The simulation of offshore turbulent dispersion using seeded eddies

Abstract

A way of representing turbulence in a two-dimensional situation is introduced appropriate to depth-independent offshore fluid mechanics. The turbulence is simulated by a collection of eddies, each of which has an analytically simple form but whose size, strength and position is governed by stochastically assigned variables. The problem addressed here is how contaminant is dispersed in such an eddy field. A number of experiments are performed whereby the eddies are seeded with marked particles that move with the fluid. The variance of these particles is monitored as time varies, and the results are compared with an assumed power law distribution. Although not a perfect fit, the results are in general accord with a power law with index between 1.5 and 2.5, which is in agreement with the observed power law of 2.34 due to Okubo, and a marked improvement on random walk models which give a variance directly proportional to time. Some further applications of this technique are discussed, namely the simulation of turbulent boundary layers and the simulation of the cascade of energy up turbulent length scales.