Effect of intermediate fluid layer on Kelvin–Helmholtz instability

Abstract

Two-dimensional K-H (Kelvin–Helmholtz) instability of the three-component immiscible fluids with an intermediate fluid layer is numerically studied using the front-tracking method (FTM). The instability is governed by the Navier–Stokes equations and the conservation of mass equation for incompressible flow. A finite difference method is used to discretize the governing system. This study focuses on the influence of flow configuration, the thickness of intermediate fluid layer and the distribution of intermediate fluid layer on K-H instability. It is shown that the larger the initial horizontal velocity difference is, the faster the internal disturbance increases, and the characteristic form of K-H instability becomes more obvious for different flow configuration. It is also observed that the thickness of the intermediate fluid layer is negatively correlated to the billow height and the numerical growth rate. In addition, when the intermediate fluid layer is thicker than 0.4 times the disturbance wavelength, the billow height and the numerical growth rate for the K-H instability of the upper and lower interfaces change over time synchronously. The higher the initial height of the lower interface is, the greater the growth rate and billow height of the upper interface are. Besides, the upper and lower interfaces are rolled up synchronously over time when the intermediate fluid layer is symmetrically distributed with y = 0.5 in the fluid system.