Unstably Stratified Homogeneous Turbulence as a Tool for Turbulent Mixing Modeling

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Griffond ◽  
B. J. Gréa ◽  
O. Soulard

In this paper, we propose a kind of buoyancy-driven flow leading to unstably stratified homogeneous (USH) turbulence. This approach is developed in the context of incompressible Navier–Stokes equations under Boussinesq approximation. We show that USH turbulence is a valuable tool for understanding and modeling turbulent mixing induced by Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability. It is a much simpler configuration than “RT turbulence” which is in fact inhomogeneous. Thus, it gives insights in the basic mechanisms of buoyancy-driven turbulence, namely the interplay between buoyancy production, nonlinearities and dissipation. Besides, despite their differences both types of turbulence share very similar features for the large scale characteristics as well as for the inertial range spectrum structure.

2013 ◽  
Vol 733 ◽  
pp. 245-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Karimi ◽  
A. M. Ardekani

AbstractBioconvection is an important phenomenon in aquatic environments, affecting the spatial distribution of motile micro-organisms and enhancing mixing within the fluid. However, stratification arising from thermal or solutal gradients can play a pivotal role in suppressing the bioconvective flows, leading to the aggregation of micro-organisms and growth of their patchiness. We investigate the combined effects by considering gyrotactic motility where the up-swimming cells are directed by the balance of the viscous and gravitational torques. To study this system, we employ a continuum model consisting of Navier–Stokes equations with the Boussinesq approximation coupled with two conservation equations for the concentration of cells and stratification agent. We present a linear stability analysis to determine the onset of bioconvection for different flow parameters. Also, using large-scale numerical simulations, we explore different regimes of the flow by varying the corresponding boundary conditions and dimensionless variables such as Rayleigh number and Lewis number ($\mathit{Le}$) and we show that the cell distribution can be characterized using the ratio of the buoyancy forces as the determinant parameter when $\mathit{Le}\lt 1$ and the boundaries are insulated. But, in thermally stratified fluids corresponding to $\mathit{Le}\gt 1$, temperature gradients are demonstrated to have little impact on the bioconvective plumes provided that the walls are thermally insulated. In addition, we analyse the dynamical behaviour of the system in the case of persistent pycnoclines corresponding to constant salinity boundary conditions and we discuss the associated inhibition threshold of bioconvection in the light of the stability of linearized solutions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 856 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Borgnino ◽  
G. Boffetta ◽  
F. De Lillo ◽  
M. Cencini

We study the dynamics and the statistics of dilute suspensions of gyrotactic swimmers, a model for many aquatic motile microorganisms. By means of extensive numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations at different Reynolds numbers, we investigate preferential sampling and small-scale clustering as a function of the swimming (stability and speed) and shape parameters, considering in particular the limits of spherical and rod-like particles. While spherical swimmers preferentially sample local downwelling flow, for elongated swimmers we observe a transition from downwelling to upwelling regions at sufficiently high swimming speed. The spatial distribution of both spherical and elongated swimmers is found to be fractal at small scales in a wide range of swimming parameters. The direct comparison between the different shapes shows that spherical swimmers are more clusterized at small stability and speed numbers, while for large values of the parameters elongated cells concentrate more. The relevance of our results for phytoplankton swimming in the ocean is briefly discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Vladimir Popov

Under study is the applicability of the high-frequency electromagnetic field impulse for metal heating and melting with a view to its subsequent alloying. The processes of heating, phase transition, heat and mass transfer in the molten metal, solidification of the melt are considered with the aid the proposed mathematical model. The substrate surface is covered with a layer of alloying substances. The distribution of the electromagnetic energy in the metal is described by empirical formulas. Melting and solidification of the metal is considered at the Stephan’s approximation. The flow in the liquid is described by the Navier – Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation. According to the results of numerical experiments, the flow structure in the melt and distribution of the alloying substances was evaluated versus the characteristics of induction heating


1996 ◽  
Vol 310 ◽  
pp. 139-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Kerr

Using direct simulations of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with rigid upper and lower boundaries at fixed temperature and periodic sidewalls, scaling with respect to Rayleigh number is determined. At large aspect ratio (6:6:1) on meshes up to 288 × 288 × 96, a single scaling regime consistent with the properties of ‘hard’ convective turbulence is found for Pr = 0.7 between Ra = 5 × 104 and Ra = 2 × 107. The properties of this regime include Nu ∼ RaβT with βT = 0.28 ≈ 2/7, exponential temperature distributions in the centre of the cell, and velocity and temperature scales consistent with experimental measurements. Two velocity boundary-layer thicknesses are identified, one outside the thermal boundary layer that scales as Ra−1/7 and the other within it that scales as Ra−3/7. Large-scale shears are not observed; instead, strong local boundary-layer shears are observed in regions between incoming plumes and an outgoing network of buoyant sheets. At the highest Rayleigh number, there is a decade where the energy spectra are close to k−5/3 and temperature variance spectra are noticeably less steep. It is argued that taken together this is good evidence for ‘hard’ turbulence, even if individually each of these properties might have alternative explanations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 855 ◽  
pp. 43-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Wu ◽  
Bruno D. Welfert ◽  
Juan M. Lopez

The dynamic response to shear of a fluid-filled square cavity with stable temperature stratification is investigated numerically. The shear is imposed by the constant translation of the top lid, and is quantified by the associated Reynolds number. The stratification, quantified by a Richardson number, is imposed by maintaining the temperature of the top lid at a higher constant temperature than that of the bottom, and the side walls are insulating. The Navier–Stokes equations under the Boussinesq approximation are solved, using a pseudospectral approximation, over a wide range of Reynolds and Richardson numbers. Particular attention is paid to the dynamical mechanisms associated with the onset of instability of steady state solutions, and to the complex and rich dynamics occurring beyond.


1991 ◽  
Vol 112 ◽  
pp. 326-326
Author(s):  
James A. Hughes ◽  
Calvin A. Kodres

ABSTRACTRecent, large scale, real estate development near the U.S. Naval Observatory has led to an investigation of the systematic atmospheric effects which heat from large buildings can cause. Results show that non-negligible slopes of the atmospheric layers can be induced which cause a surprisingly large anomalous refraction. The Navier-Stokes equations were numerically integrated using the appropriate boundary conditions and the resulting isopycnic tilts using the appropriate boundary conditions and the resulting isopycnic tilts charted. Rays were then essentially traced through the perturbed atmosphere to determine the magnitude of the anomalous refraction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1402-1419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nejmeddine Chorfi ◽  
Mohamed Abdelwahed ◽  
Luigi C. Berselli

Abstract In this paper we propose some new non-uniformly-elliptic/damping regularizations of the Navier-Stokes equations, with particular emphasis on the behavior of the vorticity. We consider regularized systems which are inspired by the Baldwin-Lomax and by the selective Smagorinsky model based on vorticity angles, and which can be interpreted as Large Scale methods for turbulent flows. We consider damping terms which are active at the level of the vorticity. We prove the main a priori estimates and compactness results which are needed to show existence of weak and/or strong solutions, both in velocity/pressure and velocity/vorticity formulation for various systems. We start with variants of the known ones, going later on to analyze the new proposed models.


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