Coherent vorticity extraction in turbulent channel flow using anisotropic wavelets

We examine the role of coherent vorticity in a turbulent channel flow. DNS data computed at friction-velocity based Reynolds number 320 is analyzed. The vorticity is decomposed using three-dimensional anisotropic orthogonal wavelets. Thresholding of the wavelet coefficients allows to extract the coherent vorticity, corresponding to few strong wavelet coefficients. It retains the vortex tubes of the turbulent flow. Turbulent statistics, e.g., energy, enstrophy and energy spectra, are close to those of the total flow. The nonlinear energy budgets are also found to be well preserved. The remaining incoherent part, represented by the large majority of the weak coefficients, corresponds to a structureless, i.e., a noise-like background flow.