Direct numerical simulation of turbulent elliptical pipe flow under system rotation about the major axis

Abstract

The effect of Coriolis forces on the turbulent flow in an elliptical pipe subjected to spanwise rotation has been studied using direct numerical simulations (DNS). In response to the system rotation, large-scale secondary flows appear in the cross-stream plane as a pair of counter-rotating vortices, which significantly impact the turbulence statistics and structures of the flow. The characteristics of the turbulence field is investigated in both physical and spectral spaces through analyses of the first- and second-order statistical moments, as well as the budget balance of the Reynolds stress transport equation and coherent flow structures.