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Understanding Entrainment Processes in the Atmosphere: The Role of Numerical Simulation

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Direct and Large-Eddy Simulation X

Part of the book series: ERCOFTAC Series ((ERCO,volume 24))

Abstract

Turbulent entrainment is a process of primary importance in the atmospheric boundary layer; however despite several decades of intense study much remains to be understood. Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) have a tremendous potential to improve the understanding of turbulent entrainment, particularly if combined with theory. We discuss a recently developed framework for turbulent jets and plumes to decompose turbulent entrainment in various physical processes, and modify it for use in a stably stratified shear driven (nocturnal) boundary layer. The decomposition shows that inner layer processes become negligible as time progresses and that the entrainment coefficient is determined by turbulence production in the outer layer only.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the UK Turbulence consortium (grant number EP/L000261/1), an ARCHER Leadership grant for simulation time on the UK national supercomputer and an NWO/NCF (Netherlands) grant for computations on Huygens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial College London, London, UK

    Maarten van Reeuwijk

  2. Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

    Harm J. J. Jonker

Authors
  1. Maarten van Reeuwijk
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  2. Harm J. J. Jonker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maarten van Reeuwijk .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Dimokratis G.E. Grigoriadis

  2. Multiscale Modeling and Simulation, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Bernard J. Geurts

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Hans Kuerten

  4. Institute of Fluid Mechanics, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Jochen Fröhlich

  5. Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Architettura, Università di Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    Vincenzo Armenio

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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van Reeuwijk, M., Jonker, H.J.J. (2018). Understanding Entrainment Processes in the Atmosphere: The Role of Numerical Simulation. In: Grigoriadis, D., Geurts, B., Kuerten, H., Fröhlich, J., Armenio, V. (eds) Direct and Large-Eddy Simulation X. ERCOFTAC Series, vol 24. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63212-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63212-4_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63211-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63212-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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