Application of superstatistical analysis on fluctuant surface shear in particle-laden turbulence boundary layer

Abstract

Abstract We report on an application of superstatistics to particle-laden turbulent flow. Four flush-mounted hot-film wall shear sensors were used to record the fluctuations of the wall shear stress in sand-laden flow. By comparing the scaling exponent in sand-free with that in sand-laden flows, we found that the sand-laden flow is more intermittent. By applying the superstatistics analysis to the friction velocity, we found that the large time scale is smaller when the flow is sand-laden. The probability density of a fluctuating energy dissipation rate measured in sand-laden flow follows a log-normal distribution with higher variances than for sand-free flow. The variance of this dissipation rate is a power law of the corresponding time scale. The prediction based on the superstatistics model is consistent with our structure function exponents $$\zeta _n$$ ζ n for sand-free flow. Nevertheless, it overestimates $$\zeta _n$$ ζ n for sand-laden flow, especially at higher Reynolds numbers. Graphic abstract