Fluxes across double-diffusive interfaces: a one-dimensional-turbulence study

Abstract

This work is a parametric study of the fluxes of heat and salt across unsheared and sheared double-diffusive interfaces using one-dimensional-turbulence (ODT) simulations. It is motivated by the need to understand how these fluxes scale with parameters related to the fluid molecular properties and background shear. Comparisons are made throughout with previous models and available measurements. In unsheared interfaces, ODT simulations show that the dimensionless heat fluxNuscales with the stability parameterRρ, Rayleigh numberRaand Prandtl numberPrasNu~ (Ra/Rρ)0.37±0.03whenPrvaries from 3 to 100 and asNu~ (Ra/Rρ)0.31Pr0.22±0.04whenPrvaries from 0.01 to 1. HereRa/Rρcan be seen as the ratio of destabilizing and stabilizing effects. The simulation results also indicate that the ratio of salt and heat fluxesRfis independent ofPr, scales with the Lewis numberLeasRf~Le0.41±0.04whenRρis large enough and deviates from this expression for low values ofRρ, when the interface becomes heavily eroded. In sheared interfaces, the simulations show three flow regimes. When the Richardson numberRi≪ 1, shear-induced mixing dominates, the heat flux scales with the horizontal velocity difference across the interface andRf=Rρ. NearRi~ 1 the heat and salt fluxes are seen to increase abruptly as the shear increases. The flow structure and scaling of the fluxes are similar to those of unsheared interfaces whenRi≫ 1.