Burgers turbulence model for a channel flow

Abstract

The truncated Burgers models have a unique equilibrium state which is defined continuously for all the Reynolds numbers and attainable from a realizable class of initial disturbances. Hence, they represent a sequence of convergent approximations to the original (untruncated) Burgers problem. We have pointed out that consideration of certain degenerate equilibrium states can lead to the successive turbulence-turbulence transitions and finite-jump transitions that were suggested by Case & Chiu. As a prototype of the Navier–Stokes equations, Burgers model can simulate the initial-value type of numerical integration of the Fourier amplitude equations for a turbulent channel flow. Thus, the Burgers model dynamics display certain idiosyncrasies of the actual channel flow problem described by a truncated set of Fourier amplitude equations, which includes only a modest number of modes due to the limited capability of the computer at hand.