Numerical simulation analysis of turbulent pulsation drag reduction at different intermittent times

Abstract

The shear stress generated by wall turbulence is the main cause of wall friction resistance in turbulent flow through pipes. This paper investigates the impact of inserting rest periods (regions of constant Reynolds number) within the pulsating operating cycle of velocity on the fully turbulent flow at large time-averaged Reynolds numbers, using the large eddy simulation (LES) method. The study aims to explore the effect of increasing rest periods within pulsations on drag resistance. The dimensionless shear stress and drag reduction rates during different time periods of rest were analyzed. Numerical simulation results indicate that the pulsating velocity operation mode does not necessarily lead to drag reduction; it may even result in increased resistance. Inserting rest periods within the pulsation cycle can achieve drag reduction effects, with the maximum drag reduction rate reaching 21.8%. This paper utilizes large eddy simulation (LES) to compare and validate the feasibility of LES for pipe pulsating operation modes against experimental results and direct numerical simulation (DNS) results from the literature, providing a rationale and proof of concept for further in-depth studies on other pipe pulsating flows.