Investigating the power density spectrum of fluctuations in Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) interfacial mixing is a means of studying characteristic length- and time-scales, anisotropies and anomalous processes. Guided by group theory, analysing the invariance-based properties of the fluctuations, our work examines raw time series from hot-wire anemometry measurements in the experiment by Akula et al., JFM 816, 619-660 (2017). The results suggest that the power density spectrum can be modelled as a compound function presented as the product of a power law and an exponential. The data analysis is based on Whittle's approximation of the power density spectrum for independent zero-mean near-Gaussian signals to construct a Maximum likelihood Estimator (MLE) of the parameters. Those that maximise the log-likelihood are computed numerically through Newton-Raphson iteration. The Hessian of the log-likelihood is used to evaluate the Fisher information matrix and provide an estimate of the statistical error on the obtained parameters. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test is applied to analyse the goodness-of-fit, by verifying the hypothesis that the ratio between the observed periodogram and the estimated power density spectrum follows a chi-squared probability distribution. The dependence of the parameters of the compound function is investigated on the range of mode numbers over which the fit is performed. In the domain where the relative errors of the power law exponent and the exponential decay rate are small and the goodness-of-fit is excellent, the parameters of the compound function are clearly defined, in agreement with the theory. The study of the power-law spectra in RT mixing data suggests that rigorous physics-based statistical methods can help researchers to see beyond visual inspection.
In this work a non-trivial effect of the interfacial curvature on the stability of accelerated interfaces, such as liquid rims, is uncovered. The new stability analysis, based on operator and boundary perturbation theories, reveals and quantifies influence of the interfacial curvature on the growth rate and on the wavenumber selection of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The systematic approach developed here also provides a rigorous generalization of the widely used \textit{ad hoc} idea, due to Layzer [Astrophys. J. \textbf{122}, 1-12 (1955)], of approximating the potential velocity field near…
The Rayleigh-Taylor instability develops when fluids are accelerated counter to their density gradients; intense interfacial fluid mixing ensues with time. The Rayleigh-Taylor mixing controls a broad range of processes in fluids, plasmas, materials, at astrophysical and at atomic scales. In this perspective paper we briefly review theoretical and experimental approaches, and apply theory and experiment to investigate order and disorder in Rayleigh-Taylor flows. The theory finds that properties of heterogeneous anisotropic accelerated Rayleigh-Taylor mixing depart from those of homogeneous isot…
Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) occurs in a range of industrial and natural processes. Whereas the vast majority of existing studies have considered constant acceleration, RTI is in most instances driven by variable acceleration. Here we focus on RTI driven by acceleration with a power-law time-dependence, and by applying a group theoretic method find solutions to this classical nonlinear boundary value problem. We deduce that the dynamics is dominated by the acceleration term and that the solutions depend critically on the time dependence for values of the acceleration exponent greater than…
A combined experimental and numerical study of the boundary layer in a 4:1 aspect-ratio Rayleigh-Bénard cell over a four-decade range of Rayleigh numbers has been undertaken aimed at gaining a better insight into the character of the boundary layers. The experiments involved the simultaneous Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) measurements of fluid velocity at two locations, i.e. in the boundary layer and far away from it in the bulk, for Rayleigh numbers varying between $1.6 \times 10^7$ and $2.4 \times 10^9$. In parallel, direct numerical simulations (DNS) have been performed for the same configu…
The Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (RTI) in compressible flow with inter-molecular interactions is probed via the Discrete Boltzmann Method (DBM). The effects of interfacial tension, viscosity and heat conduction are investigated. It is found that the influences of interfacial tension on the perturbation amplitude, bubble velocity, and two kinds of entropy production rates all show differences at different stages of RTI evolution. It inhibits the RTI evolution at the bubble acceleration stage, while at the asymptotic velocity stage, it first promotes and then inhibits the RTI evolution. Viscosity…
Interfacial dynamics and energy cascade in immiscible Rayleigh-Taylor turbulence
School of Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学海洋与土木工程学院）；Department of Physics, National University of Defense Technology（国防科技大学物理学院）
This work focuses on Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI)driven by acceleration with power-law time-dependence. We review the existing theoretical approaches, apply the group theory approach to solve this long-standing problem, and yield the unified framework for the scale-dependent dynamics of Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) bubbles and RT spikes. For the early-time linear dynamics we provide the dependence of RTI evolution on the acceleration parameters and the initial conditions. For the late-time nonlinear dynamics, we find a continuous family of asymptotic solutions, directly link the interface velocit…
We make a consistent derivation, from the governing equations, of the pressure transfer function in the small-amplitude Stokes wave regime and the hydrostatic approximation in the small-amplitude solitary water wave regime, in the presence of a background shear flow. The results agree with the well-known formulae in the zero vorticity case,but they incorporate the effects of vorticity through solutions to the Rayleigh equation. We extend the results to permit continuous density stratification and to internal waves between two constant-density fluids. Several examples are discussed.
Rayleigh-Taylor interfacial mixing has critical importance in a broad range of processes in nature and technology. In most instances Rayleigh-Taylor dynamics is induced by variable acceleration, whereas the bulk of existing studies is focused on the cases of constant and impulsive accelerations referred respectively as classical Rayleigh-Taylor and classical Richtmyer-Meshkov dynamics. In this work we consider Rayleigh-Taylor mixing induced by variable acceleration with power-law dependence on the spatial coordinate in the acceleration direction. We apply group theory and momentum model to fin…
Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) as a multi-scale, strongly nonlinear physical phenomenon which plays an important role in the engineering applications and scientific research. In this paper, the mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann method is used to numerically study the late-time evolutional mechanism of three-dimensional (3D) single-mode RTI and the influences of extensive dimensionless Reynolds number and Atwood number on phase interfacial dynamics, spike and bubble growth are investigated in details. For a high Reynolds number, it is reported that the development of 3D single-mode RTI would unde…
The Rayleigh--Taylor instability of two immiscible fluids in the limit of small Atwood numbers is studied by means of a phase-field description. In this method the sharp fluid interface is replaced by a thin, yet finite, transition layer where the interfacial forces vary smoothly. This is achieved by introducing an order parameter (the phase field) whose variation is continuous across the interfacial layers and is uniform in the bulk region. The phase field model obeys a Cahn--Hilliard equation and is two-way coupled to the standard Navier--Stokes equations. Starting from this system of equati…
Understanding the mechanics of detrimental convective instabilities in drying polymer solutions is crucial in many applications such as the production of film coatings. It is well known that solvent evaporation in polymer solutions can lead to Rayleigh-Bénard or Marangoni-type instabilities. Here we reveal another mechanism, namely that evaporation can cause the interface to display Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities due to the build-up of a dense layer at the air-liquid interface. We study experimentally the onset time ($t_p$) of the instability as a function of the macroscopic properties of aqueo…
We study the mixing in the presence of convective flow in a porous medium. Convection is characterized by the formation of vortices and stagnation points, where the fluid interface is stretched and compressed enhancing mixing. We analyze the behavior of the mixing dynamics in different scenarios using an interface deformation model. We show that the scalar dissipation rate, which is related to the dissolution fluxes, is controlled by interfacial processes, specifically the equilibrium between interface compression and diffusion, which depends on the flow field configuration. We consider differ…
