Three-dimensional analysis of precursors to non-viscous dissipation in an experimental turbulent flow

We study the three-dimensional structure of turbulent velocity fields around extreme events of local energy transfer in the dissipative range. Velocity fields are measured by tomographic particle velocimetry at the centre of a von Karman flow with resolution reaching the Kolmogorov scale. The characterization is performed through both direct observation and an analysis of the velocity gradient tensor invariants at the extremes. The conditional average of local energy transfer on the second and third invariants seems to be the largest in the sheet zone, but the most extreme events of local energy transfer mostly correspond to the vortex stretching topology. The direct observation of the velocity fields allows for identification of three different structures: the screw and roll vortices, and the U-turn. They may correspond to a single structure seen at different times or in different frames of reference. The extreme events of local energy transfer come along with large velocity and vorticity norms, and the structure of the vorticity field around these events agrees with previous observations of numerical works at similar Reynolds numbers.