Multiscale turbulence models based on convected fluid microstructure

Abstract

The Euler-Poincaré approach to complex fluids is used to derive multiscale equations for computationally modeling Euler flows as a basis for modeling turbulence. The model is based on a kinematic sweeping ansatz (KSA) which assumes that the mean fluid flow serves as a Lagrangian frame of motion for the fluctuation dynamics. Thus, we regard the motion of a fluid parcel on the computationally resolvable length scales as a moving Lagrange coordinate for the fluctuating (zero-mean) motion of fluid parcels at the unresolved scales. Even in the simplest two-scale version on which we concentrate here, the contributions of the fluctuating motion under the KSA to the mean motion yields a system of equations that extends known results and appears to be suitable for modeling nonlinear backscatter (energy transfer from smaller to larger scales) in turbulence using multiscale methods. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.