Exploring the origin of turbulent Taylor rolls

Abstract

Since Taylor’s seminal paper, the existence of large-scale quasi-axisymmetric structures has been a matter of interest when studying Taylor–Couette flow. In this article, we probe their formation in the highly turbulent regime by conducting a series of numerical simulations at a fixed Reynolds number Re s = 3.6 × 10 4 while varying the Coriolis parameter to analyse the flow characteristics as the structures arise and dissipate. We show how the Coriolis force induces a one-way coupling between the radial and azimuthal velocity fields inside the boundary layer, but in the bulk, there is a two-way coupling that causes competing effects. We discuss how this complicates the analogy of narrow-gap Taylor–Couette to other convective flows. We then compare these statistics with a similar shear flow without no-slip boundary layers, showing how this double coupling causes very different effects. We finish by reflecting on the possible origins of turbulent Taylor rolls. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Taylor–Couette and related flows on the centennial of Taylor’s seminal Philosophical Transactions paper (part 1)’.