Information-Preserving SGS model based on the local inter-scale equilibrium hypothesis

Abstract

Large eddy simulation has been widely used to simulate turbulence at balanced computational cost and accuracy. Many Subgrid-Scale (SGS) models have been proposed over the years, where data-driven and machine learning-aided approaches set the recent trend. To address the problem of extrapolation in these models, we propose a new data-driven SGS model based on an information-theoretic picture of turbulence. To this end, we estimate the model parameters by maximizing mutual information, which correspond to the scale-by-scale local equilibrium hypothesis in developed turbulence or "information preservation." An a priori test confirmed that the estimated parameters are in good agreement with the previously reported empirical values. Furthermore, a posteriori tests on periodic box turbulence and channel turbulence exhibited accuracy comparable to the existing models. These results suggest the utility of the information-theoretic picture of turbulence for constructing more generic SGS models without the need for empirically prescribed model parameters, while enhancing physical interpretability beyond black-box approaches.