Direct Numerical Simulation of Combined Turbulent Channel Flow

Abstract

Wave-current processes are often observed in many different physical problems such as the flow in estuaries, beaches, etc. In these cases the pure current flow is modified due to the presence of waves. The propagation of waves can increase or decrease the streamwise current intensity depending on the direction of waves as it has been observed in laboratory experiments. The purpose of this work is to analyze the nonlinear effects of wave amplitude and wave period on turbulence characteristics of combined flow by means of Direct Numerical Simulation of the 3-D Navier-Stokes Equation. The effect of a wide range of frequencies and amplitude of the driving pressure gradient is reported and discussed.