Effect of Turbulent Fluctuations on Mean Flow: Reynolds-Averaging In a turbulent flow, we can define the mean, steady flow as:

1 u ( x, y , z ) = lim u ( x, y , z , t )dt T T 0
T

This allows us to split the flow properties into a mean and a fluctuating part:
u ( x, y , z , t ) = u ( x, y , z ) + u( x, y , z, t ) v ( x, y , z , t ) = v ( x, y , z ) + v( x, y , z, t ) w( x, y , z, t ) = w( x, y , z ) + w( x, y , z, t ) p ( x, y , z , t ) = p ( x, y , z ) + p( x, y , z, t )   
 

mean part turbulent fluctuating part

Note: the mean of u is zero: u u = u 1 T T lim

T

{u u }dt = lim
0 T

1 udt T T 0

1 lim udt u = u T 0  

u
=0

u = u u N

u = 0 mean of fluctuations is zero.

Now, we will develop equations which govern the mean flow and try to develop some insight into how the fluctuations alter the mean flow equations. Lets start with incompressible flow and look at the x momentum:
x momentum: 2u 2u 2u 1 p u u u u +u +v +w = + 2 + 2 + 2 x t x y z y z x

Lets look at the averaging of this equation in time to develop an equation for the mean flow.

Effect of Turbulent Fluctuations on Mean Flow: Reynolds-Averaging

1 T T lim

[ x mom]dt or
0

x  mom 

time-average of x-momentum

The first term is:

1 u 1 (u + u) lim dt = lim dt T T T T t t 0 0
T T

But,

u = 0 thus: t
T T u 1 u 1 u = dt dt = lim T T T T t t t T 0 0

lim

Just as u = 0 , we will assume End result:

u = 0. t

u =0 t
Lets skip over to the pressure term and look at its average:

p p p p p p = + = + x x x x x x p p p = + x x x p p p = + x x x But, p = 0 thus:

p p = x x
Similarly,
2u 2u 2u 2u 2u 2u + + = + + x 2 y 2 z 2 x 2 y 2 z 2

16.100 2002

Effect of Turbulent Fluctuations on Mean Flow: Reynolds-Averaging

Combining these into x mom , we now have:

2u 2u 2u 1 p u u u u +v +w = + 2 + 2 + 2 x y z y z x x   

must still work this out

Lets work out the last term:

u u u u u u u +w +v =u +w +v z y x z y x

Thats the easy part. Now, consider u

u : x

Question:

What does u

u equal in terms of u & u only? x

a)

u x u u + u x x u u + u x x

b)

c) d)

none of the above

16.100 2002