Rayleigh–Taylor instability with gravity reversal
Abstract
We present results from Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of Rayleigh–Taylor instability at Atwood numbers up to 0.9. After the layer width had developed substantially, additional branched simulations have been run under reversed and zero gravity conditions. We focus on the modifications of the mixing layer structure and turbulence in response to the acceleration change. After the gravity reversal, the flow undergoes a complex transient process in which the vertical mass flux changes sign multiple times and, consequently, the buoyancy term in the turbulent kinetic energy transport equation changes its role back and forth from production to destruction. This behavior is examined in detail using the turbulent kinetic energy and mass flux transport equations and time instances when the vertical mass at the centerline crosses zero and reaches local minima and maxima. While the transient process significantly affects the flow anisotropy at all scales, other turbulence characteristics, like the alignment between the vorticity and eigenvectors of the strain rate tensor, retain their fully developed turbulence behavior in the interior of the layer. In addition, after the gravity reversal, the edges of the layer also exhibit characteristics closer to those of the turbulent interior, even as the fluids become more mixed. Nonemore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1756195
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1756794
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-19-26671
Journal ID: ISSN 0167-2789; S0167278920308332; 132832; PII: S0167278920308332
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Physica. D, Nonlinear Phenomena
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Physica. D, Nonlinear Phenomena Journal Volume: 417 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0167-2789
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- Netherlands
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; Direct Numerical Simulations; Turbulent Mixing; Rayleigh-Taylor instability
Citation Formats
Livescu, D., Wei, T., and Brady, P. T. Rayleigh–Taylor instability with gravity reversal. Netherlands: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.physd.2020.132832.
Livescu, D., Wei, T., & Brady, P. T. Rayleigh–Taylor instability with gravity reversal. Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physd.2020.132832
Livescu, D., Wei, T., and Brady, P. T. Mon .
"Rayleigh–Taylor instability with gravity reversal". Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physd.2020.132832.
@article{osti_1756195,
title = {Rayleigh–Taylor instability with gravity reversal},
author = {Livescu, D. and Wei, T. and Brady, P. T.},
abstractNote = {We present results from Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of Rayleigh–Taylor instability at Atwood numbers up to 0.9. After the layer width had developed substantially, additional branched simulations have been run under reversed and zero gravity conditions. We focus on the modifications of the mixing layer structure and turbulence in response to the acceleration change. After the gravity reversal, the flow undergoes a complex transient process in which the vertical mass flux changes sign multiple times and, consequently, the buoyancy term in the turbulent kinetic energy transport equation changes its role back and forth from production to destruction. This behavior is examined in detail using the turbulent kinetic energy and mass flux transport equations and time instances when the vertical mass at the centerline crosses zero and reaches local minima and maxima. While the transient process significantly affects the flow anisotropy at all scales, other turbulence characteristics, like the alignment between the vorticity and eigenvectors of the strain rate tensor, retain their fully developed turbulence behavior in the interior of the layer. In addition, after the gravity reversal, the edges of the layer also exhibit characteristics closer to those of the turbulent interior, even as the fluids become more mixed. None of these changes affects the mean density profile, which still collapses among various cases. Such significant changes in some turbulence quantities and not others are difficult to capture with existing turbulence models.},
doi = {10.1016/j.physd.2020.132832},
journal = {Physica. D, Nonlinear Phenomena},
number = C,
volume = 417,
place = {Netherlands},
year = {Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2021},
month = {Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2021}
}
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