An alternative view on dissipation in turbulent flows

TL;DR

This study uses a novel experimental setup with high-speed imaging to investigate turbulence in a von Karman flow, revealing that small-scale structures stop developing earlier than expected, explaining constant dissipation without singularities.

Contribution

It introduces an innovative experimental approach and provides new insights into turbulence dissipation mechanisms at high Reynolds numbers.

Findings

Small whorls cease development earlier than expected.

Flow characteristics remain constant above Reynolds number of a few thousand.

Constant dissipation explained without invoking singularities.

Abstract

An original experimental setup has been elaborated in order to get a better view of turbulent flows in a von Karman geometry. The availability of a very fast camera allowed to follow in time the evolution of the flows. A surprising finding is that the development of smaller whorls ceases earlier than expected and the aspect of the flows remains the same above Reynolds number of a few thousand. This fact provides an explanation of the constancy of the reduced dissipation in the same range without the need of singularity. Its cause could be in relation with the same type of behavior observed in a rotating frame.