scholarly journals Irreversible mixing by unstable periodic orbits in buoyancy dominated stratified turbulence

2017 ◽  
Vol 832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Lucas ◽  
C. P. Caulfield

We consider turbulence driven by a large-scale horizontal shear in Kolmogorov flow (i.e. with sinusoidal body forcing) and a background linear stable stratification with buoyancy frequency $N_{B}^{2}$ imposed in the third, vertical direction in a fluid with kinematic viscosity $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$. This flow is known to be organised into layers by nonlinear unstable steady states, which incline the background shear in the vertical and can be demonstrated to be the finite-amplitude saturation of a sequence of instabilities, originally from the laminar state. Here, we investigate the next order of motions in this system, i.e. the time-dependent mechanisms by which the density field is irreversibly mixed. This investigation is achieved using ‘recurrent flow analysis’. We identify (unstable) periodic orbits, which are embedded in the turbulent attractor, and use these orbits as proxies for the chaotic flow. We find that the time average of an appropriate measure of the ‘mixing efficiency’ of the flow $\mathscr{E}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}/(\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}+{\mathcal{D}})$ (where ${\mathcal{D}}$ is the volume-averaged kinetic energy dissipation rate and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}$ is the volume-averaged density variance dissipation rate) varies non-monotonically with the time-averaged buoyancy Reynolds numbers $\overline{Re}_{B}=\overline{{\mathcal{D}}}/(\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}N_{B}^{2})$, and is bounded above by $1/6$, consistently with the classical model of Osborn (J. Phys. Oceanogr., vol. 10 (1), 1980, pp. 83–89). There are qualitatively different physical properties between the unstable orbits that have lower irreversible mixing efficiency at low $\overline{Re}_{B}\sim O(1)$ and those with nearly optimal $\mathscr{E}\lesssim 1/6$ at intermediate $\overline{Re}_{B}\sim 10$. The weaker orbits, inevitably embedded in more strongly stratified flow, are characterised by straining or ‘scouring’ motions, while the more efficient orbits have clear overturning dynamics in more weakly stratified, and apparently shear-unstable flow.

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 2311-2326
Author(s):  
Hubert Luce ◽  
Lakshmi Kantha ◽  
Hiroyuki Hashiguchi ◽  
Abhiram Doddi ◽  
Dale Lawrence ◽  
...  

AbstractUnder stably stratified conditions, the dissipation rate ε of turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) is related to the structure function parameter for temperature , through the buoyancy frequency and the so-called mixing efficiency. A similar relationship does not exist for convective turbulence. In this paper, we propose an analytical expression relating ε and in the convective boundary layer (CBL), by taking into account the effects of nonlocal heat transport under convective conditions using the Deardorff countergradient model. Measurements using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with high-frequency response sensors to measure velocity and temperature fluctuations obtained during the two field campaigns conducted at Shigaraki MU observatory in June 2016 and 2017 are used to test this relationship between ε and in the CBL. The selection of CBL cases for analysis was aided by auxiliary measurements from additional sensors (mainly radars), and these are described. Comparison with earlier results in the literature suggests that the proposed relationship works, if the countergradient term γD in the Deardorff model, which is proportional to the ratio of the variances of potential temperature θ and vertical velocity w, is evaluated from in situ (airplane and UAV) observational data, but fails if evaluated from large-eddy simulation (LES) results. This appears to be caused by the tendency of the variance of θ in the upper part of the CBL and at the bottom of the entrainment zone to be underestimated by LES relative to in situ measurements from UAVs and aircraft. We discuss this anomaly and explore reasons for it.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1691-1708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgiy Kirillin ◽  
Ilya Aslamov ◽  
Vladimir Kozlov ◽  
Roman Zdorovennov ◽  
Nikolai Granin

Abstract. Seasonal ice cover on lakes and polar seas creates seasonally developing boundary layer at the ice base with specific features: fixed temperature at the solid boundary and stable density stratification beneath. Turbulent transport in the boundary layer determines the ice growth and melting conditions at the ice–water interface, especially in large lakes and marginal seas, where large-scale water circulation can produce highly variable mixing conditions. Since the boundary mixing under ice is difficult to measure, existing models of ice cover dynamics usually neglect or parameterize it in a very simplistic form. We present the first detailed observations on mixing under ice of Lake Baikal, obtained with the help of advanced acoustic methods. The dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) was derived from correlations (structure functions) of current velocities within the boundary layer. The range of the dissipation rate variability covered 2 orders of magnitude, demonstrating strongly turbulent conditions. Intensity of mixing was closely connected to the mean speeds of the large-scale under-ice currents. Mixing developed on the background of stable density (temperature) stratification, which affected the vertical structure of the boundary layer. To account for stratification effects, we propose a model of the turbulent energy budget based on the length scale incorporating the dissipation rate and the buoyancy frequency (Dougherty–Ozmidov scaling). The model agrees well with the observations and yields a scaling relationship for the ice–water heat flux as a function of the shear velocity squared. The ice–water heat fluxes in the field were the largest among all reported in lakes (up to 40 W m−2) and scaled well against the proposed relationship. The ultimate finding is that of a strong dependence of the water–ice heat flux on the shear velocity under ice. The result suggests large errors in the heat flux estimations when the traditional “bulk” approach is applied to stratified boundary layers. It also implies that under-ice currents may have much stronger effect on the ice melt than estimated by traditional models.


2017 ◽  
Vol 825 ◽  
pp. 213-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Kaminski ◽  
C. P. Caulfield ◽  
J. R. Taylor

The Miles–Howard theorem states that a necessary condition for normal-mode instability in parallel, inviscid, steady stratified shear flows is that the minimum gradient Richardson number, $Ri_{g,min}$, is less than $1/4$ somewhere in the flow. However, the non-normality of the Navier–Stokes and buoyancy equations may allow for substantial perturbation energy growth at finite times. We calculate numerically the linear optimal perturbations which maximize the perturbation energy gain for a stably stratified shear layer consisting of a hyperbolic tangent velocity distribution with characteristic velocity $U_{0}^{\ast }$ and a uniform stratification with constant buoyancy frequency $N_{0}^{\ast }$. We vary the bulk Richardson number $Ri_{b}=N_{0}^{\ast 2}h^{\ast 2}/U_{0}^{\ast 2}$ (corresponding to $Ri_{g,min}$) between 0.20 and 0.50 and the Reynolds numbers $\mathit{Re}=U_{0}^{\ast }h^{\ast }/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}^{\ast }$ between 1000 and 8000, with the Prandtl number held fixed at $\mathit{Pr}=1$. We find the transient growth of non-normal perturbations may be sufficient to trigger strongly nonlinear effects and breakdown into small-scale structures, thereby leading to enhanced dissipation and non-trivial modification of the background flow even in flows where $Ri_{g,min}>1/4$. We show that the effects of nonlinearity are more significant for flows with higher $\mathit{Re}$, lower $Ri_{b}$ and higher initial perturbation amplitude $E_{0}$. Enhanced kinetic energy dissipation is observed for higher-$Re$ and lower-$Ri_{b}$ flows, and the mixing efficiency, quantified here by $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{p}/(\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{p}+\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{k})$ where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{p}$ is the dissipation rate of density variance and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}_{k}$ is the dissipation rate of kinetic energy, is found to be approximately 0.35 for the most strongly nonlinear cases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yue ◽  
Da Zhao ◽  
Duc T. T. Phan ◽  
Xiaolin Wang ◽  
Joshua Jonghyun Park ◽  
...  

AbstractThe vascular network of the circulatory system plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis in the human body. In this paper, a novel modular microfluidic system with a vertical two-layered configuration is developed to generate large-scale perfused microvascular networks in vitro. The two-layer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) configuration allows the tissue chambers and medium channels not only to be designed and fabricated independently but also to be aligned and bonded accordingly. This method can produce a modular microfluidic system that has high flexibility and scalability to design an integrated platform with multiple perfused vascularized tissues with high densities. The medium channel was designed with a rhombic shape and fabricated to be semiclosed to form a capillary burst valve in the vertical direction, serving as the interface between the medium channels and tissue chambers. Angiogenesis and anastomosis at the vertical interface were successfully achieved by using different combinations of tissue chambers and medium channels. Various large-scale microvascular networks were generated and quantified in terms of vessel length and density. Minimal leakage of the perfused 70-kDa FITC-dextran confirmed the lumenization of the microvascular networks and the formation of tight vertical interconnections between the microvascular networks and medium channels in different structural layers. This platform enables the culturing of interconnected, large-scale perfused vascularized tissue networks with high density and scalability for a wide range of multiorgan-on-a-chip applications, including basic biological studies and drug screening.


2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (06) ◽  
pp. 1450077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Morena ◽  
Kevin M. Short

We report on the tendency of chaotic systems to be controlled onto their unstable periodic orbits in such a way that these orbits are stabilized. The resulting orbits are known as cupolets and collectively provide a rich source of qualitative information on the associated chaotic dynamical system. We show that pairs of interacting cupolets may be induced into a state of mutually sustained stabilization that requires no external intervention in order to be maintained and is thus considered bound or entangled. A number of properties of this sort of entanglement are discussed. For instance, should the interaction be disturbed, then the chaotic entanglement would be broken. Based on certain properties of chaotic systems and on examples which we present, there is further potential for chaotic entanglement to be naturally occurring. A discussion of this and of the implications of chaotic entanglement in future research investigations is also presented.


2001 ◽  
Vol 428 ◽  
pp. 349-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. STRANG ◽  
H. J. S. FERNANDO

The results of a laboratory experiment designed to study turbulent entrainment at sheared density interfaces are described. A stratified shear layer, across which a velocity difference ΔU and buoyancy difference Δb is imposed, separates a lighter upper turbulent layer of depth D from a quiescent, deep lower layer which is either homogeneous (two-layer case) or linearly stratified with a buoyancy frequency N (linearly stratified case). In the parameter ranges investigated the flow is mainly determined by two parameters: the bulk Richardson number RiB = ΔbD/ΔU2 and the frequency ratio fN = ND=ΔU.When RiB > 1.5, there is a growing significance of buoyancy effects upon the entrainment process; it is observed that interfacial instabilities locally mix heavy and light fluid layers, and thus facilitate the less energetic mixed-layer turbulent eddies in scouring the interface and lifting partially mixed fluid. The nature of the instability is dependent on RiB, or a related parameter, the local gradient Richardson number Rig = N2L/ (∂u/∂z)2, where NL is the local buoyancy frequency, u is the local streamwise velocity and z is the vertical coordinate. The transition from the Kelvin–Helmholtz (K-H) instability dominated regime to a second shear instability, namely growing Hölmböe waves, occurs through a transitional regime 3.2 < RiB < 5.8. The K-H activity completely subsided beyond RiB ∼ 5 or Rig ∼ 1. The transition period 3.2 < RiB < 5 was characterized by the presence of both K-H billows and wave-like features, interacting with each other while breaking and causing intense mixing. The flux Richardson number Rif or the mixing efficiency peaked during this transition period, with a maximum of Rif ∼ 0.4 at RiB ∼ 5 or Rig ∼ 1. The interface at 5 < RiB < 5.8 was dominated by ‘asymmetric’ interfacial waves, which gradually transitioned to (symmetric) Hölmböe waves at RiB > 5:8.Laser-induced fluorescence measurements of both the interfacial buoyancy flux and the entrainment rate showed a large disparity (as large as 50%) between the two-layer and the linearly stratified cases in the range 1.5 < RiB < 5. In particular, the buoyancy flux (and the entrainment rate) was higher when internal waves were not permitted to propagate into the deep layer, in which case more energy was available for interfacial mixing. When the lower layer was linearly stratified, the internal waves appeared to be excited by an ‘interfacial swelling’ phenomenon, characterized by the recurrence of groups or packets of K-H billows, their degeneration into turbulence and subsequent mixing, interfacial thickening and scouring of the thickened interface by turbulent eddies.Estimation of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget in the interfacial zone for the two-layer case based on the parameter α, where α = (−B + ε)/P, indicated an approximate balance (α ∼ 1) between the shear production P, buoyancy flux B and the dissipation rate ε, except in the range RiB < 5 where K-H driven mixing was active.


2021 ◽  
Vol 427 ◽  
pp. 133009
Author(s):  
Mayur V. Lakshmi ◽  
Giovanni Fantuzzi ◽  
Sergei I. Chernyshenko ◽  
Davide Lasagna

2002 ◽  
Vol 464 ◽  
pp. 81-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLEG ZIKANOV ◽  
DONALD N. SLINN ◽  
MANHAR R. DHANAK

We present the results of large-eddy simulations (LES) of turbulent thermal convection generated by surface cooling in a finite-depth stably stratified horizontal layer with an isothermal bottom surface. The flow is a simplified model of turbulent convection occurring in the warm shallow ocean during adverse weather events. Simulations are performed in a 6 × 6 × 1 aspect ratio computational domain using the pseudo-spectral Fourier method in the horizontal plane and finite-difference discretization on a high-resolution clustered grid in the vertical direction. A moderate value of the Reynolds number and two different values of the Richardson number corresponding to a weak initial stratification are considered. A version of the dynamic model is applied as a subgrid-scale (SGS) closure. Its performance is evaluated based on comparison with the results of direct numerical simulations (DNS) and simulations using the Smagorinsky model. Comprehensive study of the spatial structure and statistical properties of the developed turbulent state shows some similarity to Rayleigh–Bénard convection and other types of turbulent thermal convection in horizontal layers, but also reveals distinctive features such as the dominance of a large-scale pattern of descending plumes and strong turbulent fluctuations near the surface.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document