Modulation of the turbulence regeneration cycle by inertial particles in planar Couette flow

Two-way coupled direct numerical simulations are used to investigate the effects of inertial particles on self-sustained regeneration cycle in plane Couette flow at low Reynolds number just above the onset of transition. Tests show two limiting behaviors with increasing particle inertia, similar to the results from the linear stability analysis of Saffman (1962): low-inertia particles trigger the laminar-to-turbulent instability whereas high-inertia particles tend to stabilize turbulence due to the extra dissipation induced by particle-fluid coupling. We show that the presence of inertial particles does not alter the periodic nature of the cycle or the relative length of each of the sub-steps. Instead, high-inertia particles greatly weaken the large-scale vortices as well as the streamwise vorticity stretching and lift-up effects, thereby suppressing the fluctuating amplitude of the large scale streaks. The primary influence of low-inertia particles, however, is to strengthen the large scale vortices, which fosters the cycle and ultimately reduces the critical Reynolds number.