numbers, and hence enable us to test the transition to ultimate convection regime.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Discrete exterior calculus discretization of two-phase incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with a conservative phase field method

We present a discrete exterior calculus (DEC) based discretization scheme for incompressible two-phase flows. Our physically-compatible exterior calculus discretization of single phase flow is extended to simulate immiscible two-phase flows with discontinuous changes in fluid properties such as density and viscosity across the interface. The two-phase incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and conservative phase field equation for interface capturing are first transformed into the exterior calculus framework. The discrete counter part of these smooth equations is obtained by substituting with discrete differential forms and discrete exterior operators. We prove the boundedness of the method for the first order Euler forward and predictor-corrector time integration schemes in the DEC framework. With a proper choice of two free parameters, the scheme remains phase field bounded without the requirement of any ad hoc mass redistribution. We verify the scheme against several standard test cases (for interface capturing) comprising not only the flat domains but also the curved domains, leveraging the advantage that DEC operators are independent of the coordinate system. The results show excellent properties of boundedness, mass conservation and convergence. Moreover, we demonstrate the ability of the scheme towards handling large density and viscosity ratios as well as surface tension in the simulation of various two phase flow physical phenomena on flat or curved surfaces.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Magnetohydrodynamic shock refraction at an inclined density interface

Shock wave refraction at a sharp density interface is a classical problem in hydrodynamics. Presently, we investigate the strongly planar refraction of a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shock wave at an inclined density interface. A magnetic field is applied that is initially oriented either perpendicular and parallel to the motion of incident shock. We explore flow structure by varying the magnitude of the magnetic field governed by the non-dimensional parameter $\beta \in (0.5, 10^6)$ and the inclination angle of density interface $\alpha \in (0.30, 1.52)$. The regular MHD shock refraction process results in a pair of outer fast shocks (reflected and transmitted) and a set of inner nonlinear magneto-sonic waves. By varying magnetic field (strength and direction) and inclination interface angle, the latter waves can be slow shocks, slow expansion fans, intermediate shocks or slow-mode compound waves. For a chosen incident shock strength, and density ratio, the MHD shock refraction transitions from regular (all nonlinear waves meeting at a single point) into irregular when the inclined density interface angle is less than a critical value. Since the MHD shock refraction is self-similar, we further explore by converting the initial value problem (IVP) into a boundary value problem (BVP) by a self-similar coordinate transformation. The self-similar solution to the BVP is numerically solved using an iterative method and implemented using the p4est adaptive mesh framework. The simulation shows that a Mach stem occurs in irregular MHD shock refraction, the flow structure can be an MHD equivalent to a single Mach reflexion irregular refraction $MRR$ and convex-forwards irregular refraction $CFR$ that occur in the hydrodynamic case.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Effects of Rotation on Vorticity Dynamics on a Sphere with Discrete Exterior Calculus

We investigate incompressible, inviscid vorticity dynamics on a rotating unit sphere using a Discrete Exterior Calculus (DEC) scheme. For a prescribed initial vorticity distribution, we vary the rate of rotation of the sphere from zero (non-rotating case, which corresponds to infinite Rossby number (Ro)) to 320 (which corresponds to Ro = $1.30 \times 10^{-3}$), and investigate the evolution with time of the vorticity field. For the non-rotating case, the vortices evolve into thin filaments due to so-called forward/direct enstrophy cascade. At late times an oscillating quadrupolar vortical field emerges as a result of the inverse energy cascade. Rotation diminishes the forward cascade of enstrophy (and hence the inverse cascade of energy) and tend to align the vortical structures in the azimuthal/zonal direction. Our investigation reveals that, for the initial vorticity field comprising of intermediate-wavenumber spherical harmonics, the zonalization of the vortical structures is not monotonic with ever decreasing Rossby numbers and the structures revert back to a non-zonal state below a certain Rossby number. On the other hand, for the initial vorticity field comprising of intermediate to large-wavenumber spherical harmonics, the zonalization is monotonic with decreasing Rossby number. Although, rotation diminishes the forward cascade of enstrophy, it does not completely cease/arrest the cascade.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Linear Stability of an Impulsively Accelerated Density Interface in an Ideal Two-Fluid Plasma

We investigate the linear evolution of Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability in the framework of an ideal two-fluid plasma model. The two-fluid plasma equations of motion are separated into a base state and a set of linearized equations governing the evolution of the perturbations. Different coupling regimes between the charged species are distinguished based on a non-dimensional Debye length parameter $d_{D,0}$. When $d_{D,0}$ is large, the coupling between ions and electrons is sufficiently small that the induced Lorentz force is very weak and the two species evolve as two separate fluids. When $d_{D,0}$ is small, the coupling is strong and the induced Lorentz force is strong enough that the difference between state of ions and electrons is rapidly decreased by the force. As a consequence, the ions and electrons are tightly coupled and evolve like one fluid. The temporal dynamics is divided into two phases: an early phase wherein electron precursor waves are prevalent, and a post ion shock-interface interaction phase during which the RM instability manifests itself. We also examine the effect of an initially applied magnetic field in the streamwise direction characterized by the non-dimensional parameter $\beta_0$. For a short duration after the ion shock-interface interaction, the growth rate is similar for different initial magnetic field strengths. As time progresses the suppression of the instability due to the magnetic field is observed. The growth rate shows oscillations with a frequency that is related to the ion or electron cyclotron frequency. The instability is suppressed due to the vorticity being transported away from the interface.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2021

Prandtl number dependence of the small-scale properties in turbulent Rayleigh-B\'enard convection

We analyze the Prandtl number (Pr) dependence of spectra and fluxes of kinetic energy, as well as the energy injection rates and dissipation rates, of turbulent thermal convection using numerical data. As expected, for a flow with $ \mathrm{Pr} \lessapprox 1 $, the inertial-range kinetic energy flux is constant, and the kinetic energy spectrum is Kolmogorov-like ($ k^{-5/3} $). More importantly, we show that the amplitudes of the kinetic energy fluxes and spectra and those of structure functions increase with the decrease of Pr, thus exhibiting stronger nonlinearity for flows with small Prandtl numbers. Consistent with these observations, the kinetic energy injection rates and the dissipation rates too increase with the decrease of Pr. Our results are in agreement with earlier studies that report the Reynolds number to be a decreasing function of Prandtl number in turbulent convection. On the other hand, the tail of the probability distributions of the local heat flux grows with the increase of Pr, indicating increased fluctuations in the local heat flux with Pr.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

A Primitive Variable Discrete Exterior Calculus Discretization of Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations over Surface Simplicial Meshes

A conservative primitive variable discrete exterior calculus (DEC) discretization of the Navier-Stokes equations is performed. An existing DEC method (Mohamed, M. S., Hirani, A. N., Samtaney, R. (2016). Discrete exterior calculus discretization of incompressible Navier-Stokes equations over surface simplicial meshes. Journal of Computational Physics, 312, 175-191) is modified to this end, and is extended to include the energy-preserving time integration and the Coriolis force to enhance its applicability to investigate the late time behavior of flows on rotating surfaces, i.e., that of the planetary flows. The simulation experiments show second order accuracy of the scheme for the structured-triangular meshes, and first order accuracy for the otherwise unstructured meshes. The method exhibits second order kinetic energy relative error convergence rate with mesh size for inviscid flows. The test case of flow on a rotating sphere demonstrates that the method preserves the stationary state, and conserves the inviscid invariants over an extended period of time.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Revisiting Reynolds and Nusselt numbers in turbulent thermal convection

In this paper, we extend Grossmann and Lohse's (GL) model [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 86}, 3316 (2001)] for the predictions of Reynolds number (Re) and Nusselt number (Nu) in turbulent Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection (RBC). Towards this objective, we use functional forms for the prefactors of the dissipation rates in the bulk and the boundary layers. The functional forms arise due to inhibition of nonlinear interactions in the presence of walls and buoyancy compared to free turbulence, along with a deviation of viscous boundary layer profile from Prandtl-Blasius theory. We perform 60 numerical runs on a three-dimensional unit box for a range of Rayleigh numbers (Ra) and Prandtl numbers (Pr) and determine the aforementioned functional forms using machine learning. The revised predictions are in better agreement with the past numerical and experimental results than those of the GL model, especially for extreme Prandtl numbers.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Enstrophy transfers in helical turbulence

In this paper we study the enstrophy transers in helical turbulence using direct numerical simulation. We observe that the helicity injection does not have significant effects on the inertial-range energy and helicity spectra ($\sim k^{-5/3}$) and fluxes (constants). We also calculate the separate contributions to enstrophy transfers via velocity to vorticity and vorticity to vorticity channels. There are four different enstrophy fluxes associated with the former channel or vorticity stretching, and one flux associated with the latter channel or vorticity advection. In the inertial range, the fluxes due to vorticity stretching are larger than that due to advection. These transfers too are insensitive to helicity injection.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

The generation and sustenance of electric fields in sandstorms

Sandstorms are frequently accompanied by the generation of intense electric fields and lightning. In a very narrow region close to the ground level, sand particles undergo a charge exchange mechanism whereby larger (resp. smaller) sized sand grains become positively (resp. negatively) charged are then entrained by the turbulent fluid motion. Our central hypothesis is that differently sized sand particles get differentially transported by the turbulent flow resulting in a large-scale charge separation, and hence a large-scale electric field. We utilize our simulation framework, comprising of large-eddy simulation of the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer along with sand particle transport and an electrostatic Poisson solver, to investigate the physics of electric fields in sandstorms and thus, to confirm our hypothesis. We utilize the simulation framework to investigate electric fields in weak to strong sandstorms that are characterized by the number density of the sand particles. Our simulations reproduce observational measurements of both mean and RMS fluctuation values of the electric field. We propose a scaling law in which the electric field scales as the two-thirds power of the number density that holds for weak-to-medium sandstorms.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Large-eddy simulation and modeling of Taylor-Couette flow with an outer stationary cylinder

We present wall-resolved large-eddy simulations (LES) of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations together with empirical modeling for {turbulent} Taylor-Couette {(TC)} flow where the inner cylinder is rotating with angular velocity $\Omega_i$ and the outer cylinder is stationary. A simple empirical model of the turbulent, TC flow is developed consisting of near-wall, log-like turbulent wall layers separated by an annulus of constant angular momentum. The model is closed by a proposed scaling relation concerning the thickness of the wall layer on the inner cylinder. Model results include the Nusselt number $Nu$ (torque required to maintain the flow) and various measures of the wall-layer thickness as a function of both the Taylor {number} $Ta$ and $\eta$. These agree reasonably with experimental measurements, direct numerical simulation (DNS) and the present LES over a range of both $Ta$ and $\eta$. In particular, the model shows that, at fixed $\eta<1$, $Nu$ grows like $Ta^{1/2}$ divided by the square of the Lambert, (or Product-Log) function of a variable proportional to $Ta^{1/4}$. This cannot be represented by a power law dependence on $Ta$. At the same time the wall-layer thicknesses reduce slowly in relation to the cylinder gap. This suggests an asymptotic, very large $Ta$ state consisting of constant angular momentum in the cylinder gap with $u_\theta = 0.5\,\Omega_i\,R_i^2/r$, where $r$ is the radius, with vanishingly thin turbulent wall layers at the cylinder surfaces. An extension of the model to rough-wall turbulent wall flow at the inner cylinder surface is described. This shows an asymptotic, fully rough-wall state where the torque is independent of $Re_i/Ta$, and where $Nu\sim Ta^{1/2}$.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Scaling and spatial intermittency of thermal dissipation in turbulent convection

We derive scaling relations for the thermal dissipation rate in the bulk and in the boundary layers for moderate and large Prandtl number (Pr) convection. Using direct numerical simulations of Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection, we show that the thermal dissipation in the bulk is suppressed compared to passive scalar dissipation. The suppression is stronger for large Pr. We further show that the dissipation in the boundary layers dominates that in the bulk for both moderate and large Pr. The probability distribution functions of thermal dissipation rate, both in the bulk and in the boundary layers, are stretched exponential, similar to passive scalar dissipation.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Energy and enstrophy spectra and fluxes for the inertial-dissipation range of two-dimensional turbulence

In this paper, using Pao's conjecture [Y.-H. Pao, Phys. Fluids 11, 1371 (1968)], we derive expressions for the spectra and fluxes of kinetic energy and enstrophy for two-dimensional (2D) forced turbulence that extend beyond the inertial range. In these expressions, the fluxes and the spectra contain additional factors of the exponential form. To validate these model predictions, we perform numerical simulations of 2D turbulence with an external force applied at $k=k_f$ in the intermediate range. The numerical results match with the model predictions, except for the energy and enstrophy fluxes for $k<k_f$, where the fluxes exhibit significant fluctuations. We show that these fluctuations arise due to the unsteady nature of the flow at small wavenumbers. For the $k<k_f$, the shell-to-shell energy transfers computed using numerical data show forward energy transfers among the neighbouring shells, but backward energy transfers for other shells.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2018

Flow Past a Circular Cylinder on Curved Surfaces

We investigate the dynamics of flows past a stationary circular cylinder embedded on spherical and cylindrical surfaces at a fixed Reynolds number of 100. For flows on surfaces, it is convenient to express the Navier-Stokes equations in exterior calculus notation. We employ the discrete exterior calculus (DEC) method (Mohamed et al. (2016)) to numerically solve the equations. We explore the role played by curvature on dynamical quantities of interest: the drag coefficient (Cd), the lift coefficient (Cl), and the Strouhal number (St). Our simulations indicate that the effect of surface curvature on these quantities and the overall flow dynamics is somewhat insignificant thereby implying that the dynamics of the flow past a stationary circular cylinder exhibits universality, independent of the embedding surface geometry.

physics.flu-dyn↗