Papers
Optimal Taylor–Couette flow: radius ratio dependence
- Rodolfo Ostilla-Mónico, Sander G. Huisman, Tim J. G. Jannink, Dennis P. M. Van Gils, Roberto Verzicco, Siegfried Grossmann, Chao Sun, Detlef Lohse
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 April 2014, pp. 1-29
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Taylor–Couette flow with independently rotating inner ($i$) and outer ($o$) cylinders is explored numerically and experimentally to determine the effects of the radius ratio $\eta $ on the system response. Numerical simulations reach Reynolds numbers of up to $\mathit{Re}_i=9.5\times 10^3$ and $\mathit{Re}_o=5\times 10^3$, corresponding to Taylor numbers of up to $\mathit{Ta}=10^8$ for four different radius ratios $\eta =r_i/r_o$ between 0.5 and 0.909. The experiments, performed in the Twente Turbulent Taylor–Couette ($\mathrm{T^3C}$) set-up, reach Reynolds numbers of up to $\mathit{Re}_i=2\times 10^6$ and $\mathit{Re}_o=1.5\times 10^6$, corresponding to $\mathit{Ta}=5\times 10^{12}$ for $\eta =0.714\mbox{--}0.909$. Effective scaling laws for the torque $J^{\omega }(\mathit{Ta})$ are found, which for sufficiently large driving $\mathit{Ta}$ are independent of the radius ratio $\eta $. As previously reported for $\eta =0.714$, optimum transport at a non-zero Rossby number $\mathit{Ro}=r_i |\omega _i-\omega _o |/[2(r_o-r_i)\omega _o]$ is found in both experiments and numerics. Here $\mathit{Ro}_{opt}$ is found to depend on the radius ratio and the driving of the system. At a driving in the range between $\mathit{Ta}\sim 3\times 10^{8}$ and $\mathit{Ta}\sim 10^{10}$, $\mathit{Ro}_{opt}$ saturates to an asymptotic $\eta $-dependent value. Theoretical predictions for the asymptotic value of $\mathit{Ro}_{opt}$ are compared to the experimental results, and found to differ notably. Furthermore, the local angular velocity profiles from experiments and numerics are compared, and a link between a flat bulk profile and optimum transport for all radius ratios is reported.
A minimal flow-elements model for the generation of packets of hairpin vortices in shear flows
- Jacob Cohen, Michael Karp, Vyomesh Mehta
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- 10 April 2014, pp. 30-43
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Packets of hairpin-shaped vortices and streamwise counter-rotating vortex pairs (CVPs) appear to be key structures during the late stages of the transition process as well as in low-Reynolds-number turbulence in wall-bounded flows. In this work we propose a robust model consisting of minimal flow elements that can produce packets of hairpins. Its three components are: simple shear, a CVP having finite streamwise vorticity magnitude and a two-dimensional (2D) wavy (in the streamwise direction) spanwise vortex sheet. This combination is inherently unstable: the CVP modifies the base flow due to the induced velocity forming an inflection point in the base-flow velocity profile. Consequently, the 2D wavy vortex sheet is amplified, causing undulation of the CVP. The undulation is further enhanced as the wave continues to be amplified and eventually the CVP breaks down into several segments. The induced velocity generates highly localized patches of spanwise vorticity above the regions connecting two consecutive streamwise elements of the CVP. These patches widen with time and join with the streamwise vortical elements situated beneath them forming a packet of hairpins. The results of the unbounded (having no walls) model are compared with pipe and channel flow experiments and with a direct numerical simulation of a transition process in Couette flow. The good agreement in all cases demonstrates the universality and robustness of the model.
Disturbance energy growth in core–annular flow
- A. Orazzo, G. Coppola, L. de Luca
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- 10 April 2014, pp. 44-72
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The linear stability of the horizontal pipe flow of an equal density oil–water mixture, arranged as a core–annular flow (CAF), is here reconsidered from the point of view of non-modal analysis in order to assess the effects of non-normality of the linearized Navier–Stokes operator on the transient evolution of small disturbances. The aim of this investigation is to give insight into physical situations in which poor agreement occurs between the predictions of linear modal theory and classical experiments. The results exhibit high transient amplifications of the energy of three-dimensional perturbations and, in analogy with single-fluid pipe flow, the largest amplifications arise for non-axisymmetric disturbances of vanishing axial wavenumber. Energy analysis shows that the mechanisms leading to these transient phenomena mostly occur in the annulus, occupied by the less viscous fluid. Consequently, higher values of energy amplifications are obtained by increasing the gap between the core and the pipe wall and the annular Reynolds number. It is argued that these linear transient mechanisms of disturbance amplification play a key role in explaining the transition to turbulence of CAF.
Turbulent flow in the bulk of Rayleigh–Bénard convection: aspect-ratio dependence of the small-scale properties
- Matthias Kaczorowski, Kai-Leong Chong, Ke-Qing Xia
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- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 10 April 2014, pp. 73-102
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Geometrical confinement of turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC) in Cartesian geometries is found to reduce the local Bolgiano length scale in the centre of the cell $L_{B,centre}$ and can therefore be used to study cascade processes in the bulk of RBC. The dependence of $L_{B,centre}$ versus $\varGamma $ suggests a cut-off to the local $L_B$, which depends on the Prandtl number $Pr$ and is of the order of the cell’s smallest dimension. It is also observed that geometrical confinement changes the topology of the flow, causing the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate and the temperature variance dissipation rate (averaged over the centre of the cell and normalized by their respective global averages) to exhibit a maximum at a certain $\varGamma $, which roughly coincides with the aspect ratio at which the viscous and thermal boundary layers of the two opposite lateral walls merge. As a result the mean heat flux through the core region also exhibits a maximum. Unlike in the cubic case, we find that geometrical confinement of the flow results in a local balance of the heat flux and the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate for $Pr= 4.38$ for all values of the Rayleigh number $Ra$ (up to $10^{10}$), while no balance is observed for $Pr= 0.7$. The need for very high bulk resolution to accurately resolve the gradients of the flow field at high $Ra$ is shown by analysing the second-order structure functions of the vertical velocity and temperature in the bulk of RBC. Under-resolution of the temperature field yields a large error in the dissipative range scaling, which is believed to be an effect of intermittently penetrating thermal plumes. The resolution contrast resulting from the requirement to resolve the thermal plumes and the homogeneous and isotropic background turbulence scales as $\delta _T / \langle \eta _k \rangle _{centre} \sim Ra^{0.1}$ and should therefore be taken into account when tackling very high $Ra$. In the case studied here, under-resolution can have a significant effect on the local heat flux through the centre of the cell.
Bridging local to global dynamics of drop impact onto solid substrates
- H. Lastakowski, F. Boyer, A.-L. Biance, C. Pirat, C. Ybert
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- 14 April 2014, pp. 103-118
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The shape of impacting drops onto a solid surface is investigated by probing the local flow velocity and the local thickness profile of the spreading lamella during the drop impact. First, as a model situation of no viscous coupling between the liquid and the substrate, the impact of a drop onto hot plates, above the Leidenfrost temperature, is considered. In this case, we demonstrate that the velocity and thickness profiles are in good agreement with inviscid convective flow theory. This local description allows us to revisit the modelling of well-studied global behaviour such as drop spreading. Building from this idealized situation, viscous boundary-layer effects emerging from frictional coupling on a cold surface are then captured.
Characteristics of air entrainment during dynamic wetting failure along a planar substrate
- E. Vandre, M. S. Carvalho, S. Kumar
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- 14 April 2014, pp. 119-140
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Characteristic substrate speeds and meniscus shapes associated with the onset of air entrainment are studied during dynamic wetting failure along a planar substrate. Using high-speed video, the behaviour of the dynamic contact line (DCL) is recorded as a tape substrate is drawn through a bath of a glycerol/water solution. Air entrainment is identified by triangular air films that elongate from the DCL above some critical substrate speed. Meniscus confinement within a narrow gap between the substrate and a stationary plate is shown to delay air entrainment to higher speeds for a wide range of liquid viscosities, expanding upon the findings of Vandre, Carvalho & Kumar (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 707, 2012, pp. 496–520). A pressurized liquid reservoir controls the meniscus position within the confinement gap. It is found that liquid pressurization further postpones air entrainment when the meniscus is located near a sharp corner along the stationary plate. Meniscus shapes recorded near the DCL demonstrate that operating conditions influence the size of entrained air films, with smaller films appearing in the more viscous solutions. Regardless of size, air films become unstable to thickness perturbations and ultimately rupture, leading to the entrainment of air bubbles. Recorded critical speeds and air-film sizes compare well to predictions from a hydrodynamic model for dynamic wetting failure, suggesting that strong air stresses near the DCL trigger the onset of air entrainment.
Direct numerical simulations of laminar separation bubbles: investigation of absolute instability and active flow control of transition to turbulence
- Martin Embacher, H. F. Fasel
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- 14 April 2014, pp. 141-185
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Laminar separation bubbles generated on a flat plate by an adverse pressure gradient are investigated using direct numerical simulations (DNSs). Two-dimensional periodic forcing is applied at a blowing/suction slot upstream of separation. Control of separation through forcing with various frequencies and amplitudes is examined. For the investigation of absolute instability mechanisms, baseflows provided by two-dimensional Navier–Stokes calculations are analysed by introducing pulse disturbances and computing the three-dimensional flow response using DNS. The primary instability of the time-averaged flow is investigated with a local linear stability analysis. Employing a steady flow solution as baseflow, the nonlinear and non-parallel effects on the self-sustained disturbance development are illustrated, and a feedback mechanism facilitated by the upstream flow deformation is identified. Secondary instability is investigated locally using spatially periodic baseflows. The flow response to pulsed forcing indicates the existence of an absolute secondary instability mechanism, and the results indicate that this mechanism is dependent on the periodic forcing. Results from three-dimensional DNS provide insight into the global instability mechanisms of separation bubbles and complement the local analysis. A forcing strategy was devised that suppresses the temporal growth of three-dimensional disturbances, and as a consequence, breakdown to turbulence does not occur. Even for a separation bubble that has transitioned to turbulence, the flow relaminarizes when applying two-dimensional periodic forcing with proper frequencies and amplitudes.
Turbulent flow over superhydrophobic surfaces with streamwise grooves
- S. Türk, G. Daschiel, A. Stroh, Y. Hasegawa, B. Frohnapfel
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- 14 April 2014, pp. 186-217
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We investigate the effects of superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) carrying streamwise grooves on the flow dynamics and the resultant drag reduction in a fully developed turbulent channel flow. The SHS is modelled as a flat boundary with alternating no-slip and free-slip conditions, and a series of direct numerical simulations is performed with systematically changing the spanwise periodicity of the streamwise grooves. In all computations, a constant pressure gradient condition is employed, so that the drag reduction effect is manifested by an increase of the bulk mean velocity. To capture the flow properties that are induced by the non-homogeneous boundary conditions the instantaneous turbulent flow is decomposed into the spatial-mean, coherent and random components. It is observed that the alternating no-slip and free-slip boundary conditions lead to the generation of Prandtl’s second kind of secondary flow characterized by coherent streamwise vortices. A mathematical relationship between the bulk mean velocity and different dynamical contributions, i.e. the effective slip length and additional turbulent losses over slip surfaces, reveals that the increase of the bulk mean velocity is mainly governed by the effective slip length. For a small spanwise periodicity of the streamwise grooves, the effective slip length in a turbulent flow agrees well with the analytical solution for laminar flows. Once the spanwise width of the free-slip area becomes larger than approximately 20 wall units, however, the effective slip length is significantly reduced from the laminar value due to the mixing caused by the underlying turbulence and secondary flow. Based on these results, we develop a simple model that allows estimating the gain due to a SHS in turbulent flows at practically high Reynolds numbers.
Influence of heterogeneity on second-kind self-similar solutions for viscous gravity currents
- Zhong Zheng, Ivan C. Christov, Howard A. Stone
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- 16 April 2014, pp. 218-246
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We report experimental, theoretical and numerical results on the effects of horizontal heterogeneities on the propagation of viscous gravity currents. We use two geometries to highlight these effects: (a) a horizontal channel (or crack) whose gap thickness varies as a power-law function of the streamwise coordinate; (b) a heterogeneous porous medium whose permeability and porosity have power-law variations. We demonstrate that two types of self-similar behaviours emerge as a result of horizontal heterogeneity: (a) a first-kind self-similar solution is found using dimensional analysis (scaling) for viscous gravity currents that propagate away from the origin (a point of zero permeability); (b) a second-kind self-similar solution is found using a phase-plane analysis for viscous gravity currents that propagate toward the origin. These theoretical predictions, obtained using the ideas of self-similar intermediate asymptotics, are compared with experimental results and numerical solutions of the governing partial differential equation developed under the lubrication approximation. All three results are found to be in good agreement.
Investigation of Boussinesq dynamics using intermediate models based on wave–vortical interactions
- Gerardo Hernandez-Duenas, Leslie M. Smith, Samuel N. Stechmann
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- 15 April 2014, pp. 247-287
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Nonlinear coupling among wave modes and vortical modes is investigated with the following question in mind: can we distinguish the wave–vortical interactions largely responsible for formation versus evolution of coherent, balanced structures? The two main case studies use initial conditions that project only onto the vortical-mode flow component of the rotating Boussinesq equations: (i) an initially balanced dipole and (ii) random initial data in the vortical modes. Both case studies compare quasi-geostrophic (QG) dynamics (involving only nonlinear interactions between vortical modes) to the dynamics of intermediate models allowing for two-way feedback between wave modes and vortical modes. For an initially balanced dipole with symmetry across the $\hat{\boldsymbol {x}}$-axis, the QG dipole will propagate along the $\hat{\boldsymbol {x}}$-axis while the trajectory of the Boussinesq dipole exhibits a cyclonic drift. Compared to a forced linear (FL) model with one-way forcing of wave modes by the vortical modes, the simplest intermediate model with two-way feedback involving vortical–vortical–wave interactions is able to capture the speed and trajectory of the dipole for roughly ten times longer at Rossby $Ro$ and Froude $Fr$ numbers $Ro = Fr \approx 0.1$. Despite its success at tracking the dipole, the latter intermediate model does not accurately capture the details of the flow structure within the adjusted dipole. For decay from random initial conditions in the vortical modes, the full Boussinesq equations generate vortices that are smaller than QG vortices, indicating that wave–vortical interactions are fundamental for creating the correct balanced state. The intermediate model with QG and vortical–vortical–wave interactions actually prevents the formation of vortices. Taken together these case studies suggest that: vortical–vortical–wave interactions create waves and thereby influence the evolution of balanced structures; vortical–wave–wave interactions take energy out of the wave modes and contribute in an essential way to the formation of coherent balanced structures.
Transport equation for the mean turbulent energy dissipation rate in low-$R_{\lambda }$ grid turbulence
- L. Djenidi, R. A. Antonia
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 288-315
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A direct numerical simulation (DNS) based on the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is carried out in low-Reynolds-number grid turbulence to analyse the mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate, $\overline{\epsilon }$, and its transport equation during decay. All the components of $\overline{\epsilon }$ and its transport equation terms are computed, providing for the first time the opportunity to assess the contribution of each term to the decay. The results indicate that although small departures from isotropy are observed in the components of $\overline{\epsilon }$ and its destruction term, there is sufficient compensation among the components for these two quantities to satisfy isotropy to a close approximation. A short distance downstream of the grid, the transport equation of $\overline{\epsilon }$ simplifies to its high-Reynolds-number homogeneous and isotropic form. The decay rate of $\overline{\epsilon }$ is governed by the imbalance between the production due to vortex stretching and the destruction caused by the action of viscosity, the latter becoming larger than the former as the distance from the grid increases. This imbalance, which is not constant during the decay as argued by Batchelor & Townsend (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, vol. 190, 1947, pp. 534–550), varies according to a power law of $x$, the distance downstream of the grid. The non-constancy implies a lack of dynamical similarity in the mechanisms controlling the transport of $\overline{\epsilon }$. This is consistent with the fact that the power-law-decay ($\overline{q^2} \sim x^n$) exponent $n$ is not equal to $-$1. It is actually close to $-$1.6, a value in keeping with the relatively low Reynolds number of the simulation. These results highlight the importance of the imbalance in establishing the value of $n$. The $\overline{\epsilon }$-transport equation is also analysed in relation to the power-law decay. The results show that the power-law exponent $n$ is controlled by the imbalance between production and destruction. Further, a relatively straightforward analysis provides information on the behaviour of $n$ during the entire decay process and an interesting theoretical result, which is yet to be confirmed, when $R_{\lambda } \rightarrow 0 $, namely, the destruction coefficient $G$ is constant and its value must lie between $15/7$ and $30/7$. These two limits encompass the predictions for the final period of decay by Batchelor & Townsend (1947) and Saffman (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 27, 1967, pp. 581–593).
Dissolution-driven porous-medium convection in the presence of chemical reaction
- T. J. Ward, K. A. Cliffe, O. E. Jensen, H. Power
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 316-349
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Motivated by processes occurring during ${\mathrm{CO}}_2$ sequestration in an underground saline aquifer, we examine two-dimensional convection in a finite-depth porous medium induced by a solute introduced at the upper boundary. Once dissolved, the solute concentration is assumed to decay via a first-order chemical reaction, restricting the depth over which solute can penetrate the domain. Using spectral and asymptotic methods, we explore the resulting convective mixing using linear stability analysis, computation of nonlinear steady solution branches and time-dependent simulations, as a function of Rayleigh number, Damköhler number and domain size. Long-wave eigenmodes show how deep recirculation can be driven by a shallow solute field while explicit approximations are derived for the growth of short-wave eigenmodes. Steady solution branches undergo numerous secondary bifurcations, forming an intricate network of mixed states. Although many of these states are unstable, some play an important role in organising the phase space of time-dependent states, providing approximate bounds for time-averaged mixing rates.
Boundary conditions and vortex wandering
- S. P. Jammy, Nick Hills, David M. Birch
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 350-368
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A direct numerical simulation of a Batchelor vortex has been carried out in the presence of freely decaying turbulence, using both periodic and symmetric boundary conditions; the latter most closely approximates typical experimental conditions, while the former is often used in computational simulations for numerical convenience. The higher-order velocity statistics were shown to be strongly dependent upon the boundary conditions, but the dependence could be mostly eliminated by correcting for the random, Gaussian modulation of the vortex trajectory, commonly referred to as ‘wandering’, using a technique often employed in the analysis of experimental data. Once this wandering had been corrected for, the strong peaks in the Reynolds stresses normally observed at the vortex centre were replaced by smaller local extrema located within the core region but away from the centre. The distributions of the corrected Reynolds stresses suggest that the formation and organization of secondary structures within the core is the main mechanism in turbulent production during the linear growth phase of vortex development.
A regular Strouhal number for large-scale instability in the far wake of a rotor
- Valery L. Okulov, Igor V. Naumov, Robert F. Mikkelsen, Ivan K. Kabardin, Jens N. Sørensen
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 369-380
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The flow behind a model of a wind turbine rotor is investigated experimentally in a water flume using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and laser Doppler anemometry (LDA). The study performed involves a three-bladed wind turbine rotor designed using the optimization technique of Glauert (Aerodynamic Theory, vol. IV, 1935, pp. 169–360). The wake properties are studied for different tip speed ratios and free stream speeds. The data for the various rotor regimes show the existence of a regular Strouhal number associated with the development of an instability in the far wake of the rotor. From visualizations and a reconstruction of the flow field using LDA and PIV measurements it is found that the wake dynamics is associated with a precession (rotation) of the helical vortex core.
Analysis of complex singularities in high-Reynolds-number Navier–Stokes solutions
- F. Gargano, M. Sammartino, V. Sciacca, K. W. Cassel
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 381-421
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Numerical solutions of the laminar Prandtl boundary-layer and Navier–Stokes equations are considered for the case of the two-dimensional uniform flow past an impulsively-started circular cylinder. The various viscous–inviscid interactions that occur during the unsteady separation process are investigated by applying complex singularity analysis to the wall shear and streamwise velocity component of the two solutions. This is carried out using two different methodologies, namely a singularity-tracking method and the Padé approximation. It is shown how the van Dommelen and Shen singularity that occurs in solutions of the Prandtl boundary-layer equations evolves in the complex plane before leading to a separation singularity in finite time. Navier–Stokes solutions, computed at different Reynolds numbers in the range $10^3 \leq Re \leq 10^5$, are characterized by the presence of various complex singularities that can be related to different physical interactions acting over multiple spatial scales. The first interaction developing in the separation process is large-scale interaction that is visible for all the Reynolds numbers considered, and it signals the first relevant differences between the Prandtl and Navier–Stokes solutions. For $Re\geq O(10^4)$, a small-scale interaction follows the large-scale interaction. The onset of these interactions is related to the characteristic changes of the streamwise pressure gradient on the circular cylinder. Even if these interactions physically differ from that prescribed by the Prandtl solution, and they set a possible limit on the comparison of Prandtl solutions with Navier–Stokes solutions, it is shown how the asymptotic validity of boundary-layer theory is strongly supported by the results that have been obtained through the complex singularity analysis.
Modelling the dynamics of a sphere approaching and bouncing on a wall in a viscous fluid
- Edouard Izard, Thomas Bonometti, Laurent Lacaze
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 422-446
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The canonical configuration of a solid particle bouncing on a wall in a viscous fluid is considered here, focusing on rough particles as encountered in most of the laboratory experiments or applications. In that case, the particle deformation is not expected to be significant prior to solid contact. An immersed boundary method (IBM) allowing the fluid flow around the solid particle to be numerically described is combined with a discrete element method (DEM) in order to numerically investigate the dynamics of the system. Particular attention is paid to modelling the lubrication force added in the discrete element method, which is not captured by the fluid solver at very small scale. Specifically, the proposed numerical model accounts for the surface roughness of real particles through an effective roughness length in the contact model, and considers that the time scale of the contact is small compared to that of the fluid. The present coupled method is shown to quantitatively reproduce available experimental data and in particular is in very good agreement with recent measurement of the dynamics of a particle approaching very close to a wall in the viscous regime $St \le {O}(10)$, where $St$ is the Stokes number which represents the balance between particle inertia and viscous dissipation. Finally, based on the reliability of the numerical results, two predictive models are proposed, namely for the dynamics of the particle close to the wall and the effective coefficient of restitution. Both models use the effective roughness height and assume the particle remains rigid prior to solid contact. They are shown to be pertinent to describe experimental and numerical data for the whole range of investigated parameters.
Linear instability analysis of convection in a laterally heated cylinder
- Bo-Fu Wang, Zhen-Hua Wan, Zhi-Wei Guo, Dong-Jun Ma, De-Jun Sun
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 447-459
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The three-dimensional instabilities of axisymmetric flow are investigated in a laterally heated vertical cylinder by linear stability analysis. Heating is confined to a central zone on the sidewall of the cylinder, while other parts of the sidewall are insulated and both ends of the cylinder are cooled. The length of the heated zone equals the radius of the cylinder. For three different aspect ratios, $A= 1.92 $, 2, 2.1 ($A=\mathrm{height}$/radius), the dependence of the critical Rayleigh number on the Prandtl number (from 0.02 to 6.7) has been studied in detail. For such a kind of laterally heated convection, some interesting stability results are obtained. A monotonous instability curve is obtained for $A= 1.92 $, while the instability curves for $A= 2 $ and $A= 2.1 $ are non-monotonous and multivalued. In particular, an instability island has been found for $A=2$. Moreover, mechanisms corresponding to different instability results are obtained when the Prandtl number changes. At small Prandtl number, the flow is oscillatory unstable, which is dominated by hydrodynamic instability. At intermediate Prandtl number, the interaction between buoyancy and shear in the base flow plays a more important role than pure hydrodynamic instability. At even higher Prandtl number, Rayleigh–Bénard instability becomes the dominant process and the flow loses stability through steady bifurcation.
Pulse dynamics in a power-law falling film
- M. Pradas, D. Tseluiko, C. Ruyer-Quil, S. Kalliadasis
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 460-480
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We examine the stability, dynamics and interactions of solitary waves in a two-dimensional vertically falling thin liquid film that exhibits shear-thinning effects. We use a low-dimensional two-field model that describes the evolution of both the local flow rate and the film thickness and is consistent up to second-order terms in the long-wave expansion. The shear-thinning behaviour is modelled via a power-law formulation with a Newtonian plateau in the limit of small strain rates. Our results show the emergence of a hysteresis behaviour as the control parameter (the Reynolds number) is increased which is directly related to the shear-thinning character of the liquid and can be quantified with both linear analysis arguments and a physical interpretation. We also study pulse interactions, observing that two pulses may attract or repel each other either monotonically or in an oscillatory manner. In large domains we find that for a given Reynolds number the final state depends on the initial condition, a consequence of the presence of multiple solutions.
Scattering of internal tides by irregular bathymetry of large extent
- Yile Li, Chiang C. Mei
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- 17 April 2014, pp. 481-505
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We present an analytical theory of scattering of tide-generated internal gravity waves in a continuously stratified ocean with a randomly rough seabed. Based on a linearized approximation, the idealized case of constant mean sea depth and Brunt–Väisälä frequency is considered. The depth fluctuation is assumed to be a stationary random function of space, characterized by small amplitude and a correlation length comparable to the typical wavelength. For both one- and two-dimensional topographies the effects of scattering on the wave phase over long distances are derived explicitly by the method of multiple scales. For one-dimensional topography, numerical results are compared with Bühler & Holmes-Cerfon (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 678, 2011, pp. 271–293), computed by the method of characteristics. For two-dimensional topography, new results are presented for both statistically isotropic and anisotropic cases.
Studying edge geometry in transiently turbulent shear flows
- Matthew Chantry, Tobias M. Schneider
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- 23 April 2014, pp. 506-517
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In linearly stable shear flows at moderate Reynolds number, turbulence spontaneously decays despite the existence of a codimension-one manifold, termed the edge, which separates decaying perturbations from those triggering turbulence. We statistically analyse the decay in plane Couette flow, quantify the breaking of self-sustaining feedback loops and demonstrate the existence of a whole continuum of possible decay paths. Drawing parallels with low-dimensional models and monitoring the location of the edge relative to decaying trajectories, we provide evidence that the edge of chaos does not separate state space globally. It is instead wrapped around the turbulence generating structures and not an independent dynamical structure but part of the chaotic saddle. Thereby, decaying trajectories need not cross the edge, but circumnavigate it while unwrapping from the turbulent saddle.