Oscillatory and Steady Flows in the Annular Fluid Layer inside a Rotating Cylinder

Abstract

The dynamics of a low-viscosity fluid inside a rapidly rotating horizontal cylinder were experimentally studied. In the rotating frame, the force of gravity induces azimuthal fluid oscillations at a frequency equal to the velocity of the cylinder’s rotation. This flow is responsible for a series of phenomena, such as the onset of centrifugal instability in the Stokes layer and the growth of the relief at the interface between the fluid and the granular medium inside the rotating cylinder. The phase inhomogeneity of the oscillatory fluid flow in the viscous boundary layers near the rigid wall and the free surface generates the azimuthal steady streaming. We studied the relative contribution of the viscous boundary layers in the generation of the steady streaming. It is revealed that the velocity of the steady streaming can be calculated using the velocity of the oscillatory fluid motion.