Summary

This course provides an introduction to the physical phenomenon of turbulence, its probabilistic description and modeling approaches including RANS and LES. Students are equipped with the basic knowledge to tackle complex flow problems in science and engineering practice.

Content

Keywords

turbulence, non-equilibrium statistical physics

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

Incompressible fluid mechanics

Important concepts to start the course

basics of statistics
variance and mean
Fourier analysis
Navier-Stokes equations

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Describe the physical differences between laminar and turbulent flows, AH4
• Estimate relevant length- and timescales of turbulent flows based on Kolmogorov theory, AH28
• Link flow behaviour with non-dimensional parameters (e.g. Reynolds and Mach numbers), AH2
• Describe the physical behaviour of a flow in scientific terms, AH1
• Choose the appropriate turbulence model for a given turbulent flow, AH27
• Integrate deterministic chaotic flow dynamics with a probabilistic description of turbulence, AH29
• Assess / Evaluate turbulence simulation concepts including DNS, RANS and LES. Describe their advantages and limitations, AH30

Transversal skills

• Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.
• Use both general and domain specific IT resources and tools
• Make an oral presentation.

Teaching methods

Lectures and homework

Assessment methods

• Graded project exercise 

Resources

Bibliography

1. U. Frisch, Turbulence: the legacy of A. N. Kolmogorov
2. S. B. Pope, Turbulent flows

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Turbulence: the legacy of A. N. Kolmogorov / Frisch
• Turbulent flows / Pope

Moodle Link

• http://moodle.epfl.ch/course/view.php?id=14488