Skip to main content
Log in

Turbulent Mixing and Evolution in a Stably Stratified Flow with a Temperature Step

  • Published:
Journal of Hydrodynamics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) is applied to examine the turbulent mixing and evolution in a stably stratified flow with a thermally sharp interface. Turbulent velocity intensities and turbulent kinetic energy are analyzed by considering the mean shear and stratification effects. The evolution of turbulent mixing layer and turbulent structures are mainly investigated. The results show that the streamwise intensities are much larger than the vertical intensities, and vertical fluctuations decay more rapidly at the presence of stratification. The qualitatively computational results suggest that the mixing layer, defined by the mean temperature, inclines to the side with small inlet velocity. The evolution of the half-width of the mixing layer shows two different slopes. The turbulent structure with high vorticity is restricted in the mixing layer especially in strong stratified cases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. RILEY J. J., LELONG M. P. Fluid motion in the presence of strong stratification[J]. Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech., 2000, 32: 613–657.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. PELTIER W. R., CAULFIELD C. P. Mixing efficiency in stratified shear flows[J]. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., 2003, 35: 135–167.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  3. IVEY G. N., WINTERS K. B. and KOSEFF J. R. Density stratification, turbulence, but how much mixing?[J]. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., 2008, 40: 169–184.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  4. JACOBITZ F. G., SARKAR S. and ATTA C. W. V. Direct numerical simulation of turbulence evolution in a uniformly sheared and stably stratified flow[J]. J. Fluid Mech., 1997, 342: 231–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. SHIH L. H., KOSEFF J. R. and FERZIGER J. H. et al. Scaling and parameterization of stratified homogeneous turbulent shear flow[J]. J. Fluid Mech., 2000, 412: 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. GERZ T., HOWELL J. and MAHRT L. Vertex structures and microfronts[J]. Phys. Fluids, 1994. 6: 1242–1251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. DIAMESSIS P. J., NOMURA K. K. Interactions of vorticity, rate-of-strain and scalar gradient in stratified honogeneous sheared turbulence[J]. Phys. Fluids, 2000, 12: 1166–1188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. KALTENBACH H. J., GERZ T. and SCHUMANN U. Large-eddy simulation of homogeneous and diffusion in stably stratified shear flow[J]. J. Fluid Mech., 1994, 280: 1–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. DONG Yu-hong, LU Xi-yun and ZHUANG Li-xian. Large eddy simulation of thermally-stratified turbulent channel flow with temperature oscillation on the bottom wall[J]. Journal of Hydrodynamics, Ser. B, 2004, 16(1): 34–38.

    Google Scholar 

  10. KOMORI S., NAGATA K. Effects of molecular diffusivities on counter-gradient scalar and momentum transfer in strongly stable stratification[J]. J. Fluid Mech., 1996, 326: 205–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. JAYESH K. Yoon, WARHAFT Z. Turbulent mixing and transport in a thermally stratified interfacial layer in decaying grid turbulence[J]. Phys. Fluids A, 1991, 3: 1143–1155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. HUQ P., BRITTER R. E. Turbulence evolution and mixing in a two-layer stably stratified fluid[J]. J. Fluid Mech., 1995, 285: 41–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. QIU Xiang, HUANG Yong-xiang and LU Zhi-ming et al. Experimental study of stratified turbulence using Piv system[J]. Journal of Experiments in Fluid Mechanics, 2008.22(2): 1–9(in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  14. NAGATA K., KOMORI S. The difference in turbulent diffusion between active and passive scalars in stable thermal stratification[J]. J. Fluid Mech., 2001, 430: 361–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. JAYESH, WARHAFT Z. Turbulent penetration of a thermally stratified interfacial layer in a wind tunnel[J]. J. Fluid Mech., 1994, 277: 23–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhi-ming Lu.

Additional information

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10472063, 10742005), the Shanghai Pujiang Project for Talented Scholars(Grant No. 06PJ14041).

Biography: QIU Xiang (1978- ), Male, Ph. D.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Qiu, X., Zhang, Dx., Lu, Zm. et al. Turbulent Mixing and Evolution in a Stably Stratified Flow with a Temperature Step. J Hydrodyn 21, 84–92 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(08)60122-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(08)60122-5

Key words

Navigation