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DNS of flows with helical symmetry

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Abstract

Some flows such as the wakes of rotating devices often display helical symmetry. We present an original DNS code for the dynamics of such helically symmetric systems. We show that, by enforcing helical symmetry, the three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations can be reduced to a two-dimensional unsteady problem. The numerical method is a generalisation of the vorticity/streamfunction formulation in a circular domain, with finite differences in the radial direction and spectral decomposition along the azimuth. When compared to a standard three-dimensional code, this allows us to reach larger Reynolds numbers and to compute quasi-steady patterns. We illustrate the importance of helical pitch by some physical cases: the dynamics of several helical vortices and a quasi-steady vortex flow. We also study the linear dynamics and nonlinear saturation in the Batchelor vortex basic flow, a paradigmatic example of trailing vortex instability. We retrieve the behaviour of inviscid modes and present new results concerning the saturation of viscous centre modes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UPMC, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Orsay Cedex, France

    Ivan Delbende & Maurice Rossi

  2. LIMSI–CNRS, UPR 3251, BP 133, 91403, Orsay Cedex, France

    Ivan Delbende & Olivier Daube

  3. CNRS, IJLRA–UPMC, UMR 7190, 75232, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Maurice Rossi

  4. UEVE, Université d’Évry–Val d’Essonne, Évry, France

    Olivier Daube

Authors
  1. Ivan Delbende
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  2. Maurice Rossi
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  3. Olivier Daube
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Correspondence to Ivan Delbende.

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Communicated by Eldredge.

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Delbende, I., Rossi, M. & Daube, O. DNS of flows with helical symmetry. Theor. Comput. Fluid Dyn. 26, 141–160 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-011-0241-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-011-0241-y

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