The $Re$-number dependence of the longitudinal dispersion in a turbulent channel flow

Abstract

In Taylor's theory, the longitudinal dispersion in turbulent pipe flows approaches, on long timescales, a diffusive behavior with a constant diffusivity $K_L$, that depends \emph{empirically} on the Reynolds number $Re$. We show that the dependence on $Re$ can be determined from the turbulent energy spectrum. By using the intimate connection between the friction factor and longitudinal dispersion in wall-bounded turbulence, we predict different asymptotic scaling laws of $K_L(Re)$ depending on the different turbulent cascades in two-dimensional turbulence. We also explore numerically the $K_L(Re)$ dependence in turbulent channel flows with smooth and rough walls using a lattice Boltzmann method.