Abstract
A direct numerical simulation approach for the study of gravity currents in a plane channel is described. The numerical method employed is based on a mixed spectral/spectral-element discretization in space together with finite differences in time. For the validation of the code, simulations of Rayleigh–Bénard convection are performed and the results are compared with theoretical predictions and reference data from the literature. The dynamics of gravity currents is then studied by simulations of two-dimensional lock-exchange flow. The results obtained in these simulations are in good agreement with recent experimental data. By a systematic variation of the Grashof number the influence of viscous diffusion on the characteristics of the propagating fronts is assessed.
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Härtel, C., Kleiser, L., Michaud, M. et al. A direct Numerical Simulation Approach to the Study of Intrusion Fronts. Journal of Engineering Mathematics 32, 103–120 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004215331070
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004215331070