An algorithm for tracking fluid particles in a spectral simulation of turbulent channel flow (Q1206565)

An algorithm for tracking fluid particles in a direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow is developed and tested. Fluid particle velocities are computed with an interpolation scheme that employs Lagrange polynomials of sixth order in the homogeneous directions of the channel and Chebyshev polynomials in the inhomogeneous normal direction. Errors in computed particle velocities and trajectories are assessed and it is shown that accurate single-particle Lagrangian statistics can be extracted both in the center and in the wall region of the channel.