Turbulence statistics in a fully developed rotating pipe flow
Résumé
This paper presents Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of fully developed turbulent flows in axially rotating pipes. The study is aimed at investigation of the effects of the Reynolds number and of the rotation number on turbulent flow characteristics. The mean velocity profiles and the statistics are compared to numerical and experimental data available in the literature, and reasonably good agreement is obtained. In particular, the results show that the axial velocity profile gradually approaches a laminar shape when increasing the rotation rate, due to the stability effect caused by the centrifugal force. Consequently, the friction factor decreases. To have a better understanding of the behavior of this kind of complex flows and to investigate the effects of higher Reynolds numbers, we have also carried out Large Eddy Simulations (LES).