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Vortex axis tracking by iterative propagation (VATIP): a method for analysing three-dimensional turbulent structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2019

Lu Zhu  and
Li Xi Open the ORCID record for Li Xi [Opens in a new window]
Lu Zhu
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada
Li Xi*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP), University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4030, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: [email protected]
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Abstract

Vortex is a central concept in the understanding of turbulent dynamics. Objective algorithms for the detection and extraction of vortex structures can facilitate the physical understanding of turbulence regeneration dynamics by enabling automated and quantitative analyses of these structures. Despite the wide availability of vortex identification criteria, they only label spatial regions belonging to vortices, without any information on the identity, topology and shape of individual vortices. This latter information is stored in the axis lines lining the contours of vortex tubes. In this study, a new tracking algorithm is proposed which propagates along the vortex axis lines and iteratively searches for new directions for growth. The method is validated in flow fields from transient simulations where vortices of different shapes are controllably generated. It is then applied to statistical turbulence for the analysis of vortex configurations and distributions. It is shown to reliably extract axis lines for complex three-dimensional vortices generated from the walls. A new procedure is also proposed that classifies vortices into commonly observed shapes, including quasi-streamwise vortices, hairpins, hooks and branches, based on their axis-line topology. Clustering analysis is performed on the extracted axis lines to reveal vortex organization patterns and their potential connection to large-scale motions in turbulence.

JFM classification

Turbulent Flows: Turbulent boundary layers Turbulent Flows: Turbulence simulation Vortex Flows: Vortex dynamics
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 866 , 10 May 2019 , pp. 169 - 215
Copyright
© 2019 Cambridge University Press 

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