Wall-induced anisotropy effects on turbulent mixing in channel flow: A network-based analysis

Abstract

Turbulent mixing is studied in the Lagrangian framework with an approach based on the complex network formalism. We consider the motion of passive, noninertial particles inside a turbulent channel simulated at $Re_{\tau} = 950$. The time-dependent network is built to evaluate the transfer of tracers between thin wall-parallel layers which partition the channel in the wall-normal direction. By doing so, we are able to assess the spatial and temporal complexities arising from turbulence dynamics and their influence on the mixing process. This approach highlights the effects of small-scale features of turbulent flow structures and also the larger scale effects determined by wall-induced anisotropy. Complex networks, coupled to the Lagrangian description of turbulence, are effective in providing novel insights into inhomogeneous turbulence and mixing.