turbulento

Turbulento is the Spanish and Portuguese term used to describe a flow regime in fluids that is chaotic and irregular, with rapid fluctuations of velocity and pressure. In fluid dynamics, turbulence contrasts with laminar flow, where fluid moves in smooth, parallel layers. Turbulent flows exhibit irregular, three-dimensional motion, intense mixing, and a wide range of length and time scales. The transition from laminar to turbulent flow is often associated with the Reynolds number, a dimensionless quantity proportional to inertial forces divided by viscous forces. For pipe flow, Reynolds numbers above about 2,000 commonly lead to turbulence, though the exact threshold depends on geometry and perturbations.

In turbulent flows, energy is injected at large scales and cascades to progressively smaller eddies until it is dissipated by viscosity at the smallest (Kolmogorov) scales. This energy cascade results in enhanced momentum and heat transfer, but makes precise prediction of instantaneous velocity fields difficult. Engineers model turbulence using statistical and numerical methods, including Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, Large Eddy Simulation (LES), and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS).

Turbulence occurs in air and water flows, weather systems, ocean currents, rivers, plasmas, and many industrial processes. It affects drag on aircraft and vehicles, mixing in chemical reactors, and heat transfer in cooling systems. The term derives from Latin turbulens, meaning disorderly, and has been studied since the 19th century, notably in Osborne Reynolds’ pipe-flow experiments.