Conditionally-Sampled Turbulent and Nonturbulent Measurements of Entropy Generation Rate in the Transition Region of Boundary Layers

Abstract

Conditionally-sampled boundary layer data for an accelerating transitional boundary layer have been analyzed to calculate the entropy generation rate in the transition region. By weighing the nondimensional dissipation coefficient for the laminar-conditioned-data and turbulent-conditioned-data with the intermittency factor γ the average entropy generation rate in the transition region can be determined and hence be compared to the time averaged data and correlations for steady laminar and turbulent flows. It is demonstrated that this method provides, for the first time, an accurate and detailed picture of the entropy generation rate during transition. The data used in this paper have been taken from detailed boundary layer measurements available in the literature. This paper provides, using an intermittency weighted approach, a methodology for predicting entropy generation in a transitional boundary layer.