Abstract
The evidence on small compact vortex structures in turbulent flows is summarised for various experimental and numerical flow fields. It is consistent with a model of strained almost two dimensional vortices with radii of the order of the Kolmogorov scale, and circulation Reynolds numbers of a few hundred. The known alignment properties of the strain tensor are also consistent with the kinematics of this model. A possible scenario for the generation of these structures within the “turbulent cascade is offered. The compact vortices are postulated to be essentially passive from the point of view of energy transfer, connected to the coherent structures observed in two dimensional turbulence
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Jiménez, J. (1993). Small Scale Vortices in Turbulent Flows. In: Dracos, T., Tsinober, A. (eds) New Approaches and Concepts in Turbulence. Monte Verità. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8585-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8585-0_7
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