Continuously tailored Taylor vortices

Abstract

Modified axisymmetric, finite-length Taylor–Couette (TC) cells with stationary outer cylinder and rotating inner cylinder are designed in an effort to produce simultaneous onset of toroidal vortices of continuously varying wavelength along the gap. For a given axial variation in the inner radius, the axial variation in the outer radius can be chosen such that at every axial position, the criterion for the onset of Taylor vortices in a corresponding classical TC cell is met. In one scenario, a conical inner cylinder is chosen and the shape of the outer cylinder is then determined by locally satisfying the onset criterion. In another scenario, the inner and outer radii are chosen such that the onset criterion is locally satisfied and the axial rate of change in the classical onset wave number is held constant. In both cases, the modified cells possess a large-scale meridional circulation wrought by the finite Ekman (Bödewadt) pumping on the inner (outer) cylinder walls. Using direct numerical simulation, it is found that for sufficiently large aspect ratio, there exists a critical rotation rate for the simultaneous transition from the base flow to counter-rotating toroidal vortices throughout the varying-radius region. The vortices propagate in the direction of decreasing gap width with a phase speed that decreases with increasing aspect ratio.