Numerical study on turbulence modulation of finite-size particles in plane-Couette flow

Abstract

Turbulent plane-Couette flow suspended with finite-size spheroidal particles is studied using fully particle-resolved direct numerical simulations. The effects of particle aspect ratio on turbulent arguments and particle statistics are explored, leading to the same conclusions as the previous experimental findings \citep{wang2022finite}. By performing stress analysis, we find that the presence of particles introduces extra stresses to the system and accounts for the global drag increases. The particle-laden flow cases exhibit spectra that are consistent with the scaling of $k^{-5/3}$ and $k^{-3}$ in the large and small scales, respectively. While the $k^{-3}$ scaling observed in the particle-laden flow is reminiscent of bubbly flow, an examination of the particle Reynolds number suggests that the mechanism responsible may not be attributable to the pseudo-turbulence induced by particles as in the case of bubbles. In the view of particle statistics, we observe that spherical and non-spherical particles preferentially cluster in the near-wall and the bulk region, respectively, and that the orientations of non-spherical particles are affected by their aspect ratios, especially in the near-wall region. The present numerical results, combined with previous experimental findings in \cite{wang2022finite}, provide in-depth information on both the fluid and the particle phase, contributing to a better understanding of particle suspension in shear flows.