Quantifying effects of hyperviscosity on isotropic turbulence

Isotropic hyperviscous turbulence is modelled with a pseudospectral Navier-Stokes model and comparisons are made with regular-viscosity isotropic turbulence. Two proposed means of measuring the (hyperviscous) turbulent Reynolds number are presented and critiqued, leading to a proposal for a hyperviscous turbulent Reynolds number measured as a linear function of L/lambda. An analysis of the statistics of velocity and velocity-derivative fields leads to comments on appropriate uses for hyperviscosity in theoretical and practical turbulence modelling and research. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4768809]