We introduce a dynamical description based on a probability density $ϕ(σ,x,y,t)$ of the vorticity $σ$ in two-dimensional viscous flows such that the average vorticity evolves according to the Navier-Stokes equations. A time-dependent mixing index is defined and the class of probability densities that maximizes this index is studied. The time dependence of the Lagrange multipliers can be chosen in such a way that the masses $m(σ,t):=\intdxdy ϕ(σ,x,y,t)$ associated with each vorticity value $σ$ are conserved. When the masses $m(σ,t)$ are conserved then 1) the mixing index satisfies an H-theorem and 2) the mixing index is the time-dependent analogue of the entropy employed in the statistical mechanical theory of inviscid 2D flows [Miller, Weichman & Cross, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{45} (1992); Robert & Sommeria, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{69}, 2776 (1992)]. Within this framework we also show how to reconstruct the probability density of the quasi-stationary coherent structures from the experimentally determined vorticity-stream function relations and we provide a connection between this probability density and an appropriate initial distribution.
Viscous fingering is a well-known hydrodynamic instability that sets in when a less viscous fluid displaces a more viscous fluid. When the two fluids are miscible, viscous fingering introduces disorder in the velocity field and exerts a fundamental control on the rate at which the fluids mix. We present a fluid dynamics video of the mixing process in a viscously unstable flow, generated from a high-resolution numerical simulation using a computational strategy that is stable for arbitrary viscosity ratios. We develop a two-equation dynamic model of concentration variance and mean dissipation r…
Non-modal transient growth of disturbances in a viscous mixing layer flow is studied for the Reynolds numbers varying from 100 up to 5000 at different streamwise and spanwise wavenumbers. By comparing results of several mathematical approaches, it is concluded that the non-modal optimal disturbances growth results from the discrete part of the spectrum only. It is found that in the linearly unstable configurations the non-modal growth cannot be larger than the exponential one. At the same time, the largest non-modal growth takes place at the wavenumbers for which the mixing layer flow is stabl…
We consider a model for mixing binary viscous fluids under an incompressible flow. We proof the impossibility of perfect mixing in finite time for flows with finite viscous dissipation. As measures of mixedness we consider a Monge--Kantorovich--Rubinstein transportation distance and, more classically, the $H^{-1}$ norm. We derive rigorous a priori lower bounds on these mixing norms which show that mixing cannot proceed faster than exponentially in time. The rate of the exponential decay is uniform in the initial data.
This report addresses an important question discussed by the quantum turbulence community during the last decade: do quantized vortices form, in zero-temperature superfluids, coherent structures similar to vortex tubes in ordinary, viscous turbulence? So far the evidence provided by numerical simulations is that bundles of quantized vortices appear in finite-temperature superfluids, but from the interaction with existing coherent structures in the turbulent (viscous) normal fluid, rather than due to the intrinsic superfuid dynamics. In this report we show that, in very intense quantum turbulen…
We examine the interaction of two-dimensional solitary pulses on falling liquid films. We make use of the second-order model derived by Ruyer-Quil and Manneville [Eur. Phys. J. B 6, 277 (1998); Eur. Phys. J. B 15, 357 (2000); Phys. Fluids 14, 170 (2002)] by combining the long-wave approximation with a weighted residuals technique. The model includes (second-order) viscous dispersion effects which originate from the streamwise momentum equation and tangential stress balance. These effects play a dispersive role that primarily influences the shape of the capillary ripples in front of the solitar…
We investigate the enhancement of both mixing and heat transfer in a two-rod mixer for highly-viscous non-Newtonian fluids. The mixer is composed of two vertical, circular rods in a cylindrical tank. Chaotic flows are obtained by imposing the temporal modulations of the rotational velocities of the walls. We study the effects of different stirring protocols, which lead to non-chaotic and chaotic flows, on the efficiency of both mixing and heat transfer for three different rheological fluid behaviors: shear-thinning, Newtonian and shear-thickening. For this purpose, we use statistical indicator…
Nematodes have evolved to swim in highly viscous environments. Artificial mechanisms that mimic the locomotory functions of nematodes can be efficient viscous pumps. We experimentally simulate the motion of the head segment of Caenorhabditis elegans by introducing a reciprocating and rocking blade. We show that the bio-inspired blade's motion not only induces a flow structure similar to that of the worm, but also mixes the surrounding fluid by generating a circulatory flow. When confined between two parallel walls, the blade causes a steady Poiseuille flow through closed circuits. The pumping …
It is shown that the addition of small amounts of microscopic rods in a viscous fluid at low Reynolds number causes a significant increase of the flow resistance. Numerical simulations of the dynamics of the solution reveal that this phenomenon is associated to a transition from laminar to chaotic flow. Polymer stresses give rise to flow instabilities which, in turn, perturb the alignment of the rods. This coupled dynamics results in the activation of a wide range of scales, which enhances the mixing efficiency of viscous flows.
Pushing two fluids with different density one against the other causes the development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability at their interface, which further evolves in a complex mixing layer. In porous media, this process is influenced by the viscous resistance experienced while flowing through the pores, which is described by the Darcy's law. Here, we investigate the mixing properties of the Darcy-Rayleigh-Taylor system in the limit of large Péclet number by means of direct numerical simulations in three and two dimensions. In the mixing zone, the balance between gravity and viscous forces res…
Detailed understanding of two-phase gas liquid flows is imperative for developing efficient multi-phase reactors through precise control of mixing and reaction kinetics. The bubble column is a good apparatus for elementary studies of such flows. In the current study experiments are conducted to assess the effect of liquid viscosity on flow dynamics inside a bubble column. Corn oil and water are used as the continuous media, and air was the dispersed media. The objective of this effort is to use the results for a qualitative validation of the numerical simulations.
Mixing in fluids is a rapidly developing field of fluid mechanics \cite{Sreen,Shr,War}, being an important industrial and environmental problem. The mixing of liquids at low Reynolds numbers is usually quite weak in simple flows, and it requires special devices to be efficient. Recently, the problem of mixing was solved analytically for a simple case of random flow, known as the Batchelor regime \cite{Bat,Kraich,Fal,Sig,Fouxon}. Here we demonstrate experimentally that very viscous liquids at low Reynolds number, $Re$. Here we show that very viscous liquids containing a small amount of high mol…
We consider the mixing of a viscous fluid by the rotation of a pitched blade turbine inside an open, cylindrical tank, with air as the lighter fluid above. To examine the flow and interfacial dynamics, we utilise a highly-parallelised implementation of a hybrid front-tracking/level-set method that employs a domain-decomposition parallelisation strategy. Our numerical technique is designed to capture faithfully complex interfacial deformation, and changes of topology, including interface rupture and dispersed phase coalescence. As shown via transient, three-dimensional direct numerical simulati…
Dynamical compartments in stirred tank reactors and Markov state modeling for mixing quantification: a transfer operator approach
Institute of Mathematics and its Didactics, Leuphana University Lüneburg（吕讷堡莱普纳大学数学及其教学法研究所）；Heinrich-Blasius-Institute, Hamburg University of Applied Science（汉堡应用科技大学海因里希·布拉斯ius研究所）；Institute of Multiphase Flows, Hamburg University of Technology（汉堡工业大学多相流研究所）
We study the morphology of Eulerian vortical structures and their interaction with density interfaces in increasingly turbulent stably-stratified shear layers. We analyse the three-dimensional, simultaneous velocity and density fields obtained in the stratified inclined duct laboratory experiment. We track, across 15 datasets, the evolution of coherent structures from pre-turbulent Holmboe waves, through intermittent turbulence, to full turbulence and mixing. We use the Rortex--Shear decomposition of the vorticity field into a pure rotational part (the rortex vector), and a non-rotational part…
Global intermittency is observed in the stably stratified Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) and corresponds to having large nonturbulent flow regions to develop in an otherwise turbulent flow. In this paper, the differences between continuous and intermittent turbulence are quantified with the help of coherent structures. Eight classes of coherent structures are identified from literature, most of which are indicated by scalar criteria derived from velocity fields. A method is developed to geometrically classify structures into three categories: blob-like, tube-like or sheet-like. An alternate …
The effect of Prandtl number on the evolution of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) billows and the amount of mixing they generate is studied through direct numerical simulation (DNS). The results indicate that the time evolution of the rate of mixing through different stages of the life-cycle of KH flow is significantly influenced by the Prandtl number. As the Prandtl number increases, the final amount of mixing increases for Reynolds that are too low to support active three-dimensional motions. This trend is the opposite in sufficiently high Reynolds number KH flows that can overcome viscous effects, and…
It is shown: 1) that in two-dimensional, incompressible, viscous flows the vorticity-area distribution evolves according to an advection-diffusion equation with a negative, time dependent diffusion coefficient and 2) how to use the vorticity-streamfunction relations, i.e., the so-called scatter-plots, of the quasi-stationary coherent structures in order to quantify the experimentally observed changes of the vorticity distribution moments leading to the formation of these structures.
We consider analytically pair structure function of turbulent pulsations on the background of a coherent geostrophic vortex in a fast rotating fluid. The statistics of the turbulent pulsation is determined by their dynamics which is the dynamics of inertia waves affected by the differential rotation in the vortex and weak viscous damping. Our consideration is restricted by the smallest scales, where the velocity field remains smooth. We establish the anisotropy of the structure function. The velocity gradient of the turbulent pulsations achieves its largest value for the radial direction and i…
We study the dynamics of a dilute solution of rigid rodlike polymers in a viscous fluid at low Reynolds number by means of numerical simulations of a simple rheological model. We show that the rotational dynamics of polymers destabilizes the laminar flow and causes the emergence of a turbulent-like chaotic flow with a wide range of active scales. This regime displays an increased flow resistance, corresponding to a reduced mean flow at fixed external forcing, as well as an increased mixing efficiency. The latter effect is quantified by measuring the decay of the variance of a scalar field tran…
Longstanding problems regarding the causality of the diffusion equation are resolved through a class of exact solutions. A universal differential solution for diffusive processes is derived that is causal and exact at any analytic point in the data, albeit infinite order in spatial derivatives. This is true for systems both relativistic and nonrelativistic and shows that the hyperbolic and other relativistic extensions of the heat equation are not valid. A similar effect is demonstrated for flow enhanced mixing of solutions but with a new nonanalytic feature. Viscous hydrodynamics of liquids h…
Viscous heating can play an important role in the dynamics of fluids with strongly temperature-dependent viscosities because of the coupling between the energy and momentum equations. The heat generated by viscous friction produces a local temperature increase near the tube walls with a consequent decrease of the viscosity and a strong stratification in the viscosity profile. The problem of viscous heating in fluids was investigated and reviewed by Costa & Macedonio (2003) because of its important implications in the study of magma flows. Because of the strong coupling between viscosity and te…
Many fascinating phenomena such as large-scale collective flows, enhanced fluid mixing and pattern formation have been observed in so-called active fluids, which are composed of particles that can absorb energy and dissipate it into the fluid medium. For active particles immersed in liquids, fluid-mediated viscous stresses can play an important role on the emergence of collective behavior. Here, we experimentally investigate their role in the dynamics of self-assembling magnetically-driven colloidal particles which can rapidly form organized hexagonal structures. We find that viscous stresses …
Topological chaos relies on the periodic motion of obstacles in a two-dimensional flow in order to form nontrivial braids. This motion generates exponential stretching of material lines, and hence efficient mixing. Boyland et al. [P. L. Boyland, H. Aref, and M. A. Stremler, J. Fluid Mech. 403, 277 (2000)] have studied a specific periodic motion of rods that exhibits topological chaos in a viscous fluid. We show that it is possible to extend their work to cases where the motion of the stirring rods is topologically trivial by considering the dynamics of special periodic points that we call ghos…
Mixing in viscous fluids is challenging, but chaotic advection in principle allows efficient mixing. In the best possible scenario,the decay rate of the concentration profile of a passive scalar should be exponential in time. In practice, several authors have found that the no-slip boundary condition at the walls of a vessel can slow down mixing considerably, turning an exponential decay into a power law. This slowdown affects the whole mixing region, and not just the vicinity of the wall. The reason is that when the chaotic mixing region extends to the wall, a separatrix connects to it. The a…
Time-Symmetry of Lagrangian Coherent Structures in Active Turbulence
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur（坎普尔印度理工学院）；International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research（塔塔基础科学研究所国际理论科学中心）；Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad（海得拉巴印度理工学院）
Physical damping, regarding the nonlinear Navier-Stokes viscous flow dynamics, refers to a tensorial turbulent dissipation term, attributed to adjacent moving macroscopic flow components. Mutual dissipation among these parts of fluid is described by a braking term in the momentum equation together with a heating term in the energy equation, both responsible of the damping of the momentum variation and of the viscous conversion of mechanical energy into heat. A macroscopic mixing scale length is currently the only characteristic length needed in the nonlinear modelling of viscous fluid dynamics…
