Nonlinear optimal control of bypass transition in a boundary layer flow

The central aim of the paper is to apply and assess a nonlinear optimal control strategy to suppress bypass transition, due to bimodal interactions [T. A. Zaki and P. A. Durbin, “Mode interaction and the bypass route to transition,” J. Fluid Mech. 531, 85 (2005)] in a zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer. To this end, a Lagrange variational formulation is employed that results in a set of adjoint equations. The optimal wall actuation (blowing and suction from a control slot) is found by solving iteratively the nonlinear Navier-Stokes and the adjoint equations in a forward/backward loop using direct numerical simulation. The optimization is performed in a finite time horizon. Large values of optimization horizon result in the instability of the adjoint equations. The control slot is located exactly in the region of transition. The results show that the control is able to significantly reduce the objective function, which is defined as the spatial and temporal integral of the quadratic deviation from the B...