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This turbulence closure assumes the velocity increment skewness is the same throughout the equilibrium range, with its value fixed by the Kolmogorov two-thirds law and Kolmogorov four-fifths law. It yields a simple crossover between differentiable and inertial-scale increments, but suppresses the scale dependence of skewness and has no independent spectral-transfer dynamics.

The signed third-order longitudinal structure function has this leading inertial range form under homogeneity, isotropy and the usual local-equilibrium scale separation. Its coefficient follows from the Kármán-Howarth equation and the mean kinetic energy budget, without assuming the Kolmogorov two-thirds law. Its negative sign encodes a forward energy cascade; it does not establish every higher-order similarity exponent.

Set $S_2=\sqrt{15}{\beta }^{3/2}{v}_{\eta }^{2}h$ and $r=(15\beta {)}^{3/4}\eta x$. The Kolmogorov equation for structure functions and the constant-skewness turbulence closure give the displayed ordinary differential equation, with $h(0)=0$. Its small-separation balance is $h\sim x^2$; its large-separation balance is $h\sim x^{2/3}$. The first matches differentiable velocity increments, and the second recovers the assumed Kolmogorov two-thirds law.

Local isotropy of turbulence means that joint small-scale velocity increment statistics are approximately unchanged by rotations, even when the large-scale flow is anisotropic. The universal equilibrium range contains separations much smaller than the integral scale of turbulence: their adjustment times are short compared with the outer eddy turnover time, and their normalized statistics are assumed independent of the detailed large-scale forcing. It includes the inertial range and the dissipation range.

The Kolmogorov first similarity hypothesis says that these locally isotropic statistics depend only on $r$, mean viscous dissipation $ϵ$ and kinematic viscosity $\nu$. Dimensional analysis therefore expresses the second-order longitudinal structure function in terms of the Kolmogorov microscales:The universality of $F$ is an assumption of the theory, not a consequence of dimensional analysis alone.

The Kolmogorov second similarity hypothesis removes dependence on kinematic viscosity when $\eta \ll r\ll \ell$. Only $ϵ$ and $r$ remain, so the Kolmogorov two-thirds law isThe same reasoning gives the predicted order-$P$ longitudinal structure function:These are signed moments for integer $P$; for noninteger orders, use $⟨|\Delta v{|}^P⟩$. In particular, the signed third-order coefficient is negative, ${\beta }_3=-4/5$, in the Kolmogorov four-fifths law.

A passive scalar $\theta$ is transported by the velocity field without feeding back on it:Take its mean to be zero, and define the scalar dissipation rate by the half-scalar variance convention $\chi =\kappa ⟨|\nabla \theta {|}^2⟩$. In a statistically equilibrated energy cascade of scalar fluctuations, this is also the flux of half-scalar variance toward small scales.

The Kolmogorov two-thirds law gives a typical velocity increment $\delta u_r\sim (ϵr{)}^{1/3}$ and hence eddy turnover time ${\tau }_r\sim r/\delta u_r\sim {ϵ}^{-1/3}{r}^{2/3}$. Assuming local scalar transfer on this same time scale, $\chi \sim ⟨(\Delta \theta {)}^2⟩/{\tau }_r$. The Obukhov-Corrsin theory therefore gives the scalar analogue:This applies to separations at which both direct forcing and molecular diffusion are negligible and the transporting velocity increments lie in the inertial range. For very large or very small ratios $\nu /\kappa$, the scalar and velocity cutoff scales differ, so this common range must be checked. Defining $\chi$ as dissipation of the full scalar variance instead simply changes the convention for $C_{\theta }$.

Combining the Kolmogorov two-thirds law with the Kolmogorov four-fifths law gives the velocity increment skewness in the inertial range:The constant-skewness turbulence closure assumes this same value throughout the universal equilibrium range, including the dissipative crossover. This is an extra modeling assumption; neither similarity law establishes it near $r=0$.

Write $A=\beta (15\beta {)}^{1/2}$, $B=(15\beta {)}^{3/4}$, $S_2=A{v}^{2}h$ and $r=B\eta x$. Since $\nu =v\eta$ and $ϵ\eta =v^3$, substituting $S_3=-4S_2^{3/2}/(5{\beta }^{3/2})$ into the Kolmogorov equation for structure functions givesDividing by $2B/5$ yields the normalized constant-skewness structure-function equation:At small $x$, $h\sim x^2$, recovering $S_2\sim ϵr^2/(15\nu )$ for differentiable velocity increments. At large $x$, the dominant balance gives $h\sim x^{2/3}$, recovering the assumed Kolmogorov two-thirds law.

This turbulence closure is inexpensive: a single ordinary differential equation interpolates between the two regimes while respecting the local third-order balance. Its prescribed skewness cannot independently predict scale-dependent derivative statistics, transient spectral evolution or internal intermittency.

EDQNM closure instead evolves the turbulent energy spectrum through modeled spectral triad interactions. Its quasi-normal fourth-order approximation is supplemented by eddy damping and a Markovian treatment of correlation memory. It retains more information about scale-dependent transfer and evolving spectra, at the cost of spectral integrals and modeled damping times. It is still approximate and does not automatically describe coherent structures or internal intermittency. The simple constant-skewness model is therefore useful as an equilibrium interpolation; EDQNM closure addresses a broader spectral evolution problem.