Turbulent flow properties of large-scale vortex systems

Abstract

Large-scale computations of dynamically interacting vortex tubes forming filaments are performed with a view toward investigating their relationship to turbulent fluid flow. It is shown that the statistical properties of the tubes are consistent with commonly accepted observations about turbulence such as the Kolmogorov inertial range spectrum and lognormality of the vorticity distribution. A loop-removal algorithm is demonstrated to reduce the nominally exponential growth rate in the number of tubes to linear growth without apparent harm to the underlying physics. In this form, a vortex tube method may become a practical means for simulating high Reynolds number turbulent flows. © 2006 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.