Stability of a self-similar adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer

Abstract

Linear stability analysis (LSA) of a self-similar adverse pressure gradient (APG) turbulent boundary layer (TBL) is explored in order to identify coherent structures. An eddy viscosity model (EV) is implemented via the Boussinesq hypothesis [8] to model the nonlinear coherent-turbulent interactions. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) by Kitsios et al. [3, 6] are used for the database of this study. A weak APG and strong APG (on the verge of separation) are studied with dimensionless streamwise pressure gradients (β) of 1 and 39 respectively. Their Reynolds numbers based on the momentum thickness (δ₂) within their respective regions of interest are 3, 100 − 3, 400 and 10, 000 − 12, 300. For the strong APG, the most unstable eigen-solution produces a wave resembling a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability located near the displacement thickness (δ₁) height. This position coincides with the inflection point (IP) in the mean flow profile. The IP satisfies Rayleigh’s and Fjortoft’s criterion for the existence of an inviscid instability [9]. Positive growth rate is seen for non-dimensional angular frequencies of 0.08 ≤ ω ≤ 0.51, with the maximum growth occurring at ω = 0.26. The weak APG also contains a KH like wave, however for all ω, the growth rates are negative. Spanwise wavenumber k_xr and phase velocity ĉ_r increase monotonically for both β cases. Comparisons with a quasi-laminar analysis are also made.