On Solution of Laminar Ow Instability Using Orr-Sommerfeld Equation

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On solution of laminar flow instability using Orr-Sommerfeld equation

Article  in  Acta Technica CSAV (Ceskoslovensk Akademie Ved) · January 2011

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Acta Technica 55 (2010), 383–394
c 2010 Institute of Thermomechanics AS CR, v.v.i.

On solution of laminar flow instability


using Orr–Sommerfeld equation 1

Stanislav Knotek 2,3 , Miroslav Jícha 2

Abstract. A special treatment of the boundary conditions for boundary value problem
was used for solving the hydrodynamic instability problem described by the Orr–Sommerfeld
equation. The procedure is based on the Chebyshev collocation method and was implemented
in MATLAB. The results computed for the Poisseuille flow and for Blasius and Pohlhausen
velocity profiles show a good agreement with the results reported in literature.

Key words. Hydrodynamic instability, Orr–Sommerfeld equation, laminar flow, bound-


ary layers, Poisseuille flow, Chebyshev collocation method.

1. Introduction

The problem of the instability of the laminar shear layer has been solved
since the late 19th century in connection with the transition from laminar
to turbulent flow. After initial unsuccessful effort to derive the criteria of
instability on energy considerations found a successful approach Lord Rayleigh
(1842–1919). He used the assumption that, for small amplitude disturbances,
the system behave linearly and therefore, by Fourier superposition principle,
any disturbances can be replaced by the superposition of sinusoidal oscillations
of the basic flow. The principle of the solution lies in monitoring the trend of
the amplitude growth of disturbance waves superimposed on the basic flow.
The complexity of the task led to the introduction of simplifying assump-
tions. Especially the shear layer is approximated by basic two-dimensional
parallel flow
(u, v) = (U + u0 , v 0 ) , (1)

1 The article was supported from GA ČR project GA101/08/0096.


2 Energy Institute, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno Universtity of Technology,
Technická 2/2896, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic
3 E-mail: yknote01@fme.vutbr.cz

http://journal.it.cas.cz
384 S. KNOTEK, M. JÍCHA

where U (y) is the known velocity profile and u0 (x, y, t), v 0 (x, y, t) are velocity
fluctuations along the x and y coordinates, respectively. Final equation was
derived independently by Orr in 1907 and Sommerfeld in 1908 by linearization
of equations of motion for two-dimensional incompressible flow. Legitimacy of
the two-dimensional approach showed Squire in 1933. He proved that three-
dimensional flow is less stable than the two-dimensional one. The theory of
growth of infinitesimal disturbances in laminar shear flow was verified exper-
imentally by Schubauer and Skramstad in 1943. This infinitesimal waves are
now called Tollmien–Schlichting waves.
The original meaning of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation for handling the tran-
sition to turbulence now retreated into the background due to the development
of non-parallel and nonlinear approaches. The equation still retains its impor-
tance in solving classical problems of the hydrodynamic instability such as the
instability of fluid layers. Using the Orr–Sommerfeld equation the amplitude
of oscillations and their growth rate can be predicted, further wavenumbers
that are most amplified can be estimated and finally the impact of velocity
profile on the area of instability can be assessed.
However it should be borne in mind that some of the profiles in contrast to
the reality are stable in the entire range of frequencies and Reynolds numbers
and the fact that in the case of profiles of boundary layers the assumption of
parrallel flow is no longer fully satisfied. Therefore the results of solution of
the Orr–Sommerfeld equation have to be considered with regard to fulfillment
of the assumptions and also is needed to take into account that the process is
subject to destabilization by other mechanisms which are not included in the
theory of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation.

2. Theory of Orr–Sommerfeld equation

The theory of the equation is given, for example, in [1]. For completeness
let us briefly mention the basic principles of derivation. Consistently with
the above assumption of superposition of waves describing the development of
disturbances the oscillations are defined by stream function
Ψ = Ψ (x, y, t) = ϕ(y) exp[i(αx − βt)] , (2)
where ϕ(y) is the complex amplitude function, α the real wavenumber and β
the complex number specifying the growth of disturbances in time. Velocity
fluctuations are then obtained from the definition of their stream function by
derivatives
∂Ψ dϕ(y)
u0 = = exp[i(αx − βt)] ,
∂y dy
∂Ψ (3)
v0 = − = −iαϕ(y) exp[i(αx − βt)] .
∂x
LAMINAR FLOW INSTABILITY 385

Substituting velocity (1) and pressure p = P + p0 into the Navier–Stokes


equations for the unsteady two-dimensional incompressible flow, followed by
linearization and elimination of the pressure term, the Orr–Sommerfeld equa-
tion is received:
1
(U − c)(ϕ00 − α2 ϕ) − U 00 ϕ = (ϕ0000 − 2α2 ϕ00 + α4 ϕ) , (4)
iαRe
where Re = U0 L/ν defines the Reynolds number of the basic flow by character-
istic dimension L, characteristic velocity U0 and kinematic viscosity ν. From a
mathematical point of view, the equation represents the eigenvalue problem of
a differential equation for the amplitude function ϕ and the complex velocity
β
c= = c R + ic I ,
α
where, with regard to the relation (3), c R represents the phase velocity and c I
determines the hydrodynamic stability by conditions

cI < 0 for stability ,


cI > 0 for instability , (5)
cI = 0 for neutral stability ,

depending on the Reynolds number, velocity profile of the basic flow U (y) and
wavenumber α.
Note that the stability analysis for the complex velocity c and the real
wavenumber α is called the temporal stability analysis. If β is real and α com-
plex, then we speak about the spatial stability. Both approaches are equivalent,
however, from the mathematical viewpoint [2].
Let us discuss the temporal stability analysis for selected velocity profiles in
the following text.

3. Stability of Poiseuille flow

The velocity profile of the Poisseuille flow in a rectangular channel is, in the
dimensionless coordinates, given by the form U (y) = 1 − y 2 . The solution of
the stability problem requires definition of boundary conditions. In this case
the following conditions are prescribed:

ϕ(1) = ϕ(−1) = 0 , (6)


0 0
ϕ (1) = ϕ (−1) = 0 , (7)

which express no-slip condition and disturbance decay at the wall, respectively.
386 S. KNOTEK, M. JÍCHA

Fig. 1. Velocity cI ; Re = 8000 Fig. 2. Velocity cR ; Re = 2000

Fig. 3. Amplitude function Fig. 4. Instability area


of Poisseuille flow of Poisseuille flow

The solution of the boundary problem (4), (6), (7) gives information about
the phase velocity c R and the instabilities growth trend with speed c I , depend-
ing on the wavenumber α (Figs. 1 and 2), and information about the amplitude
of velocity fluctuations with the amplitude function ϕ depending on the dis-
tance from the pipe wall y (Fig. 3). Given that the amplitude fluctuations are
infinitesimally small, the significance of the solution lies mainly in the sign of
the parameter c I depending on the Reynolds number of the basic flow and the
wavelength of disturbances. The curve of the neutral stability, where speed c I
becomes zero, divides the space of characteristics (Re, α) to the stability and
instability area (Fig. 4). The minimum Reynolds number for which there exists
the unstable frequency is called critical and in our work written as Recr . In the
case of Poiseuille flow it takes value Recr = 5772 for αcr = 1.02. Figures 1–4
were obtained using the Chebyshev collocation method described in [3], as well
as briefly in Sec. 5 below, and implemented in MATLAB.
LAMINAR FLOW INSTABILITY 387

4. Stability of boundary layers velocity profiles

Boundary condition for the Orr–Sommerfeld equation in the case of bound-


ary layer velocity profiles instability are defined [1] as
ϕ(0) = ϕ0 (0) = 0 , (8)
0
lim ϕ(y) = lim ϕ (y) = 0 . (9)
y→∞ y→∞

This type of conditions requires specific mathematical approaches to the solu-


tion. If the stream function is implemented in the form
Z y
Ψ (x, y, t) = Ū (y) dy + ϕ(y) exp[i(αx − βt)] , (10)
0
where Ū is the external flow velocity, then, according to [4], the boundary
conditions (8) are received in the form
ϕ(0) = 0 , (13)
0 0
ϕ (0) = −U (0) . (14)
These were used in our numerical solution. Given the fundamental solution
ϕ(y) = e±αy of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation for y → ∞, see [1], the boundary
conditions can be expressed in the form
ϕ0 (η ∗ ) = −αϕ(η ∗ ) , (13)
00 ∗ 0 ∗
ϕ (η ) = −αϕ (η ) , (14)
where η ∗ is an appropriate number. In our numerical solution, we substitute
η ∗ = 1, which corresponds to the boundary point of the considered interval.
According to the theoretical backgrounds [1], it is suggested that the bound-
ary layer stability is significantly affected by the second derivative of a velocity
profile especially by the presence of the inflection point. With regard to the
relationship between the pressure gradient and the curvature of profile U
 2 
∂ U ∂p
µ = , (15)
∂y 2 y=0 ∂x
it is evident that the existence of the inflection point in the velocity profile
depends on the pressure gradient. The impact of the pressure gradient on the
instability area is illustrated by Fig. 5, where k is identical with the wavenum-
ber α and Reδ is Reynolds number determined from the displacement thick-
ness δ ∗ . The figure shows that the adverse pressure gradient reduces the critical
Reynolds number and for large Reynolds numbers extends the instability area,
which, conversely for flow with the favorable pressure gradient (without the
inflection point), disappears.
With regard to the mentioned facts, we will further present results of the
Orr–Sommerfeld equation solution for Blasius and Pohlhausen profile, taking
into account the pressure gradient.
388 S. KNOTEK, M. JÍCHA

Fig. 5. Sketch of marginal stability curves for a boundary layer


with favorable and adverse pressure gradients; taken from [5]

4.1. Blasius profile


What we understand by the Blasius profile is the solution of Prandtl bound-
ary layer equation without the pressure gradient. With regard to the meaning
of the second derivative of the velocity profile for calculation the instability, it
is entirely insufficient to use the methods such as simple polynomial approxi-
mations to fit points reported in the tables, but the profile f = f (y) should be
obtained by direct calculation of the Blasius equation

2f 000 + f f 00 = 0 (16)

with boundary conditions

f (0) = f 0 (0) = 0 , (17)


lim f (y) = 1 . (18)
y→∞

For our purposes, we used the code blasius.m [6].


The velocity profile including its normalized second derivative is shown in
Fig. 6. From the chart, it can be seen that the inflection point is located on
the wall. This corresponds to the equation (15) and proves that the Blasius
profile is the limiting profile regarding the existence of the inflection point.
Using Chebyshev collocation method and boundary conditions treatment
from [7], as described in Sec. 5 below, we received, for α = 1.5 and Re = 200, the
amplitude function whose real and imaginary components are shown in Fig. 7.
LAMINAR FLOW INSTABILITY 389

The region of the instability and velocity c I for Re = 630 and Re = 2200
are documented by Figs. 8 and 9. For Re = 630, we get a band [0.23; 0.25] of
wavenumbers α for which c I > 0 so that the disturbances grow. For Re = 2200,
the unstable band shifts towards lower wavenumbers and also the maximum
value of c I increases, which means that disturbances are amplified faster.

Fig. 6. Blasius profile Fig. 7. Amplitude function


of Blasius velocity profile

Fig. 8. Area of instability Fig. 9. Velocity cI


of Blasius profile

4.2. Pohlhausen profile


As the Pohlhausen velocity profile we see a family of profiles defined by the
fourth-degree polynomial
( Λ
U (y) 2y − 2y 2 + y 4 + y(1 − y)3 for 0 ≤ y < 1 ,
= 6 (19)
Ue 1 for y ≥ 1 ,
390 S. KNOTEK, M. JÍCHA

where Ue is the velocity of external flow and

δ 2 dUe
Λ= (20)
ν dx
is the shape parameter Λ ranging from −12 to 12, while the velocity profile
has the inflection point when Λ < 0; for details see [1].
Velocity profiles and their second derivatives for Λ = 3 and Λ = −3 are
shown in Fig. 10. The effect of the inflection point profile on the instability
area is shown in Fig. 11.
The Pohlhausen profile for Λ = 0 coresponds to the profile without the
pressure gradient and thus qualitatively corresponds to the Blasius profile.
The comparison of the two velocity profiles and instability areas in logarithmic
scale is given in Figs. 12 and 13.

Fig. 10. Pohlhausen velocity profiles Fig. 11. Instability areas


of Pohlhausen profiles

Fig. 12. Comparison of Blasius and Fig. 13. Comparison of instability areas
Pohlhausen velocity profiles of Blasius and Pohlhausen profiles
LAMINAR FLOW INSTABILITY 391

5. Method of solution

The basis of computing procedure is the Chebyshev spectral collocation


method, whose application is given for example in [3]. The principle of the
method consists in approximating the solution by a series of Chebyshev poly-
nomials
N
ϕ(yj ) ∼
X
= ϕ(y
e j ) = ϕ
ek Tk (yj ) , j = 0, 1, . . . , N (21)
k=0

in the collocation points of the Gauss–Lobatto formula


πj
yj = cos , j = 0, 1, . . . , N . (22)
N
The Chebyshev polynomials Tk (y) are defined within the interval [−1, 1] by
the formula
Tk (y) = cos(k arccos y) . (23)
The advantage of Chebyshev method in comparison with other approaches
consists in approximation
  of the derivative of function ϕ
e using the relevant
matrices D i = Djki
:
j,k=0,1,...,N

N
di ϕ
e X
i
(yj ) = Djk ϕ
ek , i = 1, . . . , 4 . (24)
dy i
k=0

Since the Chebyshev polynomials are defined for the interval [−1, 1], it is con-
venient to introduce the variable z by
z+1
y= . (25)
2
From the formula for differentiation of a composite function we obtain
1 i
Di = D̂ , (26)
2i
where D̂ i is the matrix obtained using the code chebdif.m by Weideman & Redy
from the website [6]. Substituting (24) to the Orr–Sommerfeld equation (4),
we obtain the generalized eigenvalue problem

(A − cB) Φ = 0 , (27)

where
i
A= (D 4 − 2αD 2 + α4 I) + U (D 2 − α2 I) − U 00 , (28)
αRe
B = D 2 − α2 I . (29)
392 S. KNOTEK, M. JÍCHA

Table 1. Eigenvalues of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation


for Poisseuille flow; α = 1, Re = 10000

n c R + ic I (Motsa) c R + ic I

30 0.23739952 + 0.00375098 i 0.23739952 + 0.00375098 i


40 0.23751460 + 0.00374111 i 0.23751460 + 0.00374111 i
50 0.23752612 + 0.00373920 i 0.23752612 + 0.00373920 i
60 0.23752650 + 0.00373967 i 0.23752650 + 0.00373966 i
64 0.23752649 + 0.00373967 i 0.23752649 + 0.00373967 i

Here, I is the identity matrix, U = diag U (yj ) and U 00 = diag U 00 (yj ) are
diagonal matrices, and Φ = [ϕ e0 , ϕ eN ]T is the vector of coefficients of
e1 , . . . , ϕ
the Chebyshev series (21).
Boundary conditions (11)–(14) can be written as

CΦ = b , (30)

where C, b are

I(N, :) 0
   
D(N, :)  −U 0 (0) 
C= , b= , (31)
 
D(1, :) + αI(1, :) 0
D 2 (1, :) + αD(1, :) 0

using the syntax I(i, :) for the i-th row of the matrix I, etc.
Implementation of boundary conditions (30) into the eigenvalue prob-
lem (27) was done according to the procedure set out in [7]. The eigenvalue
problem (27) was solved in MATLAB using the function eig.

6. Evaluation of results

The computational procedure applied to boundary layers instability solution


can be validated by the solution of the Poisseuille flow instability and compari-
son of the resulting values e.g. with those in the article [3]. Reference values in
this case can be eigenvalues of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation, i.e. the velocities
c R and c I , and the critical Reynolds number. In the first case, we receive the
sequence of values depending on the number of Chebyshev polynomials; see
Table 1. Critical parameters of the unstable mode, according to the literature
(e.g. see [8]), are Recr = 5772.2 and αcr = 1.021. These values were achieved
by our approach for N = 50.
The calculation of instability areas for boundary layers in comparison with
the Poisseuille flow is more complicated because of the treatment of boundary
LAMINAR FLOW INSTABILITY 393

conditions for y → ∞. The instability area for the Blasius profile is shown
in Fig. 8. The critical Reynolds number Recr = 520 for αcr = 0.3 including
graphs of c I in Fig. 9 for the selected Reynolds number corresponds to results
shown in [1].
The resulting graphs in Figs. 11 and 12 declare an agreement in the qual-
itative sense with the theory of the velocity profile impact on the instability
area; see Fig. 5. In the case of Poisseuille flow we receive values, which are
overstated depending on the parameter Λ in varying degrees compared with
values reported in literature, for example in [1].

7. Conclusion

The article represents an initial contribution to the laminar flow instability


problem solved using the theory of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation. Based on the
Chebyshev collocation method for solving differential equations, a procedure
was programmed in MATLAB, and, by this, the Orr–Sommerfeld equation for
different types of velocity profiles was solved. The results are qualitatively
consistent with the results reported in the literature. In the case of Poisseuille
flow, the procedure achieves similar accuracy as in the case of the reference
procedure of article [3]. The instability area for the Blasius profile agrees with
the results in [1]. Values of the critical Reynolds numbers for the Pohlhausen
profile are compared with those reported in [1]; there is a discrepancy, aris-
ing probably due to the application of the universal treatment of boundary
conditions—see [7]. Nevertheless, the results can be, especially in terms of
quality, considered sufficiently representative for documentation of the impact
of velocity profiles on the laminar flow instability. The chosen procedure also
presents a relatively simple method for solving the eigenvalue problem of differ-
ential equations with inhomogeneous boundary conditions, whose exact solu-
tion in the case of the Orr–Sommerfeld equation is still the subject of scientific
publications.

The paper was presented in an abbreviated form at the International Con-


ference Engineering Mechanics 2010 [9].

References

[1] H. Schlichting, K. Gersten: Boundary-layer theory. 8th ed., Springer, Berlin 2000,
424–479.
[2] M. Gaster: A note on the relation between temporally-increasing and spatially-increasing
disturbances in hydrodynamic stability. J. Fluid Mech. 14 (1962), 222–224.
[3] S. S. Motsa, P. Sibanda: On the Chebyshev spectral collocation method in channel
and jet flows. J. Pure Math. 1 (2001), 36–47.
394 S. KNOTEK, M. JÍCHA

[4] C. B. Thorsness, P. E. Morrisroe, T. J. Hanratty: A comparison of linear theory


with measurements of the variation of shear stress along a solid wave. Chem. Engng
Sci. 33 (1978), 579–592.
[5] P. K. Kundu, I. M. Cohen: Fluid Mechanics. 4th ed., Elsevier, Amsterdam 2008.
[6] J. Hoepffner: PhD codes, blasius.m.
http://www.lmm.jussieu.fr/~hoepffner/codes.php (available March 18, 2010).
[7] J. Hoepffner: Implementation of boundary conditions.
http://www.lmm.jussieu.fr/~hoepffner/boundarycondition.pdf (available March 12, 2010).
[8] S. A. Orszag: Accurate solution of the Orr–Sommerfeld stability equation. J. Fluid
Mech. 50 (1971), 689–703.
[9] S. Knotek, M. Jícha: On the solution of laminar flow instability using Orr–Sommerfeld
equation. EM2010 Conference Proceedings, Institute of Thermomechanics, Acad. Sci.
Czech Republic, v.v.i., Prague 2010.

Received June 11, 2010

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