Compressible turbulent channel and pipe flow: similarities and differences

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) is used to explore similarities and differences between fully developed supersonic turbulent plane channel and axisymmetric non-swirling pipe flow bounded by isothermal walls. The comparison is based on equal friction Mach number, friction Reynolds number, Prandtl number, ratio of specific heats and viscosity exponent. The channel half-width and pipe radius are chosen to define the Reynolds numbers. To what extent and why mean flow quantities, second-order turbulence statistics and terms in the Reynolds stress equations coincide or diverge in both flows are investigated. The role of the fluctuating pressure in causing characteristic differences among correlations involving pressure fluctuations is identified via a Green-function-based analysis of the pressure field.