Scalar dissipation rate and dissipative anomaly in isotropic turbulence

Abstract

We examine available data from experiment and recent numerical simulations to explore the supposition that the scalar dissipation rate in turbulence becomes independent of the fluid viscosity when the viscosity is small and of scalar diffusivity when the diffusivity is small. The data are interpreted in the context of semi-empirical spectral theory of Obukhov and Corrsin when the Schmidt number, $\hbox{\it Sc}$, is below unity, and of Batchelor's theory when $\hbox{\it Sc}$ is above unity. Practical limits in terms of the Taylor-microscale Reynolds number, $R_\lambda$, as well as $\hbox{\it Sc}$, are deduced for scalar dissipation to become sensibly independent of molecular properties. In particular, we show that such an asymptotic state is reached if $R_\lambda \hbox{\it Sc}^{1/2}\,{\gg}\,1$ for $\hbox{\it Sc} \,{<}\, 1$, and if $\ln(\hbox{\it Sc})/R_\lambda\,{\ll}\,1$ for $\hbox{\it Sc} \,{>}\,1$.