Perspective on the response of turbulent pipe flows to strong perturbations

Abstract

Pipe flow responds to strong perturbations in ways that are fundamentally different from the response exhibited by boundary layers undergoing a similar perturbation, primarily because of the confinement offered by the pipe wall, and the need to satisfy continuity. We review such differences by examining previous literature, with a particular focus on the response of pipe flow to three different kinds of disturbances: the abrupt change in surface condition from rough to smooth, the obstruction due to presence of a single square bar roughness elements of different sizes, and the flow downstream of a streamlined body-of-revolution placed on the centerline of the pipe. In each case, the initial response is strongly influenced by the pipe geometry, but far downstream all three flows display a common feature, which is the very slow, second-order recovery that can be explained using a model based on the Reynolds stress equations. Some future directions for research are also given.